It goes without saying that R&B has had it hard in recent years.
From its lack of variation (see Sex Anthems 101) and commercial decline, the slow but steady sales scored by the likes of Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, Frank Ocean, Miguel and Keyshia Cole no doubt served as ray of lights in what truly has been a dark era.
Now, Fantasia joins the elite group of artists from the genre who can still boast of a potent pull when it comes to selling albums.
Find out how below…
Upon its release this week, her new album ‘Side Effects Of You‘ has enjoyed the fruit of her promotional labor- prompting a sweet sales prediction from the ever accurate Hits Daily Double.
Sales, that will hit between the following marks come next week:
90,000-95,000
Thanks to a campaign that launched well before the album’s release date and heavy emphasis on its entire track list, Fantasia has proved R&B audiences are still alive and willing to support their favorite acts….if those acts support themselves.
For, by booking (and killing) the ‘Idol‘ gig and hitting every outlet within her reach, ‘Tasia pushed the project to an audience far wider than her die hard fan base and evidently caught the attention (and wallets) of the casual listener.
A listener, that would have purchased more R&B releases, if the performers behind them crafted material with themes far broader than matters of the bedroom.
Confusing? We’ll explain.
The beauty of ‘Side Effects‘ lie in its universal themes (love, heartbreak, triumph etc)- making cuts like ‘Lose To Win’ to appealing to those who may not even consider themselves Urban music fans, but who truly enjoy emotive music.
As it stands, club stained cuts from the genre do work on Urban radio but do very little to move albums in the way ‘Adorn’ helped to push Miguel’s ‘Kaleidoscope Dream’ and ‘Stay’ scored Rihanna her first #1 album.
By using this formula, Camp Fantasia are set to nab one of the highest selling debut numbers in recent R&B history and if their cards are played right, Gold/Platinum status within the next year.