Is being "unattractive" holding a crop of r&b singers back from success?

was just thinking of r&b from the past where either being attractive (Mariah, Toni, Beyonce, Usher, R Kelly - forget all the shyt now, in the 90's women wanted to jump his bones) or at least making yourself up be as attractive as possible (Faith, Mary J B, a lot of the r&b groups - 112, SWV, etc) seemed to help with success.

look, idgaf what folks look like, but there's a lot of really good r&b out, but some of the artists are either unattractive or don't do much to boost their attractiveness. i'm wondering if this is part of what's holding back their ascent into the mainstream?


daniel ceasar (i know twitter canceled him, but he makes good music)


ari lennox (not unattractive, but she's not really attractive either)


syd (she and the internet should've been bigger IMO)



I can keep going, SiR, Gallant, Bj the Chicago kid...Rayana Jay (Lizzo took the one fat girl spot), Amber Mark (she's a weird one, sometimes she's attractive, sometimes not so much)

That said, there are also attractive folks making good music who aint popped: Lion Babe

And people who make themselves look like shyt who have popped Ella Mai, SZA

 

The style of music is inherently sexual. How the singer looks is part of the package

 

I think Theres a ceiling on how mainstream your music can be when you make music like Ari and Daniel Ceaser

if Ari switched places with Mila J I don’t think their would be much difference

 

Yeah it’s a packaged deal with singing r&b. Be honest if woman don’t think Trey Songz was sexy would we even be talking about him now? Same could be said for a gang of r&b chicks.

 

Syd needs long hair
fukk she doing

 

The whole point is that they’re alternative no? They arent really attempting to be mainstream like Mariah and Co

You’re comparing two different types of music in two different decades. It’s like saying is Westside Gunn being held back because he doesnt look like Will Smith.

 

Syd

 

Truth.

Part of the R&B image is to sell romance/sex. So you sometime gotta look
the part unless youre really talented and unique.

 

Snoh Aalegra had a fire album(my favorite album this year) and she looks like a damn supermodel. While she's somewhat popular, I wouldn't say she's well known by most.



Women seem to think Lucky Daye is attractive and he hasn't gone over the top yet either. EDIT: His album was also fire.

 

quite honestly this is the what r&b is right now...the chris brown/beyonce/trey songz r&b aint being made...all the people make music are on some sza, khalid, jhene aiko, solange shyt, whether they're "mainstream" or just being streamed. ella mai is maybe as close as "regular" r&b that's popping...

and people like erykah badu, jill scott, maxwell, musiq...all had crazy mainstream success making music that was "alternative" to the mainstream, so i don't think it's the type of music...

 

i stayed away from naming non black artists for a veriety of reasons...coli goes left real fast on topics like that

on that note you also got people like alina baraz who's bad AF but also not poppin

 

Never heard of the Amber Mark chick but she's fire nikka what are you talking about

 

I hear you but it seems that the genre has been monopolised with only a select few in each spot.


Attractiveness always plays a part in marketability but I just think their spots are already taken in the alt space for now.

 

this is why i say she's a weird one, sometimes she looks bad AF other times she's ...i don't know where she truly falls, that said, i'm a chick and don't care, her music is absolutely flames and i'm ready for her to drop a full album

 

I never heard of any of em.

But it’s a lot of attractive r&b singers who can’t get a hit. Tinashe, jorja, Sabrina cordilsj(canceled racist whore but still can sing). So I doubt attraction is a thing.

Adele and Lizzo ugly but they got hits