Beyonce who? With a new image and a new sound... it's obvious Solange has been working with the right branding-big-wigs... or is she just that cool?
By David Davila (Playwright / Songwriter)
Beyonce's little sister is back and after years of being brushed aside as a WANNABE-YONCE, she is proving that she deserves to be in the music business.
If you haven't yet heard this break out jam check it out below and once your head is bobbing and your boobs are popping I give you permission to keep reading...
(SOLANGE - Losing You)
See?
It's the shiznicks! It's the turtle jam boo! It's the glitter tits!
But how did this happen? Certainly I never expected Solange to become the Janet Jackson of our age, digging from underneath her older sibling's shadow to create something as refreshing and pop culture consuming as this.
First off; let's talk about this new and improved Solange. She's feverishly jumped onto the scene after reinventing herself as a Brooklyn Hipster.
I checked it out... she does actually live in Brooklyn. So the question begets itself; was her move to Brooklyn a calculated plan to brand herself as a too-cool-for-school songwriter, or did she move there to be closer to her family never knowing that the hipster movement would take over her body and soul?
(Singer-songwriter, SOLANGE, with her Brooklyn Hipster friends)
Either way the effects are vibe inducing. My degree in music business wants to tell me that this has been a long planned rebranding by her business team, but the music lover in me wants to believe that she met a bunch of Brooklyn musicians and after long nights of smoking out and doing blow on Brooklyn rooftops, rewrote herself as an artist. That's much more romantic after all right?
Now to further muddy the waters between business and artistry I'd like to present a few things to consider:
1.) Her father, Matthew Knowles is a brilliant music biz guru. After he and Beyonce split, what better way to prove that he was the genius behind her rise to fame than to repeat his success with his other daughter?
2.) Solange is actually a very talented songwriter. I bet you didn't know that she wrote some of Beyonce's best songs including "Upgrade U," and "Get Me Bodied."
3.) After splitting with her media mogul record label, Interscope, Solange chose to sign with a Brooklyn based Indie label, Terrible Records, who have no hits to their name YET. When you visit their Facebook page you see the motto they live by:
"Folk songs tell true stories but terrible stories, because folk are terrible. Terrible songs make big songs. Why do you think kids like Rock n' Roll? Because it's terrible." -Abner Jay
So basically... regardless of who decided to brand Solange in a completely different vein as her older, richer, more famous sister, we can all see that it was a fantastic idea. There's a VERY big lesson to learn about the music business here:
If you sound or look too much like a successful artist, your best bet is to go in a completely different direction...
I know, Simon Cowell says that all the time, but here is a real world example of what he means. You gotta give Simon credit for selling records, the guy knows what he's doing. #SpiceGirls #OneDirection #WestLife #KellyClarkson #IlDivo #SusanBoyle #LOL
Another good example of a younger sibling overcoming the "older sister shadow complex," was Ashley Simpson, who popped to the top of the charts with PIECES OF ME. She was the anti-Jessica, and her image worked on so many levels until she accidentally outted herself as a fraud. Here's to hoping that Solange is the real thing.
Now, check out another hip track from Solange's forthcoming album:
... and now for the 90's jam of the week. This week's song is inspired by Solange's repositioning. I'm gonna take you back to a time when Ms. Jackson (cause I'm nasty) reinvented her image and simultaneously brought back bellbottom jeans.
DAVID DAVILA is half of the song-writing duo Havrilla & Davila, author of the Tex-Mex plays ADAN Y JULIO, MEN OF GOD, CREDO, REQUERDOS OF MY LIFE, and AZTEC PIRATES AND THE INSIGNIFICANCE OF LIFE ON MARS. He is a self proclaimed Voxist, a Diva enthusiast, and founder of Lone Star Theatre Co. Wanna talk about it? www.daviddavila.net
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