Practically every mainstream artist has hit a point in their career where they were viewed unfavorably. What projects were released with the intention of changing the narrative after an artist had received media/GP backlash? Was this made apparent in the music/thematically? Through their appearance changing? in other ways etc. Can be successful or Failed attempts

 

For example... Britney's Circus era being a clean up era after obvious incidents in 2007 

 

or in my opinion... Gaga's Cheek to Cheek. I think having gaga do a complete 180 genre and image wise less than a year after the bad reception Artpop received was done intentionally. It also bridged the gap to Joanne, which to me was another PR era to seal the deal. I think these eras + the viral Oscars performance in 2015 helped establish Gaga as an Artiste as opposed to just another popstar. These eras led up to ASIB smashing and receiving rave reviews imo 

 

What other eras can you think of

 

 

 

Madonna had a multi year long one after the shipped back erotica with bedtime stories something to remember and that with honors song 

Circus by Britney was probably the first that came to mind

 

Loud was definitely also another era to rebuild Rihanna after Rated R

 

Reputation was meant to combat Taylor's image at the time, but it was really until Folklore were here image was really rebuilt 

folklore. People were questioning Taylor's songwriting abilities after Lover and she quickly shut every criticisms with folklore (and then evermore later in the year). 

Lover was meant to be damage control (or perhaps, more charitably, a reset button) after Reputation, but she overcorrected so badly that she needed to do damage control after that too by putting out folklore.

Smile after Witness

143 after Smile

KP7 after 143 

Edited November 13, 20241 yr by Rush

3 minutes ago, Achilles. said:

Lover was meant to be damage control (or perhaps, more charitably, a reset button) after Reputation, but she overcorrected so badly that she needed to do damage control after that too by putting out folklore.

The way Lover was supposed to be a reset and instead almost permanently ended Her career. Whew! 

Janet Jackson's 2006 album "20 Y.O." was obviously a damage control era after 2004's "Damita Jo" era and nipplegate controversy. It was made quickly, mostly focused on the singles with trendy artists (Nelly and Khia that was popular in 2006 nnnn;) album tracks were very uninspired fillers and Janet said so herself  and marketing around the album and the whole idea behind that name was celebrating the fact it was 20 years since she released her breakout album Control in 1986 and a bunch of interludes on the album discuss her time as child actress Penny back in the 70's 

 

Lover. 
 

Taylor needed a palate cleaner after reputation. Her brand was becoming too edgy and vengeful, so she put out an album about love. There's a reason the ME! video starts with a snake that turns into butterflies 

24 minutes ago, Klein said:

folklore. People were questioning Taylor's songwriting abilities after Lover and she quickly shut every criticisms with folklore (and then evermore later in the year). 

Considering the mastermind tendencies of Taylor, I feel like she strategized this "Taylor is losing her touch" plot to shock and impress everyone with Folklore and Evermore. It all paid off too 

29 minutes ago, Vespertine said:

The way Lover was supposed to be a reset and instead almost permanently ended Her career. Whew! 

The single choices were bad and the pastel colors made it look like a KidzBop record 

The album would've been received better initially had it been shorter and cut out tracks like ME!


The Eras Tour having it as its opening section did wonders for the record

I'd say Madonna was the blueprint for this and still no one has topped the damage control she did in the 90s.

 

Obviously everyone knows about the major backlash she received from Erotica, so the way she turned that all around step by step with soundtrack ballads, Bedtime Stories, Something To Remember and Evita set herself up for the perfect critical and commercial repeak with Ray of Light. 

 

The best part about all this was she did it with GOOD MUSIC. So often artists have their damage control eras but the music is so boring / bland / generic. But Bedtime stories and all of Madonna's 90's soundtrack ballads are all excellent  

 

 

First one that came to mind was Miley Cyrus' Younger Now era

Mariah Carey's Charmbracelet is often seen as a pivotal moment in her career, a strategic move following the much-criticized Glitter era and her very public struggles. It helped to restore her image and set the stage for her triumphant comeback with The Emancipation of Mimi, one of the most iconic comebacks in music history.

Confessions on a Dance Floor is far and away my favorite Madonna record, but it was definitely a palate cleanser "back-to-my-roots" era after American Life.

Charmbracelet

 

I mean Through the Rain is basically hero, but in Mariah Carey's new "RnB" sound

4 hours ago, Bey_Rihstan said:

or in my opinion... Gaga's Cheek to Cheek. I think having gaga do a complete 180 genre and image wise less than a year after the bad reception Artpop received was done intentionally. It also bridged the gap to Joanne, which to me was another PR era to seal the deal. I think these eras + the viral Oscars performance in 2015 helped establish Gaga as an Artiste as opposed to just another popstar. These eras led up to ASIB smashing and receiving rave reviews imo 

While it's true that C2C served as rehab for her image to a certain extent, she already had plans to do it before ARTPOP even came out, in fact they even started recording it before ARTPOP came out.

Younger Now is the most obvious one surprised no one's said it

Poppy's upcoming Negative Spaces is damage control for Zig.

Many of the new fans she acquired the past years with projects like Flux and EAT are metalheads who weren't really fond of Zig's more pop sound so in this era her coming back to heavier sounds feels like she's trying to rescue those fans from leaving again (though Crystallized also feels like a wink at those long-time fans who did like Zig so)

Christina Aguilera - "Lotus".

Lotus by Legend X was a last ditch effort to save the remnants of Legend's career after the catastrophe of Bionci.. only for it to eliminate any chances of a career resurgence once and for all 

Younger Now after Dead Petz 

Whitneys Christmas album, after drug scandal, anorexia allegations, messy marriage to Bobby... only problem the good girl was damn high and brought Rudolf and the rest of them raindeers to the hood...

Beyoncé doesn't do damage control.