Is Swarm a true story? We discuss whether the Amazon Prime Video series is based on actual events or whether it is fictional.
Swarm is a tale that many people may recognize because it isn't too far from actual events. Creators Donald Glover and Janine Nabers introduce a program to audiences that is familiar to many who have spent time on social media and are interested in militant fandoms and the danger they can posed.
Andrea Greene (or Dre), an obsessed music fan, takes their admiration of a pop star to an extreme. It's both a commentary on musical fandoms in general, but also a lesson on the toxic consequences.
Is Swarm based on a true story?
Swarm is similar to many musical fandoms, but it may be based on Beyoncé and her followers. Although it is not a true story, the disclaimer for each episode makes it abundantly clear that true events strongly inspire this piece of fiction.
Ni'Jah, the artist who plays Beyoncé, is a well-known character in the show. The Swarm is a subculture of Beyoncé fans, which goes after anyone who offends her. Beyhive fanbase is known for infiltrating people's comments sections with bee emojis, most likely followed by a sigh of "yes, we really stung that hater!"
Dre isn't a fan of anyone, nor are her actors in the show, but they're inspired by actual happenings from massive fandoms across the music world. She's exaggerating how some overzealous fans, or stans as they're known, get aggressive on social media.
Swarm is a show about Beyoncé followers for the most part. In one scene, Dre bites Ni'Jah, which is exactly what happened to Beyoncé during an after-party at a concert. In another, Dre attempts to meet her idol, similar to an incident during a concert in August 2018.
The creators of the show spoke with Den of Geek about the legalities involved in creating a fictional character based on Beyoncé's huge fandom.
"Everything that goes past Amazon is finely combbed through," Nabers said. "Obviously, Beyoncé is the most famous Black woman singer in the world. People will translate that onto the character, which is fine. But it's also really feeling. Beyoncé and Donald are also really good friends, so it's not like we're dumping anyone under the bus on this show."
Swarm isn't just aiming for Beyoncé's radical fan behavior, as it's also prevalent in other large fan bases, such as Korean pop group BTS and Taylor Swift.
Swarm is a thriller comedy about a person's obsession with her pop idol and how she goes too far. It follows Dre's sister Marissa and Chloe Bailey as she takes her love for popstar Ni'Jah to dark places.
While Dre isn't based on a true story, it's not a complete work of fiction. It's a look in the mirror about the state of some fandoms and a warning for people not to go too far. People aren't far from celebrities as audiences would like to believe.
