Next

Next — pop artist from US.

Next, a contemporary R&B trio, emerged in the late '90s alongside Dru Hill and Jagged Edge, blending gospel roots, suggestive lyrics, harmonies, and slick…

Influence: 65.51% Fanbase: 49.74% Trending: 73.40% Career Level: Mainstream

Top Brand Affinity

Highest overlapping lifestyle brand

Live Nation • 27.08% • Very Strong

As of 2025-09-09

102,735

Social Media Followers

As of 2025-09-09

00:00:00

Hours Airplay

2025-12-07 16:48:27 UTC

Genres

pophip popboy bandr&b, funk & soulr&burban contemporaryneo soulnew jack swingquiet stormr&b/soulhip-hop & raphip hoppop rapamericanminneapolis sound

Biography

Next, a contemporary R&B trio, emerged in the late '90s alongside Dru Hill and Jagged Edge, blending gospel roots, suggestive lyrics, harmonies, and slick production influenced by Jodeci and R. Kelly. Between 1997 and 2000, they achieved four Top 20 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including the chart-topping "Too Close" and the hit "Wifey." After two albums on Arista, notably the multi-platinum Rated Next in 1997, the group moved to Clive Davis' J Records, releasing a third album before a split in 2003. The original members reunited in 2018 after a lengthy hiatus and lineup changes.

Robert "RL" Huggar and Marlon "Shilo" Benjamin, along with Terry "T-Low" Brown and Raphel "Tweety" Brown, formed Next in 1992 in Minneapolis, mentored by Reverend James Grear and Ann Nesby of Sounds of Blackness. After a demo caught the attention of Keir "KayGee" Gist, the group signed with Arista and debuted with the successful "Butta Love" in 1997. Their debut album, Rated Next, spawned hits like "Too Close" and "I Still Love You." Subsequent albums, including Welcome II Nextasy in 2000, maintained their success before internal issues led to a split in 2003. After various lineup changes, the original trio of Next regrouped in 2018 to release new music.

Top Brand Affinities

Report Date: 2025-09-09

Next stands out with 25-34 & 35-44 audiences across UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, UNITED KINGDOM. The profile is heavily female (74%), and content lands hardest on Instagram, where posts average 297 avg likes per post. Instagram sustains loyal interaction between releases, keeping momentum warm. Affinity clustering shows natural overlap with Live Nation, WNBA, Akai, pointing to an obvious runway in streetwear, music platforms, and lifestyle products. That mix of scale and cultural fit makes Next a low-friction choice for campaigns that need fast awareness and credible adoption.

Artist Affinity estimates how strongly an artist's audience overlaps with interest in specific brands, products, and categories. It is derived from aggregated social and behavioral signals—who fans follow, save, click, and engage with—normalized across platforms. Higher affinity suggests better partnership fit and higher likelihood that fans will respond positively to branded content or offers. Use it to shortlist natural brand partners and product concepts that feel authentic to the audience. Combine affinity with Connection Strength (ER) and reach to balance fit with impact. Treat affinity as directional—validate with creative tests and small pilots before scaling.

ER = (likes + comments + shares) ÷ audience per post ≥ 3.0% = Very Strong 2.0–2.99% = Strong 1.0–1.99% = Moderate < 1.0% = Low

How to read it: Pair ER with reach (views/followers) to gauge intensity and scale.

Connection Strength

Artist Next score 0.29% — Low bucket.

Brand: Live NationBrand: WNBABrand: Akai

Followers:102,735

Engagements:297

Rate:0.3%

Posts:602

Avg Likes:297

Avg Comments:13

Avg Views:0

Audience Demographics & Key Stats

Metric	Value	Why It Matters
Social Snapshot	Followers 102,735 · Engagements 297 · Rate 0.3% Posts 602 · Views 0 · Avg Likes 297 · Avg Comments 13 · Avg Views 0	Combine reach (followers/views) with ER to size both impact and responsiveness.
Age Breakdown	25-34: 45% 35-44: 34% 18-24: 11% 45-64: 9%	Largest: 25-34 (45%); next: 35-44 (34%)
Gender Split	Female: 74% Male: 26% Non-binary/Other: 0%	Skews female (74%)
Top Countries	UNITED STATES (86%) AUSTRALIA (3%) UNITED KINGDOM (2%) CANADA (1%) SOUTH AFRICA (1%)	Top regions: UNITED STATES (86%), AUSTRALIA (3%), UNITED KINGDOM (2%)
Platform Engagement	Instagram: 297 avg likes/post	best engagement: Instagram 297 avg likes

Top Brand Affinities

Live Nation

Score: 27.08

WNBA

Score: 20.23

Akai

Score: 17.12

Mixcloud

Score: 16.95

Pioneer

Score: 13.88

iHeartRadio Music Awards

Score: 11.82

Amazon Music

Score: 10.82

Benihana

Score: 9.04

Publix

Score: 7.83

Delta

Score: 7.63

FOX

Score: 7.38

NBC

Score: 7.14

Brand	Category	Score
Live Nation		27.08
WNBA		20.23
Akai		17.12
Mixcloud		16.95
Pioneer		13.88
iHeartRadio Music Awards		11.82
Amazon Music		10.82
Benihana		9.04
Publix		7.83
Delta		7.63
FOX		7.38
NBC		7.14
Hennessy		6.76
American Airlines		6.59
MTV		6.29
boohoo		6.00
Verizon		5.53
Marriott		5.48
FashionNova		4.93
CNN		4.91
Steve Madden		4.88
Macy's		4.87
Philips		4.76
NFL		4.69
OLD NAVY		4.50
ESPN		4.48
NORDSTROM		4.20
FedEx		4.16
ASOS		4.09
Sneakerhead		4.04
Margaritaville		4.04
Los Angeles Lakers		4.01
Nivea		3.85
Target		3.84
Fenty beauty		3.82
Walmart		3.77
NBA		3.62
Hilton		3.59
TOM FORD		3.25
Columbia Pictures		3.11
Comedy Central		2.97
SoundCloud		2.95
Busch		2.94
Paramount Pictures		2.86
Uber		2.84
Nickelodeon		2.82
Beats Electronics		2.82
Spotify Music		2.75
Christian Louboutin		2.72
shein		2.71