Rebrands and Eras: Artists who EVOLVE

Rebrands. Imagine being in a race and when the start is signaled you stand still while everybody else runs, now replace the track with music charts, and the runners with artists, the ones running have changed their image and you still haven’t, you fell behind because you haven’t grown as an artist.

It goes without saying that you don’t have to rebrand to stay relevant, but in many cases, artists do. 

Now… What even is a rebrand? A rebrand (in music) is where an artist or band changes their sound, name, genre, or really any main part of their “brand” and does something new (usually to stay relevant)! Many artists have rebranded and this has either booted or quickstarted their career.

What (or rather who) is a great example of a rebrand in music that had a good outcome for the artist? Well, at 16, Taylor Swift debuted as a country artist, with her self-titled album Taylor Swift  before rebranding (under the same name) for her album 1989. This album showed her capabilities as a pop artist and ended up being a massive success for her career. Since the rebrand she has released many pop albums and gained a massive following. 

Why did the rebrand work for her? Taylor already had a massive following as a country artist. That fact helped so much because when she rebranded, any country fans she lost, she gained back in pop fans. The 2010s were an increasingly changing time and a perfect time for a transition. When you mix pop culture and good marketing the outcome can be really good. So what about an artist (or band) that rebranded for a different reason.

Another thing about Taylor is that every era feels like a mini rebrand with visual identities that make you certain which album the reference belongs to. 

5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) (who certainly know that they've got to evolve) had a bit of a different rise, starting their band in the 2010s as teens doing covers on Youtube. They used this and quickly became a big name in the industry..  From being your typical teens, to being openers for the biggest boyband of the time, they eventually started to get overwhelmed. Once 5SOS rushed their second album and tried to be a more adult themed band, they started to lose fans. So they took time off to rediscover themselves and came back later with their third album, not just a sound rebrand, but also a change in their image publicly. Recently 5SOS has embraced the title of “Boyband”, a title they once ran from, and began putting fans in the center, through interaction and inclusion. 5SOS has also included their solo projects in shows to embrace individuality but also show you can do your own thing while still being a band!

What’s different about a rebrand like that? Well, 5SOS really didn’t have the choice to not rebrand. They were going through tough times and the rebrand wasn’t an industry thing, more of a personal thing. They changed sonically too, and it worked for them! By not only changing their sound but also their demeanors, they have amassed a huge fanbase!

Some artists like Miley Cyrus and Sabrina Carpenter rebranded from being a “Disney kid” to a more mature audience and sound. This works for a lot of artists since their fans grow with them, so once the artist was an adult, the fans were too. This doesn’t always work though, mainly due to a lot of fans only ever being able to see an artist as a child star, the image just doesn’t work for some people.

It is worth noting that Sabrina Carpenter also found greater success when she claimed the pastels and vintage look, the second she had set a visual cue people remembered her! 

You also have artists like YUNGBLUD (Dominic/Dom Harrison) who changed over time. At the beginning of his career he was younger, but like all people we change. His sound has evolved and grown and so has he. He changed from a more pop-punk sound to classic rock and it’s been great for him! He’s also stated that he uses artists like David Bowie as inspiration for being more authentically him and doing what he wants, not what he’s told to do, which is what makes his rebrand so thrilling!

What about rebrands that don’t work?

Some rebrands don’t work for certain artists, a good example of this is literally a household name, Snoop Dogg! 

Snoop Dog is a rapper who has worked with so many different artists and sounds and it;s worked! But when he (unsuccessfully) rebranded to a reggae artist, what happened? Snoop had changed his name to Snoop Lion in 2013, he tried a new approach by creating a reggae album, unfortunately for him the public did not like this approach and he eventually went back to his original sound. This rebrand didn’t work because it wasn’t what people wanted from him at the time, he never had really changed from rap, so when rap fans got a reggae album, it wasn't the best outcome.

Rebrands aren’t just putting a new coat of paint over something old. It’s using the old to your advantage to bring up your new. Rebrands can sometimes make or break an artist’s career, and the best way to make sure you can successfully rebrand is by making sure you have a flexible sound, and by having enough courage to attempt a rebrand. As a fan, if an artist you love rebrands, be open and allow yourself to try new genres!