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From Barbra to Beyoncé: A look at the appeal of divas

Barbra Streisand performs onstage at United Center on August 06, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois.
Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for BSB
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Getty Images North America
Barbra Streisand performing in Chicago in 2019.

What is a diva? And how has the term evolved?

This hour: divas.

We look at how the term emerged in the opera and moved into the popular music landscape and take stock of the current moment for divas.

GUESTS:

  • Spencer Kornhaber: Staff writer at The Atlantic and author of the new book On Divas: Persona, Pleasure, Power
  • Myrna Reynolds: Retired singer who sang at the New York City Opera among many other places
  • Zachary Woolfe: The New York Times’ classical music critic

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

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Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.

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Lily is the senior producer for The Colin McEnroe Show. She first worked at Connecticut Public as an intern in 2014. She has previously worked for WBUR, KUNC and as a producer for the New England News Collaborative's weekly show Next. Lily can be reached at ltyson@ctpublic.org.