ROLE MODEL - Music Marketing

ROLE MODEL is the stage name for Tucker Pillsbury, an American singer-songwriter known for his introspective lyrics, lo-fi pop sound, and emotionally raw story telling. He emerged in the late 2010s and quickly built a devoted following with his honest takes on love, mental health, and personal growth. 

His sound combines acoustic elements with modern pop production, and he is highly influenced by artists such as Frank Ocean and Mac Miller. He’s known for his emotional openness, tackling hard hitting topics like anxiety, insecurity, relationships, and self-discovery. His honest songwriting and soft, often melancholic delivery have resonated especially with Gen Z audiences. 

He gained early recognition with his self-released EPs and viral streaming success. He signed to Interscope Records which allowed him to produce higher production music. His debut album Rx explored themes of love, identity, and vulnerability with a more polished pop sound. 

Text 1, Deeply Still In Love Music Video 

This music video has narrative but also is very fun. His album ‘Kansas Anymore’ is very country which is a huge switch up from his previous music. He has gone all out country by using cliche iconography of the country genre such as cowboy hats, bars, American country style clothing (denim) etc. Within the first minute there is already extreme conflict. There is a bra fight and everyone is attacking Tucker. It is extremely fast paced and active, which pairs perfectly with the fast-paced nature of the energetic and fun song. Since he arrived in cowboy boots and a dusty Jeep, we can understand he is bound to cause chaos. He steals drinks and flirts with cowgirls which literally causes a fight to breakout in the barroom. The mayhem builds and then dissipates, mirroring emotional turmoil beneath the polished surface.  

It nods to Groundhog Day (repetitive cycles of disaster) and Coyote Ugly (wild, spontaneous energy at a bar), with underlying themes of emotional loop and impulsivity. Since ROLE MODEL studied film before music, we can now understand why he has used aspects of these two iconic and influential films. 

The lyrics express acceptance and respect for someone moving on (‘I think I’m proud of you’) and the video reinforces that with his lone walk away at the end – smirking bravely, yet distinctly alone. The video captures his signature mix – public performance and raw emotion. He’s a cowboy-instigator, but one who wanders off with a wistful smile, exposing his layered feelings. 

Text 2, ROLE MODEL’s Website 

His home page (like many other artists’) instantly throws his new album ‘Kansas Anymore (The Longest Goodbye)’ in our faces. This would be done to prioritise this album as it has created a new image for him as an artist. He now identifies with cowboy/ country music which is a huge shift from his previous style. We don’t see any of his old music/ eras on this front page, only his new stuff. 

This home page features his tour dates, recent music videos, merchandise store, and access to his mailing list. These are all conventions of a typical artist website as these are what fans would be looking for/ expect for successful artists. The tour dates are second from the top which shows how he is prioritising the tour; since it is still ongoing, it makes sense why he would want it to be right at the top as one of the first things we see. 

Like always, the font used across the page matches the font used in the title ‘Kansas Anymore’ which is a stylistic choice many artist websites use to further promote the album/ era shift. 

The tour page has links to each tour date as usual, however it also includes video clips from the tour. The tour diaries option is mindful to fans who couldn’t make it, as well as acting as a trailer for fans who may have not bought tickets yet/ encouraging and persuading them to. There is also a merch option at the bottom of the page with the merch that would be sold on tour which, again, is including those who couldn’t make it and still allowing them to access the merch. This page is completely innovative in terms of its choices to include the tour diaries and the merch, most other websites only use the ‘tour’ page for the dates and access to tickets. But the merch and tour diaries inclusion is something I have never seen before on an artist tour page. 

Website can be accessed by clicking this link

-Chelsea Horton