Intern’s Corner
With the lack of interesting releases this week, and this week’s promotion of interesting releases to come, the main way of promoting these album releases is becoming an important topic of discussion. Although the form that these promotional pieces come in and the way they are accessible has changed over the years, it is still the main way for artists to draw attention to their upcoming albums.
Singles leading up to the release of an album became very prevalent in the late 2010s with the power shifting towards music streaming platforms. This allowed artists to attract more attention to their page with new music before their album dropped. However, this practice has been popular since the 1980s when many metal bands began releasing a lead single before the release of their album.
Singles are meant to give the fans a teaser of the album, and give fans a sense of what direction the album may be taking. With these singles, fans are able to give discourse around the album before it releases, building hype up to the release. You can see this in real-time now with what Tyler, The Creator has released in the build-up to his eighth studio album Chromakopia.
Tyler released a music video on YouTube that showcased a snippet of a song from the album, teasing features and the sonic palette that the album may be including, which encourages fans to hypothesize on these elements of the album. “Noid” was released in the following days, and is the lead single for Chromakopia. The song features a completely new sound for Tyler, with lead electric guitars, a tight bassline, while still featuring classic Tyler production.
He puts his rapping ability on full display in this undeniably special track. However, it is very unlikely this song will be a radio hit. It is unconventional, experimental, and could possibly be off-putting to people who are unfamiliar with Tyler’s music. The song is spectacular. From the production to the instrumental to Tyler’s rapping, the track is great. But, it is unlikely it will be a mainstream hit. With that said, what is the purpose of this being a single?
Obviously it’s to promote the album and show that Tyler is going in a new direction and still at the top of his game. But it is unlikely this will be the hit from the album, and it is even more unlikely that this will be the best song from the album.
Tyler is a unique case when looking at singles because of how he operates creatively. When looking at other artists, the trends of how good their singles are in comparison to the other songs from the album, and if the singles are the hits from the album are much different.
Short n’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter was one of the biggest pop album releases of the year, and is an example of an album with its singles being the biggest hits and best songs from an album. “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” preceded the album, and were both massive hits, peaking at #3 and #1 on the Billboard charts respectively.
These two songs are both widely regarded as two of the best songs on the album. They both rank in the top 4 songs on the album according to fans ranking the album on albumoftheyear.com, and both rank in the top 3 according to a poll on Reddit. The pair of singles contain the catchiest choruses and most satisfying instrumentals on the album, which makes them being the singles make sense.
However, having the best song or songs on the album being the singles does pose a problem for the artist going forward. Artists who have the best song on the album as their single take the risk of fans seeing their album as a let down. If the rest of the songs do not live up to the singles, then fans may feel like they have less of a reason to commit the time to listen to the artist’s album in the future.
It is important for the artist to have songs in their album that are at least better than the single to their album. This makes fans want to listen through the whole album because of the prospect of them finding a song that they like more than the single.
An excellent example of this, remaining in the pop space, is Harry’s House by Harry Styles, his most recent album release. The first single for this album was “As It Was,” debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts. It was a massive success with an earworm of a chorus, a polished instrumental, and phenomenal verses.
When the album finally released, “As It Was” was generally not chosen as the best song from the album, while still being a great song and being the biggest hit from the project. Three other songs from the album were released as singles following the album because of the positive feedback surrounding them, demonstrating the quality of music in the project.
According to the Harry Styles subreddit, “Matilda,” “Little Freak,” and “Satellite” are the top three best songs on the album, preceding “As It Was.” Although “As It Was” ranked as the best song by fans on albumoftheyear.com, it narrowly edges out the other songs from the album.
Having this song as a single was a fantastic choice, as it was the commercial hit from the project. Having more songs on the project that were even better than the single made fans appreciate this project more than an album with a single that outshines the rest of the album. Not only does this make listeners like the album more, but it makes them want to listen to an album by him in the future because they know that there is more quality music to be found.
The art of selecting a single is a tricky process for artists. There are a couple routes they can take that lead to success, like choosing a song that they know will find commercial success, or choosing a song that is good, but is released mainly with the purpose of showcasing the potential sonic palette of the album. Choosing the first route is much more risky if you don’t know if the rest of the album will be appreciated as much if not more than the single.
The evolving landscape of music promotion highlights the critical role of singles in building anticipation for upcoming albums. While some artists, like Tyler, The Creator, opt for unconventional tracks to showcase their creativity, others, like Sabrina Carpenter and Harry Styles, strategically release catchy hits that resonate with fans, taking the risk of the rest of their album leaving fans satisfied. Ultimately, selecting the right single is a delicate balance between commercial appeal and artistic expression, as it sets the tone for the entire album and shapes listener expectations.
As long as streaming platforms exist, singles leading up to albums will exist as well. The thrill of seeing a new song by your favorite artist and the prospect of an album connected with the song will always be exhilarating.
