John Vilanova is the new interim managing editor of MusiQology. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Communication at the Annenberg School at the University of Pennsylvania. His broad research and writing agenda focuses on the production, reception, and consumption of African American and Afro-diasporic music and the cultural, economic, and historical resonances of music and music-industrial practice. His current research examines the contemporary Jamaican music industry and the ongoing global reggae revival.
John also holds an undergraduate degree in English from Penn and a master’s degree in American Studies from the University of Kansas, where he wrote his MA thesis about the always-relevant triad of Kanye West, Taylor Swift, and Beyoncé Knowles (specifically outlining the context and fallout of the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards). He is also an accomplished journalist who has contributed in various written and research capacities to a multitude of publications including Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue, Paste, and many more. He was also the principal researcher for legendary music producer Clive Davis’s acclaimed memoir, The Soundtrack of My Life (2013).
John first met Dr. Guy Ramsey as a precocious undergraduate student ten years ago in Ramsey’s History of Jazz class. They formed a strong bond and working relationship that is renewed with John’s addition to the MusiQology team. He is thrilled to be continuing the work of those who came before and excited about ways he can help the blog continue to grow and flourish. He has remained ever-focused on asking questions that spring from one Ramsey taught him a decade ago: “Why are these people making this music at this time in this place.”
Contact him via email (John@musiqology.com) or on Twitter (@JohnVilanova).
[Photo courtesy of Kyle Anderson]
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