Whilst I was in Memphis I became a reporter for The Daily Helmsman newspaper for one semester. The University print newspaper had daily editions in both digital and print formats distributed across the city.
The Daily Helmsman
The Daily Helmsman
Music in politics: Do we have the right to free speech?
By Luke Chapman
The layout of opposing sides arguments are generally: A. Musicians aren’t politicians, therefore they need to keep their ore out of what they don’t know. Conversely, those in the spotlight such as musicians have a platform of which a lot of people don’t, it goes without saying this can be used in a very positive way, or negative. From my standpoint as a musician, I strongly believe our music and the platforms which come with the music should be utilised greatly. They can be used to make such a positive impact on the world which most of us seek to change in some way. The majority of my music and projects seek to convey a stand point, or opinion on todays society, or to make an impact in some area of the world. Although I don’t reach millions, I take pleasure knowing that there is a platform I can use to try and make a change and improve peoples lives, even in some minuscule way. One of the main reasons I wish to build my platform, is to try and make a difference, and to be able to take a stand for what I believe in. For me this is one the main points of being a musician and I believe only fools wouldn’t use their status to benefit others.
Lily Allen seems to always be in the limelight broadcasting about her political activism, wether it be battling Piers Morgan on Twitter (who isn’t), or making an appearance on BBC Breakfast. She made huge splashes back in 2016 when she visited a refugee camp in Calais. The “Fuck you” singer filmed part of her ordeal, whilst “apologising for the whole nation”. This caused a lot of backlash with the people, and many went on to criticise the singer, firstly for taking an interest in not just her album, but something else, and also for apologising on behalf of millions. Although there are indeed fools in this country who do not see the issues with refugee camps, perhaps apologising for an entire nation wasn’t the best idea, but she did something, and for that reason I applaud Allen. Time after time she has been challenging the tabloids, speaking out against racism, sexism, homophobia, and so much more. I know this is a very opinionated view, but she is taking a stand and getting across to millions thats its wrong to hate foreigners, or that sexism is such a prominent problem STILL. This is exemplified by her hit “hard out here”, the feminist smash reached the charts as part of her “Sheezus” album. She’s doing amazing, so people need to cut her some slack, and stop penalising her career for making a positive change for others.
On the other end of the spectrum, theres Kanye West’s recent ramblings. In the last week he’s visited Trump at the Whitehouse to show his undying support for America’s president. A lot came from this meeting (Including finding out West’s phone password, 000000 for those who want to know), other then a huge sweary rant about anything and everything political, Kanye essentially said that he will continue to show his support for Trump and disregard the backlash he’s faced from the public. And controversially, good on him. I am by no means a Trump fan/supporter, but West is, and he’s using the platform he has to try and stand up for the politics he believes in, in his own deluded way, he believes what he is doing is benefiting the American people and he believes he’s doing good. Everyone has their right to their opinions, and in the same way Lily Allen should be allowed to back feminism across the globe, why cant West stand up for what he believes in. When Katy Perry backed Hilary Clinton for president, there was little controversy, so why is it different for West and the opposition, yes the views are more extreme, but its his political right.
I honestly believe musicians can achieve greatness and change from their platforms, Beyonce has recently been named the most powerful woman in music. Throughout her career she has continuously stood up for feminism, and opposed police brutality (especially with some moving images from Lemonade) as well as combatting racism. All of these factors have placed her as the most influential and powerful female in the music industry, and I think this epitomises the need for doing good. As well as this, Taylor Swift made the news recently for expressing her first ever political opinion to the public, although this maybe a bit late in her career, the impact she had from this one statement was huge. There was a large spike in people registering to vote which is incredible! If more musicians were able to do things such as this, how much of an impact would it have on our political system?
I genuinely and whole heartedly believe that musicians should be more aware of the influence they have on their fans. Bad actions have an impact on so many people in the same way that good actions can make a world of difference. If every musician, social influencer, model or actor took a stand and did something to benefit a cause they believed in, the world could be a totally different place, who knows? Theres only one way to find out, go make a difference.
Previous article
Blog Home
Next article
Politics is in the news 24/7, and more recently politics has become ever more intertwined within the music realms for a variety of reasons. Taylor Swift, Kanye West, Beyonce, Lily Allen and more have all been brought into the spotlight after crossing from their music careers into politics. Some for good, and some for bad reasons, but at the end of the day, should music be intertwined with politics, or should singers just remain singers and stay out of affairs they’re not involved in?