Energetic Signature Is the New ‘Personal Brand’
📌 The Point:
Why KWN, KevOnStage, and Law Roach are proof that the ‘brand’ isn’t what makes the mark.
Personal branding is obsolete.
The phrase has been overused into meaninglessness, and in 2025 it carries more baggage than benefit. It conjures images of curated feeds, formulaic taglines, and a constant performative effort to be perceived in just the right way. And culturally? We don’t trust it anymore. In a climate where skepticism runs high and there’s no real barrier to entry for who gets to rise to visibility, “branding yourself” reads as contrived—whether you’re the one building it or the one being marketed to.
And yet, new stars still break through every day. People we’ve never heard of enter the public conversation and, seemingly overnight, become unshakable cultural fixtures. So what’s creating that magnetism if not a “personal brand” in the traditional sense?
The answer: Energetic Signature.
Your energetic signature is thee thing—that natural, undeniable essence—that draws people to you without the scaffolding of a marketing plan. It’s the combination of how you move, speak, create, and connect that becomes recognizable and repeatable. It’s not manufactured, though it can be refined. It’s more of a rhythm than a slogan or a niche.
And the creators who understand their energetic signature have an edge.
Here are three of them mastering this at the moment, and the lessons they offer.
KWN
Body Language Beats Storytelling
East London R&B artist KWN (pronounced kay-wuhn) just dropped her second EP, with all due respect, via RCA Records. Nine tracks deep, it’s bold and textured—much like the way she performs it.
Before I ever pressed play, I saw the look. The steady eye contact. The subtle shoulder flinch. The way she holds space between phrases like she’s daring you to blink first. These micro-gestures have become a part of her stage language, so much so that her fanbase watches for them the way you’d listen for your favorite lyric.
That’s the point: KWN’s music is the product, but her performance signature is the packaging that makes it unforgettable. You could have a sound that’s “good enough,” but when it’s wrapped in a distinct energetic mark, you stand out in a sea of sonic sameness.
Lesson:
Pay attention to the nonverbal patterns your audience notices and loves. Often, those matter more than the captions you write or the backstory you tell.
KevOnStage
The Pseudo-Relationship Done Right
Plenty of creators try to “feel relatable” by forcing best-friend energy onto their audience. The problem? Not everyone is bestie material—and that’s okay. The relationship your audience has with you doesn’t need to mimic anyone else’s.
Comedian KevOnStage has mastered this by leaning into what I’d call big cousin vibes. He’s not telling you he’s your cousin, but that’s the energy: familiar, unfiltered, sometimes flawed, always warm. Whether he’s sharing a random life story, cracking jokes, or breaking down a business misstep, it feels like you’re catching up over barbecue in the backyard.
And that energy stays consistent, whether he’s on stage, in an interview, or on TikTok talking directly into his phone. No switch-flipping, no overproducing, no “audience persona” separate from the real Kev.
Lesson:
Identify the real relationship role your audience naturally places you in, and double down. The internet doesn’t need another copy-paste bestie; it needs you.
Law Roach
High Standards Without the Mask
Celebrity stylist Law Roach has the résumé (Zendaya, Celine Dion) to demand respect and the candor to keep it interesting. On the new Project Runway, he’s often the most brutally honest judge, and because his critiques are rooted in undeniable expertise, they hit harder than anyone else’s.
But Law’s energetic signature isn’t just his exacting taste. It’s his refusal to sanitize himself for the sake of likability. Whether he’s shading a bad hemline or posting videos about his latest candied salmon obsession, the throughline is radical transparency. He can be polarizing because his authority is earned. You trust him to tell you exactly how he feels, and you listen because he’s usually right.
Lesson:
When your work speaks for itself, you can let your full personality through the door. Authority + authenticity is a potent mix.
The Shift
Personal branding was about positioning. Energetic signature is about presence.
Branding says, “Here’s the story I’ve crafted about myself.” Energetic signature says, “Here’s how I make you feel when I show up.”
The first can be reverse-engineered. The second can’t be faked. And in an attention economy that’s saturated with high-production sameness, the creators who understand and hone their energetic signature will always have a leg up.
Because people may forget your tagline, your feed aesthetic, or your origin story. But they’ll never forget your energy.
Sources:
“kwn Releases Her 'with all due respect' EP” (New Wave Mag)
“Comedian KevOnStage Talks ‘Successful Failure’ And Turning Setbacks Into Strategy At ESSENCE Fest 2025” (MSN)
“Law Roach May Be the Villain, but He’s Saving ‘Project Runway’ Season 21” (MSN)
Briaan L. Barron is a media and cultural studies writer, brand architect, and CEO of Heye Frequency, a creator-led marketing agency. Based in Seattle, she has led marketing and development efforts at some of the region’s most impactful arts and cultural institutions. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and grad school dropout of Boston University’s MFA program in Film & Television Studies, Briaan’s work centers on liberating overlooked voices from personal and systemic barriers to true autonomy.
