Most drastic change between eras?

[avamaxstan]

(Inspired by a Pulse thread)

What do you feel is the most drastic shift you've seen between eras by a pop artist, either stylistically, musically or both?

[avamaxstan]

Fine, I'll go first:
Alanis Morrissette's debut album to Jagged Little Pill
ARTPOP to Joanne
Pink's debut to Missundaztood

[🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲]

Janet's first two albums to Control (more Control over her work, first time working with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis)

Rhythm Nation to Janet. (Started to show more skin) and talk openly about sex)

Janet. to The Velvet Rope (darker and moodier)

The Velvet Rope to All For You (first album since Control she had stopped working with Renè, fans complained about her quality in music starts to decline here, even though I disagree)

Xtina's debut to Stripped (different, sexier image, started writing more personal songs)

Christina Milian's debut to It's About Time (same as above)

Aaliyah's debut to One In A Million (different sound, different producers)

Brandy's debut to Never Say Never (same as above)

Madonna's Like A Virgin to True Blue (image wise)

True Blue to Like A Prayer (started to be taken more seriously as an artist)

Like A Prayer To Erotica (most riskiest era yet)

Bedtime Stories to Ray of Light (image and sound became more polished and refined)

[rainie]

the 2020 experience -> man of the woods perhamp ?

[neel]

Jul 6, 2023 1:11:37 GMT -5 rainie said:

the 2020 experience -> man of the woods perhamp ?

Thank god Justin Timberlake fell off.

[Leigh]

Not the #1 most drastic change I'm sure....but a strong honorary mention to Mariah for the transition from Daydream to Butterfly in multiple ways: musicality, image, vocals, marital status, personal and professional freedom, self-acceptance, sexuality…

[Codex]

Jewel - This Way to 0304

Inspired by the sudden success of scoring a number one on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart with "Serve the Ego"—the final single from her previous album, This Way—in early November 2002, Jewel decided to make a radical departure from her previous folk-oriented musical efforts and recorded a pop album.

[Ling-Ling]

Miley Cyrus has made a career of it. From her various stages of teen pop, to her Urban-influenced Bangerz era, to her wannabe acoustic era, to her 80's rock era and now her cali-pop/rock era.

Zionist queen Jessie Ware pivoting from her low-key electro-R&B and AC ballads to a full on dance diva for her last two albums.

Jody Watley had always been a dance artist at heart, but she made a pretty big pivot away from R&B/pop to house/electronica post-Flowers.

Also, the whole Garth Brooks/Chris Gaines fiasco comes to mind. But the less said of that the better, lol.

[Kelly's 10th Fan]

Rihanna's shift from GGGB to Rated R was musically quite drastic - she went from a safe mainstream-pop image and sound to a darker, less commercial and decidedly non-pop tone with Russian Roulette and Hard - but I'd argue that her shift during Rated R from Hard to a hyper-sexual Rude Boy might have been the most drastic of all. It always kind of tripped me out when I would think about how smooth that move was for her bc any other time people make a big deal whenever a young female star gets a few years older and does anything remotely resembling sexual, but no one batted an eye when Rih did it. Probably bc everyone was just so happy she was moving back to making bops that they didn't care she was also shaking ass with it.

And then there's that time she went from Anti to being a damn Avon lady.

Stylistically, Rihanna and Madonna were the queens of dramatically shifting their look with each new 'era.' Britney moving from fresh-faced teenager to stripping down to a flesh-toned bodysuit at the VMAs in less than six months could rival Rihannas Hard --> Rude Boy transition for fastest image quick-change though.


Bruno Mars sliding from Treasure to a random feature on Bubble Butt and then Gorilla was also something else.

[avamaxstan]

Jul 6, 2023 5:47:11 GMT -5 Leigh said:

Not the #1 most drastic change I'm sure....but a strong honorary mention to Mariah for the transition from Daydream to Butterfly in multiple ways: musicality, image, vocals, marital status, personal and professional freedom, self-acceptance.

        

Yes!!! Mariah emerging from that swimming pool is so iconic as a symbol of the new divorced and sexually liberated Mariah

[Codex]

Kelly's 10th Fan and then her transition from Rude Boy to Only Girl 💀
Going from Russian Roulette as a lead to Only Girl next era…

From sad girl R&B to hip-hop in a military outfit being a bad bitch on a tank to sexy dancehall mushroom trip to full on euro EDM in a red wig while being cute and girly in a garden of flowers and laughing on a swing then off the swing into a latex outfit to start singing about being chained up during sex then pivot into her we found love artsy aesthetic for an electro house song all within like 2 years.

[Future Captain]

Lover to Folklore/Evermore is pretty drastic, I would say.

[johnm1120]

Kelly Osbourne's "Shut Up" to "Sleeping in the Nothing."

[Daenerys]

I’m surprised no one has mentioned Christina, her first four albums were completely different from each other musically and image wise.

Gaga as well experienced major image changes from her peak to Cheek to Cheek to some of her soft rock elements.

Katy has also gone through some pretty big shifts from her debut to Teenage Dream to Witness

[𝓲𝓽'𝓼.𝓰𝓿]

Jul 6, 2023 12:57:44 GMT -5 Future Captain said:

Lover to Folklore/Evermore is pretty drastic, I would say.

I would say more than just Lover to Folklore/Evermore, Speak Now (mostly country) to Red (slowly transitioning to Pop), then to 1989 (stripping any elements of country), then to Reputation and Lover (which are really noticeable differences in her music)

[Au$tin]

Surprised to see no one mention Kelly Clarkson yet. Thankful to Breakaway to My December.

Also Demi Lovato from Dancing with the Devil to HOLY FVCK.

[HEADOFTHEPACK]

I think an image change and the buzz around that can make musical shifts between 'eras' seem more dramatic than they are. GGGB>Rated R>Loud is a pretty good example of that for me. There were changes in emphasis for sure and new elements, but musically, a fair chunk of Rated R is pretty standard pop for the time and features a bunch of the same producers (eg. Stargate).

Musically, the Janet/Madonna mentions seem right (eg. Like A Prayer>Erotica and Bedtime Story>Ray of Light - huge changes). Stylistically, Madonna owns this more than anyone.

Jul 6, 2023 23:43:04 GMT -5 𝓲𝓽'𝓼.𝓰𝓿 said:

Jul 6, 2023 12:57:44 GMT -5 Future Captain said:

Lover to Folklore/Evermore is pretty drastic, I would say.

I would say more than just Lover to Folklore/Evermore, Speak Now (mostly country) to Red (slowly transitioning to Pop), then to 1989 (stripping any elements of country), then to Reputation and Lover (which are really noticeable differences in her music)

I think it's been a steady, progressive journey with Taylor for the most part vs anything drastic. There are drastic and jarring moments (I Knew You Were Trouble, Look What You Made Me Do), but overall the shifts are gradual.

Edit: just spoke to a Swiftie since the beginning and she said: "I don’t think it felt progressive at all at the time, definitely I Knew You Were Trouble was the MOST jarring, but then Reputation singles were like oh wow okay so much noise" - so maybe I'm wrong ha!

[avamaxstan]

The reason Taylor's evolution has been so successful is because she paced it gradually. An exception is LWYMMD which was intended to be an explosive/shocking moment, but much of the Reputation album was in the same lane as her previous synth-pop material.

[divasummer]

Donna Summer:
“Bad Girls to The Wanderer”
Bad Girls was more disco with some ballads and The Wanderer was more rockish and slight new wave.
Her sales dropped off with “The Wanderer” and even though the first single hit Num.3. Nothing else did much. The next 2 singles scrapped the Top 40.
Unlike “Bad Girls” which had 2 num.1’s and a num.2 peaking track.
There was a 4th single/track released which reached the Top 40, but it was also on a mini GH’s album when she left her former label titled “Walk Away”. Which was supposedly thrown out spitefully because she left the label and had a new album coming out at the same time.
It was a messy situation.

[mamooshka]

[SPRΞΞ]

Evita to Ray of Light

[Joe1240]

Christina Aguilera’s first four eras/albums
Mandy Moore’s transition from Dance Pop to folk pop with Wild Hope in 2007.
Taylor Swift has had a lot with the country to pop Transition with 1989.

[Ginger Spice]

Speaking of Folklore...

Nelly Furtado's Folklore to Loose.

[Glove Slap]

Jul 8, 2023 11:25:19 GMT -5 Ginger Spice said:

Nelly Furtado's Folklore to Loose.

I still remember the first memorable Youtube comment I saw.

It was for either Promiscuous or Maneater and it said:

"I like Nelly and her new ho image"

Mission Accomplished.