How Can Artists Successfully And Respectfully Crossover Into A New Genre?
How Can Artists Successfully And Respectfully Crossover Into A New Genre?
The harsh truths and remedies for glory for the crossover artist
When many music listeners were confused or angry at Beyonce’s country album announcement, I was elated.
Her decision to officially genre-shift had been teased since her 2016 country album cut “Daddy’s Lessons” off her healing-centric album Lemonade. “Daddy’s Lessons” was such a unique sounding and standout album cut and made enough of a splash that Beyonce now had a dedicated group of fans, myself included, calling for the full-length country album to drop eventually.
In the interim, she ventured into afrobeats music with the Lion King soundtrack, The Lion King: The Gift, and then disco with Renaissance. Each step of the way, she dove head first into the new direction and skated through the new space with more enthusiasm and effort than a young skater at their favorite skate park.
When she finally arrived at Cowboy Carter, the project was filled with tremendous tunes but, more interestingly, cooperation and collaboration with the genre’s finest. It was like the most exclusive and high-end country party, and Beyonce was the elaborate host.
In the years before “Daddy’s Lessons,” Beyonce’s music always had a Southern soulful R&B flare that was never too far from the country. For instance, “Irreplaceable” had a sweet woman-scorned charm and was actually initially written by Singer-songwriter Ne-Yo for country singers Faith Hill and Shania Twain.
Further, the twangy, sun-kissed chords on “1+1” could have easily been a country tune if Beyonce approached the vocal performance with more country inflections in her tone. Moreover, “That’s Why You’re Beautiful” always had this country-rock glow illuminating the track’s gorgeous, uplifting message.
Beyonce left clues behind for decades. You just needed to learn where to look and when to pick them up.
Crossing over as an artist requires dedication and proper execution. If done incorrectly, the misstep could cause long-lasting damage to the artist’s image and the reception of future work. In this piece, I will discuss how artists can go down the crossover path with their best foot forward.
I’ll also identify some of the landmines for their benefit. Hopefully, this piece will encourage fans to give their favorite musicians some grace when they want to try something new. Further, I hope this article provides the artists the space to experiment in a way that is both authentic to them and respectful of the new territory they are entering.
I broke the piece into the following sections:
The A-List Of Crossover Artists: In this section, I will uncover some artists who have crossed over from one genre to another.
Do What It Takes To Appeal To A New Base: In this section, I will discuss three actionable tips for artists who want to cross over. Further, for each tip, I provide examples of crossover artists who successfully crossed over using the tip.
Where Do Some Artists Fall Short?: In this section, I provide two warnings that budding crossover artists should heed when leaping into a new genre. Further, for each warning, I give examples of failed crossover artists.
Crossing Over Helps Artists Express the Full Range Of Their Artistry: In this section, I summarize my piece and give some closing advice for fans of artists crossing over into new genres and artists daring to make the risky jump.
The A-List Of Crossover Artists
Kenny Rogers
The Nature Of His Crossover — Kenny Rogers is known as one of the great artists who crossed over from country to pop music. Staring out in The First Edition, a folk-pop group, Kenny Rogers had moderate success with them in the late 1960s. They were equally controversial and genre-bending, finding innovative ways to stir up public commentary and express themselves as a forward-thinking pop band in the ever-changing music industry.
Rogers’s run with them was short-lived, and eventually, he was stuck trying to reinvent himself as a capable solo artist. As a solo act, Rogers eventually learned how to appeal to pop audiences with a more relaxed sound, releasing hits like “Coward Of The County” and albums like Share Your Love, which sold well and charted high on both the country and pop charts.
How He Successfully Crossed Over—Kenny Rogers was able to appeal to members of country and pop music audiences because he made music that resonated with both audiences. Songs like “Lady” and “Love Will Turn You Around” and many of his others during his peak 1970s—1980s run were more adult contemporary than anything else. His easy-listening vocal tone and hooks could easily be played at local malls or on the speakers at any restaurant in the American North and South.
Rogers was also fantastic at marketing his image as a welcoming father figure for the nation through ventures like the Kenny Rogers Roasters restaurant chain. Mixing this with the multi-generational appeal of the music TV film series The Gambler, Rogers became one of the most beloved figures in pop music.
Kenny Rogers’ easy-listening vocal tone and memorable hooks helped him comfortably transition from country to adult contemporary
Beastie Boys
The Nature Of Their Crossover — The Beastie Boys traded unfiltered and rough-edged hardcore punk for rap-rock’s sample-heavy, shit-talking ways. Before their hip-hop single debut, The Beastie Boys was a rebellious punk band that opened up for punk groups like Misfits and Bad Brains in the New York tri-state area.
Once they teamed up with Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons, the Beastie Boys became a prominent act in hip-hop. Although that partnership with Rubin and Simmons only lasted one album, they continued to push hip-hop’s boundaries for the remainder of their peak era in the ’80s and ’90s through Capital Records.
How They Successfully Crossed Over—The Beastie Boys kept the attitude and experimentation of punk and brought it into hip-hop music. Once they made their ultimate statement with Licensed to Ill, their approach to the genre changed forever. Soon after, fans became more accustomed to self-boasting raps and front-and-center guitars.
Thanks to their out-of-the-box thinking, the Beastie Boys have reframed how hip-hop artists think about sample usage, drums, and vocal recording. From the genre gumbo of Paul’s Boutique to the singular-sounding alternative rock-leaning classic Check Your Head, the Beastie Boys became pioneers in a genre they wandered into.
The Beastie Boy moved from being an underground punk band to becoming pioneers in the rising hip-hop genre in the 1980s.
Linda Ronstadt
The Nature Of Her Crossover — Linda Ronstadt started her career in the moderately successful southern California-based folk trio Stone Poneys. Most of the group knew each other since they were teenagers and joined the wave of folk bands populating the West Coast shores in the 1960s. Unable to stand out as a group and loved as a solo artist, Ronstadt pursued a solo career in the late 1960s.
Finding early and consistent success in covers like “When Will I Be Loved” and “You’re No Good,” Ronstadt rose as a legitimate star amongst the furious wave of immensely popular rock bands. Rondstadt held her own as a solo force, with a dominating presence in popular culture and countless platinum-selling pop and rock albums. She even went on side quests through creating jazz and Latin albums, finding interests and motivations in her less commercial preferences and roots.
How She Successfully Crossed Over — How does Ronstdt jump from folk band mainstay to the bearer of the rock and roll torch? The answer lies in the formula Rindstandt mastered in the mid-1970s. As a label darling and child of the American Songbook, Ronstadt took advantage of the skilled songwriters at her disposal and covered the finest rock songs of her day.
On Hasten Down The Wind, she accomplishes this with the title track. She repeated the efforts in her 1977 follow-up Simple Dreams with “Tumbling Dice.” Rondstant was also a phenomenal brand and institution in herself, branching out into movies and enlarging her person in the pop space with unforgettable and timeless Rolling Stone and Time covers.
Linda Ronstadt’s reign in rock music was built off the carefully chosen rock standards she covered during the height of rock’s commercial golden age.
Taylor Swift
The Nature Of Her Crossover — As contemporary readers, most of us know Taylor’s current and complete ubiquity in pop music. From the tours to the award shows, the Pennsylvania native has demonstrated influence and fandom at a level we haven’t seen since Brittney Spears or further back to Michael Jackson.
Nonetheless, if we were to rewind the clock, we would find Swift to be a successful country-pop artist in her teens or early twenties. Her Nashville artistic roots were just as crucial to her story as her crossover appeal.
How She Successfully Crossed Over — Swift’s album releases from 2010 with Speak Now to 2014 with 1989 was an intentional and brilliant assertion into the pop realm. Anthemic tunes like “Dear John,” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” and “Blank Space” colored her overwhelming presence in the genre. By the end of this three-album journey, she was coronated as the new queen of pop music.
It wasn’t until the pandemic and, most notably, Folklore that Swift transcended into a new, scarce-visited pop space limited to a select few. At this new level, Swift became a symbol, an angelic figure that fans didn’t just love but worshiped. Up to this point, Swift was a major proponent of physicals and didn’t put too much effort into her streaming release strategy. Thanks to the pandemic, she figured out a formula that worked for her, and the continued success of pop music developed from there.
Swift’s 2010 project Speak Now began her gradual career shift from country music to pop.
Beck
The Nature Of His Crossover — Beck is an artistic chameleon whose next color is just as unpredictable as his last one. Many thought he was a one-hit-wonder when he started as a slacker and underground hip-hop artist who frequented poetry slams. Beck proved that he was more than that; he was not just a reflection of his anti-establishment Generation X class of artists.
In reality, he was a polymath who captivated artists with his cunning lyrics, boundary-pushing production, and musical ambition. It took the industry a bit of time to catch up to Beck, and in 2015, when he won the famed Grammy For Album Of The Year, he was treated with the pomp and circumstances most creators of masterpieces can and should enjoy.
How He Successfully Crossed Over — Beck assured his success in new genres by branding himself as a flexible artist who never stood still in one genre too long. When he was pigeonholed in the amateur rap and slacker rock category for his critically acclaimed debut Mellow Gold, he dropped two more albums that year that were indie rock to prove how unboxable he was.
He proved this again after winning praise and love for his majestic and atmospheric folk-rock record Morning Phase. Most artists would have hugged that genre as close to themselves as possible. Not Beck. Instead, he thought more about the honest inspiration of his art. After that, he moved closer to pop and dance music in his next album, Colors, which, due to his talent, was also adored and given phenomenal critical acclaim.
After the success of his rap/slacker studio debut Mellow Gold, Beck immediately crossed over into indie rock within the same year. With this move, Beck showed the world that he was dynamic artist with a fluid approach to genre-based music.
Do What It Takes To Appeal To A New Base
Tip #1 Get Brought In By The Respected Figures In The New Genre
Artists who want to prosper in a new genre need to get the green light from those already seen as respected figures. They can do this through strategic collaborations or co-signs. Either way, they need to signal to the fans of that new genre that they will treat their beloved music respectfully and with dignity.
The crossover artist can’t have their music viewed as a cash grab or an inauthentic label-forced project. By welcoming genre heads, the crossover artist has some feet to stand on before they start releasing new music.
Example: Drake is outstanding at building rapport with the point people in the new genre he is interested in pursuing next. Whether it was collaborating with WizKid years before any mainstream North American artist thought of afrobeats or featuring on a new Bad Bunny song before the Puerto Rican Latin trap debut album, Drake has demonstrated an undeniable finger on the pulse of budding genres and musical trends.
His commercial and cultural respect comes from his work behind the scenes. This was first notable in the early days of his career when he made inroads in reggaeton, first paying homage and gaining respect for genre legends like Vibes Kartal. Years later, the show of respect allowed Drake to sign one of Kartal’s mentees, Popcaan, to his record label OVO Sound.
Anytime Drake made crossover music he tastefully received a co-sign from respected figures in the new genre beforehand. These co-signs typically resulted in smash hit collaborations.
Tip #2: Build The Skills, Then Find The Appeal
Before an artist makes the final leap and starts releasing music in the new genre, they must practice making the latest music. This skill-building period should take considerable time and allow the artist to enter the new genre confidently. During the skill-building period, they need to learn the new genre’s ins and outs, collaborate with veterans in the field, and ask for plenty of advice. Those rookie errors need to be worked out before they open up to the public about the new direction their sound is taking.
Example: Genesis is regarded as one of the most foundational bands in progressive rock history. Much of their music, songs, and albums are considered pillars in the genre and reference points for future generations of progressive rock bands. In the seventies, when they were led by the imaginative and forward-thinking rock legend Peter Gabriel, their music was exceptionally experimental, refusing to settle on standard time signatures or time lengths.
Once Gabriel left the band and Phil Collins took over, the band started to prioritize new skills. With songwriters and band members Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford, Collins focused on writing more pop-orientated rock tunes accessible to a larger audience.
Songs like “Follow You, Follow Me” were such melodic and straightforward global pop hits that Genesis, after that, oriented most of their hit singles around that sound. The group’s later success in pop music, as well as the bifurcation of its fanbase, happened thanks to the work of band members Collins, Banks, and Rutherford, who intentionally worked for years on carving space for the group in an area of mainstream music where fans were unfamiliar with them.
Phill Collins and his teammates Banks and Rutherford intentionally started making more accessible rock-pop music once Peter Gabriel left the group in the late 1970s.
Tip #3: Ease The Fans Into It; Dip Your Toe In The New Space
Sometimes, artists surprise fans with a new album of totally different-sounding music. This is a terrible decision and a selfish course of action. As much as musicians sometimes feel like making songs is for them, in reality, it’s not. The second they decide they want to publicize it, there’s a newfound responsibility to the fans you’re sharing the music with. It’s not fair or fun to admit this, but it’s true.
Therefore, a responsible artist who takes their fans seriously should provide them the decency of walking the fans through this new sound. Maybe it’s a non-album single, an interview, or a clip at the end of a music video. Anything to signal to the fans that they are about to go on a ride with their favorite artist to a place they’ve never been before.
Example: Andrea Bocelli has been considered one of the foremost operatic singers in the world for the last 35 years. He came to be known for his brilliant classical performances at music festivals. His piano playing skills and tenor vocals over meandering classic compositions helped grow him a serious fanbase across Europe. Once he collaborated more with pop artists like Georgia on “Vivo per lei” and toured with pop singers like Gerardina Trovato, he helped familiarize fans with his pop sound.
Therefore, when his breakthrough pop crossover record, Romanza, dropped in 1994, his appeal for both sides of the musical aisle was bought in, and he happily enjoyed the music. To this day, Romanza remains Bocelli’s best-selling album and the best-selling Italian album of all time in terms of worldwide sales.
For years, Andrea Bocelli toured with Italian pop artists and made classical-pop music before releasing his record-breaking crossover album, Ramanza.
Where Do Some Artists Fall Short?
Misstep #1: Bastardization And Appropriation Of The New Genre
I’ve written about this in more detail here. Still, in this misstep, artists typically jump right into a new genre without thinking about, considering, or caring to consider the cultural dynamics of the new genre. Maybe the genre is rooted in a race, a country, or a shared experience by a people.
These genre elements are sensitive to the fans; therefore, when new artists jump in haphazardly, they could land on some dangerous landmines. Even if the music is good, some artists face a feeling of disrespect from the fans that they ultimately can’t overcome.
When Zac Brown Band dropped their 2015 project, Jekyll + Hyde, they were already known as a genre-pushing and eclectic country rock band. They were not new to trying different sounds like bluegrass or reggae, sometimes all on the same album. Still, Jekyll + Hyde was seen as far too experimental to justify its outrageously splintered sound.
One moment, the band is beaming out hip-hop lines; the next, they are jamming like a hard rock crew. The band’s new direction wasn’t given much notice either, so not only were the fans let down, but they didn’t know how to prepare for a letdown. Zac Brown Band responded accordingly and kept their sound concise and safe with the majestic country album Welcome Home.
While some songs on Jekyll + Hyde are wonderfully imaginative and engrossing the band’s new direction featured the group biting off more than they can chew.
Misstep #2: Poor Quality, Half-baked Effort
When an artist tries to venture into a new genre and they squander it, fans will let them know. Crash and burning on the first release in a new genre is the worst first step a crossover artist can make. These mistakes are usually made when the artist makes the music without appropriately spending time studying it or gaining control of it.
They make the new music based on how it sounds rather than how it feels to make it. Therefore, the final copy can come across as very cheap and almost like a bad parody. Sometimes, an artist just isn’t fit for a second genre, and the exact thing that makes them great in one genre makes them a square trying to fit into a circle frame for the other.
Example: Kelly Rowland’s beloved status in R&B since the mid-1990s helped her build strong legs as a solo artist. Those R&B fans of Destiny Child stuck with her on the nostalgic and moody Simply Deep and the funky vibrations of Ms. Kelly. Unfortunately, Rowland took this support from R&B find and tried to transcend further into pop and dance music with 2011’s Here I Am. The confident sex-affirmative album was met with a lukewarm response from fans and critics alike.
While her dives into dance music were notable, the half-baked effort made her look like a lousy impersonator of Donna Summers. When Rowland does what Rowland does best, like gorgeous R&B-pop tunes, her reliability and talent shine through. It’s no mistake that Rowland returned to more of a contemporary R&B sound in the thrilling follow-up Talk A Good Game.
While Kelly Rowland prospered as a staple in early 2000s R&B through melodic love tunes and insatiable hit records her unsuccessful shift into pop music came across as a half-baked, effort that was devoid of any real and honest personality.|
Crossing Over Helps Artists Express the Full Range Of Their Artistry
When artists cross over, they take fans to an unfamiliar place. On the journey, fans will either become enraged or excited about the new music. A large determinant of their mood is how an artist executes their cross-over into a new genre. The artists below are prime examples of properly crossing over into new genres with incredible success:
Kenny Rogers
Beastie Boys
Linda Ronstadt
Taylor Swift
Beck
These artists accomplished their goals for several reasons. While some of their success requires a pinch of luck, most are due to strategies they implemented on the artistic, marketing, and behind-the-scenes fronts. Below are three actions artists take to cross over successfully:
Tip #1 Get Brought In By The Respected Figures In The New Genre
Tip #2: Build The Skills, Then Find The Appeal
Tip #3: Ease The Fans Into It; Dip Your Toe In The New Space
Even though an artist can have all the talent in the world and the best intentions, they could still fall short during the crossover period into a new genre. If an artist screws up during the crossover phase of their career, the misjudgment could cause them some severe reputational damage to their music moving forward.
To help other artists learn from these mistakes, we discussed some missteps failed crossover artists made while crossing over.
Misstep #1: Bastardization And Appropriation Of The New Genre
Misstep #2: Poor Quality, Half-baked Effort
Crossing over is a noble feat that artists should be free to pursue if their creativity asks for it. During this transition to the new genres, artists must recognize the harsh nature of it all and take this period seriously with a well-thought-out strategy. In this planning phase, the artist can and should look to others who have tried similar jumps and ask them directly how they went about it or if they have any suggestions for improvements.
As fans, it’s our responsibility to provide the artist some grace during this ambitious and risk-taking move and to be true to our feelings about how the music sounds and how it’s affected us. When done right, crossover artists represent the best musicians worldwide because their variety of music addresses the music fan’s dynamic tastes across several genres.
When crossover artists thrive and connect with a plethora of fans, magic happens. The crossover artist’s music unifies fanbases, people from different walks of life, and super-fans with particular music preferences. In those moments, we fans see the humanity in one another and begin to respect one another’s tastes, no matter the genre.
In this playlist, you can enjoy the songs featured in today’s piece!
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