There are people who are blessed with good luck, and then there’s me. A girl who can somehow jinx a celebrity’s career just by showing up to their concert.
I wish I was kidding.
I should’ve known it was a curse back in July 2019, when I saw Ariana Grande on her Sweetener World Tour. The show was unreal, like floating inside a cotton candy cloud of high ponytails and whistle notes. And then, almost immediately, she got swept into about three controversies at once. People were accusing her of cultural appropriation during the “7 rings” era, dragging her for the “BBQ grill” tattoo mishap, and digging up the donut-licking video for the millionth time. Basically, the internet woke up and said, “Ariana? Cancelled.” And I was like, “OK.”
So it begins.
Then came Lizzo in October 2022. I had the time of my life. I was like, “This woman is unstoppable.” And then she was stopped, hard, when allegations came out about her mistreating and fat-shaming her dancers. Cute!
In 2024, I saw d4vd at Lollapalooza. And now, well, let’s just say things got a lot darker than an internet cancellation.
And honestly, I thought things might finally be turning around when I saw Chappell Roan at Lollapalooza. She was incredible — glitter, theatrics, vocals, the whole “drag princess pop star” fantasy. For once, I actually left a festival thinking, OK, maybe my curse has been lifted. And then she blew up, like, really blew up. Suddenly, she was everywhere, and people were arguing about her interviews, her political statements and her image. Basically, they were debating her existence because she got too successful too fast. I’m not saying I caused it, but at this point, the pattern is getting a little suspicious.
Oh, and I can’t forget Melanie Martinez. I saw her that same year, fully ready to disappear into her pastel fever-dream universe. The show was gorgeous, like watching a storybook melt into real life. And then, right on cue, the internet brought all the old conversations about her behavior back to the surface. And honestly, I get why people still talk about it — it’s serious stuff, and it doesn’t just vanish because someone puts out a new album. But of course, literally right after I saw her, the discourse came roaring back like it had been waiting for me to scan my ticket. At that point I was like, yeah, this cannot be normal. I’m definitely cursed.
By 2025, I should’ve learned my lesson. But no. I saw Tyler, The Creator headline Lollapalooza, and shortly after, the internet caught on fire over old KKK-themed photos and tweets. I felt like I needed to issue a public apology just for attending.
And to top it off, I got deep into a Kanye phase in high school right before he decided to go full Nazi. So at this point, it’s honestly impressive that any artist still lets me buy tickets.
After a lifetime of accidentally manifesting scandals, I started thinking about the bigger question underneath all this: Where’s the line between enjoying art and supporting an artist? And is it even possible to separate the two anymore?
We like to believe the answer is simple: that we’ll stop listening when someone does something unforgivable. But when the artist’s work has shaped whole seasons of your life, it gets messy. Sometimes even hypocritical. And it’s uncomfortable realizing that the songs that got you through heartbreak, exams or girlhood aren’t as uncomplicated as they used to be.
The truth is, “cancel culture” isn’t real in the way social media pretends it is. Artists can only be cancelled if they care. If they apologize, step back, and try to fix it. You can’t cancel someone who genuinely doesn’t feel bad and refuses to log off. Some people just keep going.
So, where does that leave the fans who are trying to have morals and enjoy their favorite artists at the same time?
For me, it comes down to intention. If listening to someone feels like I’m supporting harm, I step back. If their actions make the art feel gross or uncomfortable, I cut it off. But if the work itself means something to me in a separate, personal way, sometimes it’s harder. Sometimes I still listen. And I have to sit with that.
Maybe separating the art from the artist isn’t one big decision we all have to agree on. Maybe it’s a case-by-case, “what sits right with your conscience” basis.
But one thing’s for sure:
If your fave is about to get caught up in a scandal, check my Ticketmaster history first. Because honestly? It might be my fault.