The relationship between music and politics
A project by Chandni Sembhi
Young labour and conservative voters - what do they think?
What about young music fans? Are they actually influenced? Is this whole project a farce?
Well, I chatted to two politically involved young people: Becca, a 19-year-old Labour supporter; and Tom, a 21-year-old Conservative supporter. Both are music lovers, but they have differing views about how music and politics have interacted in the last few years.
Conservative tom v labour becca
Would you be more likely to support a musician if
their political views match yours?
I wouldn't personally. I think celebrities and musicians today are entitled to their own
opinion, just as I'm as entitled to disagree with them. If I agree with them, then I'll
maybe say I like them a little bit more, but
equally, if they think elsewhere, you've just gotta respect it. You’ve got to follow them
for the reason that you follow them, which
is their music, not for their politics.
Personally, I would not be more likely to vote a certain way based on a musician as I would rather rely on my own political instinct. But I can understand why people do. When musicians come out in support for parties, I probably wouldn't change my vote based on that. However, I think Stormzy had a massive effect because he not only speaks for the youth, but for underrepresented black communities as well, which he consciously speaks up for. This may have had a lot of impact for that reason too.
Would you stop supporting a musician with opposing views OR BE MORE inclined to vote a certain way based on a musician with open views?
Unless they start singing “Oh, Jeremy
Corbyn” in their songs, no probably not. I
followed them for their music, and not for
the politics, and that's how I see it. I think
other people might think differently, but
that's just me.
​
As I said, follow a musician for their music, not their politics. I wouldn't vote based on a musician's inclination.
It would make me question their values if they came out as Tory. However, I would not stop listening to them unless they were extreme in their views. Morrissey is very right wing and it has put me off him yet does not stop me
listening to the Smiths... Also, I'll scream some Take That any day!
​
I'm someone who is politically aware, I wouldn't necessarily let a musician with different views influence me - but for a young person who doesn't already have a lot of prior political knowledge, I can see why someone might choose to vote a certain way based on the views of someone they admire.
Do you think it’s easy for young people to just follow the opinions of
celebrities they like, rather
than getting informed themselves?
I think it's easy for anybody to follow
anybody else, without being informed. People, especially young people, idealize the people that they follow, and it can become really easy to set a trend.
Because obviously if you're a celebrity,
you've got power over a big group of
people, and people are like sheep,
including me sometimes. I think people can be inclined to follow what their idols want them to follow, and what they believe in. I think that they can also encourage people to look into the facts a bit more and read about things. If celebrities do that a bit more I think instead of encouraging one
particular political view, they should just
encourage reading the facts, and people
having their own beliefs.
Potentially young people can be swayed
easier as they are stereotypically more easily
influenced yet not for the same reasons people think. Young people's politics is more single
issue based than values based, which is why young people are more likely to campaign on one issue like fox hunting, which I remember musicians coming out against. Music can be a voice for the anti-establishment disaffected youth so they can try to project their hopes and dreams onto musicians who can influence them.
What do you think of Corbyn's
Glastonbury speech?
Do you think that influenced the
election at all?
I think it was excellent for him. I think it was a brilliant move. Theresa May doesn't
really have the same kind of apparel to do something like that, and obviously Corbyn
is immensely popular with young voters
anyway. He’s popular with young people,
and going to Glastonbury, to a major event like that definitely helped him. It's not
difficult to see why, but I think it would be
difficult for any Conservative to do
something like that - maybe Jacob Rees
Mogg could get away with it - but I think it was a brilliant move and I think he
influenced a lot of people. But most of the
crowd knew he was coming as well, so I
think it was kind of half his followers buying Glastonbury tickets knowing he would
actually be at the festival, and then
obviously the other half kind of following
the rest of the crowd enjoying it, maybe not knowing about who it was or his
appearance.
Corbyn is easy for musicians to support as he represents all that they protested against
during the Blair years e.g. 'electioneering by Radiohead', and Blur and Jamie T on the Iraq war protest. It's very easy for them to latch
onto him. He is very idealistic, which
musicians generally are. I don't think Corbyn going to Glastonbury changed much, as most who go to Glastonbury are left wing, but the
images of him on a packed field and his
appearance at The Libertines’ gig, gave him
the appearance of the Musicians’ hero. Also, at The Libertines’ gig, he talked of the need to invest in music which musicians that have
worked hard yet haven't got their break,
would appreciate. The music industry has
become very elitist and middle class. Working class bands of the 90s would struggle now, I can see that being a reason to be enthused by Corbyn.
Why do you think musicians are more
likely to come out as Labour than
Conservative?
It's up to the individual celebrities that have power if they want to come out in support
of a particular political party, but they need to understand that they going to maybe
lose followers, or maybe gain followers. But it's always dangerous when you mix your
profession, which is obviously music, with
your personal beliefs, which is what politics is. If you market yourself as more of a
politician than a musician, I think it would put people off more than it would attract
people.
Musicians are more likely to come out as Labour for a few reasons. Music usually goes against the establishment, you'd never hear a song like 'the government is great'. The Conservatives are the defacto party of
government. It's always suited the music industry to be anti-establishment and thus,
pro-labour. I'd also argue musicians are more left-wing. It's a stereotype but artsy people are generally more idealistic,
advocating change and progression.
The Labour party has also always been more committed to the arts and have a stronger belief in it providing a value to children and have historically invested in it more. The Conservatives are more interested in
traditional methods of academia and pay
less attention to the arts.
Do you think there’s any danger of
people blindly following musicians rather than getting informed themselves?
There's a danger of anybody blindly
following anybody about anything. It
happens all the time. There's a massive
danger. People should always make sure
they know the facts, and not just do
something because someone’s telling them
to. Fair enough if it's an introduction, but do your own research. I can't really say anymore on that.
It’s better that musicians are a gateway to
politics. I think there is definitely a danger. If
you take a musician like Billy Bragg, he makes great catchy songs, yet you have to take his music and question it. I personally don't agree with all of his opinions, same with Paul
Weller, but I love their music, so music can be a gateway to finding your own opinions on
certain issues. I think because they've been
able to release their songs, it can give the
views a virtuous legitimacy, like some
questionable books (they're published so you assume they're right). I'd advise young people to question everything!
Through talking to Tom and Becca, it seems like it's probably easier to be a Labour music fan than a Conservative music fan. Tom acknowledged that coming out as a Conservative might put off fans, and with the lack of openly Tory artists vs openly Labour it's easy to see why he wouldn't base his listening habits based on political views...
​
Although having said that, it's interesting to see that Becca, who is already a Labour supporter didn't think Corbyn's speech did as much as Tom thought, even though he's a Tory supporter. Perhaps if you're someone 'looking in' on Labour's takeover of the music scene in recent years it's more of a shock than someone who has observed the interactions between the Labour party and the arts for a while.
​
Both also agree that music should be more of a gateway than something to blindly follow when it comes to politics. For some young people, music may have been an introduction into the messy worls of UK politics, but then grew into research, and eventually the action of voting.
Whatever their differences are, there is no denying that Corbyn's appearance at Glasto was nothing short of legendary. OHHH, JEREMY CORBYN!