To-day Spotify informed me in passing that the artist I had formerly known as Blossom Dearie now goes by BLOSSOM DEARIE.

As developments go, this was unexpected. I immediately dropped whatever I was thinking of to ponder why BLOSSOM DEARIE would do this. It’s a bold rebranding for her, I’m sure.

I’m no stranger to artists whose names are in all capitals. In my Spotify listening history I count songs by SZA, PSY, SUGA, and JID. Recent chart-toppers include the likes of BTS, The Kid LAROI, KAROL G, and BENEE. My impression is that this came about first by bands adopting acronyms for their names (AC/DC, ELO), and once we started storing artist names as character strings in computers, you could make a statement out of capitalisation. So now we have rappers like MF DOOM and XXXTENTACION and K-pop groups like BLACKPINK and LOONA and TWICE.

I’m not sure what the statement is, but the effect is one of loudness, of shouting, of in-your-face theatricality. When your name is in all caps, you are the main event, the one and only, the centre of attention in any room you set foot in. All-capping is a branding tool of rappers who exude braggadocio, EDM producers who fire up the dance floor with throbbing squelches, and anyone whose presence blows the speakers and rattles the floorboards.

(Conversely, if you set your name in all lowercase, you’re quiet. Introspective, intimate, up close. beabadoobee.)

As to why BLOSSOM DEARIE might follow this trend, I’m not quite sure. She’s a jazz pianist with such a light and delicate voice. Her music is many things to me, sweet and lovely and sad. But not throbby squelchy floorboard-rattling in-your-facey-ness. Also she died thirteen years ago, so this certainly wasn’t her decision. I can only imagine the following conversation happened among the inheritors of her estate.

“We’ve got a whole catalogue, and we need to milk it for money. Trouble is, no one’s listening to Blossom Dearie anymore, no one under 70 at least. How do we get her music out in front of a new generation?”

“You know, I’ve been thinking the same thing! She needs a Personal Rebranding Project, and this starts—guess what—by putting her name in all caps!”

“Just like all the kids do! Tom, you’re a genius!”