James Paradza is a Doctor of Music (Musicology) candidate at the University of Pretoria (UP), South Africa, under the supervision of Dr Hanli Stapela. He completed his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in Performing Art degrees (both with distinction) at UP. His doctoral research focuses on intersectionality in Beyoncé's music and how it is perceived by listeners in South Africa. James has been invited to present sections from his thesis at the 9th International Conference on Arts and Humanities 2022 and the 5th International Conference on Gender and Sexuality 2022. He has also presented a guest lecture at Hamilton College, USA. James currently supervises two master's students and serves as a reviewer on the postgraduate proposals committee of the UP School of the Arts: Music.