Louder: How Pop Music Fandom Became All-Out War

December 25, 2020

By Caryn Ganz

Pop Music Editor

Stans, or superfans, do much of their work online. So it’s no surprise that during a year when pretty much everything happened virtually, they caused significant flare-ups and viral moments — some of which made their way to the mainstream. Joe Coscarelli unpacked how pop music fandom became a battleground (with sometimes toxic side effects) in a fascinating look back at 2020, and beyond.

Another trend that didn’t originate this year but flourished during it: the power duet. “From May 16 until August 8, each song that topped the Billboard Hot 100 was a paired collaboration,” writes Lindsay Zoladz. “In a year that sanctioned social distancing and solitude, our pop stars were joining forces like never before.” Why? Those powerful fandoms are a big part of it.

Plus: We listened to boxed sets, answered Popcast listener questions and explored the new Pixar film “Soul.”

Son of Alan/Folio Art

How Pop Music Fandom Became Sports, Politics, Religion and All-Out War

On social media this year, the stan was ascendant, fueling commercial competition, trolling and other arcane battles. How did we get here?

By Joe Coscarelli

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One Big Pop Star + One Big Pop Star = an Easier Path to No. 1

Major artists looking to top the Hot 100 this year turned to a familiar formula made all the more powerful by the proliferation of fandoms online.

By Lindsay Zoladz

THE CRITICS

How Pop and Jazz Wrapped Up the Past in 16 Boxed Sets

Reissues and deluxe editions of albums by PJ Harvey, Lil Peep, Charles Mingus and others provide fresh looks at familiar works, and the creative processes that birthed them.

By Jon Pareles, Jon Caramanica, Giovanni Russonello and Lindsay Zoladz

2020 Popcast Listener Mailbag: Taylor, Dua, MGK and More

Answering your questions about the year’s biggest stars, and also some of its curious flops.

“SOUL”

How Pixar’s ‘Soul’ Animates Jazz

A look at the ways filmmakers and musicians collaborated to present an accurate view of players’ artistry.

By Mekado Murphy

‘Soul’ Features Pixar’s First Black Lead Character. Here’s How It Happened.

Mindful of animation’s history of racist imagery, the studio aimed to make the jazz pianist at the center of the film as specific as possible.

By Charles Solomon

Critic’s pick

‘Soul’ Review: Pixar’s New Feature Gets Musical, and Metaphysical

This inventive tale stars Jamie Foxx as a jazz musician caught in a world that human souls pass through on their way into and out of life.

By A.O. Scott

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The Breakout Stars of 2020

Here are the 12 stars and trends that managed to thrive and shine in an impossible year.

By Maya Salam

The Artists We Lost in 2020, in Their Words

By Gabe Cohn, Peter Libbey and Lauren Messman

Our Favorite Arts Pictures of 2020

Celebrities, artists, musicians and actors at home, outdoors and in lockdown: The stories behind the pictures that defined our year.

By Christy Harmon, Laura O’Neill, Jolie Ruben, Amanda Webster, Jessie Wender and Michael Cooper

NEWS

George Etheredge for The New York Times

Stimulus Offers $15 Billion in Relief for Struggling Arts Venues

The coronavirus relief package that Congressional leaders agreed to this week includes grant money that many small proprietors described as a last hope for survival.

By Ben Sisario and Emily Cochrane

Yahuen Yerchak for The New York Times

This Band Is Fun on TikTok. In Belarus, It’s Serious.

Molchat Doma, a synth-pop trio, has become an unlikely social media star. Back home, its music was the soundtrack to a traumatic year.

By Julia Vauchok, Alex Marshall and Ivan Nechepurenko

Matt Schwerin for The New York Times

Your Most-Played Song of 2020 Is … White Noise?

Ambient music, background noise and calming sound effects have soothed the anxious, isolated and sleep deprived this year.

By Zoë Beery

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Taylor Swift Lands Her Second No. 1 Album of the Year With ‘Evermore’

The sequel to “Folklore” did not have the commercial impact of its predecessor, due in part to changes in the Billboard rules.

By Joe Coscarelli

R. Kelly Is Set to Face Trial in Chicago in September

A judge acknowledged that the date for the singer’s federal trial on child pornography and obstruction charges could change because of pandemic-related delays.

By Robert Chiarito

ARIANA GRANDE

Streaming

‘Ariana Grande: Excuse Me, I Love You’ Review: It’s Mutual

Sometimes it’s enough to adore a pop star from afar, even if you aren’t an Arianator.

By Chris Azzopardi

A Close Reading of Ariana Grande’s Engagement Announcement

In an extremely 2020 move, Ms. Grande got quarantine-engaged and announced it in an Instagram photo dump.

By The Styles Desk

OBITUARIES

Leslie West, ‘Mississippi Queen’ Rocker, Is Dead at 75

He rose to fame with Mountain, which Rolling Stone called a “louder version of Cream” — a band Mr. West idolized. One of the group’s first gigs was Woodstock.

By Jim Farber

Stanley Cowell, Jazz Pianist With a Wide Range, Dies at 79

His playing consolidated generations of musical history. He was also a composer, an educator and the founder of an important artist-run record label.

By Giovanni Russonello

K.T. Oslin, Country Singer Known for ‘80’s Ladies,’ Dies at 78

Her song, the first of many hits, heralded the arrival of a songwriting voice whose sharply drawn miniatures conveyed domestic humor and pathos.

By Bill Friskics-Warren

Chad Stuart, of the Hit British Duo Chad & Jeremy, Dies at 79

Mr. Stuart’s wistful tunes of summer romance brought him and Jeremy Clyde an intense but brief burst of stardom during the British Invasion of the 1960s.

By Alex Traub

‘Blue’ Gene Tyranny, Whose Music Melded Genres, Dies at 75

A creator of modern music as a teenager, he later juggled a breezy pop sensibility with conceptual rigor. He was an important collaborator with the composer Robert Ashley.

By Steve Smith