PUJA PATEL

Editor-in-chief, pitchfork

Puja has the power to make or break musical careers in a heartbeat. But instead she has been using her influential standing at Pitchfork to diversify their highly-regarded editorial offering: starting by reckoning with the #MeToo movement after only 6 months in her role.

What makes Puja’s profile more notable is that she’s one of the few women of colour in music journalism, as well as in the US media overall. She puts this down to her individuality and confidence, shaped by being both Indian and American. Her music career began after she cold-pitched New York’s then-biggest alternative newsweekly Village Voice: successfully landing herself a test assignment covering an electronic music festival, as well as Michael Jackson’s memorial. She later moved on to become editor at music magazine Spin, where she managed to boost its digital-only audience in her first year. Other industry publications her by-line has also appeared in include MTV, Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, and VICE. Alongside her current editorial duties, Puja can now also be found discussing music, emerging artists and news as podcast host of The Pitchfork Review.