Billboard Clips
After joining the staff of Billboard in 2018 as an editorial intern, I had the privilege of continuing to work for the iconic brand as a freelancer, a full-time writer and as an editor. As Pride Editor, along with writing and publishing stories about the intersection of music and LGBTQ+ culture, I also edited daily news stories from our staff, appeared in video and podcast projects, contributed regularly to staff lists and covered awards ceremonies throughout the calendar year.
How Lady Gaga Tuned Out the ‘Noise’ of Industry Expectations to Create Chaos on ‘Mayhem’
An interview I conducted with pop superstar Lady Gaga ahead of the release of her seventh studio album, Mayhem. The interview focused on the album's production, the project’s themes, and the singer’s renewed cultural status following the breakout success of her Bruno Mars duet “Die With a Smile.” We also filmed the interview to publish on our socials to further engage our audience.
Here’s What Gender-Affirming Care Actually Is, Since Brittany Aldean Seems To Have No Clue
An explainer I wrote about influencer Brittany Aldean’s misleading claims about gender-affirming care for trans youth in 2022. I spoke with doctors and policy professionals to fact-check her statements line-by-line, aiming to explain what the care actually looks like and how disinformation campaigns end up hurting both cisgender and trans kids.
Leave Chappell Alone: Why Do Fan-Artist Relationships Turn Toxic, And What Can Be Done?
A feature examining the strained relationship between pop singer Chappell Roan and her fanbase, featuring interviews with psychologists, artist managers, and social media startups to identify what needs to change in online fan culture. Features service-based reporting, seeking to answer the question of how things can or should change in the fan-artist relationship.
The Rocket Man’s Right Hand: How David Furnish Transformed Husband Elton John’s Business and Legacy
A profile on Rocket Entertainment’s CEO David Furnish for Billboard’s 2024 Pride Issue (where he was named Pride Executive of the Year). The story follows Furnish’s efforts in revitalizing the brand of his star client and husband Sir Elton John.
Billboard’s Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century: No. 9 — Ariana Grande
An essay written as part of Billboard’s Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century series from 2024. The piece traces the trajectory of pop star Ariana Grande’s career — from her Nickelodeon origins to her cultural dominance in the late 2010s — making the argument that she remodeled what success looks like for pop artists in the streaming era.
The ‘Satanic Panic’ Is Back: How a Bygone Moral Crisis Returned With Queer Artists In Its Crosshairs
An essay exploring the return of moral crises and culture wars to the modern pop culture discussion. Following a record number of FCC complaints against Sam Smith’s 2023 Grammys performance (and multiple U.S. representatives calling it “evil”), the piece compares modern uproar to the Satanic Panic of the 1980’s.