The Disruptive Nature of Listening: Feminine Noises and Sound Politics in the Platform Music Show The Big Band 2

Abstract

Abstract: Rock music has been a central arena for the production of noises in music industries. The singing of rockers, carrying gendered subject identities, harbors a wealth of gendered noises. “The Big Band 2,” a variety show launched by Aiqiyi and involving indie record companies and musicians, presents a contested soundscape of Chinese gendered rock noises, creating moments that exemplify the “disruptive nature of listening.” It also provides a critical perspective for exploring alternative expressions of female rock singers and contemplating gender order and social ideology. Drawing upon theories of musicology, gender studies and cultural studies, this paper introduces a theoretical framework of voice/voicing to comprehend feminine noises. It argues that these non-resilient, bodily feminine noises represent the lived experience and ethnic minorities’ history of those marginalized within the music industry and broader society. These noises are subversive as they challenge the resilient biopolitics and sleek digital aesthetics propagated by neoliberalism. However, it should be recognized that these seemingly subversive pseudo-feminine noises also conform to industrial commodification and platform capitalism.

Key words: feminine noise, platform music show, bodily, resilient biopolitics, smooth aesthetics, The Big Band 2

Qu Shuwen. The Disruptive Nature of Listening: Feminine Noises and Sound Politics in the Platform Music Show The Big Band 2[J]. Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art, 2024, 44(3): 173-183.

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