Wars, social injustice, climate catastrophe: can we deal with pop now? In her first column, Aida Baghernejad says: you have to!
Guys, what kind of days are we living through? I actually wanted to start this column with a cheer, leftover confetti from New Year’s Eve and a good mood. Hey, new year, new luck, right? Everything can only get better. But to be honest, I’ve really lost my champagne mood in the last few days: the Middle East conflict shows no end, but there is still war going on in Sudan, Yemen and Ukraine, people are dying senselessly, racism, anti-Semitism and all other forms of misanthropy are spreading continues, the climate does not stop changing and social injustice continues to be a trend.
At the same time, Nazis are having nice events dinner rounds, in which they sometimes organize to deport people from the country when they are in power. Everything would be enough for me, to be honest, but to make matters worse, the immediate future doesn’t look particularly rosy: there are state elections in Germany in the autumn and right-wing parties are racing from poll high to poll high, the entire EU is voting for the European Parliament again, in which more right-wing forces could find their way in, Russia is also simulating elections again, in Austria Herbert Kickl, a fan of right-wing extremist slogans, wants to become chancellor, parliamentary elections from Bangladesh to Uruguay are being prepared and oh yes, hey, do you remember Trump?
Ugh.
How can you talk about pop at this time? About bouncy songs and groovy hooks? About Taylor Swift’s latest boyfriend and Olivia Rodrigo’s concert tickets? About glitter and grime and punk shows in basements and on huge stages? About whether pop-punk really has a revival again (yes, but it’s almost over again) or whether Y2K aesthetics are disappearing again (no, not yet)?
Pop is the stage on which we negotiate
Hey, to be honest: you not only can, you have to. Because pop is the stage on which we negotiate what kind of world we want, what dreams we have and what values are so relevant in society. And these are not necessarily the ones that the majority of society promotes, in a positive or negative sense. Pop is Kim Petras’ self-empowerment, but also her producer’s alleged abuse of power over other artists. Pop is the feminist reggaeton of Ivy Queen and the rejection of masculinity clichés of Bad Bunny, but also the success of regressive gender stereotypes on Tiktok and Co.
The world is messy, and that is also reflected in the pop world. These are tendencies like the monopolization of capital: ticket companies and giant superstars like Taylor Swift or Beyoncé charge moon prices for their shows – but at the same time they also steal audiences from smaller venues, organizers and artists. But political debates, such as the current Middle East conflict, are also continuing in pop – and not just since October 7th. In recent years it has already become a political statement whether one would play a concert in Israel, like Radiohead, – or join the BDS campaign, like the association “DJs for Palestine”, which focuses on artists like Peggy Gou already exerted pressure to cancel performances in Tel Aviv in 2018. However, at gigs in Saudi Arabia, China or at private parties of oligarchs and dictators, things often remain quite quiet. Funny.
How do we deal with the simultaneity of things?
How do we deal with messiness? With the simultaneity of things? How do we deal with the fact that several things can be true at the same time? Especially in a world like that of pop, in which emotions, feelings evoked by music and lyrics and community are the most important currency – that is, in addition to money, more and more money to even get entry to the shows and clubs ?
Allowing yourself to be overwhelmed, embracing messiness, and allowing multiple things to be true at once would be the first step. And the most important one. Because especially in pop we know best that clarity is not really available. Whether it was David Bowie’s gender expression or the fact that he could equally be a shining light of pop, as well as his behavior with underage groupies was at least morally questionable, if not completely transgressive and worthy of punishment from today’s perspective. Or that a politically extremely problematic guy like Kid Rock is also one of the most stable when it comes to protecting his fans from ticket rip-offs. Or that a Nicki Minaj or Cardi B can be naked and self-determined at the same time. And a Lizzo can be just as important a voice for self-love and recognition as she can also be a seemingly not so great employer. It’s all true at the same time. And taking this feeling with us into all our political and social debates, at home, with our friends and family, in the media or just in our own thinking when we form our opinions, can help us cope with the big shitshow out there to become. Somehow.
The world is burning and so is pop. It’s the end of the world as we know it – but I don’t feel fine. But the next dance floor isn’t far. Anyway.