Paul David Flood

PAUL DAVID FLOOD Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester "Everybody Wanna Move Like Us!" Performing Afro-Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest ABSTRACT From 2019 through 2021, the Swedish public elected three consecutive Afro-Swedish artists with gospel songs to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest: John Lundvik with his song "Too Late For Love"; The Mamas with their song "Move"; and Tusse with his song "Voices." While these globally mediated representations of Afro-Sweden reflected both the increasing popularity of gospel music in Sweden and the nation's multiracial landscape, they also mirrored an ongoing cultural resistance movement against the rise of assimilationist, anti-migrant, and colorblind politics in Sweden. Through musical analysis, fan and critical reception, and accounts from the artists themselves, this article examines how these artists drew from Black American musical styles and aesthetics, specifically gospel music, in their attempts to represent Afro-Swedishness while ultimately serving Sweden's colorblind agenda. These three artists' consecutive performances in the contest can indeed be understood as meaningful specters of representation that ostensibly resist assimilationist racial politics in Sweden. However, their participation on behalf of a nation that continually marginalizes them, based on centuries-old constructs of Swedish white supremacy, placed the political meaning of their participation into question. The author interrogates the longstanding expectation that Eurovision songs by Black artists must adhere to palatable modes of sonic Blackness in order to achieve success. This article thus reveals that while these Afro-Swedish artists were indeed representatives of a progressive and multicultural Swedish people, they inadvertently served an increasingly conservative state's soft power play amid a moment of reckoning with the nation's racial

Proofs are in! Catch my article on Afro-Swedishness in/and Eurovision in next month’s issue of the Journal of Popular Music Studies.

If you’re prepping a syllabus on popular music, European culture and politics, Black transnationalisms, or something related, please consider assigning this!

ALoRoWaHAiBA Abbreviated List of Resources on Why and How AI is Bad, Actually Worsening Climate Change, Pollution, Environmental Racism, and Associated Negative Health Consequences On the pollution and health con...

Academic pals: I'm starting a shared doc to collect info on exactly why/how AI is indefensible—specifically in humanities classrooms, but also across the board. Please share/add as you see fit. I plan to lecture from this in the first week; many students don't know.
docs.google.com/document/d/1...

I got it years ago (like 2017) so I’m not sure if the initial process has changed, but I remember it being pretty easy so long as you can make it to a nearby int’l airport for the interview (which iirc was also quick and easy, at least for someone who looks like I do). Definitely worth it imo.

North Macedonia’s response to the Spice Girls in Eurovision 2000 was iconic—for all the wrong reasons. Nevertheless, this hit platinum in my household.

100% getting referenced in the conclusion of my diss idc idc

YouTube video by Ziwe JINKX MONSOON IS AN ICONIC GUEST | ZIWE INTERVIEW

Things I was not prepared for: Jinkx Monsoon referencing Eurovision and singing Silvia Night's "Congratulations" (Iceland '06) in her Ziwe interview.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrLw...

Olivier Messiaen, “Catalogue d’oiseaux” (1956-8)

I think that as a society we need more songs with ill-advised key changes

Delete your Twitter account, and don't look back.

Absolutely gutted that I'll have to miss this one, especially given this great theme!

IASPM-US is one of my cherished academic homes. Consider submitting an abstract!

I was just thinking how the crash out over Mamdani’s win is establishment types and institutions confronting the fact that he didn’t need them, and how those same types really neatly overlap with the one demanding we throw trans people under the bus

It was great to meet you on Wednesday, Eamonn! Thank you for all of your labor toward putting this wonderful conference together. This was my first CES conference and I'm looking forward to attending again in the future!

Proportionally, the estimated 100-200k Pride marchers in Budapest today would correspond to something approaching 1m in London or New York. And this in a country that has now spent 15 years under illiberal, authoritarian rule.

What a symbol of hope.

A graphic from the Eastman Musicology department advertising Paul’s paper at the Council for European Studies conference this week: “Crying at the EuroClub: Rainbow Europe, Queer Diasporas, and the Politics of Escapism at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest,” Wednesday, June 25 at 11am at Temple University.

Tomorrow morning at #CES25 in Philly!

Very much looking forward to:
- #CES2025
- Philly, one of my favorite cities in the US

Not looking forward to:
- ~100ºF in a big city

A selfie of me outside with a fresh haircut

I may be losing my mind trying to finish my dissertation but I just got a haircut so at least I’m cute

Meliora baybeeee

The Journal of Popular Music Studies is looking to fill three roles! Details below:
iaspm-us.wildapricot.org/Calls-and-An...

Popular music studies hive: has anybody written about/is anybody currently writing about Chappell Roan?

oh jesus here we go

A cute cat snuggled up on top of a blanket

Are you kidding me

YouTube video by MacedoniaESC ESMA & LOZANO - IMPERIJA / EMPIRE ( OFFICIAL HD VIDEO ) Macedonia Eurovision 2013

For the Eurovision folks: yes, the first paper is about this mess youtu.be/ofB4nvQvZPI?...

Looking forward to presenting at both AMS and SEM for the second year in a row!

At SEM: “Music, Our Empire: The Skopje 2014 Project and the Politicization of Roma”

At AMS: “White and Black Blues: The 1990 Eurovision Song Contest and the Prospect of European (Racial) Integration”

Call For Participants: Eurovision and International Politics I'm looking for Eurovision fans to participate in an online focus group about how fans think about and interact with the politics of the Contest. See other images for further info or contact zoe.jay@helsinki.fi To register, go to https://tinyurl/com/eurovisionaries-study or scan the QR code in bottom right corner of this image.

Who can participate? All fans aged 18 and older are welcome. If you’re a Eurovision fan and are interested in discussing Eurovision and politics, I’d like to hear from you! What will taking part involve? Participating in a focus groups with 6-8 Eurovision fans. The focus groups will be conducted online in English, and last around 90 minutes. The focus groups will be held in June and July. I will ask you and the group questions about your views on whether and how the Contest relates to international politics, and on how you engage with these politics as a fan. You don’t need to have a particular opinion about whether the contest is political or not - only an interest in talking about Eurovision and politics as you understand it.

Further Information If you have any questions about this study, you can contact Dr Zoë Jay: zoe.jay@helsinki.fi You can also read more about the research on the Eurovisionaries website: www.eurovisionaries.com Register: If you're interested in taking part in this study, you can register at https://tinyurl/com/eurovisionaries-study or by scanning the QR code in the bottom right corner.

🌟call for research participants🌟

i'm looking for people who are (or have been) fans of #eurovision to join an online focus group about how fans think about & interact with the politics of the contest.

more details on the study & how to join below. please sign up & share with your eurofan pals!

Our deadline is today!

Portlandia season 3:

It's getting political now.

13 MPs of the European Parliament 🇪🇺 demand investigation into Eurovision 2025 voting irregularities.

Full letter can be found here:
www.matjaz-nemec.si/assets/ebu-l...

#Eurovision

Woah. Nørgård’s music was tremendously influential for me. I even wrote my Master’s thesis about his Wölfli works.

RIP to a legend in Nordic art music.

youtu.be/JnZyFe0UNCE?...

the thing I love most about bluesky’s chronological feed: if I miss the drama du jour because I’ve been out touching grass, there’s a good chance I can just avoid it altogether…and I think that’s beautiful 🥰