I hope the whole "Vanessa wasn't forced to do this" thing isn't a response to my post, because I clearly state in it:
I'm not saying anyone forced her to do this, and she probably had some fun in the process
I also don't care that she's featured in an RnB song just like I didn't care how Regina Spektor threw a punk song in the middle of Soviet Kitsch and I don't care how Ani DiFranco frequently experiments in different genres.
What bugs me is the overpromotion. She's being handled more like a product than an artist right now and I'm just not used to that. Art and commerce are very strange bedfellows, but in the modern music industry (which is controled by just four conglomorates) one must find a happy balance between music and business in order to be successful. Some find a way of exploiting this balance more effectively than others.
We are all aware of how poorly Harmonium was handled, but some are suggesting that this album hurt Vanessa's chances of longevity in the music industry because of its modest chart and sales success. Some are saying that becoming a HUGE star will be good for Vanessa because it gives her a better chance at longevity; I would argue that history proves otherwise. Being successful is good, but there is a fine line one must walk. What usually happens to artists that are big-time chart toppers and sales earners? Who here remembers The Carpenters? They had enormous success in their prime (much more than Vanessa ever has). Who here has heard of Bob Dylan? (okay, that's kind of a stupid question). He had almost no success on the charts in his prime, but he's still around. I think Rolling Stone even named his most recent album the best of the year (not that what RS says really matters, but it does support my point that he is still around and famous for his current work, not just his past accomplishments).
The point I'm making is not that business success is bad for an artist, but it depends on what kind of success that artist gets. Because, if Vanessa gets super famous because of brilliant marketing, she will be viewed as a product and not an artist. That won't matter to us as long as we keep getting new albums (REGARDLESS OF WHAT KIND OF MUSIC SHE DECIDES TO MAKE...her evolution as an artist has nothing to do with my concerns, taste is an individual thing and no one should rip her for doing what she wants--I never did, but some people seem to be interpreting my post that way). If Vanessa's success becomes more the product of marketing than art, her potential for greater longevity is severely compramised because Vanessa isn't going to be gorgeous and full of energy her whole life.
Remember, I'm not saying that Vanessa being on some RnB song is wrong or bad. And I'm not saying that anything being done right now is wrong or bad, but if one looks at the big picture, this is a very slippery slope she's on. I'm a fan like everyone else here. I'm not ripping Vanessa, I'm just suggesting that, based on what I've learned as a Media Studies major, Vanessa is heading in a direction that could work out extremely well for a while and then blow up in her face in the long run.
