Jenessa Williams
Jenessa is a freelance music journalist, fandom academic and the writer of Subtweets, our weekly column that dissects the trending topics setting Music Twitter alight. She likes millennial hip-hop, noughties emo and advocating for a new era of diversity and representation in both.
God, It’s Brutal Out Here: Is being imperfect pop’s new currency?
When 2021 began, we were all hopeful. 2020 had been a shitshow and as we grimly cheersed each other via zoom on New Year’s...
Virgil Abloh was a fashion gamechanger – but he made his mark on music...
No death of someone in their prime is ever without its own deep sadness, but there was something about the news of Virgil Abloh’s...
Silk Sonic and the slippery case of retro-misogyny
Ever experienced love at first listen? When I first heard Silk Sonic’s ‘Leave The Door Open’ in March, I was convinced that I had...
Taylor knows her Swifties All Too Well, but they might Need To Calm Down
Taylor Swift is an artist who has always known vengeance. Sometimes it lingers playfully at the fringes; other times it bursts forth, spilling out...
Astroworld – what happened?
Nobody should ever attend a concert and not make it home. And yet on November 5 2021, that’s exactly what happened. On the Friday...
The last thing Liverpool needs is another Beatles museum
Rampant disbelief at the Conservative government’s response to music industry crisis is nothing new around these parts, but seemingly there are always new lows...
The North Hits Back: Band boycotts over festival misconduct proves that there is an...
What happens when a festival loses 85 percent of its bands? Not because of Covid or awkward travel restrictions, but another kind of malaise:...
Nobody defies trends like Adele
For a popstar to exist on a first-name basis alone, they often need to clue us into what and who they are. With Beyoncé,...
Jesy Nelson’s ‘Boyz’ reminds us why we need Black History Month
Though it was nearly a year ago, Jesy Nelson’s decision to leave Little Mix on the grounds of poor mental health remains nothing short...
Quit whining, Billie Eilish is the perfect Glastonbury headliner
There is usually a bit of ceremony around a Glastonbury Festival headliner announcement, but in one not-so-cryptic Instagram post last week, Billie Eilish marked...