R+P Post 16: My Band or Artist

Artist Profile

• Name: AJ
• Age: 19
• Lives in London
• Campaigns to raise awareness for mental health issues
• 'Lovable, goofy geek' character 

Brief notes on key aspects of AJ

We decided to go for a single name for our artist as this is very common for male R&B artists, for example Usher, Mario, Ne-Yo, and AJ, as well as being catchy, was well received by members of our target audience when we asked for their feedback. 

It was important to our group that our artist stood for something important and incorporated this into their music, which they genuinely had a passion for - creating meaningful songs that showcased his thoughts and feelings which could maybe help others when they heard it. This is why we decided that AJ would be a campaigner for awareness on mental health issues, having suffered from depression himself and hard hitting themes such as that would be covered in his music as well as the conventional themes of relationships and love. In addition to this, we believed that this would help him stand out in the genre and make his mark as a star.

Key inspiration - Stuart from The Internship

AJ's personality was inspired by the goofy, lovable geek character, showing his intelligence and awkwardness next to his fun, outgoing side. These characteristics aren't typically associated with R&B singers who tend to be very smooth and put together. This again helps AJ to stand out and capitalises on the trend of the growing popularity of less polished artists and celebrities on a whole, who with their authentic, down to earth nature, sell very well on the idea that anyone could become their best friend or follow in their footsteps with the right hard work.






Already well-established artists that also influenced our brand image for AJ include Raleigh Ritchie and Ne-Yo. Raleigh Ritchie inspired us with his goofy nature and authentic, down to earth personality and Ne-Yo influenced our decision to have our artist not afraid to speak out against hard hitting issues, such as racial stereotypes.

Creating a clear brand image for AJ through his debut single's music video, album cover, website and social media is very important and will ensure that he meets audience's expectations of conventions whilst still bringing something new and unique that will make him stand out and successful.