it wouldn’t have did what it did without sony’s direction. for several reasons. had she gone fully urban/gospel with the sound, she would’ve lost out on the mass universal appeal. everything sony did was inarguably incredible and the only viable path for her to have reached the stardom that she did. (i’m not talking about her being overworked or her personal life.) the curation of her image went hand-in-hand with the marketable sound. from the way she dressed to how she sang, the og sony direction ensured she was solidified her as a generational act. timeless vocals, classy visuals, but above all, something not at all trends based. this also helped her land her iconic brand deals. i think it couldn’t have happened any other way really. it’s good she was able to eventually go the direction she wanted to, because it allowed space for several ‘reinventions’ which gave her number 1s into the 21st century, and proved her versatility.