Show Notes
We’ve been calling women divas for years, but we still can’t agree on what the word actually means or who qualifies.
In this episode, Christiana sits down with music journalist Gerrick Kennedy, co-author of Brandy's new memoir, Phases, to do the impossible: rank the greatest divas across the 90s, 2000s, and 2010s and unpack what really earns someone the title.
Together, they debate the diva status of icons like Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and Lady Gaga, while making the case for a few overlooked sleeper divas along the way. By the end, it becomes clear that defining a diva is a lot harder than it sounds.
Gerrick’s book with Brandy: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/phases-brandy?variant=44324080779298
Gerrick’s book on Whitney Houston: https://gerrickkennedy.com/whitneyhouston
Follow Gerrick on Instagram
Follow Pop Syllabus: YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Substack
Merch available now!
Sponsor Pop Syllabus: [email protected]
If there’s a topic you’d like us to deconstruct, tell us in the comments.
Email: [email protected]
01:18 Meet Gerrick Kennedy
03:20 How Gerrick Built a Career in Music Journalism
06:33 The Time Gerrick Met Joe Jackson
11:18 Diva Ranking Game
13:19 Defining a “diva”
16:46 Ranking 90s divas
18:50 Brandy
27:07 Janet Jackson
29:22 Mariah Carey
34:07 Gerrick on Working With Brandy on Phases
36:16 The Patriarchal Control Behind Pop Divas
40:59 Ranking 2000s divas
42:11 Why Divas Have to Go Solo
48:59 Jennifer Lopez
55:59 Britney Spears
1:00:37 Amy Winehouse
1:05:01 Ranking 2010s divas
1:06:03 Lady Gaga
1:12:54 Rihanna
1:16:29 Tinashe
1:17:52 Beyoncé
1:23:56 Taylor Swift
1:25:39 The Next Generation of Pop Stars Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from Pop Syllabus
September is for back-to-school, changing weather, and apparently a LOT of celebrity magazine covers.
Forget the stereotypical image of ADHD. For many women, it looks a lot different.
We love to talk about motherhood like there’s a right way to do it. But the rules have never been as simple as they seem.
Botox, filler, beauty trends, and the pressure to keep up with it all. This week, Christiana sits down with NYT columnist and UNC Chapel Hill professor Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom to explore how beauty culture is changing around the world, why our appearances carry so much power, and what happens when the rules of beauty keep changing.
Divas! We all love them, and we all have very strong opinions about who deserves a spot in our personal top 3. So this week, Christiana sits down with journalist, culture critic, and the NFL’s first LGBTQ+ brand ambassador Ryan Mitchell to bring back our signature pop culture rubric and rank the biggest divas of the 2020s. But who will take the crown? Listen in to find out.