Maybe you noticed it when Doja Cat lashed out at her fanbase this summer.
When did having superfans become such a headache?
Sometimesliterallyso just askBebe Rexha, who got hit in the face with a flung phone at her own concert.
This year, in fandom, the call was coming from inside the house.
When evenBeyoncemakes addressing fan complaints part of her tour, you know things have gotten annoying.
One of her Instagram fan accounts, Doja Cat Brazil,almost walked away from covering her.
But in recent years, shes reckoned with the ways an open dialogue with fans can take its toll.
But at the time, they are not behind the scenes.
They dont see the nitty-gritty.
I cant imagine anyone chucking anything at her during one of her shows.
Its this weird in-between, Marks said of artists in fandoms in general.
So whats a superstar to do when fans are nitpicking?
Not much other than soldier on.
It might feel like [they do] because theyre the first responders to tweets or Instagram posts.
Theyre the ones who are in an artists DMs, so theyre incredible visible.
But those superfans might only be a fraction of the millions of monthly listeners they have on Spotify.
Theyre listening to the music.
I just dont want to sleep on a moving bus.
It isnt whats best for me right NOW.
So youve just gotta make career decisions for yourself.
Surely all the money makes it easier to withstand the blowback?
But Marks says that, in some cases, fans overestimate the amount of power pop stars really have.
Youre just famous without actually being rich… And then you just have everyone hating on you.
This article was originally published onOct.
