Showstopping Vocals Have Fallen Out of Favor in R&B — Can a New Generation of Stars …

Trending on Billboard There are singers, and then there are sangers — and the difference is always palpable. For decades, vocalists harnessing virtuosic technique and the conviction and training of the Black church defined R&B just as much as the genre’s generational love songs and everlasting blues ballads (think the dizzying melisma or extended belts of the ’90s). But at the turn of the 2010s, a murkier, more ethereal take on the genre emerged that bridged the traditional songwriting machine with access-widening internet hubs like Tumblr and SoundCloud. Led by the likes of Frank Ocean, Jhené Aiko, The Weeknd and Miguel, this new generation of artists began to push R&B into a space that, at least temporarily, seemed to deprioritize more flamboyant displays of vocal prowess in favor of vocal tone and lyrical relatability. As offshoots like alternative R&B, trap soul and vibe&B have relegated traditional R&B vocal stylings to the back burner, fans have noticed. A week doesn’t go by without some kind of online debate over the general state of vocal ability; quasi viral moments like Chaka Khan’s July 20 COLORS appearance — where the R&B legend bellowed a triumphant rendition of her classic “Through the Fire” — attract
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