Coline Creuzot says it's all "For Love"

Am I alone in thinking R&B is getting really good again?

Coline Creuzot "an artist at the forefront” -Ebony Magazine.

I know it's an evergreen genre that hasn't declined in popularity at all, but I feel like mainstream R&B from the mid-90s all the way to the 2010s was pretty saturated and felt very formulaic (in spite of the fact some of its greatest performers dominated the airwaves in that era) that doesn't mean that the sound wasn't good good, but it was so predictable and safe as if the genre wasn't moving in any direction other than into further Poppification of itself.

Fast forward to the era around 2015 with alternative R&B and I felt things had gotten spicy again, breaking up patterns or utilizing old ones in creative new ways. In a general sense, I think that the whole genre has since then evolved and gone through very interesting creative cycles.

Of these Cycles, the one that excites me most has curiously been the revindication -in my eyes- of the 1990s-2000s-2010s era. The Pop-heavy shimmery vocals and hip-hop-inspired drum machine rhythmic combo actually saw some amazing musicians rise to prominence (Destiny's Child, Alicia Keys, etc.), so it's not like I'm trying to malign that time period.

One such revindication is taking place thanks to Coline Creuzot and her newest single "For Love", which features a lot of the cues you'd associate with that era, only this time there's a much more complex beat for an overall richer texture. There's also a very peculiar choice that will reward attentive listeners in the form of a very sweet and gentle keyboard in the background of the song that both contrasts and complements the fairly aggressive beat with a surprising element of tenderness that plays more to Coline's gorgeous timbre than any other element.

But who exactly is Coline? Well, the born-and-raised Houstonian with a business management degree has been involved in the arts all through her life, and in the process of focusing on her musical passion she linked up with none Other than producer Happy Perez whose own long line of collaborators include Miguel, Mariah Carey, and Frank Ocean- no doubt informing a lot the sound that Coline has for us right now. Coline and Happy collaborated on a song called, ‘Give and Take’, which would go on to become an immediate hit. ‘Give and Take’ climbed all the way to number 1 on the Houston Radio Charts. The success of the song granted Coline opportunities to open for some amazing artists such as Drake, Keyshia Cole, Monica, and Tank to name a few.

Coline is a more-than-outstanding singer and songwriter, enough so that both qualities together can carry her career in any direction she wants, however, I think that subtle peculiarities and idiosyncrasies like the ones shown here really do add a lot of strength and dimension to her case, and it just makes for a much more enjoyable and interesting listening experience than the proposals of a lot of her peers.

Meet The Author

Samuel Aponte is Venezuelan-born, raised and based. 

I joined Rival Magazine after a few years of doing PR work for independent musicians of all stripes; understanding their struggles to be heard in a sea of constant  ADHD noise and paywalled access to platforms, I now bring a willingness to always appreciate and encourage the effort and creativity that artists put into their work. Can also find some of my writings on LADYGUNN and We Found New Music.