A MULTIMODAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF THE ENTERTAINER

MAGAZINE COVERS: HARRY STYLES NEW ALBUM

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Research Background

Harry Styles is the biggest superstar from now on because of his

talent. He can be a singer, songwriter, actor, also a businessman. Until now

he has 3 albums since One Direction decided to go on hiatus in 2016. His first

album is a self-titled album which was released in 2017. Also, his second

album is Fine Line, which he released Fine Line in 2019. Harry Styles

himself told that Fine Line is about his last ex. In addition, his third album is

Harry’s House. Harry’s House was released on 20 May 2022 by Columbia

Record and Erskine. This album has 13 songs, and the most popular song is

As It Was because Harry released As It Was first with the music video. His

act made all of his fans shocked and excited at the same time. 

Beside Harry’s House which released this year, Harry announced his

new brand, Pleasing. In Pleasing he sells package of nail art, tote bag, t-shirt,

and make up pallet. Due to Harry’s House just being released, it brings the

album into the public spotlight. Made Harry Styles was invited to be a

headline of Coachella, the biggest festival music in the world. Harry Styles

previewed two new songs at Coachella on Friday, Boyfriends and Late Night

Talking (Ahlgrim, 2022).

After Harry’s House was released, it makes this album more famous

because most of the songs are accepted by the public besides the fans.
 Pramesti (2022) said in the Parapuan article that Harry’s House is included in

the album with the most streams in 24 hours. According to Chartdata on

Twitter, this album is the most streamed pop album of 2022 on Apple Music.

Harry's House has the fifth biggest first-day album debut in history on the

global Spotify chart with over 97.6 million streams for its 13 total songs.

This research has done using methods MDA. MDA or Multimodal

Discourse Analysis is an approach that looks at multiple modes of

communication such as text, color, and images. The writer use magazine

covers to analyze multimodal discourse analysis. In MDA, album has a lot of

meanings behind of that. Multimodal Discourse Analysis approach draws

upon Halliday and Matthiessen (2004) theory to provide frameworks for

conceptualizing the complex array of semiotic resources which are used to

create meaning for example like language, visual imagery, gesture, sound,

music, three dimensional objects, and architecture.

Based on previous about this research by Mentari Putri Pramaenda

Sinaga (2022), she writes multimodal analysis about Selena Gomez’s Revival

album as a data research. Meanwhile the writer chooses Harry’s new album,

Harry’s House, as a data research. Harry’s House album is the first research

to discuss because this album just released in 2022.

1.2 Research Questions

Following the research background, the writer generates research questions as

follows.

1. What is the representational meaning that are found in covers magazine?

2. What is the interactive meaning that are found in covers magazine?

 3. What is the compositional meaning that are found in covers magazine?

1.3 Research Aims

There are several aims the writer hopes to get while doing this study. The

aims are as follows:

1. To identify the representational meaning in covers magazine.

2. To explain the interactive meaning in covers magazine.

3. To describe the compositional meaning in covers magazine.

1.4 Research Methodology

In this opportunity, the writer choose to analyze Harry’s last album, Harry’s

House. For the reason that the writer choose magazine cover as object of the

study. Thus, there is a semiotic mode used to process meaning-making. A

description of semiotic sources, what can be said and done with pictures and

other means of visual communication, and how the things people say and do

with pictures can be interpreted (Jewitt and Oyama, 2001: 136). Images from

photos on magazine covers carry meaning. There are symbols and objects

built into it such as words, structure, gestures, and colors must be expressed

(Sinaga, 2022). 

1.4.1 Data Collecting Technique

1. Observation

Observation is a systematic data collection approach. It deals with

data that can be observed with the senses: sight, smell, touch,

taste, and hearing. They do not involve measurements or numbers.

For example, the color, shape, and texture of objects are all

qualitative observations.
 2. Browsing Internet

Browsing is the act of looking through a set of information

quickly, without a specific sense of purpose. In the context of the

internet, it usually refers to using the world wide web.

1.4.2 Data Analyzing Technique

Following the research about the album, this research used descriptive

qualitative as a data analysis technique. Descriptive qualitative is a

method that explores social situations in depth. In this research, the

writer used magazine covers to look for the representational,

interactive, and compositional meaning. To find those meanings, a

descriptive qualitative is needed to explain the meaning in the

magazine covers.

1.4.3 Data Source

The data source of this research is from four magazine covers that

were published in website YourCelebrityMagazines.com. There is

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, Dazed Magazine, The Ultimate

Guide Magazine, and Kings of Pop Magazine.

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine was published in April 26, 2022

by Lou Stoppard. Dazed Magazine was published in November 18,

2021 by Lynette Nylander, Rafael Pavarotti, and Kamara. The

Ultimate Guide Magazine April 28, 2022. Kings of Pop Magazine

was published in April 23, 2022 by Christian Guiltenane.

1.5 Research Benefits

From this research, whether it is the writer or the readers will know about

what’s the meaning of Harry’s House. Also, because this data is from four

different magazine covers, people will recognize that every magazine cover

has an implied meaning behind it. In this study, the writer is able to interpret

the meaning of language, visual imagery, and gesture in one object. Also,

knows the detailed practices for analyzing the meaning of each magazine

cover and the use of those resources in communicative photos.