Background
Phoebe E. Hughes is a lecturer in musicology in the Binghamton University Music Department. Her research focuses on the intersections of race, class, gender and sexuality in 20th- and 21st-century U.S. popular music.
Hughes has published articles on relationships and consent in contemporary country music and the role of white feminism in Taylor Swift’s 2014 career change to pop music. Most recently, Hughes published a monograph on Taylor Swift. Titled Cranking Up Taylor Swift: Her Musical Journey in 11 Songs, the book explores different aspects of Swift’s career through an in-depth look at 11 Taylor Swift songs.
Hughes holds a PhD in historical musicology from Ohio State University (2022) and an interdisciplinary specialization certificate in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. At Binghamton University, Hughes teaches courses on Western Classical music, U.S. popular Music, Taylor Swift and music research methods. Hughes has prior teaching experience at Ohio State University and West Virginia University.
Publications
- Cranking Up Taylor Swift: Her Musical Journey in 11 Songs (Backbeat, Bloomsbury, 2025)
- “Taylor Swift on Tour: Embracing Whiteness, Growing Up,” in Taylor Swift: The Star the Songs, The Fans (Routledge, 2025)
- “From Bros to Gentlemen: The Problem of Consent in Contemporary Country Music,” in Whose Country Music? Genre, Identity and Belonging in Twenty-First-Century Country Music Culture (Cambridge University Press, 2023)
Education
- PhD in historical musicology, The Ohio State University
- MA in musicology, West Virginia University
- BA in music and history, Northern Arizona University
Research Interests
- Intersections of race, class, gender and sexuality in 20th- and 21st-century music
- Popular music in the U.S.
- Country music
- Contemporary music and politics