Music micro-celebrities and the transformation of online attention: analysis of Carmen Boza’s branding strategy

This paper analyzes the success story of Carmen Boza as one of the pioneers in the field of musical microcelebrities in Spain, whose career began in 2007 with the rise of social media and has remained relevant despite profound changes in the communicative, digital, and cultural ecosystem. In this context, the key elements of the artist’s musical career, her personal brand, her use of microcelebrity practices, and her strategic engagement with social media to build a liquid musical concept—adaptable to various media and contexts—are examined. The study follows an exploratory methodology that includes a literature review, a structured interview with the artist, a quantitative analysis of her social media presence, and discourse analysis of her communication strategies. Particular attention is paid to how Boza’s artistic output and digital persona intersect in the creation of a cohesive narrative that resonates with diverse audiences. The research highlights how Boza has developed a timeless musical universe that continuously interacts with the evolving dynamics of digital attention, especially following the emergence of TikTok as a key platform for music discovery and fan engagement. It emphasizes the self-presentation techniques employed by the artist—such as the discourse of authenticity—and her ability to use social media strategically, maintaining a coherent, independent, and resilient career from its inception to the present day. It can be observed how the practice of musical micro-celebrity is configured not only as a new way of creating, promoting and disseminating content, but also as an alterna-tive to the development of a musical career outside the traditional industrial mechanisms.