Artists Need To Switch It Up 

Robert Pattinson should have been mentioned here aswell. Going from playing a teenage heartthrob vampire to doing films like Good time, the Lighthouse, Tenet and Batman just shows how well he has evolved from the the start of his career.

Rihanna was the true queen of switching up every era. none of her eras are the same at all from the music, the visuals and fashion looks

Drake gave this man exactly what he asked for😂😂

Even though Zendaya is still young I like how she is always trying new projects. I have not watched Euphoria myself but that doesn't take away the fact that she went from doing Disney to portraying a person with a serious addiction problem. Not to mention her other projects like Malcolm and Marie and the Greatest Showman. Love her.

That minions crossover ending cameo was super refreshing and unexpected thank you for this classic

"we think we're limited by what people want to see from us, but we're only limited by what we choose to do ourselves." - nathan zed

Mac Miller changed in his style between his albums so much while growing older, you could listen to him growing up und getting wiser with the time. He changed from the young and experimantal boy, who’s focused on the money and lifestyle, to the young man in love and finally the man, who really knows what life is about. His change in music, while his perspective on life changed, touched me in a way no other artist ever did.

“Kanye is the definition of not doing what you want to see” That definitely aged accurately

This man cannot stop spewing banger takes. This is such a relevant topic nowadays with 'sequels' just remaking movies and artists sticking to a sound for years on end *coughdrake* I just crave those artists that keep things fresh and exciting for their fans (not unlike Nathan himself tackling all sorts of new topics to talk about-)

“Ariana Grande even switches up her whole race”. DEADD

DOJA CAT. When she had to keep performing Say So, I was nervous especially because it was already EVERYWHERE. But then every other performance, she would completely change up the genre, my favourite being when she did a rock version at the MTVs I believe. Seriously y'all, look that version up, it's surprisingly good but also showcased that she really is super talented and not afraid to try something new.

Radiohead is definitely an example. Each of their albums are so vastly different from each other and I love them for it, they're truly pushing themselves out of their comfort zone

The Weeknnds Dawn fm not being appreciated is a crime that album is a masterpiece and it has so much potential and its a shame that people are ignoring it.

Thinking about change ups, it's absolutely incredible to me that Ludwig Goransson, who composed the music for Community and New Girl also composed the music for Black Panther and Tenet. That's not only a glow up imo, but also displaying some insane creative range for composing.

The Beatles, David Bowie, and Prince did this to perfection in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s, respectively.

Honestly impressed that there was no mentioning of Tyler considering how his last 4 projects are insanely different one from another and it’s when he started throwing out unexpected projects after another that were all so good and cohesive and it felt as if he was an expert of those specific sounds, excited asf for his project next year

Very surprised tyler the creator wasn’t talked about in this, his albums are the definition of growth. Not just sonically but maturity. Bro went from talking about killing people and sadness to love interests and boats. He truly to me is the definition of change

I love artists that experiment with different genres, like Gorillaz. We shouldn't just confine artists to one genre.

Arctic Monkeys switched up their sound completely for AM and a lot of people wanted their album after that to just be AM part 2 so they could relive their tumblr days but Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino is so different from anything else they’ve put out and they did it so well that I think it’s my favorite album by them

Wes Anderson is cool cause he’s able to make multiple types of visual media like stop motion and live action while never really straying from his style that he perfected and his fans love

I feel like some musical artists are not just.. well, musical artists, but an "everything artist". People like Childish Gambino (as mentioned in the video) can do anything

Donald Glover has to be the best example of this. He plays a hilarious character on community and then has music all over the place that’s incredible. And then Atlanta, his range in music and acting is incredible.

Aaliyah is a great example of this. Though she remained dominantly R&B, she stretched the limits of being an Urban Pop artist. She invented herself with each album, from a teen that rocked baggy clothes to a confident woman in a span of her short, but highly influential career.

I LOVED reputation when it came out but everyone hated it because it wasn’t “traditional Taylor” I applaud her for always switching it up

When Beyoncé drop her self title without any promotions I thought that was one of the most iconic things to happen in music history. Switch it up completely from her previous album 4, and we saw the Beyoncé that was more grown up and intimate with her audience.

Lady Gaga has never not innovated, she has always showcased her talent and vision and she has range. Artpop, to Joanne, to a collaboration with Tony Bennet. She followed up the A Star is Born soundtrack with Chromatica. Iconic.

Janet Jackson. She is a blueprint for different and diverse eras. From the black and white, social justice Rhythm Nation to the warm, sensual, funky janet. to the red, mental health, R&B Velvet Rope era. Truly legendary and iconic.

the ONLY time Kanye West released a body of work that the public was expecting from him and was something that they wanted was Late Registration after College dropout. (both 10's) every single other album of his is different than the last and changed the perception of him and what kind of music he makes

*Pushes up nerdy classical music glasses* My man Beethoven was exactly this. His music was constantly evolving and growing overtime, from traditional classical-era style music in his early years, to triumphant and powerful pieces like his third and fifth symphonies, and eventually to deeply emotional and profound pieces like his 14th string quartet that birthed an entirely new era of classical music in Europe. In his later years, people straight up though he was lossing it and was going mad, then he dropped his ninth symphony and shook the goddamn world. I mean, who else is insane enough to write a symphony where the first three movements have no vocals, then in the fourth movement you suddenly have not only FOUR SOLOISTS, but an ENTIRE FUCKING CHOIR?! The madlad, Beethoven! And those changes, even if they don't match expectations, shift and shape entire eras of music and art.

When the Kendrick Lamar album came out I realised how few artists I get excited for because I don't know what they will sound like next. Kendrick is a great example of that. This video just reflected my feelings towards artists and media in general. I've never seen any of your videos until this point but this was an amazing one and now I have a boatload of your videos to watch.

I think part of why the new Beyoncé album is so insanely good is because of how she really switched up her style. And even within the album each song is so unique but have a common musical thread between them that makes them flow so well too!

8:04 "Drake: The MCU of Music" Unironically Genius Take

"Your not gonna beat Adele in a singing over a piano contest" that took me out honestly lol

People don’t realise the Kendrick discourse happens with every album, depending on when you hop on. GKMC made him a superstar so when TPAB came out his current fans wanted GKMC 2, not a new unfamiliar sound. Then after TPAB’s acclaim his fans were initially disappointed with DAMN as it wasn’t a jazz rap black empowerment album like TPAB but a commercial conceptual album. Then with MM&TBS he makes an experimental self-reflection album that sounds nothing like the commercial stuff on DAMN. People have to learn to expect the unexpected, especially when the artist as shown that their whole career.

Mj changed up all the time going from disco and funk to doing hard rock and rnb and then heavy metal and power ballads to hip hop and gospel soul to russian waltz and orchestral he could do any style

This man predicted Drakes new album

I really appreciate an artist who can switch their sound up often, it really shows a level of skill that isn’t seen much in any era

I love that Zed is more so about Quality over Quantity. Idc how long it takes to drop a video cause I know when he does drop the content, editing and visuals will be amazing!

Honestly Nevermind has made this video age perfectly

In the movie realm, Stanley Kubrick is the first person who came to mind. Just with his final four films he made a period piece, a horror, a Vietnam war movie, and an erotic thriller, and all four of which are widely considered masterpieces.

7 years in and i’m still obsessed with this channel. Nathan keep being the childish gambino of youtube

"He'll give us what we need, it may not be what we want" of course kanye would sample this. Applies exactly to how nathan felt about the Kendrick album

another classic

Blackpink is one of these artists, to be honest. I don't understand how people aren't tired of them making the same song over and over again with the same formula. The song structure is expected at this point and you know what you're getting every time. When they do switch it up, it doesn't last long and they go back to what makes them money. I just want to see some variety because I truly think variety is how an artist proves themself. No one wants to see stagnancy.

just clicked and i already know this video hittin

Denzel Curry has proven that he can switch it up every album. His progression from Imperial to Melt My Eyes See My Future is insane.

8:29 he predicted drake's new album 👁

This topic has intrigued me for awhile - since the 1920s each decade has had it’s own cultural characteristic seemingly up until the second half of the 2010s… now we are generally more interested in replicating/modernizing/combining the cultural things of past decades. But the curiosity for me is why this has happened and how long will this last.

Nathan hit the spot here. And he’s proving his point with the way he’s executing his comedy bits!

I think that Michael Jackson was one of the best artists when it came to "switching it up". After the success of 'Off the Wall' and the cultural phenomenon that was 'Thriller', I think that everyone was expecting for him to come out with more soulful and RnB music, or more ballads. Yes, he had pop songs on 'Thriller', but I think that at the time he was rather revered for his more soulful sounds. He did the complete unexpected when he came out with 'Bad'. Not only did he change his fashion style (switching out the leather and glittery jackets for the straps and the studs) but he also changed his musical style for a more edgier sound. There was a lot more synth sounds and futuristic kind of songs. That was also when Michael started to write more world anthems like 'Man in the Mirror'. Bad was a major success, however, and people were probably expecting for Michael to come out with an album that was similar to Bad afterwards, but he didn't. The next album was 'Dangerous' and it had a more New Jack Swing (Can't Let Her Get Away) and hip-hop kind of style. It also had a lot more sensual songs (In The Closet) and gospel-like tracks (Will You Be There) on it. It was very different from the rest of his catalogue. He also changed his fashion style with this era as he wore simpler outfits with hints of the militant style he had adopted previously, but more toned down. The next album, History, was his most personal album as he spoke more about his relationship with the media, the injustices of the world, and the struggles with fame. It was a successful album but it's my least favourite out of his entire catalogue. He changed his fashion style again for this era because this is when he started wearing the golden/metallic hockey knee pads with his outfits. He still looked cool, though. So, in my opinion, Michael Jackson was one of the best artists when it came to switching things up. He invented the whole 'era' of music' thing because of the way he changed his entire style to match the type of album he was putting out. It was lowkey genius because it made him unpredictable and interesting.

Tyler is a very good example - every album is a distinct phase and each of them works within its own box which was different to the last

lorde’s new album was the epitome of this. and people hated it because they expected melodrama 2, but it’s such an amazing summer album with what i believe are some of her best songs.

I really love Tyler the Creator her went from dark edgy vibes to beautiful masterpieces that still come with his impeccable delivery anyways I really liked the fact you put wait for you at the end

This is why I'm a huge fan of The Weeknd. He changes up his styles and personas every album.

"like if we look at kanye this man is the definition of not doing what people want to see" "anytime he does anything, it becomes the biggest news" with the hitler fiasco, that has DEFINITELY aged well

Drake saw this video and took it personally

Expecting every single thing to be completely different from the other is unrealistic imo, but it's healthy to switches it up from time to time and keep things fresh 🤷🏾‍♂️

As someone who was carried through my teenage years by early-mid 2010s "Tumblr" pop (feels derogatory but that's the term I see used most often), Marina is the literal definition of reinventing herself to me. Electra Heart was a game changer. She was barely recognisable from her debut era and she was doing something no one else was doing at the time in terms of not only lyrics and instrumentation/production, but visual storytelling, aesthetic and satirical commentary. And critics weren't really there for it but those of us who got it, GOT it.

Taylor’s reinvention with Folklore and Evermore was another unexpected and bold move

I think it really depends on how over-saturated an artist's sound, style, etc. is. If there's a lot of other people doing what they do, they yeah they would benefit on switching it up. But if no one else really does what they do, then they can stay the same.

Dawn FM was a masterpiece, as is most of his bodies of work. completely agree with you. i didn’t love Kendrick’s new album, but i can respect that he did something he actually wanted to do.

This video is about people keeping up with the times, but Kanye is actually ahead; literally influenced almost every rapper to listen to 808’s

Genndy tartakovsky is a textbook example of an artist who’s always switching things up. Each one of his animated projects is different and distinct. And that’s why he’s lasted so long in the field of animation. Hideki Anno is also good at switching it up. Whether you’re looking at his live action or anime works, he’s always doing something new.

Twenty One Pilots did this very well. Their spoken word, more piano-driven depressing melodies got them aa cult following, but they have updated their sound so much to be more popular mainstream, while keeping their signature sound. Their newest album is just strait up pop, while their 2010's albums are so recognizably them.

Paramore has evolved their sound with every album release. The difference between album one and their latest album is huge.

Michael Giacchino is one of the best soundtrack composers because of how much variety you can find in his soundtracks. He can go from creating whimsical disney soundtracks to dark superhero scores and they all sound interesting and unique to each film but you can still recognise that it's his work.

Drake took his advice

This dude predicted mr morale and now he predicts honestly nevermind??? crazy

There's a lot of different people my mind go to but god damn the world will never forget the music of David Bowie because this man did not repeat himself ONCE. This man had like 6 different personalities in the 70's ALONE. A true GOAT

If we are talking about artists changing and expirimenting with their sound, its impossible to leave out Radiohead. I truly believe Radiohead would be left into obscurity without Kid A, and the shift it was from OK computer. OK computer was this crazy, campy, emotional rollercoaster, showing (and borderline predicting) a dystopian society were weve all becomed Paranoid Androids, But Kid A completly forgets that, now having this bottomless, almost painfully empty, lonely, dark vibe, (i remind you this is a complement). Everything in its right place beautifully opens the doors to this new part of the bands mind, giving us a peak for whats about to come. From the busily complex The National Anthem, to it being followed by one of the best, most raw radiohead songs (how to disapear completely). This album has such amazing versitality and alterations to it its insane. As much as i dont worship Kid A as the average radiohead fan (i actually like amnesiac better lmaoooo) . Its unrealistic, almost offensive to ignore this drastic yet beautiful change in the bands discography.

That's what is so incredible about The Clone Wars. It kept the good parts of Star Wars the same, while taking the bad parts and making them INSANELY better. Dozens of new planets, hundreds of new characters, and unique storylines while keeping the same nostalgia of the movies. I don't think Star Wars will ever be topped again until they decide to do a fresh trilogy with competent writers.

A really good example of an artist changing up their style is the band Talk Talk. In the 80s they were this new wave British pop rock band. Since they had a couple of hits, the record company said that they could do whatever they want. So, they stopped doing pop music and invented post-rock (a genre of rock music that sounds nothing like rock music at all) They had all this jazz experimentation and purposely badly tuned guitars. It was no longer about riffs or solos; it was all atmospheres. I think everyone should listen to their last album "Laughing Stock" though if you don't want to jump into the deep end, maybe listen to Spirit of Eden first. (sorry for being a nerd btw)

This is how I feel about Moon Knight. It’s my favorite series Marvel has ever done because there is not a single cameo from one of the main Marvel superheroes, it’s just like this little insane world of the main 4 characters, and one of those was the same actor playing two characters brilliantly. The directing style felt fresh and different and there was some thriller, horror, action vibes mixed with little breaths of comedy that made it so enjoyable for me. Not a lot of people agree with me but I LOVED it and felt so refreshed watching it.

6 minutes old and already this video is an instant classic. Also daft punk with Random Access Memories I think is a perfect example of "fuck it gonna do what we wanna do. Sorry not sorry that it's different"

Doja is a great example as well. When ever she does a feature, she makes sure her sound matches the beat and the vibe. Also, she has done so many genres already like rock, pop, r&b, hip hop, rap, and who knows what’s next for her

I've always compared Kendrick to Radiohead in the way that no 2 of their albums sound entirely alike. They all fit into the broader rap and rock genres, but each album draws from a certain subgenre(s) to break the mold of what they did before.

I think there are people who get stale from doing one thing but there are some people where they just get more specific and defined as they progress. Wes Anderson is my favorite example of this because now his movies are so ridiculously unique that he’s at the point where literally nobody but him can make a movie in that style

Leonardo Da Vinci was basically the embodiment of what you're talking about. Dude was involved in pretty much everything and was the original goat of switching it up

Honestly, i can´t think of an artist that better fits the description than David Bowie. The man did rock, dnb (and toured with NiN for this album), jazz, soul, funk, ambient music, soundtracks, was one of the founders of glam rock, has one of the most iconic album covers of all time and made it all classic. He literally reinvented himself until his last days by releasing an album (inspired by TPAB) about his death and coping with it without anyone knowing that he was dying. Truly a genius

When you travel to the future and hear Drake album and come back create a video just to flex on us

That is what I love about Kanye, he is the definition of authenticity and artistry as far as I've seen and heard anything he has done

Taylor Swift really went from making a perfect country album (Red) to a perfect pop album (1989) to a perfect folk album (Folklore).

8:37 but it's hard to do that when *you don't write your own music and have no originality

I like it when art is fresh, new, innovative and creative, but it always annoys me how people only stick to what they're familiar with, never even bothering to try something that is new and recognizable to them. It's kinda sad that artists that rely on art as their profit, just stick to what they usually do, to not drive off their mainstream audience. Art is very uninspiring these days :/

Coldplay is my favorite band. Regardless of all the seemingly ignorant hate they receive, they went from UK acoustic, Post brit pop in their early years to experimental rock, pop rock, world music, gospel, Dance EDM, acoustic folk, classical music, cinematic ambient, choir music and more sub genres.Just recently they released a ten minute classically influenced soft rock ballad. Say what you want about them, but Coldplay does not follow what everyone wants them to do.

Florence + The Machine has grown so much across her albums! I love the early and I love the new, the vibes are different, but all moving and captivating!

David Bowie is a great example of a legend who writes music without being concerned with what people expect him to make. It wasn't a perfect recipe for success, but by the time he released 'Blackstar', he had already been a legend for decades. It's harder to appreciate how innovative his albums were today because few of them were really "album of the year" material, but most of his albums followed the trend of being "the next sound" for rock and other subgenres.

I think my favorite band that could've fit into this video is "King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard". Part of their whole shtick is they try to make every album a different genre or concept than the last. They've done psychedelic rock, folk, thrash metal, jazz, synth pop and even spoken word audio books. It makes their whole line of work really fun to binge because it never sounds repetitive or blends together. You would think that this constant switching of sounds would cause fans to turn away, but they've released 20 records in the past decade and never disappointed their fans once. Anyways, great banger of a video as always Nathan! :)

"If you DONT try something that people may not like, how else is it gonna be a Classic?!" - Ghandi

Mac Miller started out with the “kids” and moved into a more RnB rap. Swimming had rap, RnB, and piano rap(2009) He never stopped changing which is why he’s one of the greatest. Also, at 7:19, that’s the Mac Miller “Self Care” instrumental where he LITERALLY switches the entire beat halfway through. Masterpiece song, Masterpiece vid.

MGMT dropped in popularity after their first album, "Oracular Spectacular," because their follow-up "Congratulations" wasn't as radio-friendly. They continued to push their music in new directions and created some of the most complex and interesting songs I've ever heard. They are really good at making pop hits, but they chose to follow their own creative path.

I'm not as familiar with rap as you are but I love how passionately you speak about it! I love that I can take this idea, this passion that you have for art, and apply it to the art I consume. Great video as always!

All of the Beatles switched it up a lot in there solo careers even Ringo. And also they reinvented themselves as a band like 5 times in 5 years. Nick Cave is one of my favourite all round artists, he is a poet, Author, Screenwriter, singer, songwriter who has done everything love the man.

Coolest style switches in music just out of my head: Kanye: from MBDTF to Yeezus Radiohead: from OK Computer to Kid A Bjork: from Post to Homogenic Bon Iver: from Bon Iver to 22, A Million Vince Staples: from Summertime 06’ to Big Fish Theory Rosalia: from El Mal Querer to Motomami

nathan bro i’m begging you keep making these videos, seeing a new nathan zed video in my feed is genuinely a top 5 feeling

paramore went from the pop punk era to the bubbly synth-y sound of After Laughter... and then Hayley Williams puts out a heartfelt album herself with Taylor producing it, and Zac Farro also released a different sound with Halfnoise. This is why I love them all, solo or otherwise. Music evolves. Everything evolves.

That's why Kanye is immortalized in music. Every album is different, from the music, themes, the roll out, everything.

A good example is how The Weeknd tried to do another House of Balloons type of music with Kissland but it blew up in his face and didn't really work out, so he switched it up with features and then Beauty Behind the Madness and then blew the fuck up.

Stanley Kubrick literally made a masterpiece of every genre having absolute control over every stage of production, including the impossible architecture of it's sets. That man was the DaVinci of 20th century.

Michael Jackson recreated his image with every new album he released. And it worked everytime