Women's Lifestyle March 23, 2026 0 Comments

Is the Iconic Diva on the Brink of Vanishing Forever? Here’s What You Need to Know!

Seven minutes to dive into the dazzling world of divas—sounds like the perfect warm-up to Diva Week, doesn’t it? Ever wondered what makes a diva more than just a powerhouse voice or a flashy wardrobe? It’s that mysterious blend of vocal wizardry, unshakable confidence, and a pinch of untouchable glam that keeps us hooked. But here’s the kicker— in today’s nonstop, over-sharing, social media frenzy, are divas becoming as rare as a flawless selfie on the first try? As we tiptoe through the birthdays of legends like Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Mariah Carey, and Lady Gaga, we take a closer look at how true diva-hood struts onstage in the age of #relatable and #authentic. Spoiler alert: It’s not just about the music anymore. Ready to get obsessed? LEARN MORE

7 min read

Welcome to Diva Week, a magical 7-day period on the calendar where we celebrate the birthdays of Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Mariah Carey, and Lady Gaga. Every day we will be sharing stories on our favorite divas—and what makes them tick—so make sure to check back in with us daily.

The late 20th century was the golden era of the diva. In the ’80s and ’90s, iconic stars like Tina Turner, Diana Ross, and Whitney Houston cemented their legacies as the all-time greats, and shows like VH1 Divas Live ensured that the younger generation learned important lessons about their diva foremothers. As the millennium approached, it seemed that another generation of divas would emerge. By 1999, Destiny’s Child singer Beyoncé was already a superstar. But from the moment she strutted into the frame in the music video for “Crazy In Love,” she became a diva. Everything would continue to be in its right place.

The diva is an undefined, subjective concept. Not every pop star is a diva and not every diva is a pop star. The diva exists at the meeting point of vocal prowess and sheer swag, with an influence that transcends music. She trades in a certain level of mystery, where she relies on her fans, but also keeps herself at a tantalizing distance from them.

In the last decade, our idea of fame has shifted radically. Today, it feels like we have more pop stars than ever, from Charli XCX to Addison Rae, Olivia Rodrigo and Zara Larsson, but the jury is out on whether the current crop will evolve into divas, because the demands on celebrities are so different now. With fans demanding authenticity, relatability, and a constant stream of access, is the diva in danger of extinction?

los angeles, ca september 12 singer lady gaga accepts the video of the year award onstage during the 2010 mtv video music awards at nokia theatre la live on september 12, 2010 in los angeles, california photo by kevin wintergetty images

Kevin Winter//Getty Images

Who knew a meat dress could a diva make?

Coming of age in the early aughts, I had a front row seat to what turned out to be the last great diva era. In 2008, when Lady Gaga’s debut album The Fame was released, I instantly declared myself a “little monster,” the given name to her fandom. At a moment where pop stardom had begun to feel more predictable and manufactured, Gaga felt like an artist, combining vocal and musical talent with a sense of creative urgency, as if she was on a mission to change the world, one sky-high heel at a time. The following year, she dropped The Fame Monster—an extended version of the album featuring songs like “Bad Romance,” “Telephone,” and “Alejandro.” The Fame Monster represented Gaga’s transition from pop star to diva, like a beautiful butterfly emerging from a chrysalis wearing custom Alexander McQueen. She was a star you simply couldn’t look away from, with red carpet and stage looks that bridged the gap between fashion, performance and art.

Gaga’s ascent to diva-dom coincided with the rise of social media, connecting the “new” and “old” worlds of celebrity. She was one of social media’s first “viral” musicians, but she also pursued more traditional markers of fame, saving her biggest stunts for the award shows, from faking her own death at the 2009 VMAs to showing up wearing a meat dress the following year. In that sense, Gaga was very last diva to be crowned in the pre-#Hashtag media landscape.

Ariana Grande is one star that has managed to make the transition from Nickelodeon starlet, to pop star to diva in the post-social media world, which is no small feat. And she did so with the classic combination of talent and attitude, shedding the shiny veneer of a tween icon to singing sexy bops about walking “Side To Side”. (If you know, you know.) Not only is Grande’s vocal talent undeniable, but defiant anthems like “yes, and?” — remixed with none other than Mariah Carey— and “7 Rings” prove that she’s definitely got the swagger to match. Even “thank u, next” — a song about her past relationships, which followed her whirlwind tabloid romance (and breakup) from comedian Pete Davidson, had a certain diva quality. As she thanked her exes, she confirmed that she didn’t need a man.

2jh127x whitney houston, the bodyguard, 1992

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Whitney in The Bodyguard.

Another cornerstone of being a diva is transcending music. Ariana has, of course, spent the last few years relentlessly promoting the Wicked movies, the first of which earned her an Academy Award nomination. She follows in the footsteps of divas like Whitney Houston, whose lead role in The Bodyguard transformed her career, earning her Grammys, Oscar nominations and a legacy as one of the all-time greats—and gave us an iconic song rendition of “I Will Always Love You.” And before Whitney there was Barbra Streisand, just as well-known—and awarded—for her filmography, which includes Funny Girl, The Way We Were, and A Star is Born. These divas aren’t just singers, they’re cultural icons.

The elusiveness and mystery of the diva is fertile ground for myths and rumors to take hold. Growing up, I remember reading stories about the “diva demands” of certain pop stars, like how Mariah would ask for half an apple in her dressing room, and her tea that had to bestirred counter-clockwise, specifically. Of course being a diva means sometimes you are an active participant in the performance of it, like how Mariah claimed she “doesn’t know” Jennifer Lopez. As a diva, she thrives in the tension created by deciphering between her “dahling” persona and the real human underneath. She’s the Elusive Chanteuse.

milan, italy february 06: mariah carey performs during the opening ceremony of the milano cortina 2026 winter olympics at san siro stadium on february 06, 2026 in milan, italy. (photo by elsa/getty images)

Elsa//Getty Images

The elusive chanteuse herself… Mariah.

Mystery brings me to the ultimate diva: Beyoncé, who represents archetype in its most concentrated, bedazzled, genre-defying form. At this point, Beyoncé has done it all. She can (flawlessly) sing and dance. She’s won more Grammy’s than anyone else and has branched out into movies, too. (And even as a “little monster,” I can admit her 2013 SuperBowl half-time show was the best there has ever been.) This should come as no surprise, given that she has frequently cited Diana Ross and Tina Turner as her inspirations. (That’s the thing: Real divas inspire the next generation.)

If divas are becoming a rare breed of star, then I think it’s mostly down to the fact that the demands on celebrities in the social media era are in direct conflict with the archetype’s foundational qualities. Take Adele, for example. Like Beyoncé, the notoriously private vocal powerhouse is selective about what she tells her fans. She’s never publicly confirmed the name of her son, and she wrote an entire album, 30, about her divorce, but we still don’t know many details about exactly what happened. It’s the polar opposite of Lily Allen’s West End Girl, which went mega-viral with a radical form of over-sharing. Fans know so many details about Allen’s romantic life, right down to the “Duane Reade bag with the handles tied,” with “sex toys, butt plugs, lube inside.” And while this is undoubtedly iconic behavior, I wouldn’t say it’s diva behavior, because they always hold a little something back.

Michael Buckner//Getty Images

Beyoncé, the ultimate untouchable diva.

Allen’s album represents a type of sharing that has been gradually more normalized since the turn of the millennium, where there has been an emphasis on relatability. For celebrities, a sense of intimacy has become just as important—if not more so—than actual talent. And now, in the social media era, we expect every star to be like Jennifer Lawrence—someone who falls over at the Oscars, eats pizza at awards shows and watches Vanderpump Rules. Someone who is just like us.

Even Taylor Swift goes to great lengths to craft an underdog narrative for herself, no matter how little that squares with the reality that she’s the most famous woman in the world. On her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, she sings about the perils of “cancel culture” and being “only as good as your last hit, baby.” She even debates giving it all up to move to the suburbs with her beau, Travis Kelce. I suspect that this narrative is a way to make her more relatable, but it’s antithetical to being a diva. Far from being underdogs, divas are the leaders of the pack. Even when they fall down, they return better than ever, like Carey’s stunning 2005 comeback album, The Emancipation of Mimi, or her iconic 2009 diss track “Obsessed.”

There’s also a certain indignity to modern-day celebrity that is beneath any self-respecting diva. In her mockumentary concert film,The Moment, Charli XCX parodies this perfectly. The pop starlet spends most of her time attending cringeworthy product launches, or spending hours in the glam chair to record a short “viral” video about the contents of her purse. Divas like Beyoncé and Carey would, frankly—and thankfully!—not be seen dead eating super-hot chicken wings on YouTube, or taking a lie detector test on camera, but such moments are a rite-of-passage for celebrities today, who are just as much content creators as artists.

It used to be that “diva” was a pejorative term—a gendered insult hurled at women who were demanding their needs be met and their wishes fulfilled. But recently, the term has been adopted in every-day conversation: a substitute for the colloquial “girl!” or even a feminine version of “daddy.” It brings up the idea that, in the overarching pattern towards democratization of culture in the 21st century, we’re moving towards a space where anyone can be a diva.

To which I say: Not on my watch! In a world where it feels like anyone can talk their way into doing anything, true diva-hood should remain as one of the last refuges of exclusivity—an archetype reserved for women who feel almost other-worldly and out of reach. Women who show us how to navigate life with brilliance, resilience and a lot of attitude. Divas who ask: “Why are you so obsessed with me?” even when they already know the answer.