As artists continue to break out of the inflicted, genre-box, where musicians feel pressure to continuously place themselves into one specific musical category, more talent seems to be spreading their artistry into different realms, collaborating with iconic artists in their respective genres, and exploring alternate avenues in the music world.
More often than not, musicians are finding themselves pigeon-holed into one respective category within the music industry, feeling as though they can only sit within one specific field in the industry in order to find success and continue their music careers. Many artists today are breaking free from this mold and exploring other sounds and working alongside various artists on their brand new music.
People Magazine | Daniela Avila | Astrida Valigorsky | WireImage
Within 2024, Post Malone has been surprising fans with country-music inspired art, live sets, and new music on the way with some of the most prevailing artists in country music history. His discography sat comfortably and successfully within the Pop & Hiphop genre where he found a sky-rocketed career trajectory from his album "Hollywood's Bleeding" & "Beerbongs & Bentleys" where he collaborated with music moguls, including Ozzy Osbourne and Nicky Minaj. His transition into the Synth-pop realm with "Austin" marked another transitional bridge to his music as he opted for a softer feel & sound.
His social media presence teased this new era as he was seen with more country music stars, including Morgan Wallen as well as Blake Shelton. The release of "I Had Some Help" feat. Morgan Wallen was met with worldwide appraisal and is currently the longest running number-one song of 2024 on Billboard's Hot 100 Chart. Upon the official album announcement of "F-1 Trillion", which is simply a country album, which features Tim McGraw, Billy Strings, Sierra Ferrell, and Lainey Wilson. The two follow up tracks from the upcoming album included "Pour Me A Drink" feat. Blake Shelton, and "Guy For That" feat. Luke Combs.
Although Post Malone has remained in the Pop and HipHop genre since the beginning of his career, his span to different energies & sounds has remained successful and many are even wanting more.
Musical icon, Beyoncé has continued her reign as one of the most successful and decorated artists of all time. From her wide range, addictive music, jaw-dropping performances, and unbeatable discography, she's expanded her iconic Pop sound towards the Country music genre for her album "Cowboy Carter".
USA Today | Instagram | Beyoncé
Shortly after the successful era of "RENAISSANCE" where the exploration of house & dance music fostered a realm of cultural reset, she didn't stop there with the vastness of her art as she quickly shifted gears towards the stripped down acoustic side of the industry. The complete shift of relying less on the intricate and technologically-advanced sounds was met with worldwide adoration as fans were thrilled at the potential shift of the industry following the release of her new album.
The eighth addition to her discography included multiple features from both critically acclaimed and up & coming artists, such as Shaboozey, Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton. This new body of work both celebrated & opened up doors for talent across the board who sought a change in their music but were too afraid to do so. Although Beyoncé has celebrated her southern roots throughout her discography, she felt a strong desire to commemorate her upbringing and musical foundation within a lengthy collection.
Olivia Rodrigo | Grammy Awards | Kevin Mazur | Getty Images
The talented Olivia Rodrigo kicked off the beginning of her music career with the hit album "SOUR", which featured some of the most successful songs of the year, including "Drivers License", "Good 4 U", and "Deja Vu". Following the 2021 release, Rodrigo quickly announced the 2023 drop, "GUTS", which further explored the realm of Pop Punk music. Although she began her musical journey with easy and simplistic Pop songs, such as "All I Want" and "The Rose Song", her true artistry lied within the Emo genre, which is where she saw the rapid growth of success.
From beginning her public image on Disney to separating herself from these characters, the singer has actively steered away from the sheltered image and instead chose to remain authentic to herself as she delves into the world of Pop Punk music.
In addition to embarking on her highly anticipated tour, Rodrigo has performed, drew inspiration, and collaborated with other moguls within the genre, including Gwen Stefani, Avril Lavigne, and Lily Allen.
Another Disney star turned musical icon, Miley Cyrus has ebbed through multiple areas within music including Country, Pop, Punk, and more recently, Rock. Her discography has moved amongst the plethora of sounds as she further explores her artistry throughout each of her eras.
Miley Cyrus | Glastonbury Festival
The massive success Cyrus has found is a rarity as other artists struggle to move amongst the different sounds within the music industry and receive massive pushback, however, the strong hold she has on her musical influence allows her to move seamlessly.
Her first few albums, including "Meet Miley Cyrus" & "Breakout" centered around the easy-going and bubblegum pop sound as she officially kicked off her performative career. From here, her 2010 body of work, "Can't Be Tamed" and "Bangerz" furthers her music towards the outside of this less mature sound and into the more explicit Pop, Punk and even R&B realm, including the hit singles "Can't Be Tamed" and "Do My Thang".
Although Miley has yet to release a complete Rock and Country album she's drawn inspiration and taken part in projects within these two realms of music, from featuring on Beyoncé's new album, "Cowboy Carter" on the single "II MOST WANTED" to performing some of the biggest Rock hits of the generation, including "Heart Of Glass" and "Back To Black".
With these iconic and massively successful artists finding sanctuary amongst a wide spread selection of musical genres, they're paving the way for other musicians and talent to follow suit.
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