3 R&B Hits From the 2000s That Were Originally Demos for Other Artists

When a song is written by a songwriter or producer, typically it will be shopped around to different bands, musicians, labels, etc. R&B demos are no different, and plenty of the biggest songs of the 2000s were originally demos for other musicians before finally getting recorded by the stars who made them shine. Let’s look at just a few R&B demos from the 2000s that were originally written for other artists!

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“Let’s Get Loud” by Jennifer Lopez (2000)

This Latin pop R&B hit from J.Lo made it all the way to No. 39 on the Dance Club Songs chart in the US, and it was a hefty hit in Europe and South America. Interestingly enough, this song wasn’t originally supposed to go to Jennifer Lopez. Written by Gloria Estefan and Kike Santander, “Let’s Get Loud” was originally going to be an Estefan release. However, she felt that the song should go to someone younger and a bit more contemporary. She gave it to J.Lo, and the song ended up being an important one in her career.

“Rock Your Body” by Justin Timberlake (2003)

A very disco-leaning pop song with an R&B flair, “Rock Your Body” was a massive song for Justin Timberlake in 2003. It peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and would play a part in kicking off Timberlake’s very successful solo career outside of *NSYNC. And, interestingly enough, the some was meant to go to none other than Michael Jackson. Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo wrote the song, and unfortunately, Jackson passed on it. Timberlake recorded it for his debut solo record, and the rest is history.

“Halo” by Beyoncé (2009)

It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Beyoncé singing this iconic late-2000s hit. It was the perfect song for her voice. And, surprisingly enough, it wasn’t written for her. “Halo” was allegedly originally supposed to be a Leona Lewis song. This entry on our list of R&B demos from the 2000s was written by Ryan Tedder with Leona Lewis on his mind to sing it, though he later stated that this wasn’t the case. Simon Cowell, owner of the production company that produced the song for Columbia Records, on the other hand, said that it was intended for Lewis from the start. Who knows what the truth is? Either way, Beyoncé sounds gorgeous on this track.

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