Showstopping Vocals Have Fallen Out of Favor in R&B — Can a New Generation of Stars Bring Them Back?

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 social media comments declaring that Artists today aren’t hooting and hollering anymore. As we settle squarely into the latter half of the 2020s and bask in the afterglow of a major year for mainstream R&B — led by 2025 Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits like Leon Thomas’ “Mutt” and Kehlani’s “Folded” (which both peaked at No. 6) — is ­bigger still better when it comes to R&B vocals?