The Cut puts Dua Lipa and Katy Perry in khia asylum

[Teletubby 134,362]

In the most basic sense, a “khia” is a nobody, an irrelevant person. Beyoncé is canonically not a khia; neither is Taylor Swift, though she occasionally exhibits khia behavior. 

A khia is a pop girl who people talk about, but who no one seems to care about culturally.

Here are contexts in which you might have encountered “khia,” assuming you’re homosexual (culturally or actually), under 30, and active on X: In a tweet commending a next-gen pop artist who’s been blowing up (“she had a one way ticket out of the khia asylum,” proclaims a Tate McCrae fan, posting a clip from her “greedy” music video) or dismissive response to a purportedly overhyped artist’s success (“Gracie Abrams is a khia and the only reason ppl listen to her is bc she is a taychild,” “taychild” meaning Taylor Swift pupil) or nostalgic remembrance of a time when a pop star enjoyed more niche status (“local takes like this is exactly why I want Carly Rae Jepsen to remain khia forever”).

A textbook case of khia-dom: In 2014, a then 23-year-old Rita Ora, who’d been struggling to take hold in the United States, tweeted that she’d release new music if she got 100,000 retweets. She got a pittance of that engagement, summarily deleted the tweet, then feebly alleged that she’d gotten hacked, which absolutely no one believed. 
 

Men are rarely called khias, with the exception of perhaps Lil Nas X.

The meaning and application of “khia” has evolved to accommodate differences in artist intention. Nicki Minaj and pop-culture stan account @Yslonika proffered Lana Del Rey as someone who is still considered successful even if she does not chart: “She’s not considered a khia because she’s a staple in pop culture.” Being a “khia” may not be about stats so much as integrity and vision.
https://www.thecut.com/article/what-is-a-khia-pop-music-slang-internet-explainer.html

[clownery 3,529]

I think it's funny on Twitter, but this sh*t in the press 💀

[HotLikeMexico 4,444]

They better not be coming for Queen Khia. My neck my back is iconic 

[Lucas 24,011]

That's how I feel about them tbh, Katy Perry, Dua Lipa, Sabrina Carpenter... People will listen to their music if it's bops else they don't give a **** about them

Edited 3 hours ago by Lucas

[nATAH 42,286]

34 minutes ago, Teletubby said:

 neither is Taylor Swift, though she occasionally exhibits khia behavior. 

[Teletubby 134,362]

6 minutes ago, Lucas said:

Sabrina Carpenter.

she is outside the khia asylum. her album sold over 360k in the first week and still charts in the top 5 on Billboard 200.

[ThisGuyTony 29,067]

I’m glad they didn’t mention Gaga - CBT film ( it’s acclaimed), JFAD, Harlequin, Disease (it’s also acclaimed… 

[bionic 41,924]

I reported this thread for slander against Rita Ora. She was a VICTIM of HACKING and you use that to make jokes about the Queen of Pop? Its discussing to be honest and I will stand for it   If Rita is a khia then she is probably the corrupt prison warden or something

Katy's legacy as an icon will always prevent her from not being a khia IMO. Dua 100% fits though.

[metalguru 938]

I hate seeing the media embrace the toxic discourse from stan Twitter just to drive clicks and boost numbers—remember when Vulture did this? Classic clickbait.

Music listeners need to stop acting like they own record labels. It’s exhausting and just another symptom of how we internalize capitalist dynamics on a personal level.

Honestly, I can’t imagine people obsessed with charts listening to anything outside mainstream pop—it’s like their taste begins and ends with whatever’s trending. Such a narrow, stifling way to engage with music. Enough with this ****. 

[Neroneau 898]

Azealia Banks not a khia then 📝 

[A Very Gaga Holida 20,479]

Beyoncé’s impact is sooo overrated