My mother also loved Whitney Houston

June 8, 2023 5:14 AM

Happy Pride Month! Liniker [Wikipedia] is changing the way trans people are seen in Brazil [Paper, 2018]. Agnes Nunes visited with her for conversation and a duet. [Portuguese with optional English captions] For the 2022 Rock In Rio festival, Liniker was joined by Luedji Luna for an hour-long set. Thank you to umbú for suggesting her!

Bonus: As canções de Milton por Milton, Xenia e Liniker [1h54m] is a leisurely porch music session full of Portuguese conversation and a lot of really lovely songs.

For the hardcore who speak Portuguese: Podpah interviews Liniker. [2h, I have no idea what is said in this video, but wanted to include it because conversations are good.]

posted by hippybear (1 comment total)

Thanks so much for making this post, hippybear!

In a course I teach, I have an assignment called “critical karaoke.” It’s an alternate presentation format developed at the POP conference, where music writers and pop music studies folks meet every year.

Critical karaoke consists of pressing play on a track and and then presenting on some aspect of the song as it plays, whether it be the music, the lyrics, the political context, or any other relevant angle. What’s so great about the format is that it allows you to synchronize your comments with the moments in the song itself, and even to sing along to certain key parts of the song.

This semester I had a fantastic student who is trans in my course, and she chose for her presentation the powerful Liniker tune Remonta (which means to return, to raise up, to reassemble). I wish you all could have witnessed it! Let's just say that I've never been so moved by a student assignment before in my life.
posted by umbú at 12:15 PM on June 8, 2023 [1 favorite]