Mythical Medusa in Pop Music Performance

Exploring the presence and use of the Medusa myth in popular music performance, Gina Bevan takes a new theoretical framework to the world of classical reception to understand the influence of the Gorgon on female pop stars. Medusa has long been used as a figure to denote the demonisation of women and the marginalisation of social groups since antiquity, but we see a transformation of this mythological figure in the 21st century where she becomes a heroine of female empowerment. What will become clear to the reader is that Medusa’s myth is not fixed, and through pop music, the Gorgon can be re-read and moulded by, and for, a modern audience.

This book will explore how performers and their fans engage with the Gorgon, the terrifying monster from Greco-Roman mythology with a petrifying gaze. Some of the biggest female pop stars in the world have been read as Medusa, including Madonna and Lady Gaga, while others, such as Rihanna and Azalea Banks, have become the Gorgon in their work. What is it about Medusa that resonates with modern audiences? The unique ways these female musicians are using the Gorgon, be that explicitly or implicitly, points to how Medusa in popular music is an underexplored area that is ripe for analysis.