With just six weeks until a new president takes office, many in the country music creative community realize they have a role to play.
During his first administration, Donald Trump Causing trouble for those exercising their First Amendment right to free speech is scary—such as threatening to revoke television licenses for negative coverage and calling for federal investigations
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In his second administration, Trump and some of his Cabinet nominees have vowed to retaliate against his perceived enemies, including journalists whose coverage he deemed inappropriate. Some former White House staffers and advisers say Trump desires to rule as a dictator.
Songwriters, artists, and musicians—journalists, for example—make a living delivering messages, and many are aware that, on some days, they may be led to create music that seems to be the opposite of the thin-skinned rulers. Do they edit themselves and jump to the next topic? Or do they stand up and have their say?
composer Dan Wilsonwho co-wrote Chris Stapleton“White Horse,” which won Single of the Year and Song of the Year from the Country Music Association, is familiar with the problem. He has been with chicksco-wrote the Grammy-winning song “Not Ready To Make Nice” after they were pushed out of the national mainstream for criticizing the then-President. George W. Bush and the Iraq War.
“As I’ve experienced firsthand in the past, criticizing the president can be a fraught and dangerous thing to do,” Wilson said on the red carpet before the CMA Awards. “In general, doing what artists do, which is pointing out things that other people aren’t talking about, can be a dangerous thing, but I don’t think that’s going to stop.”
Most songwriters, especially country music songwriters, don’t discuss political topics in their work on a regular basis. When asked in recent weeks how Trump’s return to the White House might affect their art, many creators have dismissed the topic, saying they are apolitical or unwilling to speak publicly about the issue.
But others are particularly sensitive to the topic. In the past, Trump has incited his followers to intimidate his critics, and many see his return to office as a threat to their personal freedoms and possibly even their safety. Artists have become acutely aware of the potential reactions of audiences and media gatekeepers.
“You always think about those things,” Phil Vassar Get noticed on the ASCAP National Awards red carpet. “You’re writing songs – ‘Can I say this in a song?'”
Under normal circumstances, songwriters raise this issue to avoid commercial and/or artistic repercussions. But in authoritarian regimes, speech is tightly protected, creating additional emotional barriers. In Russia, people are notoriously reluctant to speak ill of senior government officials. Vladimir Putin Imprisoned artists whose music opposed his rule. In Afghanistan, music has been completely outlawed.
“Art is scary because art makes people see themselves,” Roseanne Cash she said Dec. 4 at a party for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s new exhibit, “Rosanne Cash: Time is a Mirror.” “In a larger sense, art is inherently political, it changes people and awakens them.”
Not everyone sees the incoming administration as a threat. Jason’s side, Chris Jensen and Brian Kelly Everyone attending the Republican convention in July, plus Big Loud artists Lauren Watkins Hopefully “we will have more freedom of speech”.
at the same time, Julie WilliamsA biracial queer artist is already worried about being canceled by emboldened conservatives under the Trump administration. The day after the election, she didn’t believe she had the ability to attend a show celebrating her new EP on November 7, tennessee moon. But the audience’s reaction helped her realize that her song might become even more important over the next four years.
“For me, when I have the opportunity to get on stage and sing songs about growing up in the South or my queer journey, it makes me feel like I have a little bit of control, a little bit of power, over what’s going on in the South and the world. ,” she said on the CMA Awards carpet. “While I can’t change what’s going on at the national level right now, in my shows I can help create an environment where people feel like they belong, where they feel like they’re loved, and just share my story and hopefully the audience will Hear your own voice.
It’s not just songwriters and artists who realize they have a calling. Find the founder of Sound Media Betsy ParsonsSpecializing in management and PR for female and minority artists, is encouraging her acts – including Sarabeth Tate and Fimone — authentically expressing themselves through their art. She plans to do it herself.
“I will not remain silent,” Parsons said on the CMA Awards carpet. “I’m not going to sit down and play by your rules. I’m going to break your rules. I’m going to create the world I want to see. Not everyone has the ability to do that, but thankfully, I do, This is the future I want to see for country music and the world.
For many artists, the mission of the new administration was not to confront but to bring disparate people together. willie nelson They did this by appealing to cowboy, college and hippie audiences with their country music in the mid-1970s. today, wars and treaties, Charlie Worsham, Free for families, frank ray and Nico Moon Designed to serve as a bridge between communities.
“I’m tired of being on any team, and I’m ready to talk to people — especially those I disagree with — and better understand their plight,” Worsham said on the CMA carpet. “I think country music is perfect for expressing this moment.”
Moon is equally committed to bringing “love and positivity into the world.”
“We live in strange times,” he said, “but that doesn’t mean we have to be strangers. We are more alike than we are different.
That said, if Trump follows through on the Plan 2025 agenda, as many fear, it could embolden his most ardent supporters, who have sometimes resorted to violence — as in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2016 or on Jan. 6 Day, to give two examples, the Capitol was attacked in 2021. In such an atmosphere, it is easy for beleaguered cultural groups to withdraw from public space. But more importantly, openly gay country artist Chris Houseman Say, let creatives speak. He admitted he fell into a mini-slump after the election and admitted he was one of the Americans considering leaving the country. But he’s not going anywhere.
“I get a lot of inspiration and motivation from challenging things, uncertainty and discomfort,” Hausman said on the CMA carpet. “Right now, in the South and across America, it feels like ground zero. If everyone leaves, if all queer people leave, then it’s not going to change anything. So I’m just trying to tap into that motivation and inspiration.
Going against a dictator is uncomfortable. But staying silent also has consequences. as thomas jefferson points out that “all tyranny, in order to take hold, requires the silence of men of conscience.” Creatives who self-censor to avoid controversy may make their lives a little easier in the short term, but in the long run, They also don’t make much of an impact. Artists who have stood up in the past – e.g. bob dylan, Woody Guthrie, bob marley and Johnny Cash — influenced the era in which they made the music, but they also helped improve future generations’ understanding of their time.
“A lot of the reason we’re able to remember fascists and dictators is because of the work of creative people, because of the work we do in documenting things from their true perspective,” said the founder of Supreme Republic Entertainment. britney bostonwhose clients include rapper German DAX Index and country singer Carmen Diane. “I think it’s so important as an artist right now to write honestly and from the heart because a lot of people would be afraid to do that and people are going to crave that authenticity.”
If nothing else, with Trump taking office threatening retaliation, the creative class has an opportunity. When an artist or songwriter has something to say but holds it back to avoid censorship, they undermine their freedom. Those who refuse to self-censor their work often find a greater sense of empowerment, even as they continue the tradition of free speech enshrined in the Constitution.
“You’ve discovered the limits of your courage, haven’t you?” Roseanne Cash retorted. “Let’s leave it at that.”
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