Ranking Pop Culture Divas with Gerrick Kennedy

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: advertise@companionarts.com If there’s a topic you’d like us to deconstruct, tell us in the comments. Email: hello@popsyllabus.com  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