R+P Post 12: Artists/bands that have influenced my ideas

Ne-Yo

Ne-Yo is a key inspiration for us in terms of  brand image as a whole. He brings an arguably  more sophisticated edge to contemporary R&B which isn't typically associated with the 'gentleman' image he portrays - seen even in the url for his website and is a nod to traditional old school R&B. In a lot of his music videos Ne-Yo actually wears a suit to help carry on this image of class and as he said himself the title of gentleman is him trying to set an example by being 'courteous, kind and charming'. Whilst I don't want our artist to be styled quite as smart as this, the traits Ne-Yo embodies are something that could work well for our artist. I also think the style choice of nearly always wearing a hat is something that helps Ne-Yo stand out and is something that our group discussed for our own artist - we did say, however, that this could make out artist too similar to Ne-Yo and so discussed other accessories that could work such as a necklace or statement ring. 

Ne-Yo also recently invested $23 million dollars in a coding school to help black people get jobs in tech based industries and has spoken out on Black Lives Matter as well as defending the likes of Beyoncé for performances promoting 'black' culture. This is something I would like for our artist - they need to be speaking out on hot topics such as racism and sexism, not standing for discrimination like this.

Rag'n'Bone Man

Another artist who has influenced my ideas is English singer-songwriter Rag'n'Bone Man. I think his image of a 'normal guy' with an Instagram feed including typical friend group pictures, selfies and quirky captions really fits his styling, adds to his authenticity and image of being a 'serious' musician. This 'normal', authentic image is something that I would like our artist to have as it is relatable and the unpolished vibe would help them stand out.