Nia Thomas
The BBC and Cheryl have faced criticism over new 12-part R&B podcast set to launch on BBC Sounds.
Former X-Factor judge and Girls Aloud star, Cheryl, has been announced as the new host of a BBC Sounds podcast You, Me & R&B.
I’ve always had an absolute love and passion for R&B and I’m so excited to share my new show with you on @BBCSounds, I’ve really been transported back re-listening to all these tracks and I’m excited for you to relive those moments with me. Episode 1 is live now 🎧🎶🗣❣️ pic.twitter.com/0KBZJtTZQo
— Cheryl (@CherylOfficial) August 27, 2021
The announcement was met heavily with criticism online, where critics suggested the choice was indicative of the way Black talent is consistently “pushed to the side and ignored”. Others condemned the decision as “tone deaf and insulting”.
Radio 1Xtra DJs DJ Ace and Yasmin Evans were among the first to question the announcement, with DJ Ace making his view on the matter clear by sharing the news with a straightforward “Lol”.
Sundays 10pm on @1Xtra you can find @DJAce giving you the BEST in R&B. He pours his heart and soul into creating this show. All by himself !! (Let me just add that in) he lives and breathes this. https://t.co/HGN93pA7n2
— Yasmin Evans (@YasminEvans) August 31, 2021
— Ace ♣️ (@DJAce) August 31, 2021
This criticism follows because R&B is a music genre that has been developed specifically by Black Americans since the 1940s, deriving from gospel, jazz, folk and blues.
This is compounded by the fact that Cheryl is best known for her contributions to pop, and is thus hardly considered an authority on the subject.
“Heck Lisa Maffia would have been a better fit than Cheryl. How disappointing.”
Considering as much, critics made it very clear that a Black presenter would have clearly been a more appropriate choice to host a podcast about R&B.
Uhura Zulu, co-host of the pop culture podcast Unpacked, said when speaking to BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat: “I honestly feel that if you’re going to give a platform about R&B music to a woman, and the platform is the BBC, is should be a Black woman musician.”
One tweeter commented: “This would have been an amazing opportunity for Beverly Knight, Estelle, Keisha White, Shola Ama, Jamelia. I would have even preferred Alesha Dixon or Ms Dynamite. Heck Lisa Maffia would have been a better fit than Cheryl. How disappointing.”
No Black UK artists available for this job @BBCSounds ? https://t.co/u0LUseKZar
— Natie (@Muhavukazi) August 31, 2021
When speaking to The Independent, a spokesperson for the BBC said: “We feature a range of voices spanning different genres across our extensive music output.”
“Many of our shows are fronted by DJs who are experts in their fields, others are hosted by people with a passion for their topic. Cheryl’s You, Me & R&B shares personal stories from her youth, soundtracked by her favourite genre”.
Cheryl herself is yet to comment on the controversy.
Featured image courtesy of blocks on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to the image.
Nia Thomas
Nia is a Gender Studies Masters student at the University of Sussex. Having recently graduated with a degree in Political Science, she is keenly interested in current affairs and stories concerning equality and diversity. Away from writing, she is an avid reader and lover of reality TV.