The New York Times did an article on 'stans', the delusional fans who stalk message boards and blogs fanatically defending their idols. You know, TeamBreezy, The Rihanna Navy, Beyonce Stans, Nicki Minaj's Ken and Barbs. Anyway, the article used Ciara stans as an example of how delusional stans are regardless of their idol's recent accomplishments...
From The New York Times
“To affiliate yourself with a mainstream artist today is just like the unwavering loyalty that sports teams have, like the Giants or the Celtics,” said David Russell, an artist manager at IE: Music who works with acts like Robbie Williams and Ladyhawke. “The same way that you follow a team despite the players that come and go, fans come on board early for pop stars and remind people of the success he or she had — whether it was 20 minutes ago or 20 years ago.”
This can make competition among stans particularly ugly, but it can also serve as a lifeboat, keeping a troubled performer’s career afloat. The singer Ciara, a former A-list recording artist who fell into a series of problems with her former label, Jive, that resulted in her most-recent album being shelved, might have been forgotten were it not for die-hards going to bat for her day after day on Web sites like That Grape Juice or Popjustice.
“Her stans compare her to Beyoncé or Rihanna, despite the fact that her album shipped something like less than 30,000 units in North America,” Mr. Russell said. “They will continue to drum up anticipation for whatever keeps her relevant, even if it’s just a fashion association,” like the singer’s friendship with Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy.
“Her stans will defend her to the death,” Mr. Russell added. “It’s a little scary.”
