What do pop artists like Ava Max, Bebe Rexha and Normani have in common? You (hopefully) guessed right – they were all mainstream artists who lost popularity over the years. As artists like Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter and Katseye have taken their rise to fame, pop music has taken all different forms. However, as new and young artists gain fame, others lose some. Twitter users have coined a term for a fictional place where once mainstream celebrities reside; this place is called the Khia Asylum.
The term, “Khia Asylum”, originates from an encounter with American rapper and singer, Khia, and a fan. Khia, who began a rise in popularity for her 2002 explicitly charged hit single, “My Neck, My Back (Lick It), faded into obscurity following several downhill releases. The term was officially coined after a fan posted a picture of them meeting Khia, where an internet user replied, questioning why they would cry over someone with as little popularity as Khia.
The Khia Asylum would then take many other artists within its grasp. Singers who initially found immense success, but failed to maintain it include Camila Cabello, Rita Ora and Kim Petras, who inevitably found themselves landing in the virtual prison. All artists trapped in the Khia Asylum carry a similar theme: they found their success in a few projects or single releases, but failed to replicate that energy as their career progressed forward. For example, Bebe Rexha was an artist subjugated to this fate. The Albanian-American pop-singer made her fame with EDM-inspired songs and her talented work as a songwriter for popular artists such as Shinee, Eminem and Rihanna.Her song with Florida Georgia Line, “Meant to Be” received a Grammy nomination, yet her following albums failed to make any noise. As Twitter users like to say, Bebe Rexha essentially “fell off.”
This ongoing trend of collaborations being a primary source of success for many upcoming artists has brought profound talent to the doors of the Khia Asylum. For example, Chloe X Halle’s partnership and Kim Petras’ Grammy win being attached to her song with Sam Smith.
A prominent artist who has freshly left the grasp of the Khia Asylum is Zara Larsson. Fans on Twitter and TikTok believe her recent release, “Midnight Sun,” has bought her a ticket outside of the Khia Asylum and into stardom.
Zara Larsson is a tell-tale proof that although the gates of the Khia Asylum are currently locked, a key to the exit can always be found. Any artist can try to leave the fantastical prison, but that comes with good marketing strategies, networking, and most of all, genuinely good music.
