Originally Posted by iseloid:
“The difference is, all those women are songwriters. They made money doing it all, regardless of whether the song flopped. Alex would not, as she doesn't write. They were proper businesswomen and got a cheque. There's a difference. That's why Nicki is so rich, she writes a verse, be it crap or not and makes money.
She can collab, but make it the right sort of people or she's going nowhere. Kendrick etc. If she collabs with the wrong people she's shooting herself in the foot, remember what Wretch said before?
She did not have proper respect from the right quarters, and that was due to her music. It was not her fault, but now she has more control. Working with those who make GOOD music is better than working with a thousand who make bad music. She may get an audience but she will get no respect, which she lacks on all fronts.
Notice how she didn't get many outright, if any, offer for collabs with serious people during Overcome, despite her success? That was a warning. Not a good look.”
Alex is not a natural songwriter, but she does write. She's an artist and has her own ideas, but that still doesn't mean getting your name out there wouldn't work from doing features. She needs to do something to raise her profile. She can't just sit around and wait.
When you're trying to make it, you can't really be picky about who you collab with or problems will arise. I highly doubt Nicki would even bother to collaborate with Teairra now, but she did back in 2010 when she was trying to raise her profile. Rihanna also did a few features while she was trying to raise her profile. There's nothing wrong with it.
Respect often comes with success, there are lots of talented artists out in the industry that are respected but never breakthrough. Look at Livvi Franc, she has written various hits and songs for big artists, but her own solo efforts flopped. It's about more than just respect. The public need to know and like the artist, and doing features is the quickest and most effective way of doing that.
Nobody knows what kind of discussions she had during the Overcome era. Syco isn't big on their artists featuring on other artists' records so we just don't know what went on there. That can't be used to reinforce your point.
She has to strike a balance. I don't want her to turn into a songwriting humdrum singer, there's plenty of those around already. Alex has her own edge and is a great performer, dance tracks do suit her. She knows David Guetta and she probably has other contacts, so why not try it. She doesn't have anything to lose as their fanbases are way bigger than hers. She will gain new fans which she desperately needs.
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