Do You Like It When Artists Reinvent Themselves?

[killamch89]

I’ve been thinking about how some artists constantly evolve their style, whether it’s musicians changing genres or painters experimenting with new mediums. Some fans appreciate the growth, while others feel alienated when the artist shifts too far from what made them great in the first place. What’s your take? Do you enjoy seeing an artist reinvent themselves, or do you prefer they stick to what works?

[The Blackangel]

I moved this topic to general discussion, because you mentioned painters as options. Thus, it opens the discussion to any kind of artist. Not just musicians.

 

To answer the question at hand, sometimes writers still want to write, but want to distance themselves from previous works, for different reasons. Or they want to write something different from their previous works. So they adopt a pen name. For example, Stephen king sometimes uses the pen name Richard Bachman. Anne Rice uses the pen name A.N. Roquelaure. Sometimes writers and authors don’t like something about a work they previously published so they don’t want their new work to be associated with it.

Since this was posted in music, I’ll answer on musicians. Sometimes an artist is in a band, and then chooses to go solo. Or they get fired from a band and then continue with music solo. Take Ozzy Osbourne for example. He was fired from Black Sabbath, for good reason I may add, and then continued performing solo and released some of his best work as a singer. Mama I’m Coming Home is one of my absolute favorite songs.

You mentioned painters so I’ll respond to that too. Michaelangelo wasn’t particularly fond of painting, but when the pope commissioned him, he agreed to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling. His real passion was sculpting. Granted he is best known for the statue of David moreso than the Sistine Chapel. Aside from simply enjoying it more, he also used sculpture to move away from painting.

 

So sometimes, reinventing one’s self is a good thing. Other times it’s completely pointless. It all depends on the reason.

Edited November 25 by The Blackangel

[killamch89]

Personally, I think there’s a balance to be struck. It’s great when an artist experiments, but it also depends on how they do it. If they’re still staying true to their core essence while evolving, I think it’s a win. However, if the reinvention feels too forced or disconnected from what made the artist unique, it can be disappointing. I liked how Radiohead reinvented themselves, especially with Kid A, but they still kept their emotional depth and complexity that made me a fan in the first place. I also loved how David Bowie constantly reinvented himself, and while not every phase was a hit, the diversity of his work kept him relevant and always made you wonder what he’d do next.