What do Bebe Rexha, Katy Perry, Meghan Trainor and Rita Ora all have in common? They’re all trapped in the “Khia Asylum”.

The Khia Asylum (pronounced “kye-ah”) is a metaphorical space carved out for famous music artists – primarily women – who have lost their so-called public “relevance”. The name references American one-hit wonder Khia, known for her 2002 track, My Neck, My Back (Lick It).

On one hand, the Khia Asylum falls into the category of post-modern digital playfulness: its associated content is highly ironic, cynical and at times brain rot adjacent.

On the other hand, it’s a gendered pejorative that mirrors the historical pathologising of women who, in one way or another, don’t meet society’s impossible expectations of them.

While male artists enjoy more freedom to fail, or spend time away from the limelight, their female counterparts are dubbed “flops” for doing the same.

Once someone has entered the “asylum”, escape is usually only possible through significant commercial success, or a dazzling re-brand.

A symptom of toxic fan culture

The Khia Asylum phenomenon is said to have emerged out of “Stan Twitter” (now X) in 2024.

This is an organised subculture made up of a range of fandoms, including Beyonce’s Beehive, the BTS Army, and extreme wings of the Swifties and Beleibers. The term “Stan” – inspired by Eminem’s song of the same name – signifies........

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