Depends on the artists. There’s room for experimentation, but there’s also room for mastering your sound.

I prefer artists taking shots and exploring new sounds. As a listener I want to be surprised. Of course though this comes with time and practicising your craft. No point releasing a bad album just for the sake of deviation.

I like when s*** is wildly different. Imagine if Tyler made the same music his whole career. And tbh i’m not looking forward to Travis new album cuz I feel like he’s jus gonna keep doing what he did on birds b4 rodeo and astroworld and i’m kinda tired of that sound especially after all his s*** features + singles and the jackboys s***. I hope he switches it up on his next album and proves me wrong.

experimenting after you mastered your sound can actually enhance the artistry and give a breath of fresh air

He was one of the people I was thinking about. He definitely evolved his style but his production has a distinct style

AC/DC is the main reason why an artist should not stay in their lane forever. Imagine playing variations of the same 4 chords for 50 years holy s***

I think it depends. Some artist are better off digging even further into the pocket they already found and truly mastering it, while some are better off pioneering new sounds. We need both honestly.

bowie said it best

Another example I just thought of:
Rihanna. I wasnt there for the drop of ANTI but Id wager that a big reason its so popular is because the change in musical direction worked so well compared to her previous album Unapologetic

I don’t like music that isn’t authentic

The execution is the key

There’s no “best” in music

depends on the artist but i'm leaning heavily towards experimental.

I feel Tyler the creator is a perfect example of how any artist should progress their sound in this era and the coming forth

But you can experiment like Prince or be a hit consistent machine like MJ

Depends on the desires of the artist.