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SUMMARY:'Billie Eilish\, Princess Nokia\, and the Musical Vernacular of De
 pression' - Jessica Holmes (University of Copenhagen)
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260305T150000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260305T160000Z
UID:https://talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/d366e279-7f63-49eb-ba95-d5383ffdcd06/
DESCRIPTION:In recent years\, “depression” has become an undeniable fo
 cal point in Anglo-American popular music in several key ways\, including:
  as a term loosely invoked by pop artists and fans to disclose\, destigmat
 ize\, and normalize everyday experiences of sadness\, loneliness\, and des
 pair\; as an organizational theme on music streaming platforms in connecti
 on with mood and activity-based listening\; and as a diverse musical and v
 isual style forming around key musical personae and genres. I ultimately c
 all this phenomenon the musical vernacular of depression\, a dynamic expre
 ssive category that speaks to the prevalence of clinical depression in you
 ng people\, widespread destigmatization of mental health among Gen Z\, and
  intense cultural debate over what “depression” is.\n\nThis talk treat
 s pop singer Billie Eilish and rapper Princess Nokia’s creative output\,
  reception\, and fandom as emblematic of the musical vernacular of depress
 ion. Nokia and Eilish are alike in confronting the feminization of depress
 ion and moral panic around its “trendification” through striking visua
 l appeals to feminine abjection and horror. Yet\, their differing musical 
 approaches to mental health reflect on certain racial inequalities: while 
 Eilish tends towards hushed\, intimate vocals\, atmospheric soundscapes\, 
 and abstract lyrics\, Nokia’s music rather offers a sobering and deeply 
 personal account of sexual assault\, depression\, and PTSD\, while bemoani
 ng the disavowal of black women’s pain in her signature deadpan voice. I
  reveal that fans instrumentalize Eilish’s and Nokia’s music to emotio
 nally self-regulate and even self-diagnose independent of clinical diagnos
 is and medical supervision. Eilish and Nokia thus offer insight into how t
 he musical vernacular of depression is transforming the ways young people 
 conceive of\, communicate about\, and tend to their mental health for bett
 er or worse amid a worldwide disparity of mental health care and increasin
 g distrust in public health.\nSpeakers:\nJessica Holmes (University of Cop
 enhagen)
LOCATION:Faculty of Music (Cinema\, Schwarzman Centre)\, St Aldate's OX1 1
 DB
TZID:Europe/London
URL:https://talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/d366e279-7f63-49eb-ba95-d5383ffdcd06/
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DESCRIPTION:Talk:'Billie Eilish\, Princess Nokia\, and the Musical Vernacu
 lar of Depression' - Jessica Holmes (University of Copenhagen)
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