Her style of music gets dull VERY fast. She also has a terrible gimmick with the mystery anti-sexy, like she can wear regular clothes, the sunglasses and overly baggy outfits irritate me. I think her window to be big is up, she's been brought out for every major awards show and still hasn't popped like a SZA or even Summer Walker. I don't know if HER has an exact lane because she isn't traditional r&b.
It’s a new era of music fans. The REAL music fans(and I stress the word “real”) don’t care what an artist looks like. I didn’t know Bobby Caldwell was white until I was in my late 20s almost 15 years ago. I had never saw a video. I still dont know what Kid Hood looks like and I’ve been rapping his one verse for 27 years. I’m not saying Her is the greatest of the great, but done artists prefer to let the music speak for them. As James Brown used to say about his decades of relevance is that he never ga e the people a chance to get tired of him. Same with Prince, Maxwell and D’angelo. I swear Dangelo and Maxwell are 2 of the laziest, talented artists ever. But when they drop an album, every 7 or 15 years, it’s hot, we listen and their shows are packed. Business 101. Don’t make your product/brand easily available if you seek longevity. 10 years from now y’all still gon be saying, “why does she hide herself from the public so much?”. The most important thing is that you will be talking about her. Artists like Her and Mf Doom are in it for the long game.
It's backwards if she's saying yes to all these award shows and still going with the grunge look, she's obv making herself accessible. I think it has more to do with her handlers not really knowing what to do with her (marketing-wise) so letting her rock with the current style is their go-to. But that isn't true, music fans have always cared about artist's looks, and let's be honest, she's no SIA (who refuses to show her face when she performs but has monster hits)- while HER is more than marginally talented, she doesn't hit particular notes or have singing/writing chops that blow people away. Her image is the easiest thing for her to control and it def doesn't have to be sexy but it's simply wack. And female artists have always had to have an "image," throughout all time for music - it's been diff for male artists but at the same time Bobby Caldwell was in the funk/blue eyed soul genre which itself isn't into appearances as much as r&b - HER has too many competitors to not pay attention to how she comes across as a solo artist. Her look has been done before. I disagree with Maxwell and DeAngelo being "lazy"- don't know Maxwell's issue, but D has well documented struggles with sobriety and when he does put together an album its masterfully crafted. HER doesn't have anywhere near the acclaim but tons of exposure that she should've done a better job with. I think you're conflating pop artists, which she's not, with boho style musicians like Erykah Badu, which she also isn't. She can play the guitar, cool, but it doesn't stand out on her songs. I listened to most of her catalog and it really isn't there for her to be shrouded in such "mystery."
She plays guitar, keys, bass, upright bass and probably a harp if it’s placed in front of her. Being in award shows is not what I was talking about. I’m talking about just in the public eye 24/7. Don’t worry, you will remember this conversation we’re having in the future. As I said, 10 years from now, you guys will still be talking about, “she’s not big” but the facts are that you will be talking about her and still seeking her music. I think she’s being brought along just fine. She’s ok. She’s satisfied with her lane. You can keep saying, “she’s not as big as_____”,but she’s gonna keep her main fan base for the next decade for so and beyond. This is not a Frank Ocean or August Alsina situation. She’s gonna be ok.
I thought artists were ok with having a loyal fan base and being able to tour and stuff. I think she’s going to be ok. She don’t have to be a big star right? People be double talking these days with this music shyt so I don’t know what to believe
