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Growing up alongside your favorite boy band

Plus Zayn Malik and NYC influencer discourse

Author

Daysia Tolentino
March 27, 2025

Hi all. I’ve just rebounded from the craziness of JonasCon, only to be confronted with Zayn Malik singing “Night Changes” by One Direction on the tenth anniversary of him leaving the band. Being a fangirl is exhausting and fulfilling work, which is what today’s newsletter is about.

I was reading “Fangirls” by Hannah Ewens yesterday and wanted to share this quote from a Beatles fan about fandom and memory. I thought it captured how I felt at JonasCon and how I’ve felt listening to my favorite boy bands as I’ve grown into adulthood:

“I loved my life, and it’s a privilege to get older. But there’s nothing like being a teenager; it’s like Dickens said, the best of times, the worst of times. You’re pretty fanciful. Everything is either tragic or brilliant. And [the Beatles] were there for it. They were there so we could deposit all our heightened emotions into their songs… every song tells me where I was, what I was doing, and what I was feeling.”

Susan, a Beatles fan, featured in “Fangirls” by Hannah Ewens

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