The Next Wave Of Music History Will Be Written By Fangirls

How many times have you discovered vital pop culture intel from Deux Moi? Opened twitter and been bombarded by a trending hashtag following the cancelling of one of your favourite, most cherished singers? Scrolled on TikTok and stumbled upon a stunned Swiftie relishing in the news of yet another glittery, longingly teased album announcement? Female fans are truly the worldwide informative source of today, and they hold a lot more power than we may think. The future of music culture, marketing and sometimes even politics comes down to the journalistic instincts, editing skills and cut-throat opinions of the women who just can’t wait another day for Harry Styles to return. 

The word ‘fangirl’ is one that has evolved in many ways over the years, from its inception, arguably inspired by the Heinrich Heine term Lisztomania, a phrase used to elucidate the craze in the 1800’s surrounding Hungarian composer Franz Liszt. The definitive moment in history that the fangirl was born however, was of course Beatlemania. It’s no secret that the women of this movement were as motivated as ever, eager to get even the slightest glimpse of their most cherished group. An example of this drive, and historical documentation of it, would be in the work of Janice Mitchell, author of My Ticket To Ride, an exhilarating novel based on Mitchell’s candid experience witnessing the first wave of 60’s fandom, from the release of the seminal I Want To Hold Your Hand. It’s women like this who are single handedly documenting some of the most critical moments in pop culture history. The reason why books like this are so influential is because they’re not the indifferent, strictly factual history book, but they hold memories and emotions. They depict the euphoria of being a 16-year-old girl letting out every single emotion crammed into a crowd of other girls of the same age experiencing exactly the same thing, awaiting your hero to emerge before your very eyes. It’s not just a ‘this happened and it changed the world’ story, but a ‘this happened and it altered the way I think’ story. Women who experienced this utter devotion make this historical retelling personal, responsive and authentic. 

As we move through history, the fangirl evolves and forever will. Penny Lane in Almost Famous is my most favourite fictional fangirl example, in her words, “We are here because of the music, we inspire the music. We are Band-Aids”. To me, Penny Lane is the perfect example of what it means to abolish outdated ‘groupie’ stereotypes, as she is inspired by the real women who joined bands like Led Zeppelin on tour in the 70’s. Of course, the film dresses her up in furry coats, purple glasses and thigh-high boots, however the real women that inspired the character of Penny Lane are more than their incredible 70’s fashion, they documented the era of rock that sparked a lifetime of teenage boys in indie bands attempting to replicate the Robert Plant look. The dedication of the real woman who inspired the character, Pennie Lane Trumbull, is outlined on her website, explaining that “She simply did it because their music touched her in ways that nothing else could. Her motivation was pure and it was simple”. The stereotypes perpetuated about the ‘70’s groupie’, unfortunately, are plagued with misogyny and sexual stereotypes. Realistically, the women in the scene will always be driven by the music. The success of Pennie Lane as not only a member of the Flying Garter Girls, but a philanthropist, businesswoman and entrepreneur, portrays the power of the fangirl, the eagerness and drive bring us opportunity. 

Now for the 21st century and how social media has impacted the work of the fangirl, from Tumblr to Twitter to TikTok. One of the earliest 2010’s examples of young girls immediately succeeding due to their fangirl instincts would be Rookie Mag, begun by the triumphant Tavi Gevinson at just age 12. Rookie, a publication that I discovered at 16, was an online and in print magazine with a community of teenage girls reviewing and interviewing their idols, all rounded up with an annual yearbook that comes with the cutest stickers, as well as hundreds of acclaimed articles. Gevinson herself interviewed Lorde at just 17 for the successful publication that she had created purely out of her admiration for the media she was consuming, it was the peak age of One Direction after all. More recently, the fangirl agenda has shifted on socials, and it would be ridiculous not to mention the genius of Swifties. During The Eras Tour, there was almost no need for Taylor Nation to be posting and promoting, because the fangirls were marketing the tour better than anyone: constant live-streaming and discussions of the concerts, a litany of new content per night reacting to surprise songs and having breakdowns outside the stadium to the opening notes of Exile. In recent years, PR and marketing jobs have shifted significantly, especially within the music industry. Even when scrolling on TikTok, famous fan accounts are being paid to post about their favourite artist’s new track being out, or to make an edit, Role Model comes to mind for this one. There is nothing more influential than someone showcasing genuine passion, and that’s what it takes to be a fan. 

It’s not just marketing, PR and journalism that fangirls are capable of perfectly pursuing, however, because I believe that fangirls have the potential to make lucrative politicians also. Think about how easy it is for a fan to hold their favourite artists to account, at the minute Taylor Swift’s silence about Gaza has been a massive discussion online, and people aren’t hasty in boycotting the so-called pop star of our generation. On the opposite end of the spectrum, artists raising awareness means fans raising awareness also. Artists such as Hozier and Kneecap have been speaking out about the genocide on stage at festivals, as well as Fontaines DC even projecting the message Free Palestine during their song I Love You, an indignant, raw post-punk 2020’s classic that has been posted many times, fangirls everywhere sharing their videos of their favourite band aligning with their views. Music is such a powerful tool in politics, and fangirls are the ones posting, sharing and writing about it, making a genuine difference. 

To be a fangirl is to treasure, to inform and to understand. These are skills that make up the historians, broadcasters, editors, politicians and marketers of the industry, never see your passion as a silly aspect, but something that makes you even more valuable.