Goodbye R&B, Hello Pop....

“How y’all gone stand by and let our music turn into pop, techno, cornball ass music?” proclaimed Erykah Badu via Twitter last October, regarding the obvious transition major acts have been making recently from traditional R&B to electro pop. “We don’t own our music no more. Come to think of it, did we EVER own it? Where is the funk? They played six in a row today, pop techno songs [on the radio] back to back. With so-called R&B and rap artists on the hip-hop station!”

With their initial sound birthed in mainstream R&B, artists like Usher, Chris Brown, Kelly Rowland, and Rihanna are now just as known for singing over pulsating electro/house beats to create monster international hits. Joining them out the gate is Wynter Gordon (pictured above), a 25-year-old vocalist whose debut single “Dirty Talk” is a global phenomenon.

 

For Wynter Gordon moving from R&B to electro pop was a natural progression after her label sent her to Europe to work with some producers. Gordon does believe, however, that many traditional R&B/pop acts are moving into the electro space for one reason only. “Because it’s selling right now, of course,” she says. “Everyone has decided to jump in the pool. Everyone has a song about a party or a DJ right now!”

Last year R&B singer Mario, whose had big hits with slow jams like “Let Me Love You” and “Crying Out For Me,” told Singersroom.com that after a trip to Europe his next album would be filled with electronic and house music. “It was incredible to see how many people are into house music and R&B music [there] and how house music influences R&B nowadays.”Another example is Ushers “OMG.” Produced and written by will.i.am. The artists aren’t the only ones enjoying crossover success, either. The pay-off goes both ways, with regional dance producers as well.

Gordon says she started experimenting with electro pop “when I was finding myself about two years ago. My music hasn’t gone mainstream yet, but I’ve gotten a really great response underground. It’s the same all over the world.” One place she won’t find a great response is with Badu. The soul star continues to bemoan today’s hottest artists who’ve forsaken their R&B roots.