Emotional Pop Ballads

The idea from my last post was trotted out on full display at the Grammys last night so it’s worth circling back to.

(If you didn’t read it the basic idea is: Do they want more of what they already have? Or do they want what comes next?)

I didn’t watch till the end of the broadcast but by the time I turned it off I counted seven performances of piano/vocal or acoustic/vocal ballads.

That’s a lot.

We can thank Adele for ushering (back) in this type of song and performance a handful of years ago.

And a lot of the songs and performances last night were just fine.

Beyond that, I’m here to ask…

With such an explosion of emotional pop ballads, are you going to write and release another one in hopes that people want more of what they currently have, or are you going to take a guess that people want what comes next, AFTER the ballad wave?

Both are risky. And maybe you’ll try and do both. The second one is just more fun and interesting.

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Now And Next

What do they already have and what do they want next?

Do they want more of what they already have?

Or something very different? Something a little different?


If you are selling someone another refrigerator on the basis of ‘if one is good two is better’…that’s a pretty tough sale.

It’s a lot easier to sell someone another fridge if yours is better, more efficient, smarter, smaller, bigger, better design.

And in the same breath…if they already have a refrigerator they are happy and content with, you might consider selling them on microwaves or toasters or dishwashers rather than fridges.


We see this in music too.

Lots of people who already liked Nirvana wanted Pearl Jam next. Probably not a huge surprise. They’re different enough to be stepping stones.  

But also…

Lots of people who liked Tim McGraw then went on to like Jay-Z. These people decided that what they wanted next was something really different than what they already had.


My guess is you and what you offer fit in here somewhere…

What do they have?

What do they want now?

And what do they want next?

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Into The Unknown

We don’t have to go very far to go into the unknown. It’s not a far off distant land.

The unknown is right next to the familiar.

The familiar is Hey Cleveland how’s everyone doing tonight?!…the unknown is Hey Cleveland come on, jump in, lets go!

The familiar is just barely avoiding eye contact…the unknown is making eye contact.

The familiar is playing the song…the unknown is playing an extra chorus  at the end just guitar and vocal.

The familiar is asking How’s it going?…the unknown is What have you been thinking about today?

The familiar is seriousness…the unknown is vulnerability.

If the leaps of adventure into the unknown are what you seek, you might start looking right next to the familiar.

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At The Airport

If you’re at the airport you know where you’re going.

If you ask someone at the airport where they’re going, they never say ‘I’m not really sure’.

It’s probably safe to say that you ONLY go to the airport when you know where you’re going.

But lets back up for a minute.

People at the airport know where they’re going TODAY.

And that just might be good enough for today.

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What Happened?

If asking What happened? doesn’t help answer the question What do you need now?…then its worth considering skipping the first question.

The second question takes What happened into consideration while moving it into current reality.

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The Question At Number Two

If you want to be number one and you make it to number two, you’re willing to do anything to get that one more spot.

So the problem isn’t ‘what do we need to do next’.

The problem is ‘when are we going to stop trying to make it number one’.

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