Petra Collins: STAR

Inspired by 16 years of shooting some of the biggest names in the music world, witnessing the rise and fall of pop icons, and watching descents into madness as they experience the backlash of fandoms, Collins created two fictional music groups exclusively for this publication. Collins pulls themes of identity and mental health through this compellingly realistic but narrative fiction the solo star and pop group featured might remind readers of BLACKPINK and NewJeans, Olivia Rodrigo and Selena Gomez, and Y2K popstars. This book is a cinematic journey of the performers as seen through the eyes of their fans and stalkers, images of performances, rescues, and confrontations, interspersed with letters, conversations, and diary entries. The five chapters follow Ashley, a solo star, and Siren8, a teen idol group designed for bubblegum appeal. Ashley, once a quiet artistic student, is discovered at a school performance and pushed into pop stardom. She starts sincere and gentle, but fame twists her identity. Manipulated, isolated, and disassociated, she becomes a ghostlike figure to those who knew her before disappearing under mysterious circumstances. Siren8 contrasts with Ashley s 'dreamy-girl-next-door' image. They tour with Ashley before an unexplained falling-out. Vuyu, Ashley s quiet, protective best friend, knew the real Ashley and reappears in anonymous forums to correct misinformation. Momo, a hardcore Ashley fan and obsessive researcher who created a viral timeline thread that s a monument to Ashley s erasure. B, a loner at Ashley s school, fixates on Ashley as a symbol of truth. She writes dozens of letters, convinced she s protecting Ashley, an obsession that slowly turns violent.