Musicians Use Substack To Control Their Stories, Share Personal Essays

As subscriber bases grow, audiences are weighing Substack's ability to ease the pressures of public scrutiny for pop stars. Taken together, a rising cadre of artists is using long-form writing on the platform to reshape audience dialogue, push back on fame pressures, and offer more layered views on art and identity.

Charli XCX has embraced Substack as a space for narrative control. "Another thing about being a pop star is that you cannot avoid the fact that some people are simply determined to prove that you are stupid. I've always been completely fascinated by this and think it has something to do with self projection," shares Charli XCX. She previously told A Rabbit's Foot in December, "I've always been open in interviews about my art. People just haven't listened… or I've been taken out of context. Writing publicly lets me create the context."

In the first entry Doechii published on Substack, “If You Were Writing to Black People, You Wouldn't Have to Edit So Much,” she wrote, “I'm tired of speaking to ‘everyone' through my music … I want to talk only to the people who can understand me the first time.” Her essays, including My Shower Head Is Racist, address race, audience targeting, and accessibility, highlighting racism in technology and the political dimensions of art.

A broader wave of artists, including Rosalía, Tegan and Sara, and Troye Sivan, has turned to Substack for reflective posts on art theory, body image, and critiques of technology and industry norms. Troye Sivan launched his Substack in January, confronting cosmetic culture and body image, asking, “What good is money and modern medicine if not to fix all of these flaws that this random sicko fu**o plastic surgeon told me I have in an Instagram reel?”

Industry voices argue authenticity wins. Of the current state of pop star Substacks, Zara Larrson shares, “Sometimes I feel like people are trying so hard to sound like writers, with really big words. But some people are amazing. I love Doechii's. I really like Charli's too. But some people I'm like… ‘It's okay. Be yourself.'”

Observers describe Substack as a growing hub for artist-led storytelling that reduces social media noise and allows creators to control context. However, engagement depends on readers' willingness to engage fully with the text.