A Talk with The Queen of Pop-Culture Commentary: ‘ItzKeisha’
Keisha Shadè is arguably carrying YouTube’s commentary community on her back. Though it can be overwhelming to keep up with all the drama in the celebrity world, Keisha makes it entertaining to learn about. Whether she’s discussing Nepo babies or digging into the life and history of a pop band girly, her humor, style, and passion shine through her videos. And when it comes to discussing pop culture, Keisha does it openly and with class, never letting intimidation get in the way of expressing an unpopular (but true) opinion. I called Keisha to talk about her experience as a content creator in the commentary and pop-culture world, as well as her music and fashion lifestyle.
Image Courtesy: Biography Mask
Parmis: Tell me a little bit about how your channel took off!
Keisha: It took off in 2018. I remember I was doing rant-style videos. At the time, it wasn’t really called commentary. I was talking about the Dolan twins. They were teenage boys from the United States, and everyone kind of loved them and found them attractive. They made good videos, so I randomly started making videos about them. Then people started requesting more topics in regard to them, so I started doing that, and then I stopped doing all things Dolan twins and did my own thing. 2018-2019 was when [my channel] really took off.
Parmis: You're my primary source of pop culture info. How do you keep up-to-date on everything going on in the pop culture world? Do you ever get overwhelmed and need to step back from gathering news?
Keisha: I get my news from Twitter and also some blogs that I follow on Instagram. I don’t want to spend too much of my time digging and researching for things unless I find the topic is a bit weird or interesting and requires me to personally do research. For the most part, I see almost everyone on my timeline, and my subscribers also request things in my DMs or on my community tab on YouTube. I wouldn’t say it gets overwhelming; it depends on the topic. I like it to be lighthearted. It’s very funny, you guys either catch my jokes, or you don’t.
Parmis: Mental health is a topic you share to some extent on your social media platforms. How does the internet affect your outlook on yourself and your work?
Keisha: I don’t know; it depends on what day it is. I don’t think I’m the best at dealing with hate. I don’t know anyone who can really deal with hate. I think you’d be lying if you said that. When people start to criticize the way that I look or my appearance and everything, it’s got nothing to do with my videos because, at the end of the day, I’m just sharing my thoughts and opinions. So when people take it to that next level, it does annoy me at times. I think I'm a lot better now than I was in the past. But also, people judge you thinking they know you when they can only assume. But people are so certain of who I am as a person, and they always get it wrong. That affects me because it’s like, ‘How many people are seeing it this way’? I do want to try and be more open on my platforms when it comes to mental health, but at the same time, I do like keeping things to myself because I find people like to use it against me at a moment that’s just not appropriate– that’s happened in the past.
Parmis: I, as well as many fans I'm sure, appreciate your honesty concerning controversial pop-culture topics, such as ones you share in your unpopular opinion videos. Do you ever deal with backlash due to your opinions that may encourage you to share less of your true feelings online?
Keisha: Unfortunately, yes. It’s not just me. It’s a bunch of other commentary creators that I’ve spoken to. The problem with that is that it should be lighthearted. If I say that I’m not a fan of a very popular pop artist, you shouldn’t take offense to it. It’s just one opinion out of billions in the world. But people don’t see it as that; people think, “Okay, so if she hates this person, then it means I should go and attack her,” and that’s what’s happened when it came to a few fandoms. That’s kind of why I deleted Twitter. It got to be too much. It was hectic in my personal life, so that just added on top and didn’t help. What I find happens on Twitter is that people come at you in gangs, and they don’t really get it, like, it’s just an opinion. Regardless, I keep it going because it’s fun, and I like to piss off the internet a little bit.
Parmis: How do you find the motivation to record videos as often as you do while balancing the pressures put on you by your fans and the YouTube algorithm?
Keisha: I used to be a lot more consistent, I would say, around two years ago and maybe the beginning of last year, but then my mental health got a little bit worse, and I had to attend to it, which I have no problem with. But with that happening, I couldn't post as much. And then YouTube wasn’t really putting me on the algorithm, which was in some ways affecting my channel. I’m still grateful regardless of the views and how it all happened naturally, but it is nice when you have that push from a platform like YouTube. But I do find that I’m getting back there into the algorithm now.
Parmis: Many people aren’t very familiar with how sponsorships work, and I remember you saying you don’t often take sponsorships; why? How would you describe your relationship with sponsors on your channel?
Keisha: The reason I don’t usually take [sponsorships] is that they’re usually from companies or people who want to send items that I don't think really have much to do with my channel. I wasn’t too open to having anything on my channel, and I was just like, “Nah, I do commentary, I talk a lot, why would I want to, like, be sent a wig?” As much as I could accept the offer and keep it, especially because they are expensive products, I’d rather not do that because it just doesn’t relate to my channel. But now, I’m a bit more open to seeing what products I genuinely actually like. I’m seeing other people do it, and it’s harmless. You either buy it, or you don’t. I used to get quite a lot of sponsorships back in 2019 and 2020, but not so much. It’s not that they weren't reaching out. I just didn't accept it. This year, because I have management now, we’ve been getting quite a few deals. I’m turning down the ones I don’t like, obviously, I’m not just taking on everything. I think this year it could be a lot better.
Parmis: In your videos, you've talked about wanting to pursue a career in music. How has that process been for you so far?
Keisha: It was good in 2019 because I was so consistent. I was going to the studio, and I think I was a lot hungrier for it. I’m really passionate about it, but it requires me to find studio space and pay a ridiculous amount, at least here in London. I still want to do it, and I’m most likely going to do it; it just requires a lot of research. I’ve noticed that I can be a little bit lazy, especially with things I probably shouldn’t be lazy about. But I’m going to get that up and running again because I know people miss it, and I miss it as well, and I have music that I’m working on. It’s fun for me. I like songwriting. I wish I knew how to produce, I think it would make the process quicker for everyone, but I don’t. I’m just looking for a studio, and hopefully, within the next month or two, I should find something and have some sort of schedule.
Parmis: Do you plan on making music alongside YouTube, or is it the dream to be solely a singer?
Keisha: When and if I become an artist, I don't want to be talking about other artists and stuff. But it is a part of my past, and I don’t mind it. I think it’s funny. If anyone takes my videos too seriously, I’ve said this a million times, they’ve got a problem. It’s just lighthearted, it's a bit of banter, and let’s be honest, everyone kind of gossips about everyone. That’s why I don’t really feel too bad. But yes, I do want to eventually stop all of this and transition into being a full-on artist. But someone who’s taken seriously, not just like a YouTube artist, because there’s definitely a difference. I grew up listening to Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and some of the GOATs of pop and R&B. I would say within this generation, I really like Doja Cat, like I know everyone thinks she’s crazy, I don’t care. I like it, and I think it’s different. She’s never made a bad song, in my opinion. I like Miley Cyrus and all the famous pop girls like Ariana Grande, Nick Minaj, Summer Walker, and SZA– you can’t go wrong with SZA.
Parmis: How has your experience been as a Black woman in the commentary/pop-culture space on YouTube?
Keisha: Do you know what? If I’m being honest, not in a cocky way, but to be very truthful, I feel like before me doing commentary or rants on my channel, there was hardly any black girl in the commentary space. Maybe there was a person of color, but not a black girl, for sure. I was chatting to someone yesterday, and they said, “Keisha, before you, there wasn’t really anyone I felt represented by in the commentary world.” I thought, “Yeah, same.” I just did it for fun, and it kind of paid off, and now we’re seeing so many more creators. I’m not saying it’s down to me, but it’s nice to see a bunch of people who look like me.
It’s extremely hard, though, because when I feel a sense of injustice in regard to anything, I’m not saying it’s always down to race, but sometimes it can be. I don’t think YouTube always has my back. People might look at my thumbnails and say, “Oh, she’s a Black girl, I like this topic, but I don’t want it from her.” That’s why there was a time when I didn’t want to be in the thumbnails anymore. But now, it’s like, “Nah, it’s me. This is what I represent.” I wouldn't want a racist person to be attracted to my content anyways, so it is what it is.
It is hard. You just don’t feel like you’re getting nearly enough compared to someone who’s not of your race. I feel like sometimes my personality is more out there than the next person. I feel like I have a bit more to offer, not to say they’re not good. But I do think sometimes it’s down to my complexion.
Image Courtesy: YouTube
Parmis: You're always sporting a gorgeous, unique look in every video and Instagram post. Where do you draw your style inspiration from?
Keisha: In the beginning, it was everything about Rihanna. Anything she did, I wanted to replicate, from the hairstyles to the clothing pieces. Then, it got to a point where I didn’t want to look at just one person, so let’s take it back to maybe the 80s, like with some of my wigs. I'm not scared to have fun with fashion. It’s not that deep for me. There are some styles that I don’t feel I can pull off or are a bit more out there for me, but I’d put on anything. Anything that I feel matches, I just put on. Anything I feel comfortable in, too, because that’s really important. I always get compliments on [my style], and it’s nice.
Strike Out,
Parmis Etezady
Boca Raton
Parmis Etezady is a Content Writer for Strike Magazine Boca. In her free time, she likes to take groovy photos, go to concerts (or blast music in her bedroom), and obsess over vintage fashion. You can reach her at @parmisetez on Instagram or at petezady@gmail.com.
