Building a brand.
When asked to create an entirely new artist based solely on our pick from a select group of R&B songs, we were faced with a challenge. The tune was not hard to choose - Shai's "If I Ever Fall in Love" stood out at first sight. The lyrics were rather concrete and the harmonies very appealing. Still, the hardest part is separating song from singer, building a persona who would incorporate the genre and modernize it - after all, the quartet originally sung those catchy melodies in the '90s.
The solution arose from research on contemporaneous artists. Rhythm and Blues, a music genre dating as early as the 1940's, has truly evolved throughout the decades. Sometimes leaning over to pop, other times towards hip-hop, the word R&B itself becomes an umbrella term for the sentiments set to a beat. Take The Weeknd, the popular singer known for his complaints about the Grammy's (and, of course, his music, too). His lyrics are often described as "intense;" his words struck a note in a variety of audiences. And yet, the man maintains himself as a private person, concealing details from his personal life to a maximum extent - which is not a bad thing. What is worth noting from The Weeknd's case is how, despite the secretive personality, his lyrics are still quite personal, not unlike those in Shai's "If I Ever Fall in Love" (though perhaps I should start referring to the song as our artist's creation). Another interesting aspect is how the poppy songs still keep true to the music genre.
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| sketch and possible model for the mask |
Inspired by Republic Record's elusive artist, The Unknown - our working title for the rising star - would keep his identity confidential, concealed behind a black mask à la Phantom of the Opera. True, the intention behind the mask is very different: The Unknown's simple face covering not only helps with the building of a brand, but is also used to express unity - anyone can wear the mask. The prop is not gendered, and so it can be worn by any who wishes to express themselves.
Advertising the artist, too, was a topic of discussion. With social media, the highly-marketable prop can be translated into filters and lenses - Snapchat and Instagram are regularly used for such purposes. Besides the tangible merchandising, the dropping of clues of the artist's identity can be useful in maintaining the audience entertained. Theories keep the project alive; soon, fans start looking for signs in the songs. To keep the "hype" going, Twitter hashtags can be generated. However, the intent must not be to take a peek at what is under the mask. In a way, the accessory becomes the singer's identity - it does not matter what face hides behind the veil.
Illustrated below are the documents to assist us in the creative process: the discussion about which type of mask is the proper one to convey the message, research conducted on other R&B artists, and marketing ideas.
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| A screenshot of our shared document. The group discussed whether to cover the entire face or just the eyes. |
