2010’s Euro-R&B Trend
2010’s Euro-R&B Trend
Maybe it was Gaga, or maybe it was auto-tune, but 2010 was the year that R&B turned into European dance music. Pairing soulful vocals over the electro/techno beats, a new experimental genre of music was created, baffling more than a few true R&B fans. Although it felt like a weird marriage of two different genres, we witnessed artist after artist dabbling in the hybrid. For some, like Usher and Akon, embracing the Euro-R&Pop vibe worked out well, and for other artists following the trend — not so much. Here are seven artists and songs who jumped on the Euro-dance inspired musical bandwagon in 2010.
Usher’s “DJ Got Us Falling in Love”
Hit or Miss: Hit The single from Usher’s “Versus” went into rotation in late July. The pop song was received surprisingly well, and did even better than the previous hit “OMG” on worldwide charts.
Kelly Rowland’s “Commander”
Hit or Miss: Miss When Rowland’s spacey “Commander” single hit the world, we hadn’t seen Kelly in while. Confused to why this single was her comeback track, many of us tried to fist pump to “Commander,” but agreed electro house wasn’t in Rowland’s destiny.
Rihanna’s “Only Girl in the World”
Hit or Miss: Hit Rihanna’s transition into the world of dance music was predictable. Her hit “Only Girl In the World,” off her latest album “Loud,” incorporates elements of Euro-pop and complements her vocals. The song reached #1 in more than 13 countries, and went platinum in three countries.
Kelis’ “Acapella”
Hit or Miss: Hit Taken from her 2010 album, “Flesh Tone,” Kelishas proved she is fearless when stepping out of the “box.” We may have not quite understood the electro/ dance beat when the song is titled “Acapella,” but it was one of the first singles to showcase Kelis’ vocal range.
Keri Hilson’s “The Way You Love Me”
Hit or Miss: Miss Vulgarities and raunchy lyrics doesn’t sound any better over an electro-pop beat than it does a simple R&B one. Hilson missed completely on this one.
Akon’s “Sexy Chick”
Hit or Miss: Hit Senegalese-American R&B singer Akon released “Sexy Chick” late this summer, and since its release it has reached the top spot in 13 different countries.Although the song is a worldwide club banger, it wasn’t successfully recognized on urban radio.
Nicki Minaj and WIll.I.am’s “Check It Out”
Hit or Miss: Miss “Check It Out,” on Nicki Minaj’s debut album “Pink Friday,” samples the 1979 hit single “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles. While it has not reached the level of success that her other singles have, Nicki’s Euro-dance flop hasn’t interfered with her success on a whole.