Celebtivism – Evaluating the relationship between celebrity musicians and social justice
In a time where the cultural zeitgeist is soaked in uncertainty, two things we can always be sure to see in the media are social issues and celebrity news. Where the latter may have once acted as a form of escape from the real world, it feels as though the two are becoming increasingly difficult to separate.
But should celebrity musicians be involved in social justice, and do people really care about the role their favourite singers play in striving for a better world to live in?
PROTEST MUSIC
Before the age of social media and constant celebrity press, musicians often relied on their music to convey their discontent with social ills.
A person’s opinion on whether or not musicians should be political often depends on what they believe the chief priority of artistic endeavours should be. Some think that singers exist just to sing, and their only responsibility is to make music that people enjoy. To others, art is one of the most effective tools in mobilising social change.
Across the world, protest music dates back to the early 20th century, spanning all sorts of genres and causes. Notable celebrity singers known for protest music in the United States include Bob Dylan and Nina Simone. Dylan’s music often acted as a vessel for his anti war beliefs, and Simone’s songs like “Mississippi Goddamn” were anthemic during the civil rights movement in the 60s.
With both hailed as generation defining talents, it’s difficult to think of a modern day equivalent. It’s not that today’s social issues are less pressing than centuries past, or even that musicians today don’t care as much. When discussing protest music, it would be remiss to not acknowledge the importance it has sustained in genres like folk, hip hop, and punk.
Question still stands, however, as to what today’s most prolific singers stand to gain or lose from linking themselves to social justice causes as inextricably as their predecessors have.
Photo via Unseen Histories on Unsplash
SWIFT ACTION
Currently the number one most streamed female artist in the world, Taylor Swift was once famous for shying away from engaging in anything that could be perceived as political. Avoiding questions about her voting habits meant that she could enjoy support from just about anyone. In 2016, it was even reported that neo-Nazis considered her an “Aryan goddess”.
In January 2020, Netflix released a documentary on Taylor Swift entitled Miss Americana. The documentary followed Swift as she decided to abandon her public political neutrality and use her platform to speak out about social issues in the lead up to the 2018 US midterm elections.
As a country singer with a substantial fanbase in southern, socially conservative parts of America, the documentary showed she was warned by her team about the consequences of alienating huge swathes of her fanbase with overt liberalism.
When Swift decided to post online of her support for the Democratic candidate in her home state of Tennessee, she also took aim at “racist, sexist, and homophobic” policies on the other aisle. In the 24 hours that followed, statistics showed that voter registration among young people shot up by 65,000.
As well as this, Swift later petitioned the US Senate to support the Equality Act to codify protection for LGBTQ+ people against discrimination into law. Her petition gained over 800,000 signatures, and caused the Trump administration to respond directly. This telegraphs the influence the biggest stars can have on social issues when they use the platform they’ve gained through their music.
Fans of Taylor’s, colloquially known as Swifties, have shared a range of opinions about her evolution as it relates to activism and politics. I spoke to Dana, a self professed Swiftie and leftist, who shared with me how she feels about this.
Growing up listening to her music, Dana found that she started becoming aware of social issues around the time Taylor started speaking out. She found it to be a relief.
“It is nice to know that she has similar views to me, because I don’t think I would feel comfortable supporting someone who didn’t stand up for human rights. And it feels silly to say I’ve learned things about social justice from a popstar, but for example when she called for statues of slave owners in Tennessee to be taken down, it sent me down an educational rabbit hole.”
On whether or not she feels Swift does enough, Dana is unsure. “I feel like her activism has been really uneven. When she does go for things she can really make a difference. But I sometimes wonder why she’ll be so anti sexism when male musicians accuse her of not writing her songs, but not say anything about the stripping of reproductive rights in this country.”
In shedding her sheepish skin in the tail end of the 2010s, Taylor Swift may not have been aware of the expectation she’d be placing on herself going forward. Dana feels that it is perfectly fair.
“This is a nuanced conversation, I think. People can say she’s just one person and her job is just to write songs. And I’m not naive enough to think she has the power to change the world just because she’s my favourite singer.”
“But I also think that saying she’s just one person is a copout. Because most people aren’t set to become billionaires in the next few months and don’t have ridiculous emissions from travelling in their private jets. I can love her songs and also believe that her privilege and platform give her a bigger responsibility to do what’s right, and do it publicly to lead by example.”
ART OVER ARTIST
Not all music fans feel the same way, though. Nile, a pop music fan from Pennsylvania, told me how he doesn’t believe the political in/activity of musicians he listens to reflects on his character.
“I hear all the time the idea that there’s no ethical consumption under capitalism, and I don’t think media consumption is any different. Going out of my way to make sure I only listen to singers whose beliefs align with what I think is right would be so time consuming and pointless. Beyonce makes great music. How is me listening to great music doing anything to anyone’s rights?”
Here, he is referring to the recent controversy Beyonce found herself embroiled in following a performance in Dubai. Another music industry titan, the singer’s most recent album was infused with elements of house, disco, and R&B as a tribute to her late Uncle Johnny – a queer man who passed from AIDS. At the most recent Grammy Awards, she dedicated the album to the LGBT community in his honour.
The controversy was that she reportedly accepted $24 million to perform for state officials at a hotel opening in the UAE, a country where homosexuality is punishable by death. While some called her out for hypocrisy, some fans like Nile are indifferent to the discourse.
“At the end of the day, celebrities operate on an entirely different plane of existence to us. Just like I’ll never understand their lives, they don’t seem to be grounded in the same reality as me. And so I don’t hold them to the standard I would for people I know. Sometimes it’s even better when they don’t express their views at all.”
But is there a line for Nile? “I feel like when the whole Kanye [West] anti semitism stuff happened it put me off his music. It’s arbitrary but that’s just one example of a time where I can’t separate the art from the artist and it left a bad taste in my mouth.”
The opposing stances of those I spoke to feels symptomatic of a society of differences. And one in which there is certainly no way to please everybody. If famous musicians all became more social justice minded, they’d no doubt be told to shut up and sing. If they disengage with the real world entirely, there will always be those chastising them for not using their voices effectively.
Music and social justice have a longstanding and dynamic relationship that will continue to evolve through time. Though they may once have been able to get away with neutrality, today’s most famous musicians almost have to consider their worldview as part of their branding. Whether you look at their actions through the lens of social justice or simply consider their personal marketing, their capacities to help and harm are both significant.
Leave a Reply