#Afro pop 2024

[angola-musicas23]

MAGIC - Good Feeling About You - Afrotech Remix (feat. Mastiksoul)

Já disponível a nova musica da autoria de “MAGIC feat. Mastiksoul” tem como titulo ”Good Feeling About You – Afrotech Remix”  Confira agora o download em mp3 Baixar mp3 gratis no nosso site abaixo. Baixar musica nova : MAGIC – Good Feeling About You – Afrotech Remix (feat. Mastiksoul) Download Mp3baixar 2024,baixar musica Good Feeling About You – Afrotech Remix angolamusicas.com   Artista: MAGIC…

[tarelayee]

AYRA STARR: THE YEAR I TURNED 21..

Honestly, I love this album so much, I love Ayra so much pretty sure i'm her biggest fan. This album is really a masterpiece with no skips...

PART 1...

Birds sing of money - 8/10

Loved the overall vibe of the song, the arrangement is so beutiful...

Goodbye (warmup) - 7/10

Having Asake on this was such a good choice, and I always love a good F U song...

Commas - 8/10

Woman commando - 8/10

This is my favourite track on the album, Anitta and Coco were perfect for this song...

Control - 7/10

Lagos love story - 7/10

Rhythm & blues - 8/10

21 - 7/10

[444m777]

29 things I love about Michael: Day 12

His AFRO! Michael (and his brothers’ hair) was MAJESTIC! And when he had it up in an afro before switching to jheri curl and then full blow out was just wow to me.

I know some people prefer his curls and felt it was strange he never kept it that way. I personally liked all of his hairstyles. I know he had a brief stint with shorter hair which I’d like to make a separate post on another time.

But back to the afro… I love seeing Black people rocking their natural hair. I never felt it was insulting when someone made a Jackson 5 joke to me when I was older kid up to adulthood and had my hair out in an afro or to other groups (of kids) with afro hair. They never said it in a positive way. It was a jab and mostly a jab at being Black and having “bad hair”. Before I understood the concept of the Jackson family being music royalty I knew deep down it was a compliment because Michael’s afro was enormous, beautiful and healthy.

I used to color my hair and had blond tips and then full on orange afro. I’ve since cut my hair and went the bald baddie route hahaha… but now I’m growing it back out. I miss my big hair. I miss feeling like I could be a member of the Jacksons haha. Yes, that’s me and yes it’s all mine (before I cut it haha) one thing about living in Europe as a Black person I was constantly being asked if my hair was real and not a wig and people touching my hair without asking, sticking their nasty fingers in my fro. Seeing videos of people grabbing Michael’s hair makes my heart sink especially the years after the whole Pepsi incident. His scalp was so sensitive :(

Also I absolutely love these picture of Michael in the afro wig. It’s soooooo frikkin cute. Who’s miss girl in the last pic👀 I want him to look at me like that

It’s Michael’s birthday month and so I’m sharing every day something I love about him. Feel free to join in or use the tag #29thingsMJ I’d love to read what you love about him

[my-chaos-radio]

Release: July 19, 2024

Lyrics:

Plenty more, plenty more

But you're my hope for the night, oh

Gimme more control

Slow down for the night, oh

Lemme know, lemme know

That you're down for the vibe

Are you down for the vibe? Oh

We don't say bye-bye

You can see my eyes

That I'm on the rise, oh

I believe body lies

But your body be smilin' though (ayy, ayy)

These are the nights I love

'Cause you know, baby, I adore you, I adore you

Can't ignore you, can't ignore you, ah

Body-ody, my soul and that

I'm outta control, I can't

I adore you, I adore you, I do

Plenty more, plenty more

But you're my hope for the night, oh

Gimme more control

Slow down for the night, oh

Lemme know, lemme know

That you're down for the vibe

Are you down for the vibe? Oh

We don't say bye-bye

Le-le-le, le-le-le, yeah, yeah

Le-le-le, le-le-le, yeah, yeah

Le-le-le, le-le-le, yeah

Baby, I adore you, I adore you, I do

She gon' keep it minimal, poco

Pull you in and walk in like model

She like Mona Lisa, oh majo

Majo, oh

You can see my eyes

That I'm on the rise, oh

I believe body lies

But your body be smilin' though (ayy, ayy)

These are the nights I love

'Cause you know, baby, I adore you, I adore you

Can't ignore you, can't ignore you, ah

Body-ody, my soul and that

I'm outta control, I can't

I adore you, I adore you (ooh, baby)

Baby, I adore you, I adore you

Can't ignore you, can't ignore you, ah

Body-ody, my soul and that

I'm outta control, I can't

I adore you, I adore you, I do

Body-ody, my soul and that, I'm outta control, I can't (I do, I do, I do, I do)

I adore you (I do, I do)

'Cause you know, baby, I adore you, I adore you

Can't ignore you, can't ignore you, ah

Body-ody, my soul and that

I'm outta control, I can't

I adore you, I adore you, I do

Songwriter:

Plenty more, plenty more

But you're my hope for the night, oh

Gimme more control

Slow down for the night, oh

Lemme know, lemme know

That you're down for the vibe

Are you down for the vibe? Oh

We don't say bye-bye

Le-le-le, le-le-le, yeah, yeah

Le-le-le, le-le-le, yeah, yeah

Le-le-le, le-le-le, yeah

Baby, I adore you, I adore you, I do

Alex Rahim Labaf Zadeh / Alexander Tidebrink Stomberg / Daecolm Holland / Florent Hugel / Loris Cimino / Maximilian Riehl / Tobias Topic

SongFacts:

👉📖

[musictyme]

Tems - Love Me JeJe

[eseomo]

‘Paco Rabanne’

Out October 31st. Presave it please. 🎃

[tyranttingz]

I’m such an open book

I have no filter, I just say shit

Next time that little voice in my head begins to question…

Listen to it cause you’re never ever gonna save em’…

& you know it wasn’t loove 💔

[metronorthmusic]

Femi - Tropic Thunda (Official Visualizer)

Artist: Femi Title: Tropic Thunda (Single)

Producer: Krispy Release Date: April 30, 2024

MORE INFO BELOW!

Spotify URL: https://open.spotify.com/track/39exF0bCy3S6XAwqHPcvPP Apple Music URL: https://music.apple.com/us/album/tropic-thunda/1745820342

[h3art-love]

`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹જ⁀➴ `✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹જ⁀➴ `✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹જ⁀➴ `✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹જ⁀➴ `✦ ˑ `✦ ˑ

`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹જ⁀➴ `✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹જ⁀➴ `✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹જ⁀➴ `✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹જ⁀➴ `✦ ˑ `✦ ˑ

Welcome, Wanderer.

Hi, you’ve found my introduction—I’ll now be launching this blog finally… I don’t want things to be too formal, so I’m valore. You can call me Val, or heart if you like. I don’t care, but the main purpose of this blog—We arrive in my shifting and somewhat LOA diary.

I’m also autistic, so some things you say depending in how much trickery—will be complicated for me to understand.

I am also Afro-Latina, but I’m not Hispanic…I won’t explain how that works just use google! My special interests are: gaming, astrology (capricorn rising, gemini moon, and virgo mercury), the occult, and many more I cannot name because my memory likes to act fragmented.

─ ⊹ ⊱꒰☆꒱⊰ ⊹ ─

Shifting Journey So Far?

In December 2019 to be exact, I remember watching a video on YouTube and behold! Shifttok ensnared my impressionable brain, but don’t worry I wasn’t there as much I actually put more effort into doing the actual act of shifting. I started my shifting journey because of—escapism. I did get some successes…

For instance, I wasn’t actually there—I was still here, but my nose burned and, mind you, I have a very strong sense of smell. The scent that invaded my nostrils with no permission was…lavender. Yes, lavender. Then, I think, I felt the grass beneath me as my bed felt strangely pokey and extremely itchy. This was a couple years back, but it wasn’t my first shifting attempt—I just fell asleep back then.

My most confusing, successful shift I can remember was in the summer of 2023. Honestly, I’m bordering on if it was just a dream, but it was blurry at first my eyes weren’t wide awake. Then it cleared on me as if I popped on some glasses—then I fell asleep because I didn’t care, and I was very tired because of my horrid sleep schedule.

By the way, my eyes weren’t completely open they were closed. THEN I opened them which is why I said that prior. Just to clear up confusion for you!! I felt nightstand light shine on me, but at the time—I slept with the light off, so I didn’t think much of it. I woke up and it was off?

Fast foward, fall of 2024 I shift causally using loa. It wasn’t anywhere special though, but a win is a win. Where did I shift ya wonder? Oh, it was here 🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️. Honestly, all I wanted was for my terrible AP bio teacher to poof for a day, and she did. Golly, I was so happy it worked. When I chatted with my classmate and teacher—they confirmed they weren’t here that day. Uhm, the thing is, I didn’t go to school that day 😭😭😭😭. Ironic, isn’t it?

Another shift, it was that SAME damn teacher I was tired of. I think this day I was taking a shower, and I didn’t contradict the thought of it. It just popped up and I’m like, “ok.” I went to bed and woke up… I was walking down the hallways, until I saw a substitute at the door?! Oh boy! A smile ETCHED itself onto my face, and happy hormones ejected themselves naturally into my immune system!!!

My reality I’m targeting is—a streamer dr where I am a rich gal living her best life with a cool fashion company, while having a delicious slow burn with her man!? Yum yum! My purpose is to just yap on here until I perma shift, and bam I’m out of this prison. I mean technically I am all the time, but eh ykwim.

At my core, who am I supposed to be?

Ironically enough, I struggled a lot with this question in my middle school years. I dissociated so much my literal x-friend, at the time, literally had to tap on my shoulder and bring me back to ground, because calling my name wouldn’t work. I slept in class so much so that’s all I became known for. I wear scars on my petite figure that I wish would fade, but oh, dear, it won’t so that’s why shifting was so appealing to me at the time. It still is now.

I know I’m meant to be a healer, and just give out love—not so much till’ my heart breaks for good, I get used to the point I cry, and so much more. I mean that’s how I got my user name—“<3 love”

Oh dear, how did this get so melancholic already? Anywho, I hope starting this blog is worth it because…Uh, I don’t have anything better to do, and my grammatical skills need some DESPERATE sharpening.

DNI LIST!

Homophobes, transphobes, racists, pedophiles, “dark romance enjoyers,” and etc…You GET the picture. I’m not going to lay here all day and list it out. Also, anti-shifters and people asking for donations or wtv…I have a very very common thing that is called brokenness, and this is just meant to be a silly blog…idk what I can do for u ngl.

I also do not want weirdos on here, but hhhh a certain type. To elaborate like before a dark romance enjoyer—I’ll keep it straightforward; think of something as grotesque as Haunting Adeline. I don’t feel like saying more lol.

`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹જ⁀➴ `✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹જ⁀➴ `✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹જ⁀➴ `✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹જ⁀➴ `✦ ˑ `✦ ˑ

[donjuaninhell]

Favourite Music 2024

It was a tradition on my old blog to post a year-end list of all my favourite music releases; a tradition that continued up until last year when my old blog was unceremoniously and unfairly nuked on December 28th 2023. Luckily I managed to recover the contents of all my lists dating back to 2013 via backups and cross-posts, compiled them together and posted them as a group. That post can be found here: Favourite Music 2013-2023.

2024 was a bit of an odd year for me and my relationship to music. μέν thanks to a little chemical help, I've been playing my instrument again and reconnecting with my craft after a few years of neglecting my guitars. I also spent some of the year reconnecting with the music that got me excited about learning guitar when I started learning to play over twenty years ago. δε I didn't listen to nearly as much new music as is typical for me. Every year over this past decade I listened, on average, to between seventy and ninety new albums every year. This year my total was closer to fifty. Anyway, here are my lists (in no order whatsoever) of my favourite albums, my honourable mentions, and my favourite compilations, reissues and live albums from 2024.

Favourite Albums 2024:

Fat White Family — Forgiveness Is Yours

Einstürzende Neubauten — Rampen (APM: Alien Pop Music)

Teho Teardo & Blixa Bargeld — Christian & Mauro

Cunts — Thoughts and Prayers

The Cure — Songs of a Lost World

Avalanche Kaito — Talitakum

Gerald Cleaver — the blacksmiths, the flowers

Bill Frisell — Orchestras

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum — of the Last Human Being

Tristwch Y Fenywod — Tristwch Y Fenywod

Geordie Greep — The New Sound

BIG|BRAVE — A Chaos of Flowers

Kamasi Washington — Fearless Movement

Judas Priest — Invincible Shield

Bòsc — Bòsc

Mdou Moctar — Funeral for Justice

Nadine Shah — Filthy Underneath

Alan Sparhawk — White Roses, My God

Mohammad Syfkhan — I Am Kurdish

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan — Chain of Light

Milkweed — Folklore 1979

X — Smoke & Fiction

Honourable Mentions 2024:

Bianca Scout — Pattern Damage

Amigo the Devil — Yours Until the War is Over

English Teacher — This Could Be Texas

Couch Slut — You Could Do It Tonight

Ex-Easter Island Head — Norther

The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis — S/T

Pet Shop Boys — Nonetheless

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard — Flight b741

Alison Cotton — Engelchen

Martha Skye Murphy — Um

Future Islands — People Who Aren't There Anymore

Chelsea Wolfe — She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She

Gnod — Spot Land

The Jesus Lizard — Rack

Shellac — To All Trains

Cyril Cyril — Le Futur Ça Marche Pas

Favourite Reissues, Compilations, Soundtracks and Live Albums 2024:

Neil Young — Archives, Vol. III: 1976-1987

Neil Young & Crazy Horse — Early Daze

Miles Davis Quintet — The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8 Miles in France 1963 & 1964

Broadcast — Spell Blanket: Collected Demos 2006-2009

Alice Coltrane — The Carnegie Hall Concert

Can — Live in Paris 1973

Rəhman Məmmədli — Azerbaijani Gitara, Vol. 2

Various Artists — Nippon Psychedelic Soul 1970-1979

Various Artists — Ghana Special 2: Electronic Highlife & Afro Sounds In the Diaspora (1980–93)

[kalisburnerphone]

The Colors of You // C.SC

Mini Series || will contain adult themes and language, minors do not interact!!

Overall Warnings: idol!seungcheol x gradstudent!reader,Afro-IndoLatina!woc, implied curve/plus-sized woc!, emotionally constipated reader, seungcheol is lowkey a simp but so is reader and neither are that good at hiding it, reader considers herself demisexual, reader and seungcheol have a discussion on curly hair maintenance at some point, arguments occur, this is for my tall girlies,reader is just an inch or two shorter than cheol, seungcheol on his glucose guardian agenda, kkuma makes an appearance, pouty cheol, a bit cutesy, a bit domestic, a bit angsty, smut in various ways, reader has tattoos, seungcheol has some not so innocent realizations about himself, I think that's all for now.

A/N: I do not own Seventeen or any of the members. This is a work of fiction and not meant to accurately depict any of the members personality in real life as I only know what I've been shown. Seventeen and any other mentioned idol are just used as face claims and character names.

Unofficial Playlist:

Kidult - SVT

Amazing - Kiana Lede

Naughty - Devita

Natural - Kiana Lede

난 (Me) - 에스쿱스 (S.COUPS)

It's a work in progress, I'll update it later.

1.Color Rush - release date: 23rd or 24th November 2024. To be rescheduled

Summary: You’d never given much thought to the idea of meeting your probe. Having spent your entire life as a mono, your color spectrum limited to the multiple shades of gray, you’d gotten used to it. You had never met anyone who made you see color so you had figured there wasn’t anyone out there that would bring color to your world. You were okay with that, you’ve seen what finding a probe can do to a mono and you refused to become like that. You liked your simple life but you had no idea that all that was about to change. All it took was one VIP ticket, your eyes locking with the leader of one of the biggest groups in the world and suddenly there’s an explosion of color popping around your irises before you pass out.

2. Color Drive - release date: tba!

Summary: Somehow you've been convinced to give this 'thing' -because calling it a relationship makes it seem too real- a chance. You both agree to take things slow while he's away but even though you agreed you're still hesitant and skeptical. Trying to keep him at a distance proves difficult even when he's thousands of miles away because there's one thing that Choi Seungcheol is, it's determined, a bit clingy and very stubborn. Despite continuously trying to break down those walls you've built so damn high, he starts feeling like he's the only one trying. One phone call turns into an argument which in turn leads to you going radio silent. The last place he expects to run into you is at his favorite restaurant while he's visiting home during their short break for the holidays.

3.Color Me In - release date: tba!

Summary: Tour is finally over and while he has some time to rest you're about to start another semester. It doesn't stop him from trying to be in your space every chance he gets or spending money on KTX tickets to have you in his no matter how much you protest. Seungcheol doesn't remember the last time he's felt like this or if he's ever felt like this before but he's 100% sure that you were made for him and him for you. You on the other hand, as much as you keep denying it you know you're falling hard and deeply despite it barely being five months since you both met. He makes it so easy too that you only realize how down bad you are when he's not in your orbit. When his scent has faded from your space and you find yourself missing him. If Seungcheol had noticed the number of t-shirts and hoodies that disappeared during that winter then he makes no mention of it because lowkey or maybe high-key he already knows how you feel. Him finding out that he’s your bias may have clued him in on that but a win is a win.

Release date schedule may change, I'm up to my neck in assignments for grad school so please bare with me. I'm trying to complete and edit the first part which will probably be posted before or after my conference in Seoul next weekend. I'm aiming to have part 2 out by the end of December or early January. The timeline is loosely following real life with the tour dates and such so the final part (subject to change depending on its performance) is set for February 2025. It's a loose schedule that I would like to finish during winter break as long as research and work don't drown me.

[angola-musicas23]

Emmerson - Strawberry on Ice (feat. Davido)

Já disponível a nova musica da autoria de “Emmerson feat. Davido” tem como titulo ”Strawberry on Ice”  Confira agora o download em mp3 Baixar mp3 gratis no nosso site abaixo. Baixar musica nova : Emmerson – Strawberry on Ice (feat. Davido) Download Mp3baixar 2024,baixar musica Strawberry on Ice angolamusicas.com   Artista: Emmerson feat. Davido Titulo: Strawberry on Ice Género: Afro…

[tarelayee]

PART TWO!!!

Last heartbreak song - 8/10

Their voices blended so well together, it's such a soothing song too

Bad vibes - 8/10

Orun - 7/10

Jazzy's song - 7/10

1942 - 8/10

The music and melody is so beutiful, they sounded so beutiful together too.

The kids are alright - 8/10

This one always hits so hard, so emotional

Santa - 8/10

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

Jimin - Muse (2024)

3/5 ☆

I thought it'd get me several days to come back here with some thoughts on Muse, but it proved it's not necessary.

Who as title track makes complete sense. We're still into 90s nostalgia, but it's a recipe that works. Not just in kpop, but pop in general. Looking at the charts, it paints a pretty clear picture for the last couple of years. Add the zoomer idea of a what a Y2K aesthetic is like and we get the recipe for today's music and concept. Repeat, reuse, recycle. How fitting for postmodernism.

Who is a really catchy tune, with lyrics easy to remember and sing out loud. A tad more commercial-sounding than Like Crazy, but that's Muse overall anyway. The truth is, I have the song on loop (streamers can't come for me, lol). I think Jimin's style of singing and the melody itself are a good fit. Lyric wise, it's sort of basic, but this is pop music made for mass consumption. I don't mind it. It's also radio friendly and definitely has the potential for summer hit, but I'm 99% sure it won't turn into one. BH won't move a finger to send it to radio and it's another song that will fall victim to fandom mass streaming to chart high for one week. I've seen this all before.

It's also a shame to have this released when an artist is away, without being able to properly promote it. In my non-expert opinion, it could have been released as a single a few months later after Face and scratch the rest of Muse or keep it in the drafts.

As to the other songs, perhaps Rebirth (Intro) is the only other song on the album that has something to it, it stands out a bit more and it also bridges the two albums, despite the connection being sort of flimsy.

Having Sofia Carson on Slow Dance had brought nothing to the song. It could have been a full Jimin track all the way. Her style of singing does not stand out and I find it a failed pair because there's no contrast or voices complementing each other. Jimin can sing just like her. If a collab is really wanted/needed/necessary, then I'd wish for a pairing that also makes sense vocal-wise.

Be Mine is ok, but it sounds too much like that one TXT song and I simply can't get over past it. It's afro beat and latino influence which has been all the rage in the past few years, which Hybe has been pushing a lot. It explains the song.

SGMB and Closer Than This were previously released and I'm not covering them again.

I think it's difficult for me to not make comparisons to Face, considering both albums were produced around the same period, without much time left in between them. One is simply more cohesive and has a depth that showcases a first solo attempt, while the other one is clearly going a more commercial route with less of a personal signature.

Despite Muse being promoted as another conceptual album, I find that umbrella to be a bit forced given that the theme of finding love is really a generic one. Perhaps way too generic with not much individuality. Does it show Jimin's vocal range? Yes. Does it show him trying various genres? Yes. In this case, perhaps Muse is a bit similar to Golden in some aspects, with the difference that Jimin gets producing and writing credits in 5/6 songs. So his involvement is greater, but the scope of the album is in the same category as Golden, which is another production that had this LOVE as an overarching theme. But without much more to it that would make it stand out lyrically. The focus on both is genre diversity and vocal capability.

In short: I like Who (I also like Ace of Base songs and all those silly 90s pop songs, so my music taste is most likely considered bad, but I don't care). I think Muse overall is an amalgam of whatever is trendy at the moment, without being able to truly stand out and say more about Jimin, apart from his capabilities as idol/performer. Perhaps that was the point too.

P.S. My inbox has been closed for anonymous asks since I reblogged a few days ago my post about using lyrics as clues for personal life. It seems that it invited homophobia and I won't have that here.

I'm keeping it that way for now because I'm sure my personal "review" on Muse will either be seen as an invitation for people to either bash me for not thinking it's the album of the year or to be seen as an opportunity for others to talk shit about Jimin, Who and the album overall. I found that usually there is no middle ground with kpop stans/army/Jimin stans, etc.

[transformativeworksandcultures]

Fans of Color Prize Winner!

Transformative Works and Cultures is pleased to announce Osarugue Otebele as our inaugural Fans of Color Prize award winner for her article “The (anti)fan is black: Consumption, resistance, and black K-pop fan vigil labor”! Otebele’s article will be published in TWC’s upcoming special issue “Centering Blackness in Fan Studies” on December 15th. 

The Fans of Color Prize had 15 submissions, covering the breadth of TWC’s publications from 2021-2024, while providing an incredible glimpse into the impactful work happening in (and outside of) fan studies. Otebele’s submission stood out because, as one reviewer noted, it was “conceptually ambitious.” 

Otebele, a 4th year PhD candidate in the Department of Film & Media at UC Berkeley who goes by Osa among friends and colleagues, is a K-pop fan! She’s been an Epik-High fan since middle school and is also a fan of UKISS, SISTAR, EXO, BOYFRIEND, and others. As a fan, Otebele’s hope is that the K-pop industry will continue to thrive. 

We sat down with Otebele to discuss what brought her to her research, what she’s working on next, and where she sees the field heading. As a little sneak peek to the upcoming issue on “Centering Blackness in Fan Studies,” we’ve shared some of her remarks below. 

TWC: What brought you to this specific research topic? Otebele: I’ve been a K-pop fan since I was in middle school. When I was a younger fan, I wasn’t as aware of the racial tensions in fandom spaces. It wasn’t until I got to high school that I realized that my lack of involvement was also due to not knowing where to locate other Black K-pop fans. This was partly because it was also in high school when words such as “woke” or “conscious” became part of my vocabulary, so I was always looking for ways to bring attention to my Blackness and, as a  K-pop fan, it was difficult to do that. Both the industry and many non-Black fans wanted to escape from having conversations about race.  TWC: Could you briefly explain the key problem or question your article, “The (anti)fan is black: Consumption, resistance, and black K-pop fan vigil labor,” addresses?  Otebele: My article is interested in the ways Black K-pop fans engage instances of appropriation within the industry (from artists and fans), while also attempting to maintain their status as fans. Some of the key questions of my article were, “what makes an anti-fan?” and “how do Black K-pop fans employ digital media platforms to perform their fannish affect?”  TWC: Were there any unexpected challenges you encountered during your research? Otebele: I would say the biggest challenge was working against my own knowledge and love for the industry to write an article that was quite critical of it. In a way, this challenge is also what my article describes, because I’m really invested in how, for Black fans, the identities fan and anti-fan often require their simultaneous performance.  TWC: Are you planning any follow-up research or new projects based on this article?  Otebele: Yes! I’m currently working on another article focused on narrative coherence in the aesthetic performances in K-pop eras. In that paper, I examine how K-pop engenders a critical addition to the instability of cultural identity while on the other hand, it necessitates and reproduces the fungibility of Blackness, where groups can enter in and out of a performance of Blackness that best fits a particular era. My concerns are with how the narrative coherence of each era (hip-hop era, afro-beat era, Y2K, or house music era) requires a commitment to the performance demanded from these various musical genres.  TWC: Where do you see the field heading in the next few years, and how do you hope your work contributes to that?  Otebele: I think much of K-pop studies is focused on transnational fandoms and cross-cultural exchange, but we should also be having the difficult conversations about cultural extraction, about race, about gender and their relationship to fan labor. The industry is growing even more global with many K-pop idols emerging from the United States, Canada, Japan, and more. We really have to turn our attention to the kind of social ideologies that these idols are bringing from their various cultures and locations and how that changes not only the sound and look of the industry but also its fandom. 

Otebele also emphasized to us that receiving this award as a grad student really gave her work a sense of validity and importance, while also encouraging her to continue working on Black fan experience of K-pop. When asked if she had any advice for early career researchers aiming for impactful publications, Otebele shared: “Revise, revise, revise!” 

We can’t wait for you all to get to read Osa Otebele’s award-winning article, “The (anti)fan is black: Consumption, resistance, and black K-pop fan vigil labor,” which will be published in our upcoming special issue “Centering Blackness in Fan Studies” on December 15. Congratulations again, Osa, from everyone at Transformative Works and Cultures! 

[musictyme]

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