Some of the world’s best loved songs have been delivered at the hands of abusive, predatory musicians. So, the age-old question asks whether we can appreciate music just for what it is; or if a terrible human’s actions taint their talent.
As society is becoming increasingly self-aware, there is a growing platform for the cancel culture. According to Cambridge Dictionary, this cancel culture refers to behaviour that watches people ‘completely reject and stop supporting someone because they have said or done something that offends you’. This is becoming gradually more prevalent with the rise of social media such as Twitter and digs up past or present actions that are deemed inappropriate in our increasingly ‘woke’ generation.
As society is becoming increasingly self-aware, there is a growing platform for the cancel culture
These actions range on a sliding scale from mild mistakes to gross misconduct. The issue is in the challenge that we face in deeming how severe a musician’s error is, and what to do with that information.
Michael Jackson, Morrissey, Chris Brown. These are just three names that are guaranteed to raise eyebrows and turn up noses. Whilst the list could go on and on, musicians such as these have controversial cases against them. This begs the question as to whether we, as consumers, should feel guilty about listening to their music.
When asking this question, one of the age-old examples is Michael Jackson. Whether at a party or a club, if his songs are played, there is bound to be a debate as to whether we can truly separate the musician from their music. It is undeniable that songs such as 'Thriller' or 'Man in the Mirror' are
Back in 1993, allegations were brought about accusing the singer of child sexual abuse by 13-year-old Jordan Chandler. The case was swiftly settled one year later, however two more boys stepped forward after his death in 2009.
Whilst Jackson’s estate continues to deny the claims held against him, the possibility is enough to cause discomfort when listening to his music. If he was an abuser, then listening to an abuser’s song allows them into your own world.
Other musicians have come out and provided controversial opinions that may feel to go against their original fans. Morrissey is the prime example of this, as the old The Smiths singer voiced far-right views and was deemed a 'Nazi'.
There is a claim, however, that maybe we should just create distance from our musicians. Perhaps it is difficult to listen to a song without the weighted ammunition of a musicians' background, however sometimes it may be acceptable to listen to an isolated track. To listen in isolation is something that, as humans, we probably struggle to do.
Of course, not all musicians have to have done something wrong. We all have that one artist that really grinds our gears. For me, Robbie Williams will never be able to do right. However, my emotions towards Williams certainly will not stop me from belting out ‘Angels’ or ‘She’s the One’ at parties or club nights. This then raises the question as to whether we should try to leave the musician out of the picture.
Whilst we may want to distance ourselves from controversial musicians, there is a high potential that listening to their music may cause at the least discomfort and at the most trauma. Being self-aware is potentially the most important aspect to this whole debate.