bigfan101
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Post by bigfan101 on Apr 27, 2020 22:10:36 GMT -5
If this continues at this pace, i feel like we may be getting a ‘deluxe version’ of this album with some more country produced songs sooner rather than later.
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kanimal
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Post by kanimal on Apr 27, 2020 22:35:25 GMT -5
Since double-standards have been brought up, I’d like to suggest a better comparison than that to Sam Hunt. My take is that country radio isn’t shutting Kelsea out, but rejecting Halsey. We all knew upon first listen that “the other girl” wasn’t a country song, and “[the other mix]” solidified that there was not much they could do to convert it to such without losing the spirit of the original track. That said, radio fully embraced Dan + Shay’s collaboration with Justin Bieber, “10,000 Hours.” Like “the other girl,” that single didn’t boast the sonic elements typical of singles released in the format; despite such, it performed terrifically at radio. Dan + Shay seem to have more overall clout than Ballerini does, but she does have a high visibility factor within the country music industry in terms of female artists. The cold response to “the other girl” extends beyond the public’s lukewarm engagement with “homecoming queen?” This is a deliberate shut-out and a bad move on Black River’s part. They were banking on name recognition to try and cultivate a crossover hit, but that can’t happen if a single doesn’t launch properly within its primary format and there’s no interest generated for the featured artist. There were two safer choices that were overlooked, despite the fact that the kelsea era started out on shaky ground. The Sam Hunt comparison struck me as odd. I know he's the go-to "not country" example, but "Hard To Forget" is obviously one of his most country singles ever. There are elements that would disqualify it for many traditionalists, but it's definitely more country than his last three singles. There's merit to the Dan + Shay example, but beyond the point about them being bigger stars (and Bieber, recent album/tour sales aside, being a bigger name than Halsey), it's also worth noting that "10,000 Hours" still felt like a Dan + Shay song. It's pop, but it's the same brand of pop as Speechless and Tequila - which were both massive hits at the format. "the other girl" is a big departure from even Kelsea's poppiest country radio singles. It 100% struck me (and I know this is the case for many others) as an attempt to cross Kelsea into the pop world, as opposed to a way to restore her country momentum. The only connection one could conceivably make to country is that the "who's gonna put on the red dress" part sounds like it was taken straight from Taylor Swift's "reputation" album, and Taylor used to be a big country star. So, yeah, not country. Even "Miss Me More" - for all its pop production and presentation - still seemed to showcase Kelsea's familiar personality and delivery. You don't even get THAT on "the other girl." It's for that reason that I struggle with most arguments in the "most of today's country sounds poppy, so why are we getting mad here" vein. To be honest, with how big a departure this is not only from what's getting played on country radio but Kelsea's own discography, I think "The Middle" might be the best (though not perfect) comparison. Pop songs were getting played on country radio at that time, and Maren Morris had some success with a non-country single in "80s Mercedes," so why didn't "The Middle" get country airplay?
"One Thing Right" or "Heartless" would be other superior examples, in my opinion, than a routine single from Sam Hunt or Thomas Rhett (if you want Rhett, go with "Vacation," which did struggle). Yes, I know you can make the straw man argument about these examples being EDM, but I'm focusing on the degree of departure from the artist's signature country radio sound. Which is significant in all cases. -- Assuming that these past two weeks weren't a fluke and that the song is in trouble, it's a bittersweet situation. In theory, I think most would appreciate country radio saying no to an egregious pop song - as well as another BS carpet bagger situation. But, it also amounts to another setback for a charismatic female artist - at a time when females are actually starting to have some traction on the charts.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2020 22:55:56 GMT -5
Pop songs were getting played on country radio at that time, and Maren Morris had some success with a non-country single in "80s Mercedes," so why didn't "The Middle" get country airplay?
I agree with the majority of what you said, but this point gave me pause. I would never, under any circumstances, classify “80s Mercedes” as a pop song. It boasts strong sonic country qualities and is a great example of country and pop elements working in tandem to create a dynamic record. Also, just to clarify, I wasn’t really trying to split hairs between Bieber and Halsey. I asserted that one collaboration was better-received than another, but rather than boiling it down just to a gender issue (which turns into a catch-all response), I put forth the idea with the subtext of not fully understanding why one song was being rejected and the other wasn’t. I think you made some great points for consideration. I appreciate the insight!
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Khia
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Post by Khia on Apr 27, 2020 23:16:01 GMT -5
While I'm sure there are several reasons this is struggling, I'd think being an all-female collab is another point against it for country radio. Does anyone know what the last hit female collaboration was? "Something Bad" underperformed at radio despite coming from the format's two biggest women. The only example I can think of is Kelly and Reba's "Because of You" well over a decade ago. I could be missing something obvious, though.
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raylatch98
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Post by raylatch98 on Apr 27, 2020 23:19:21 GMT -5
While I'm sure there are several reasons this is struggling, I'd think being an all-female collab is another point against it for country radio. Does anyone know what the last hit female collaboration was? "Something Bad" underperformed at radio despite coming from the format's two biggest women. The only example I can think of is Kelly and Reba's "Because of You" well over a decade ago. I could be missing something obvious, though. No besides those and Sugarland & Taylor Swift "Babe" I can't remember any recent all female vocal collaborations in recent country music radio history * I do think "Something Bad" underperformed more for the song itself not being radio friendly and the summer of 2014 in particular being an absolute brutal release time than it was for being two female artists.
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kanimal
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Post by kanimal on Apr 27, 2020 23:38:01 GMT -5
Pop songs were getting played on country radio at that time, and Maren Morris had some success with a non-country single in "80s Mercedes," so why didn't "The Middle" get country airplay?
I agree with the majority of what you said, but this point gave me pause. I would never, under any circumstances, classify “80s Mercedes” as a pop song. It boasts strong sonic country qualities and is a great example of country and pop elements working in tandem to create a dynamic record. I probably went too far with the "80s Mercedes" comment, but the ultimate point I was trying to make is that I don't think it's contradictory to reject a song as "too poppy" from an artist who has, at least at times, veered toward the poppier side of country. There ARE limits, both in terms of the sound we associate with country radio and the sound we associate with a particular artist. My opinion, and it seems like others agree, is that "the other girl" stretches those limits in a way that other recent "pop country" and other Kelsea Ballerini hits don't. - Another point to consider: the artist dynamic on this track. If you think of some other recent country artist - pop artist collaborations, the country star was either a bigger name outright (FGL-Bebe, Keith Urban-Julia Michaels), or at least as a big enough country star that they didn't feel outshined by the big pop name (Chris Lane-Tori Kelly, Kenny-P!nk, Dan + Shay-Justin Bieber). Here, you have a case in which the pop star is a significantly bigger name than the country artist (and yet, not the kind of "big name" for which country airplay would feel like a special event). That may also create some hesitation.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2020 23:45:52 GMT -5
I agree with the majority of what you said, but this point gave me pause. I would never, under any circumstances, classify “80s Mercedes” as a pop song. It boasts strong sonic country qualities and is a great example of country and pop elements working in tandem to create a dynamic record. I probably went too far with the "80s Mercedes" comment, but the ultimate point I was trying to make is that I don't think it's contradictory to reject a song as "too poppy" from an artist who has, at least at times, veered toward the poppier side of country. There ARE limits, both in terms of the sound we associate with country radio and the sound we associate with a particular artist. My opinion, and it seems like others agree, is that "the other girl" stretches those limits in a way that other recent "pop country" and other Kelsea Ballerini hits don't. - Another point to consider: the artist dynamic on this track. If you think of some other recent country artist - pop artist collaborations, the country star was either a bigger name outright (FGL-Bebe, Keith Urban-Julia Michaels), or at least as a big enough country superstar that they didn't feel outshined by the big pop name (Chris Lane-Tori Kelly, Kenny-P!nk, Dan + Shay-Justin Bieber). Here, you have a case in which the pop star is a significantly bigger name than the country artist (and yet, not the kind of "big name" for which country airplay would feel like a special event). That may also create some hesitation. This is great commentary!
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austin
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Post by austin on Apr 28, 2020 6:55:24 GMT -5
I just read through a lot of great responses in this thread. Threads like this are why I still love this board. No one judging anyone or name calling and everyone offering valid opinions on why this song is struggling. Love to see it.
I agree we may see “kelsea (Deluxe)” with a country sounding single once COVID19 is lifted. The album is just lacking that hit factor aside from Half of My Hometown.
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CoJoFan
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Post by CoJoFan on Apr 28, 2020 11:22:31 GMT -5
95% of female artists singles underperform anymore in my opinion. We just happen to be in a lucky time right now with 3 females in the top 10. Just think if “homecoming queen” would’ve performed well enough we could’ve possibly had 4 females in the top 10. Actually we have 4 right now if you count Gwen but I’m counting female lead singles if that makes sense. The 90’s were really the last time we had female artists perform well on the charts.
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jab820
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Post by jab820 on Apr 28, 2020 12:05:50 GMT -5
Excellent ideas here. Wanted to note that this song is next in line to chart on Billboard, which is surprising considering its extremely low count of total stations. The next few weeks will certainly prove this song's fate... I imagine Black River is rallying this week for more adds. If that doesn't work, it really is a dud.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2020 12:23:07 GMT -5
I think what is most unfortunate here is that, separate from what formats the song is pushed to or genre identity (or identities) it claims, it’s a great standalone track. It’s a compelling take on a tired trope in which both women are self-examining their contributions to an unideal situation. There is something special here insofar as neither woman blames the other, and instead foist the blame onto the man in question. Regardless of whether it continues to be maligned by country radio, it really is a spectacular collaboration with a great narrative take.
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d3vin44
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Post by d3vin44 on Apr 28, 2020 13:52:43 GMT -5
I'm not at all surprised by this. This is by far the worst song, on an otherwise GREAT album. "needy" should've been released a month ago, and it should be climbing just in time for a late Summer smash! The excitement they saw over "the other girl" was due to the CMT Crossroads episode and Halsey fans streaming this to take a listen. It is not a good song. It shouldn't be on radio period. Not Country radio, not Pop radio.
Kelsea! Save this era and release: "needy" "hole in the bottle" "the way i used to"
Any order will do, but these are the hits of the album.
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taylor
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Post by taylor on Apr 29, 2020 19:52:03 GMT -5
I'm all here for "hole in the bottle" to be released!!! "the other girl" can still have a life but rather just at pop radio. I feel like it could still be successful at that format. Meanwhile miss "hole in the bottle" is a relatable quarantine queen and she can easily regain momentum in the era!
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fearlessarrow
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Post by fearlessarrow on Apr 29, 2020 21:31:59 GMT -5
So if they were push this to pop/HAC, I wonder how they're thinking about the Marshmello/Halsey collaboration that's dropping on Friday... Halsey herself hasn't been having the best time on pop radio for some reason either (she still gets top 20 hits on pop but the way "Graveyard" and "You should be sad" really came to a screeching halt and started crawling up the chart once it hit top 15...) so I wonder how much Halsey's name can carry this initially if they do end up sending this to pop - ideally this would take off on its own merits but at least until it gains momentum Halsey's name will definitely be a big help.
I'm very interested to see how the song does and the label handles this in the coming weeks and obviously hope that everything works out and Kelsea can get back on track after a rocky start for this song so far.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2020 6:54:37 GMT -5
This song showed potential on streaming but plummeted quite a lot since then. Same happened to hq? So Don’t think it’s happening.
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recordyear
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Post by recordyear on May 4, 2020 21:19:11 GMT -5
Debut at #58 on Billboard's Country Airplay.
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raylatch98
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Post by raylatch98 on May 4, 2020 21:23:15 GMT -5
This song also got 9 adds on Mediabase this week so this week does seem to give it bit more of a spark. Time will tell, but debuting on Billboard and getting 9 adds on Mediabase is a definitive positive thing.
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.indulgecountry
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Post by .indulgecountry on May 4, 2020 21:31:44 GMT -5
I hope country radio warms up to this one despite the initial hesitation. It's currently wedged in between the current singles from Luke Bryan and Justin Moore on the Hot Country Songs chart, and both of those are in the top 25 in airplay right now (10-12x the audience of this one currently), if that tells you how the consumer interest in this one is currently outpacing its radio performance. Even if this one ultimately fails to turn into a country radio smash, I don't think it'll be a total miss for her and wreck her momentum going forward.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2020 22:09:15 GMT -5
What’s going on here? Any indication the label will pull it?
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raylatch98
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Post by raylatch98 on May 22, 2020 22:17:25 GMT -5
What’s going on here? Any indication the label will pull it? No this song has only charted for 3 weeks and has been at radio for a month. Yes it is having a slow go at it and country radio is hesitant, but this song is still really young so there is no indication the label will drop it.
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sapphire
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Post by sapphire on May 22, 2020 22:33:24 GMT -5
Not on country radio, but will definitely help this song's sales and popularity so I'm putting it here - this song's adds date on Pop/HAC is on June 1. I think it will really fit HAC. As for country radio, I still would've preferred another single.
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