The relationship between music and politics
A project by Chandni Sembhi
THE FACTS
Youth turnout began to die down in the early 90's - coincidentally when the relationship between music and politics in the UK also died down, and now that the relationship is growing stronger, so is the youth vote.
In 2017, the level of engagement in the youth in the UK improved, gaining the highest turnout in 25 years, at 64% according to an Ipsos MORI study. It was the highest number since the 67% turnout in 1992. It has reached similar engagement to before the 90s when musicians were also vocal in their disapproval of the government!
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When you're young (speaking as someone who until very recently was young) sometimes you just don't care about politics because everyone in the conversation seems old and nothing seems to matter to you (even though obviously it does- you just don't realise). Having musicians and people you actually engage with talk and sing about real political issues as a huge impact. Stormzy did bits for politics and that's a fact.
According to the electoral comission, the youth turnout in 2017 was 34.11% higher than 2015, after the turnout being fairly stable for the last few elections. 1.5 million people registered to vote between the 1st December 2016 and June 2017, and 15% of the turnout from the 18-25 year-old group were first time voters in 2017, despite being eligible to vote in the 2015 general election and EU referendum.
The high turnout in last year's election brought 18-24 year olds into line with the 25-34 and 35-44 year olds, ending the disproportionately low turnout and underrepresentation.
The youth vote was even high enough to remove Canterbury's Conservative seat, which had been a Tory seat for the last 30 years. A heavily student-populated town proved just how much of an impact youth votes can have.
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I chatted to John Street, a professor of politics at the University of East Anglia who has written papers on music and politics and their relationship throughout history. I racked his brains to find out what he thinks.
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Do you think there's a link between music and politics right now?
There is a link between music and politics, in the sense that musicians continue to use music to comment on, or protest about, aspects of life – most obviously in genres such as hip hop, grime and folk, but in rock too. It is also apparent that politicians continue to believe that musicians can help in soliciting votes, like Jeremy Corbyn with UB40, at Glastonbury, and with Grime4Corbyn.
How do you think the relationship between music and politics has changed from the 70s and 80s to now?
It has changed in many ways, but I would identify two trends – one to do with music, one to do with politics. The latter relates to the ‘cultural turn’ in politics, and the realisation that identity is a key driver of political engagement and interests. The use of music in social movements makes even more sense than it ever did.
The other trend – the musical one – is the ‘mainstreaming’ of music and musicians. Musicians are now recognised as speaking on behalf of ‘us all’, rather than disenchanted youth. This is part of the Live Aid effect, but it is also about the aging of the rock generation and the development of the music industry. I might add, though, that the ubiquity of music – as a stream – may diminish its significance as a source of power.
How much do you think music and musicians have affected politics in recent years?
It is really hard to know. Did the G8 leaders change their mind on developing country debt because of Live8, did more people vote for Corbyn because of Skepta, Stormzy etc? Probably.
What is it about music that gives it its influence?
Its sound – especially its rhythms. I think too much is made of lyrics as a source of influence. I think it’s the voice, sometimes more than the words, that moves people.
Do you think it's right for musicians to have such an influence in politics?
I think that there are risks when any non-elected, unaccountable people or groups get involved in politics. The NGOs were frustrated, I think, when Bono and Geldof came to dominate the development agenda. And I think Trump is enough to worry anyone about the ‘celebrity effect’ on politics!
Why do you think musicians are more likely to come out as labour than as conservative?
Artists tend to define themselves against the status quo and for change, which would tend to lead them to support reform rather than conservation.