A number of musical artists have chosen to announce the rebranding of their careers, many of which have failed to capture positive attention.

One of the most high-profile examples is Jojo Siwa and her new single, “Karma.”

After the pop singer turned 20, she began to tease new music featuring more mature themes for an adult audience. She has claimed that she wants to part with her old demographic, which was young kids.

When “Karma” first released, the song was ridiculed by audiences of all kinds across social media. This was only furthered when the music video came out on April 5.

Despite her attempt to break ties with the work she did as a child, Siwa had audiences think of her time on Dance Moms because of her poor choreography. Some called for Abby Lee Miller, her old dance teacher, to react to the choreography in the music video.

Similarly, after two years of not releasing music, Camila Cabello has come back with a single featuring Playboy Carti called “I Luv It.” Cabello has also announced that her future music is going to be the start of a new era, highlighted by bleaching her hair.

For the past few weeks, Cabello has teased the song’s title with a short cut of the song in videos across her social media. But despite the huge build up amongst fans, the song has fallen flat since its debut on March 27.

But despite her past popularity with Shawn Mendes and Fifth Harmony, Cabello’s career has halted dramatically and will likely shrink following the release of any future music.

Although some popular artists today have failed to rebrand themselves, this marketing tactic has been successful for several artists in the past. Miley Cyrus is a great example of what successful rebranding should look like.

Previously known for being on Disney Channel, specifically as Hannah Montana, Cyrus was able to break free from this image through her album Bangerz and provocative and flashy performances.

She endured initial controversy and developed a supportive fanbase after this, which carried her to a second rebrand in 2023, in which she transitioned to an Old Hollywood look with platinum hair, red lipstick, and a new album titled Endless Summer Vacation. 

Many fans today do not commonly connect Cyrus to her Disney career, proving her rebrand to be a success.

Overall, a profitable rebrand is hard to achieve, specifically for musical artists. Too many artists today have suddenly decided to reframe their careers, making the transition especially difficult.