💌 #1: Brat prophecies, the Phannaissance, etc

It's July and I've decided it's time to Do Things and Say Things

It’s Brat summer and that means doing whatever you want. So I am.

Here I am in full, raw, embarrassing earnesty to say: this is my Substack where I will get on my soapbox and intellectualize, gossip about, theorize on, & ponder about, pop.

I’m fighting the urge to take on an ironic & self-aware tone to mitigate how embarrassing this feels, but I’m old enough to know that those are just my demons. My truth has always been that pop is important and I like talking about it. It’s billions of dollars of industry, it’s actively shaping the direction of culture - it matters! And we have to pay attention! And I love paying attention!

A quick theoretical interlude to say: I learned about the “Culture Industry” in college: the idea that popular culture is akin to a factory producing standardized cultural goods—films, radio programmes, magazines, etc.—that are used to manipulate mass society into passivity. Yikes, right. I don’t need to elaborate on that, you can do the math (we really need to pay attention). But I don’t think it’s a fair assessment anymore.

With production & distribution of media relatively accessible and democratized, everyone is (famously) a creator. “Pop-culture” isn’t a standardized cultural good anymore… people are making very non-standard things and finding their audiences! We owe spotlights to the incredible people producing ~pop-culture goods~ to make us think, to make us feel. My love for pop is about loving these people, just as much as it is about being fascinated by the carefully calculated manipulation-pop, lol.

Me before I decided I am simply not going to try so hard

I’ve wanted to do this for over 10 years now. The idea has taken forms over the years - a weekly zine, a YouTube channel, a column, a Tumblr, a podcast… I’ve written drafts & had a blogging stint but I never really did it. Well, it’s July and I’m 25 and now I’m finally thinking - might as well! So, welcome to the TibsLog, my weekly roundup of pop culture happenings. ✨💐❣️🌈🍀

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This week’s log reminds us that the teens of 2014 are adults now. On my mind:

1. This Rolling Stone article about the Hannah Montana generation of pop music. Love that our golden summer of pop has explicit origins.

   1. I also rewatched the Hannah Montana concert DVD and guys… sometimes I forget the kind of once-in-a-generation talent Miley Cyrus is. The skill it takes to command the kind of stage presence she did at the age of 14 is… mind-blowing. No wonder she birthed Chappel Roan and Sabrina Carpenter. And no matter what you think of Jojo Siwa… it’s hard to look away when she’s on stage. I mean.

2. ICYMI, we are in the Phanaissance, AKA the renaissance of Dan & Phil fandom. In their video last week they shared that their upcoming 2024 tour was their fastest-selling tour to date, and their backend number are higher than ever. Did we accidentally wake up in 2016? No, but the teens of peak YouTube era are now in their 20’s and have money. Takeaway: it is still worth betting on “legacy” creators, because their loyal fans have buying power now. See you at the Oakland show.

3. On a similar note, Keith Habersberger said on the TryPod that he didn’t think The Try Guys were relevant enough to be on the front page of Publish Press’ print edition. The editor responded that their legacy and the independent streamer they are building is a huge contributor to the wave of creators being able to move to Hollywood. Don’t discount legacy creators!

4. Can’t stop thinking about this photo of Chappel Roan with YouTuber era Troye Sivan and Connor Franta.

5. The girl, so confusing with lorde: Iconic to the point that I think Olivia Rodrigo & Sabrina Carpenter’s collab single is moving up in the cultural roadmap. If Olivia announces an album in the next year, my prediction is it’ll be in the next 3 years. (Disclaimer: this prophecy came to me in a dream. But I want it on the record that I called it if I’m right.)

6. This article from VOGUE India about desi girl eldest daughterisms hit some extremely specific notes and the title made me laugh. Yes, we continue to not be over it.

7. Khloe Kardashian soundtracked her IG story at the Ambani wedding with Jashn-E-Bahaara, and I want to know if the Kardashian social team had to hire a consultant for this event’s social content. Either way, India has undeniably entered the global culture scene via the Ambani’s, after decades of not caring about exporting our media to the West. (Personally, I will never be ready to comment on the Ambani wedding. I will leave that to the professionals.)

8. Except I will say that Zayn Malik is talking about touring again and I am bracing myself for his appearance at the next pre-wedding function. You should too. We live in a world where the One Direction reunion could literally happen at Anant and Radhika’s pheras.

9. BoysWorld disbanding less than a year after PRETTYMUCH disbanding officially brings Simon Cowell’s attempts to create an American group sensation to a close. More about BoysWorld and group acts in America soon, but for now I will be streaming Gone Girl and pondering what could have been.

See you next week cuties.

Ala FeedMe. Shoutouts to FeedMe and Nikita Walia for being my fav to read & the inspo that this matters. Borrowing their formats until it evolves into my own. Gotta start somewhere!