For me, one of the strangest phrases to gain popularity in the past few years has been “Not everything is political.”
This isn’t to say I don’t understand the sentiment. I think today, more than ever, we yearn for an escape from our real lives, for something separate from the hardship and misfortune that seem to be a constant for everybody. But (and this is a very big but), just because we wish for our escapes to be isolated little islands where we can find solace doesn’t mean they truly are.
One of the biggest events of the summer was Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields Festival. It was inspired by events like Lilith Fair, and its all-female lineup included the likes of Doechii, Mitski, and Santigold, to name a few. It had a really beautiful and clear aesthetic centered around a sort of ’70s vibe, with lots of florals, pastels, and advocacy buttons. But what I found most interesting was the festival’s mission statement and its focus on philanthropy.
The statement clearly outlines its goals of educating, advocating, and inspiring people to take action around women’s issues. This is especially relevant considering most of Rodrigo’s and the other artists’ audiences are made up of young girls and women. What really backs up these words, though, is the $20 million raised for the festival’s non-profit partners.
While this has been her biggest case of political advocacy, it is definitely not the first time that she has used her platform to make stance known. Even though much of her audience is young, that doesn’t seem to have stopped her. In fact, one of the first times she took a political stance was her performance of Allen’s 2009 hit song “Fuck You” at Glastonbury Music Festival that she dedicated to the U.S. Supreme court after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. During the performance, she explicitly named every justice that voted in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade.
More recently, she responded to the Department of Homeland Security’s use of her song “all-american bitch” in a social media video of ICE officers detaining and deporting people. In response, Rodrigo called the video “racist, hateful propaganda,” telling them to never use her songs again. Time and time again, like in this dazed interview, she has stood her ground in using her platform and explained that part of her reasoning for doing so is directly connected to her being an artist.
All of this is to say that she has a clear pattern of behavior rather than spurious or random action. She has consistently made it clear that issues like reproductive rights, women’s equality, and fair treatment are important to her both as an artist and as a person. In doing so, she has made it clear to the public and her fans that you cannot consume her art without also thinking about her intentions behind it. Instead of alienating fans, it seems that these choices have worked in her favor and helped cultivate a community of fans who appreciate her efforts. I think it’s important to compare the success of Daisy Chain Fields with other recent instances of artists receiving hostility rather than support.
Around early September, Macklemore was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s tour after playing his song “Hinds Hall” and making pro-Palestinian remarks. After his removal, fans and other artists were outraged. That isn’t the end of it, though. In fact, the tour’s openers all dropped out in support of Macklemore, leaving Sheeran’s team in a scramble to fill in the lineup. The major issues seem to be that he was dropped because of his pro-Palestinian remarks and that, in a statement he posted in response, Sheeran explained why he never uses his professional platform for politics. I think that also comes down to a word Sheeran used in that same statement: “escapism.” How do we decide when something is separate from the real world while also being shaped by it?
It’s important to think about what art we are consuming and what artists we are supporting. Daisy Chain Fields showed us that there is still a space for artists to talk about issues that are relevant to them and their fans. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that we’re heading toward a world where speaking out about relevant political issues is becoming an expectation rather than something that invites condemnation.