Alena Nicole

You can tell a lot about someone by the kind of R&B they play. Each decade of rhythm and blues has its own flavor and its own emotional palette; its own way of making listeners feel every word they sing. From the smooth harmonies of the ‘90s to the experimental sound of the 2020s, R&B has evolved with each generation—shaping the way we listen, love, and feel, leaving echoes that every new generation still moves to. So, which era are you?

The ‘90s: The Golden Heart

You’re the friend who still believes in forever. You love a good bridge, an even better key change, and lyrics that ache just a little. If you could bottle the feeling of ‘90s nostalgia, it would smell like cocoa butter and sound like Brandy’s “Almost Doesn’t Count.” It’s warmth and melancholy all at once—the soundtrack to love that lingers.

You have an old soul and a hopelessly romantic heart, probably owning a journal that’s more confession than diary. You also think slow dancing should make a comeback and that love letters should be handwritten. Your playlists live somewhere between Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road,” Toni Braxton’s “Un-Break My Heart,” and Lauryn Hill’s “Ex-Factor.” Songs that could heal your heart one day and haunt it the next. You don’t just love love, you’re someone who listens to it like a language.

The 2000s: The Main Character

You walk with a soundtrack. Every hallway is a runway, every breakup has a bridge, and every song feels like a scene in your movie. You learned self-confidence through the art of the music video—Aaliyah’s “Try Again,” Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor,” and Ashanti’s “Foolish” taught you the choreography of self-worth.

You’re dramatic in the best way—the type to say “this song gets me” to about five different tracks in one car ride. You’re that mix of Usher’s smooth confidence in “U Got It Bad” and Mariah Carey’s butterfly-era shimmer. You don’t chase the spotlight—you are the spotlight, and when the beat hits, the world bends to your rhythm.

The 2010s: The Emotional Architect

You’re the person who builds feelings into blueprints. Every lyric feels intentional, crafted with emotion you could feel between the bass lines. The 2010s gave us The Weeknd’s “Wicked Games,” Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin Bout You,” and SZA’s “The Weekend,” teaching us how to love through vulnerability and layered production.

You’ve probably rewritten the same text message three times, just to get the tone right. You love a minimalist beat and a maximalist feeling. You don’t run from emotion—you design around it. Solange’s “Cranes in the Sky” plays in the background while you build yourself anew. And somehow, it’s always beautiful.

The 2020s: The Experimental Soul

You move through sound the way most people move through moods—shifting, blending, and never staying in one lane for long. Your playlist jumps from Kehlani’s “Nights Like This” to Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit” to Brent Faiyaz’s “Gravity,” each one carrying a different version of your truth. 

You see music as memory and movement. Every sample feels like déjà vu, every remix a conversation with the past. Beyoncé’s “Renaissance,” Victoria Monét’s “Jaguar II,” and Tyler, the Creator’s “Call Me If You Get Lost” blur genre lines until all that’s left is feeling. You crave art that’s alive, layered, and a little messy… because that’s what being human sounds like now.

Which era are you?

At its core, R&B is about connection—between rhythm, emotion, and memory. Every era tells the same story differently: love found, love lost, love rediscovered. The instruments change, but the heartbeat doesn’t.

So what’s your R&B era? Maybe it’s the one that raised you, or the one that understands you best. Because one thing’s for sure: real R&B is timeless.