Prime Video's new horror series Swarm bears a remarkable resemblance to certain singers and events in recent years, at least in some aspects.
The show was created by Donald Glover and Janine Nabers and in it, Dominique Fishback plays Andrea "Dre" Greene, a music fan who becomes increasingly obsessed with her favorite singer and who will go to greater, ever darker lengths to gain her favor.
There are a number of ways in which Dre's story and that of singer Ni'Jah (Nirine S. Brown) bring to mind another iconic musician with a fanbase whose name is similar to "swarm." Here is everything you need to know.
How Beyoncé and a Cult Inspired 'Swarm'— The True Stories Behind Show
Ni'Jah and her Swarm fanbase will likely bring Beyoncé and her Beyhive to mind for some viewers, and this is because the show does take inspiration from them.
At the show's premiere, Glover joked with the Single Ladies hitmaker's fanbase: "I am so happy that you guys are here, able to enjoy this, and... Beyhive: don't kill us. It's not that bad. It's actually, like, pretty cool."
Nabers has also spoken about the true stories that inspired the drama. She explained in an interview with Shondaland that the show was first inspired by a reaction that one fan had to Beyoncé's 2016 album Lemonade.
Speaking to Shondaland, she explained: "In April of 2016, Lemonade was released. On the same night, there was a rumor about a woman named Marissa Jackson who committed suicide after watching this visual album because it basically confirmed that a very powerful man was cheating on one of the most incredibly beautiful and successful pop stars of our time."
Nabers explained that, at the time, people began criticizing the woman's apparent reaction to the Lemonade album on social media.
She added: "It was a little bit of the catalyst to this show, and that's when I researched all the crazy stories that we've heard online or that have existed in the real world revolving around this particular musician and how could we bring those issues to life and make them our own."
As well as the story, some of the show's cast and crew have ties to Beyoncé. Chlöe Bailey, for example, is signed to the Crazy in Love singer's label Parkwood. Co-creator Glover is also good friends with Beyoncé.
Aside from Beyoncé, another source of inspiration for the show was the NXIVM cult, which Keith Raniere founded. Raniere was arrested in 2018 and later found guilty of multiple offenses, including racketeering and sex trafficking, for which he is serving 120 years in prison.
Billie Eilish's character Eva and her cult are inspired by NXIVM, Nabers confirmed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
"There is a cult that existed in the world that was very prominent during that time," Nabers told the publication.
She added" "And that is the kind of true-crime element to that episode. And I think that when people think of the idea of artists or celebrities, there is this idea of thinking about the cult of Taylor Swift, or the cult of the Beatles or whatever.
"What we were really interested in was just seeing someone who worships at the altar of 'something,' and (exploring) this idea of what is the cult of the mind."
Swarm is out on Prime Video now.
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About the writer
Roxy Simons is a Newsweek TV and Film Reporter (SEO), based in London, U.K. Her focus is reporting on the ... Read more
