Global Pop Divas
Angelique Kidjo
vs.
Lady Gaga
Why We Need the Pop Diva
MAGIC
Gaga
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outrageously sexualized
pop-star
diva
vapid
made-to-sell
easily consumable
fierce
Kidjo
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do-good
ethnocentric
world-music
diva
tribal
easily consumable
positive
Girls in the Game
• Expected to play by the rules
– Be 200% committed to your fans
• Be approachable
• Reflect their reality: nice, modest, behaved
• Reflect their fantasy: fierce, sexy, liberated
• Bring you’re “A game” to play with the boys
– Be a pretty face & a hot body
– Be professional and hardworking
If You Don’t Play by the Rules…
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If you’re too commanding, you’re a bitch
If you’re too soft, you’re a toy
If you’re too unexpected, you’re weird
If you’re too distant, you’re not dedicated
If you’re too close, you’re imperfect
If you’re too sexual, you’re objectified
If you’re too ethnic, you’re objectified
Represent!
• Kidjo presents herself as an African woman
with a knowledge of colonialism and African
heritage
– Her fans connect with the story of liberation
• Gaga presents herself as an Italian-American
woman with a knowledge of gay rights and
equality
– Her fans connect with the story of liberation
Creation
• While some of Gaga’s fans appreciate her with
a cynical post-modern wink, she is created for
superfandom
• While some of Kidjo’s fans appreciated her
with an understanding of cultural dynamics,
she is created for world music success
Conclusions…
• When I started this project, I wanted to
explore how Gaga’s fans accept her story with
a consciousness of industry and gender
dynamics that Kidjo’s fans don’t explicitly
show in regards to colonialist dynamics
• However, research revealed that a fan is a fan
is a fan, and fandom is based of off imagery
Redeeming their Narratives
• If Gaga tried to play the role of the
international “world music” diva, she would
be as unsuccessful as if Kidjo tried to invade
the world of electro-pop
• At the end of the day, both of these ladies
DOMINATE in their field and speak to their
fans, which is the most important aspect of
what they do