Performance vs Song

[Miguel]

...

Haley's two most popular performances are "Can't Help Falling in Love" and "Creep." Several times a day someone posts to social media a recording of them singing CHFIL ('the Haley Reinhart version"). This is understandable because it's a classic song beautifully delivered. "Creep" is a modern classic, but relatively few people attempt to sing it in the style Haley did. 

I think the major distinction is people feel more comfortable trying to emulate Haley singing CHFIL than they do trying to sing "Creep" like she did. 

Which leads me to these observations...

Most songs become a hit because people feel they can sing along to them. Or part of them (say a big chorus). 

What attracts many to Haley though is her singing ability. They want to see and hear her perform. So when she asked this week "Curious what you guys wanna hear live???" (on tour) most responded by naming someone else's songs. 

This then is the question:

Haley produces interesting music. But how accessible is it? How comfortable do people feel jumping in and singing along? Does her musical background and singing ability lead to more complex songs that people find difficult to emulate? 

I feel like a good sing-along song could lead to a big breakthrough.

[Tusk]

Let's Start is a simple sing along song, although it's among one of my favorites, as far as I can see, it hasn't registered really at all with Haley's core fans...it does seem popular to sing the chorus along w/ Haley at her shows though.

I just think it's a matter of timing though.  R&B and Hip Hop have dominated the charts for decades now, outlasting many previous genres before it, hair bands, new wave, grunge.  I keep expecting it to start trending down, but I think it's morphed into a synergy w/ dance/edm music, that has added to it's longevity.

I think that's where Haley's talent for versatility might end up being a defining attribute that will take her up another level.  Who knows what or when the next genre will be, someone with Haley's versatility and collaborative intuition might end up putting her into the next 'wave'

[Rcul4u998]

I think "Something Strange" is the only song (besides maybe Free or Undone) of Haley's that has the potential for mass market appeal, and the rest definitely fall into more of a niche.

[Tusk]

I think "Don't Know How to Love You" has the most potential of Haley's recent songs.  It checks off a lot of boxes for her older, rock, classic rock fans, it's bluesy and I honestly can see another artist picking it up and adding a country music twist to it.

It's also a song, like Undone or Can't Help Falling in Love, IMO, I could see people posting their own cover once it/ if it enters the mainstream

[KelseyW.]

As much as I want another Postmodern Jukebox/Haley collab...

Don't Know How to Love You, is a great song, and so is Somethin Strange, but...

I have trouble singing along to Haley's originals. Mainly because I can't sing. lol

It's not that she can't write catchy lyrics... It's that her vocals are so insane that I can't come close to singing along.