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Posted by: T Boy 15th November 2017, 09:48 PM

Pink has pretty much been consistently successful in the UK for more than 17 years now. Many artists her age that broke through at the same time have faded away after initial success whereas Pink has always seemed to remain consistent in her popularity. Every time she releases a new album, I worry she’ll fade away (especially after a five year gap) but she always seems as popular as ever.

What exactly is her secret? What do you think she has done differently to other artists who began their careers at the same time?

I think there are numerous contributing factors. I believe that her very down to Earth personality has always kept her just humble and self aware enough to realise how much her fans want from her. I believe she has a distinctive style of music that very few others cater to (Kelly Clarkson and Anastacia do a lot of pop/rock but Pink is the true queen of this).

But I also feel the fact she never really had a huge career peak has also helped. She’s a difficult person to pin a signature song on and all though she’s had a lot of big hits, she’s never had that one super smash that stood out from all the rest. This has helped her avoid the fate of a lot of artists: the public comparing every new song to that monster hit.

I’m really interested to see what other posters think. There are so few artists in the same boat as Pink.

Posted by: The Diplomat 15th November 2017, 09:55 PM

I wonder what Michael will think!

Posted by: T Boy 15th November 2017, 09:57 PM

Actually, since you visited the thread, I would be interetested in your thoughts.

Posted by: Tyler 15th November 2017, 11:00 PM

Exactly this. Along with her material being of consistent quality.

Posted by: Jonjo 15th November 2017, 11:42 PM

Agreed with the part Tyler picked out. It's amazing that she clearly has huge hits, but it really is hard to pin point the one that "made her"/people compare too. She also switches things up slightly with each release to a more relevant sound at the time, without drastically changing it!

Posted by: Riser 16th November 2017, 05:21 AM

My answer is similar to the lack of a career peak, that at any time there's always been two or three other popstars bigger than her. First Britney and Christina, then Katy and Lady Gaga, etc. There was always more focus on them than on Pink and just as you said, more pressure on them to live up to their previous career-defining hits. Music style is also a good shout, there's always been enough demand for the kind of pop-rock she generally records and she's never had to resort to hopping from one trend to another.

Posted by: SGrey 16th November 2017, 06:22 AM

Everything you’ve said really. In reference to the current topic in the lounge, she’s one artist who hasn’t sold themselves out to keep going and remain relevant either and think is genuine to the artist she is and wants to be. Very few big pop girls have good quality control too but she’s one of them - so many hits!

Posted by: Liаm 16th November 2017, 01:53 PM

She's SO good at keeping to her style but changing it up, like Blow Me (One Last Kiss) was a bit electropop and What About Us has a sort of club ballad feel, but they still feel like a Pink song at their core. She never sells out or panders, I'd say she adapts which is so important. The lack of one huge hit probably helps too, people just sort of think "oh I like so many Pink songs she's so good" instead of just being like "why isn't she doing another song like x" because x sold 2 million or sth

Posted by: blacksquare 16th November 2017, 03:25 PM

It's definitely a combination of what everyone else has said. She's always been big but hasn't had the cultural impact that some of her peers have - so she hasn't been held to the same standard. People aren't waiting for her to recreate The Fame or Teenage Dream. People haven't had a chance to turn on her because she doesn't outstay her welcome or keep her name out there between eras. She comes and goes.

She's talented, relatable and somehow still seems like the underdog which the masses like. She hasn't taken as many creative risks as her peers, she's played with her sound ever so slightly for the past decade but not enough to put fans off. She's just easily accessible.

Posted by: Frank! 16th November 2017, 05:06 PM

I think one point we're all missing is that she has always (bar the CTMH era) appealed to a young and old(er) public. Teens love her, but plenty of adults buy her records as well. She's never had that 'bubble gum pop' tag which has helped her appeal to a more mature crowd as well.

Posted by: T Boy 18th November 2017, 05:33 PM

I agree with all points raised here tbh. She never really had that massive moment. Ask a group to name a Pink song and they’d probably name a different one each whereas if you asked to same of Britney, they’d probably instinctively say Baby One More Time. Not that Britney hasn’t had as many hits but she has had that one massive stand out hit that Pink never did.

Also the point about there always being a bigger female artist around at the time when she’s releasing.

Posted by: troublepink 19th November 2017, 07:14 PM

I’m interested to read everyone’s thoughts on this because for me she has never been gone, even in the five year gap (roseave 💕) She is part of my life everyday and I dedicate a lot of time to her and her work

Posted by: Jupiteer 22nd November 2017, 07:23 PM

I think it is definitely her personality. She's down to earth and relatable and because she was genuine from the start, has been able to keep it up as she's got older. As a result she's been able to stay as a role model of sorts as a young woman and now as a mum too. Which is kinda funny in a way when her initial persona was about not being a role model in some ways, and being a rebel.

You can really invest in Pink as a person and she's always been quite upfront with who that person is. Also, she releases music of consistent quality and generally will have something for everyone on each of her albums. She also generally has really good single release strategies unlike a lot of the big pop girls who have made missteps in the past that they've then struggled to come back from.

The fact she can really deliver live is also a big plus, and adds to the authenticity she already projects.

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 22nd November 2017, 11:54 PM

I'd say it's mostly attributed to her having widespread (if not fairly universal) appeal, never being the top dog with all the focus placed upon them, not really courting the media with outrageous antics or her personal life and staying relatively in her lane musically.

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 22nd November 2017, 11:56 PM

She does really continue to amaze me with this though, 17 years on now. There are next to no other people who have maintained relevancy from that sort of era.

Aside from maybe Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake.

Posted by: ❄The Snow. 24th December 2017, 03:56 PM

I think its due to her appealing to a wide range of music fans in terms of age, both older and younger! She gets played on a wide range of radio stations too!

Posted by: T Boy 7th January 2018, 11:00 AM

I was going to post a separate thread but I thought it links in here and I don’t really want to attract the attention of someone I was discussing this with in both the shoutbox and the iTunes thread this past week. But where do you rank Pink in the grand scheme of things?

It was suggested that she is a B list singer who no one talks about, is hyped for and that the only reason she’s remained relevant is that she caters specifically to radio.

I disagree with pretty much all of that tbh. In my eyes she is clearly an A list singer who has accumulated massive album sales and huge tours over a period of almost 18 years. I felt her comeback last year was huge news and There was so much hype around What About Us? I also don’t think any of her current songs sound like anything else on the radio because she has her own style that no one else is really doing.

Just thought I’d see what her fans think.

Posted by: Riser 8th January 2018, 02:02 AM

Lol, I was looking at buying her concert tickets as a Christmas present and based on the ticket prices she's DEFINITELY not B list

B list artists don't have platinum/multi-platinum Greatest Hits albums or several consecutive platinum/multi-platinum studio albums either. If you don't hear anyone talking about her then you're looking in the wrong places.

Posted by: Lindsey 🙃 8th January 2018, 03:47 AM

Idk like Pink is one of the few artists where I feel as though her best is always yet to come, which is weird when she's got a near flawless discography and she's probably the most underrated pop artist out there i think it's just because she constantly releases stuff of a high standard, like even TTAL which is probs her weakest album, isn't bad at all its just not up to what people know she's capable of. She's sort of maintained this kinda level of success without having a massive peak or a massive fall (see Britney 2007 x), like people can argue that Funhouse was her peak or I'm Not Dead etc, there's no one standout era which is so rare as most pop artists have that one song or that one album that smashed.

Linking to your other topic on her fan base, I think that has a lot to do with it as well, she appeals to all ages and people grow up with her music rather than grow out of It, which I feel is what tends to happen with pop music. Like it's the sort of thing you'll go back to for the sake of nostalgia rather than listen to regularly but Pink is still someone I listen to as much as I listen to my current faves as her music is pretty timeless and I can see myself still listening to well into the future.

Posted by: Jordan Lee 31st October 2018, 12:21 PM

She’s the ultimate underdog.

The likes of Xtina, Britney and to some extent Beyoncé overshadowed her early career.

Then Rihanna, Katy and Gaga her later career. Whilst others may have had bigger peaks, shes stayed consistent and avoided the ‘flop’ eras many of the others have had.

Also I may be wrong here but Pink has a very casual fanbase too so her music and albums sell well over time, where as some of her peers have more Stan type fans but less casual fans.

She’s also stayed true to herself and not become someone who she isn’t, she’s a likeable person with a real personality who people can connect with and she always lets her music do the talking.

Plus, she’s a very good promoter whether that’s tours or live performances she works hard on promo for her albums, like you know when Pink is releasing something!

Posted by: T Boy 27th May 2019, 03:01 PM

I’m bumping this again since she released a new album last month.

She’s managed to defy expectations once more with Hurts 2B Human.

I feel her sales are beginning to suffer, I think this will end of being her lowest selling album, but she still seems to be as popular as ever.

One thing I have noted for the last two eras is that she’s having trouble keeping the momentum going.

Posted by: troublepink 29th May 2019, 03:10 PM

I think that is because the lack of promo she has done (or not done) for these last two albums, especially H2BH.

Compare the promo from previous eras to these two and its next to nothing. Its good that she doesn't really have to do it, but imagine how much more successful the albums would be if she did.

I'm hoping the sales will pick up again once the European tour starts next month, maybe a few TV appearances etc.

Posted by: Jordan Lee 16th June 2019, 12:58 PM

Because this tours been so big it’s been quite hard to get promo slots especially in the UK.

I think the tour coming to the UK will help her album sales out here quite a bit, it should return to the top 10.

And when more singles are released that should also help out too.

Although it’s likely it’ll happen it’ll feel so weird seeing Hurts 2B Human be her lowest album seller esp in the UK as it had three weeks at number one here!

Posted by: T Boy 27th July 2019, 04:46 PM

I think we’re at a Point where her relevance will fade from now. The tour has really helped her in this era but the album is now dropping fairly fast and hasn’t sold as much as previous albums. This is mainly down to the sales climate but Pink is struggling on the streaming front and as has been discussed, it looks like she’ll no longer be supported by the likes of Radio 1.

I think she’s at the point, having had a fantastic run, that a fade from relevance won’t be disastrous to her as an artist and that she’ll always be a chart presence if not as big.

Posted by: TheJüpreme 27th July 2019, 10:25 PM

I was surprised that after her success with the theatrical / Greatest Showman songs there wasn't really any of that on H2BH. I reckon if she released even an EP of that or some collaborations like that she could get one last era of success even into her 40s - age didn't hold Keala Settle or Idina Menzel back from having a long-running smash.

In any case though she's had a great run and wherever she wants to take her career next no doubt she'll be welcomed with open arms. People in so many fields have nothing but goodwill towards her.

Posted by: Spiceboy 28th July 2019, 09:58 AM

To be fair I think P!nk did have a bit of a flop era. Try This was definitely a low point for her in terms of success. Misundaztood was also a high point for her in terms of album sales. However from I’m not dead onwards she has been so consistent! I don’t think the lower sales of H2BH put her in the past it bracket since all album sales are really low and she was#1 for 3 weeks!

Posted by: Jordan Lee 28th July 2019, 10:49 AM

Try This was like an underperformance in the UK but it’s sales of over 500K are more than what albums today what are considered a huge success. With all her albums aside from H2BH up to now on or around the 500k mark you can’t deny she’s a force. I think longevity is what was her key to those big sales. She never had short chart runs or like a big first week then a big drop her albums always stick around for ages. Even Hurts 2B Human I think will clock up more sales and have a long chart run. It’ll probably always be higher on sales than officially but she’s not gonna drop out the top 100 anytime soon.

Albums wise she’s always gonna be relevant. I think she’ll easily make the top 3 with every studio album she releases tbh.

Singles wise is harder to call as streaming’s always gonna be getting bigger and bigger.

She’s managed it because she’s hard working, puts in the promo work, has a relatable personality, has songs what have a message to them, hasn’t alienated her fanbase too much and because she’s just like an underdog and everyone loves an underdog.

Posted by: T Boy 28th July 2019, 11:30 AM

Try This was viewed as an underperformance at the time but I don’t think it can be called a flop era. The album has respectable sales and spawned 2 top 10 singles. If you compare this to ‘flop’ eras for other artists then it really wasn’t.

Posted by: T Boy 25th February 2023, 01:54 PM

This question appears to still be relevant today.

Posted by: Feel_The_Fever 25th February 2023, 07:05 PM

Very relevant and a huge hats off to her, 3 singles top 50 for an artist like Pink is a great result,

Posted by: gooddelta 25th February 2023, 10:03 PM

I think people respect her for being real, and honest, and for her quality as a performer and entertainer.

Musically she's done incredibly well to constantly transcend different sounds, styles, generations and music consumption methods. And I wouldn't say she has compromised her sound to achieve it either, Trustfall and Never Gonna Not Dance Again sound more like early 2010s songs to me - they don't sound dated but they equally don't sound like anything in the charts today. Hate Me and When I Get There feel as authentically P!nk as anything she put out in the 00s too, but she does experiment with new/current sounds and styles at the same time.

Long may it continue. I've grown up with P!nk and it's a joy to see somebody from 'my era' still having big albums and hit singles. There aren't many others who are. Coldplay? Sia, but she wasn't exactly big for the duration like P!nk has been - she just had a random top 10 in 2000 then resurfaced in 2012 commercially.

Posted by: Jessie Where 26th February 2023, 01:19 PM

I kind of want to say Beyoncé, although I know she officially debuted as a solo artist in 2003. Maybe JT also if he releases again? Jury's out though.

Posted by: Jessie Where 26th February 2023, 01:24 PM

A month ago I really thought her days of being a hit singles artist were done and she'd now be in the "legacy artist" category (which is fine, she's had such an incredible run and nothing lasts forever), so to see her defying the odds in that respect and doing well again has been pleasing (and thoroughly deserved, especially with her not getting the same level of support from radio and stuff like she had last time)

Posted by: Envoirment 26th February 2023, 04:29 PM

I think the reason is her being relatable for a lot of people as well as her amazing tours. She's become a touring force and if an artist can do that, then they have cemented themselves quite well!

Posted by: vibe 2nd March 2023, 02:39 PM

Pinks quality of output really helps especially with this latest campaign.
Pink is only 43 , lets see what happens when she passes ad gets loser to 50.