Will Beyoncé decay? Or last like Madonna?

[Mr S 8,702]

She already faded to be honest. I remember when she had the first baby it was like worldwide headline news. When she had the second baby no one cared. The last album flopped and she has been on a downward trend since Self Titled. People will say it's The Carters and that is true. But if they released that album in 2014 or 2015 it's probably the biggest album of the decade.

Having said that, she already reached legend status. So technically her work is done. However, she could have been as big as Madonna but she isn't. Her catalog of hits and classics is REALLY small however. She is still a force in a way that someone like Britney Spears Pink (her peer) isn't though.

[Economy 50,425]

I mean Madonna truly lasted for 25 years.... She hasn't had hits or solid selling albums since 2005...  By that timeline Beyonce is not that far behind anymore

 

Sure Madonna still has big tours but most big legends do, that part is not abnormal 

[Harris Walz 2024 1,451]

Musically she's done just about everything she can do so her legacy is set. I think she's earned her time away from the spotlight if that happens. It's true that she isn't a singles force like Taylor, Riri, Ari, but she's still one of the few than can fill up a stadium. She's a mature lady now, not a pop girl so I expect her to take more chances in her life that aren't tied to commercial success.

[Maleficent 6]

Beyoncé plays it too safe and slow. Madonna lived life in the fast lane—and sometimes she crashes and burns. But that’s why she’s stayed ahead for so long. Beyoncé is too careful and thus moves slower than Madonna. She’ll always be an icon but she’ll never be Madonna. 

[Pacify Him 9,073]

22 minutes ago, jaXXXon said:

Call me when her solo material flops, not a Jay-Z joint album not even her fans wanted 

Why would I? I don't even stan her

[StrawberryBlond 14,933]

I think she'll always be around. She's already a legend. She's been a soloist for 17 years and had an additional 4 years with DC, so still successful and talked-about after 21 years means her legend status is by far solidified. But the question is, will she continue to make successful albums and singles?

The mystery surrounding her last few releases and the sudden surprise of them worked well initially but the joint album really brought her back down to earth. The tour was a success but the album and singles were not and didn't even get major Grammy nominations despite it being one of the best reviewed albums of the year and all time. It was like even the academy knew that the media over-hyped how good it was, assuming the public would follow suit, but they didn't and they were left trying to forget this acclaim never happened. It was a very weird situation. But it doesn't mean Beyonce doesn't still have demand as a soloist, far from it. But it was the first sign that perhaps the public has reached the point where they're no longer automatically buying into whatever she surprise releases anymore. What really amazes me is that Lemonade was bigged up as this massive hit, but the thing is...apparently, it's only sold roughly 3 million or so worldwide. That's only 500k more than ARTPOP, which was widely considered a flop. It also had the same amount of hit singles on it - ARTPOP actually had 2 top 10's in the US, Lemonade only had 1. Yet, we're supposed to believe that Lemonade was this incredible hit? If you can believe it, Lemonade is actually Beyonce's worst-selling album - even 4 sold more than it, at 3.5 million, even though it didn't produce a single US top 10. It just shows the amazing PR work Beyonce has to make us believe that she's outselling everyone. The ASIB soundtrack sold more SPS than Lemonade and yet it isn't regarded as the same type of hit even though it actually had a US #1 single and a successful movie attached to it. When it comes to singles, Beyonce hasn't been a force since 2009. Even Sasha Fierce had a 50/50 split between hits and flops. She moved onto entire album experiences when 4 failed to produce any massive hits and she realised she couldn't play that game anymore. But it's hard to be considered a highly successful artist in this day and age if you don't have hit singles. Beyonce is considered the one big exception to this standard, but will this exclusive treatment last forever?

But I think her way of making people listen to albums in full is a great idea, I just didn't like the execution. I think she should make her work available everywhere, on every streaming service, and physical copies and all the music videos on YouTube, right from the start. That would increase her sales and impact so much more than this exclusive Tidal/paid tier deal she has going on.