Far Our Magazine recently featured some of my comments on parasocial relationships

I'm really excited to have been quoted in Far Out Magazine. You can read their article featuring my comments by clicking here.   

And if you'd like to read some more on the subject here is the full text the extracts came from: 

Parasocial relationships are a fascinating phenomenon within celebrity culture, particularly in the music industry, where fans often form deep, personal attachments to artists.

But what exactly are parasocial relationships in the context of celebrity culture?
Parasocial relationships are one-sided emotional bonds that fans form with public figures—often musicians, actors, or influencers—whom they’ve never met in real life. In the context of celebrity culture, these relationships allow fans to feel a genuine connection to someone they admire, even though it’s a one-way dynamic. Fans often project their own idealised views onto the artist, creating a version of them that’s flawless or perfectly attuned to their needs and desires. This dynamic, built on fantasy, often feels like a “perfect” relationship where fans feel understood and supported without the complexities or challenges of a real-life relationship. For young people in particular, this offers a way to explore the idea of relationships while still developing emotionally. Engaging in a parasocial relationship allows them to navigate feelings of connection, attraction, or admiration without the vulnerabilities or conflicts of a two-way relationship.

Here’s how these relationships manifest specifically with musicians:
With musicians, parasocial relationships can run especially deep, as music often connects with people on an emotional, even visceral, level. Songs can become part of the soundtrack of people’s lives, accompanying them through joyful times and challenges alike. The artist’s voice, lyrics, and even their public persona can feel like a personal presence, leading fans to feel understood, validated, or even comforted by their music. Through lyrics and performances, musicians often seem to reveal deeply personal aspects of themselves, which can intensify this bond, making fans feel as though they "know" the artist in a meaningful way. Because there’s no reciprocity, these relationships often remain “ideal,” with no friction or misunderstanding that can arise in a real-world relationship.

So why do people experience grief when a musician they admire passes away?
The grief fans feel when a beloved musician passes is a natural response to the loss of what feels like a personal connection. Even though the relationship is one-sided, it’s deeply felt. Fans may mourn the loss of new music or the chance to experience a live performance, but there’s also an emotional component that can feel very personal. The artist’s music might have accompanied the fan through significant moments in life, providing solace, joy, or a sense of identity. For younger people, especially, the musician may have played a role in their early explorations of identity and self-expression, which makes the loss feel even more significant.

In these cases, the death of a musician can feel like the loss of a part of oneself or one’s past, as fans lose not only the artist but also the ongoing emotional support that the artist’s work offered. The idealised relationship that fans projected onto the musician comes to an end, which can feel like a very real loss. This grief is often heightened by the shared mourning within fan communities, where collective expressions of sadness and remembrance reinforce the sense of connection fans had with the artist. Parasocial relationships may be one-sided, but the emotions attached to them are real and can be deeply meaningful.