4 Ways In Which Musical Artists Reinvent Themselves For New Albums!

Over the weekend, Billie Eilish broke the internet with the introduction of her completely revamped (emphasis on "vamp") style in anticipation of her sophomore album. With so much new music coming out at once, artists need to find fun ways to reinvent themselves and keep people interested in what they’re sharing with the world. Luckily, both older and more modern acts have mastered the idea of album eras, finding exciting and unique ways to separate different chapters of their careers. Here are some of our favorite ways artists have done this!

1. Overall Aesthetic

One of the easiest, most distinctive ways artists have entered a new phase of their career is by changing up their style and aesthetic! Madonna was (and remains) a big pioneer in this department -- for example, wearing sleek, classic silhouettes during her True Blue era and edgier, more textured looks around the release of her recent Madame X album. More recently, Taylor Swift wore dark colors during her reputation era, pastels during the Lover era, and cozy sweaters during the folklore era. 

2. Personas

The Weeknd brought his After Hours era to life with the creation of The Man In The Red Jacket, a character he played in every music video and even channeled in performances like his Super Bowl halftime show. The character really helped distinguish After Hours from his previous album cycles, and his in-character performances and appearances drew interest from people who didn’t know about the persona. Lady Gaga created her own alter ego, "Jo Calderone", during her Born This Way era. Nicki Minaj has done the same with her alter egos like "Roman Polanski" -- she named her Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded after the character!

3. Genres

There’s no doubt that Lady Gaga is one of the most versatile artists around -- she’s done electro-inspired pop with The Fame, avant garde pop with ArtPop, and jazz with Cheek to Cheek. Even then, that’s only half of her albums! Gaga’s fluidity between genres shows how much she’s grown as an artist, and it’s even more impressive that she finds success in everything she tries. 

4. Hair

Madonna has had just about every hair style you can imagine, from her severe black pixie cut during the Erotica era to her long, loose blonde curls during the Ray of Light era. Billie Eilish set a huge trend when she dyed the roots of her hair neon green, and she rocked the world earlier this month when she debuted her new blonde hair! Fans were right when they assumed something new was coming -- she just announced her next album, Happier Than Ever, earlier this week, and the cover matches her light hair with various neutral tones.

What are your favorite album eras?