#swoonstep

Gaya

Welcome back to #SWOONSTEP, the podcast that is and always will be the foremost authority on all things music and crushes. This week we are joined by Gaya for a wonderful, funny, and informative episode that covers everything from her vocal crushes on Unnikrishnan, Shreya Ghoshal, and Hariharan to her love of Wrock and Kpop.

Gaya writes for The Singles Jukebox and Seoulbeats.

MIRANDA LAMBERT 4EVA

Welcome back to #SWOONSTEP, the podcast where women and non-binary people discuss music and the musicians they have crushes on! This week we’re taking ourselves seriously and discussing anxiety among male pop stars (as well as the artists who seem suited to the spotlight), the treasure chest that is rap stars collaborating with EDM DJs, and the new Miranda Lambert single -- a song so thoughtful and heartbreaking and repeat-worthy that it earned its own segment. If you’re a new listener or you’ve been with us from the start, we hope you enjoy this episode.

Women love to qualify. Honestly, this is a trait we don't value enough because perceptions of "confidence" or whatever, but it's so thoughtful to lay out your reasoning. Sometimes, women love to qualify their opinions with a degree of uncertainty: "I'm not an expert on the topic, but..." I edit this out sometimes because 1) men rarely ever do this, sometimes even about topics they have no fucking clue about and 2) okay fine you're not an expert but you have spent literally hours googling this topic and that is APPARENT 3) I am trying to keep these episodes at a reasonable length sorry. I also frequently undercut myself, but I'm getting better about just going for it. This also means that women have become used to men mansplaining that they're scared of being wrong. In June, a man explained to me that Pharrell was a producer. Uh huh, very interesting; I did not know that.

Talking about your crushes is crazy cathartic for women. There are plenty of dudes who write Real Serious Music Criticism who feel the need to comment on the attractiveness and appearance of female musicians. Meanwile, being a fangirl is seen as girlish; grown ass women are not supposed to have crushes! What women see as important in music is connected to fantasy and desire. This is somewhat vital to the explaining why Swoonstep has basically become WeHeartDrake Podcast. We love Drake because of a plethora of reasons that stem from what he talks about in his music (also abs, I guess). Why do women love Matthew Dear? Because his music gives us our own little worlds on the dance floor (also hair, I guess). Anyway, related: you should read Hazel (piratemoggy) on teenage girls and fandom. It's like the best thing ever, swear to god.

Women and women of color are around. Diversity is not just a fucking statistic to me; it means contrasting, differentiating, important opinions and unique, interesting voices. Interesting, unique, diverse groups of people may not be in the traditional places though because they've been shut down in those same places. You gotta dig a little. Some of the most best music criticism is happening on Black Girls Talking even if it's not explicitly a music thing. No one we've ever asked to do Swoonstep has ever said no. In fact, most women are really super psyched to be asked about their opinions. This helps when you create an open and inviting environment for everyone. Set that tone and expectation early.

Hosting is both hard and easy: the easy part is how easy it is to listen. Our guests are always great. Megan is consistently hilarious. I'm often okay with not needing to chime in and have the last word. There is something rewarding about learning not to "I agree, and also..." The hard part is being the boner killer and having to structure and guide the conversation within a reasonable timeframe.