Portfolio | press

A collection of personal stories, essays, and interviews I’ve published including, The Independent, Digital Spy,VIBE magazine, The Village Voice, and more.

In addition to podcasts I’ve been a guest and interviews on my career.

 
 
Amazon

Amazon

hellogiggles: No Doubt's "return of saturn" finally makes sense--now that i've hit my own saturn return 

I was eight years old when I first saw No Doubt’s “Just a Girl” music video on MTV. I was immediately obsessed: I loved all the colors in the video, how badass Gwen Stefani seemed, and how much this song about how complicated it is being a girl spoke to my young self. I would go on to purchase No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom album with my allowance, and the whole album would open the door for my new musical taste for ska/rock music. (I was only listening to 90’s R&B, Mariah Carey and Janet & Michael Jackson at the time.)

 
Getty Images

Getty Images

La weekly: why isn't janet jackson in the rock and roll hall of fame

So what if the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a bunch o' hooey? People still care about its inductees, and it's perhaps the highest achievement a musician can have on his resume.

Or her resume. Of course, the Hall is very light on women, not to mention women of color.

But there's always a chance to get it right when it comes to Janet Jackson, whose career as a trend-setter and hitmaker should speak for itself. 

Here's the shocking thing: Despite being eligible since 2007, she has never even been nominated. 

 

 
okcupid

okcupid

xo jane: it happened to me: i cruised okcupid and craigslist for dates so i could eat

I decided I would use OkCupid and Craigslist (yes, even scary ol’ Craigslist) so I could have dinner three times a week without opening my wallet.

 
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The Independent: Album review- Victoria Monet Jaguar

Monet’s solo project asserts her as a leading voice in contemporary R&B.

 
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THE VILLAGE VOICE: touré Tackles prince in new book, finds jesus, discovers they're one in the same

Dearly Beloved, you are gathered here today to read our interview with a writer about a legendary performer. In this corner, Touré: Journalist and thinker for many an outlet (The New Yorker, VIBETime.com), and author of Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness: What It Means to Be Black Now. You perhaps know him best for the incredible face he made when R. Kelly asked him “When you say ‘teenage’ how old we are talkin’?” during their on-camera interview for BET or the time he straight Son’d Piers Morgan on dude’s own show at the height of all that Trayvon Martin sadness.

 
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Music Journalism insider: Brittny Pierre interview

I’m Todd L. Burns, and welcome to Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. If you’re not familiar with the newsletter already, click here to find out more.

Brittny Pierre is a freelance writer with bylines in Complex, The Village
Voice, Bustle, HelloGiggles, and more. (This LA Weekly article may (or may not) have been responsible for Janet Jackson’s eventual induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.)

 
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VIBE Magazine: Mac Miller’s ‘Circles’ Mirrors What Many Millennials Are Facing

Mac Miller's posthumous release 'Circles' sees him grappling with the mental health issues that he and other millennials face every day.

 

digital spy: Why should Black movies be held to a higher standard?

It's okay to just be okay. A cultural opinion piece on the Netflix thriller, Fatal Affair.

 
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digital spy: How Betty cleverly avoids an all-too-common sexual assault cliché

The HBO series, Betty offers a more complex look through its female characters.

 
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zora: What It’s Like to Be a Writer With Dyslexia

While reading can be a struggle, it doesn’t change how much I love it

 
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