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John Norris on Muck Rack

John Norris

Verified
Music Journalist — Freelance
New York
Arts and Entertainment
As seen in: The New York Times, VICE, NPR, Billboard, POLITICO, The Daily Beast, Entertainment Weekly, GQ, Dazed Magazine, The Grammy Awards and more
Covers:  Music, culture, politics, social activism, LGBTQ+ issues, media, tech
Retrophobe. Billboard; Grammys; GQ; Daily Beast; Ex: MTV News; Fuse News; VICE; Noisevox. Socialist francophile, New Yorker 4ever. The world only spins forward.

Contact

Contact preferences

I prefer pitches via email around midday (between 11am and 2pm). I sometimes respond if I'm not going to cover the story you pitch me. If emailing, my ideal email length is 2–3 paragraphs and limited follow-up emails are ok. I occasionally check newswires for new story ideas. Please do not pitch me on retro stories or assignments. I am eager to cover music, culture, socio-politics or the nexus of all, but I am not interested in nostalgia, anniversaries, or anything with a predominantly backward gaze.

Contact information
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Biography

I’m a veteran writer, reporter, editor, correspondent and anchor with extensive experience covering music, culture, film, socio-politics and LGBTQ+ issues, for some of the most influential brands in 21st Century media.

I began as a news writer and correspondent at MTV News, reporting on daily news, live breaking news coverage and special events, as well as multiple music- and politically-oriented special programs, including the Peabody Award-winning youth vote initiative “Choose Or Lose.” Live …

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Portfolio

Latinx Soul Man Omar Apollo Talks About Playing Paisley Park, Getting Out of Indiana, and His New...

Latinx Soul Man Omar Apollo Talks About Playing Paisley Park, Getting Out of Indiana, and His New...

Hobart, Indiana's favorite musical son, the Latinx indie soul and pop phenom Omar Apollo, discusses his debut…

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From "Burden" to Blissful, Healthy and Happy: 2020 Breakout Star Curtis Waters' Debut Album Pity ...

From "Burden" to Blissful, Healthy and Happy: 2020 Breakout Star Curtis Waters' Debut Album Pity ...

The Nepali-born, North Carolina-residing 20-year-old singer and songwriter who blew up in our pandemic spring…

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Yellow Days Finds The Funk (And Gets Out Of One)

Yellow Days Finds The Funk (And Gets Out Of One)

GRAMMY.com talks to the indie-funk pioneer about his sprawling sophomore effort, which features generation-sp…

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24kGoldn's 2020 Midas Touch

24kGoldn's 2020 Midas Touch

The SF native on his third mega-hit, "Mood," more genre-busting features, an XXL freshman selection, and a mo…

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Curtis Waters' Year Only Gets More "Stunnin'"

Curtis Waters' Year Only Gets More "Stunnin'"

The TikTok-famous performer reflects on his smash-hit year with "Stunnin", his new single "Freckles", and loo…

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Lady Gaga: Keynote | Music 2014 | SXSW

Lady Gaga: Keynote | Music 2014 | SXSW

My South By Southwest 2014 keynote interview with Gaga, the day after a memorably raw performance at Austin's…

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Articles

From “Burden” to Blissful, Healthy and Happy: 2020 Breakout Star Curtis Waters’ Debut Album Pity Party Is a Blast - Vman

By John Norris
vman.com — That simple, three-word pat on the back, delivered in a cartoonishly sweet voice, has long been a signature touch of Curtis Waters’ music, dropped into the intro of every song he’s recorded, dating back to “My Ex-Girlfriend Turned Into the Moon,” a goofy, lo-fi declaration of love from 2017 that marked his first release as an artist.
Oct 09, 2020 Open in Who Shared Wrong byline?

24kGoldn's 2020 Midas Touch

By John Norris, John Ochoa
grammy.com — Rico Nasty Talks Debut Album, 'Nightmare Vacation' rico-nasty-nightmare-vacation-interview Rico Nasty knows how to stand out. In an era filled with gray days and dark skies, she is the rainbow-bright, spiky-haired, fashion-forward loudmouth with nothing to hide and everything to gain. Since first breaking out in 2016 with her underground hits "iCarly" and "Hey Arnold," the Maryland-born rapper has become one of the most exciting, singular voices in today's hip-hop scene.
Sep 13, 2020 Open in Who Shared Wrong byline?

Curtis Waters' Year Only Gets More "Stunnin'"

By John Norris
grammy.com — Curtis Waters' Year Only Gets More "Stunnin'" new-single-freckles-and-upcoming-album-pity-party-curtis-waters-year-only-gets-more Four years ago, a heavily depressed 16-year-old Nepali immigrant living in Calgary named Abhi Bastakoti was told by his grandmother to hang in there, because she had looked at his future, and had a feeling his life would take a turn. She even made a prediction: that her grandson's best year would come at age 20.
Sep 01, 2020 Open in Who Shared Wrong byline?
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@Jonnynono — 7,548 followers, 31,153 tweets

Nov 22, 2020
John Norris
@Jonnynono
RT @BaikTommylee: My first americain interview 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻  https://twitter.com/au_magazine/status/1321480134847705090 …
Nov 21, 2020
John Norris
@Jonnynono
RT @chartdata: Most streamed artists on global Spotify (November 20) #1 @BTS_twt 62.1M #2 @ArianaGrande 30.4M #3 @sanbenito 28.9M… https://t.co/mOULdYgFBk
Nov 21, 2020
John Norris
@Jonnynono
RT @DL_Blackburn: Kalief Browder’s family was not allowed to post his bail so he spent 3 years in Rikers Island for allegedly stealin… https://t.co/OMq7iY4Tht
Nov 21, 2020
John Norris
@Jonnynono
 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/20/arts/music/jeezy-gucci-mane-verzuz.html?referringSource=articleShare …
Nov 21, 2020
John Norris
@Jonnynono
“If you consider profit to be the endgame of health care instead of health, some people are going to be left out,” Dr. Lepora said. “The pandemic exposes all of those weaknesses.”  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/business/lombardy-italy-coronavirus-doctors.html?referringSource=articleShare …
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Interview

What was your first job as a journalist?

A junior news writer at MTV News, writing copy for the legend that is Kurt Loder.

What's your favorite social network?

I am, alas, a Twitter lemming.

Who do you wish followed you?

Anyone who gives a shit about people who have less. Anyone who leads with kindness but is not afraid of a fight. Good trouble.
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