#277: Beyoncé goes country, Taylor Swift, Alicia Keys

It's been a huge week for music cos the Super Bowl is on, and the biggest platforms on screen and off have been dominated by artists. Beyoncé stole the show by dropping her highly anticipated country era, with two new songs and an album to follow. The response has been interesting, and open up a conversation around who 'owns' country and who are the gatekeepers to the scene.

This viral moment was a splash in a big pool of Taylor Swift's media domination; likewise, she used the Grammys stage to announce her new album and her dream run of record breaking, awards, album sales (and a Super Bowl win for her beau) has kept her in the headlines non-stop. As she arrives in Australia for her biggest shows ever we dare to discuss: are we getting a little Tay Tay fatigue? How are we complicit in this clickbait era? And when will the backlash begin?

Alicia Keys has also been in the headlines, after her stunning performance at the halftime show revealed a smoothing out of her opening bung note, in post. A small thing leads to bigger conversation around shared history, memory, and trust when it comes to our collective experiences.

Meanwhile Naomi Campbell is leaning fully into her germophobe vibes with some antibacterial fashion (tongue firmly in cheek), and we're banging on about a doco on "We Are the World", and the brilliant Blindboy podcast.

Show notes:

AACTA Award winners: https://www.aacta.org/aacta-awards/winners-and-nominees/

Bang Back to us for our Bang Jar: [email protected] 

Alicia Keys Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/BecketAdams/status/1757469277223882996

Beyoncé and country music: https://time.com/6694806/beyonce-country-music/

AV Club on Beyoncé: https://www.avclub.com/beyonce-s-pivot-to-country-is-meaningful-and-canny-1851249053

Travis Kelce sings Viva Las Vegas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzSvE_6rLC8

Right to disconnect laws: https://www.crikey.com.au/2024/02/14/right-to-disconnect-peter-dutton-basil-zempilas/

Naomi Campbell fashion line: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2024/feb/14/naomi-campbell-creates-boss-range-germophobia

The Greatest Night in Pop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD3oU1gowu4

Blindboy podcast: https://www.theblindboypodcast.ie/

Bang On Live: https://comedy.com.au/tour/bang-on-live-myf-warhurst-zan-rowe/

Bang On is an ABC podcast, produced by Double J. It is recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri, Turrbal and Gadigal peoples. We pay our respects to elders past and present. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land where we live, work, and learn.