The Social Responsibility of Singers

Amidst the blinding neon lights that dance between the corners of Radio City Music Hall, an abrupt white spotlight pierces through the ceiling and illuminates the center of the stage. In just five seconds, the screaming and bustling concert atmosphere fades into a silence so profound that even a sigh from the performer, Joshua Bassett, feels magnified. After performing upbeat songs back-to-back, Bassett contextualizes his transition to slower, more emotional music by opening up about his anxiety, self-hatred, and nearly fatal, stress-induced heart failure. Bassett’s voice cracks and trembles emphasize the severity of his emotional turmoil, garnering an unspoken sense of understanding from the audience. The following silence sends chills throughout my body as I can feel Bassett’s vulnerability in that moment, and my thoughts trace back to the rugged path he went through to finally feel safe opening up. 

Although the crowd cheered Bassett on during his sensitive moments this past summer, he has faced aggressive hate in recent years which has directly led to his mental health struggles. This began after January 2021, when singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo released her debut single, “Driver’s License.” In the track, Rodrigo reminisces on her old relationship after receiving the driver’s license that her previous lover helped prepare her for. Prior to the track’s release, Rodrigo’s fanbase speculated about a breakup between her and Bassett by proving the song’s relevance to their split using interviews in which the two had discussed driving. Rodrigo even references the “blonde girl” whom Bassett had briefly dated after the breakup. With over one billion total streams, the song captivated a massive audience, making the fan-speculated narrative hard to ignore. This narrative villainized Bassett as a cruel and sociopathic lover who was fully in the wrong. From life-threatening direct messages to offensive Saturday Night Live skits, Bassett rarely saw any support. This moment is a poignant reminder of how deep musical lyrics can cut. The root of Bassett’s displayed vulnerability lies in the hostility unleashed on him, following the release of a narrative that fans used to paint him as evil. It is crucial to recognize this issue as hyper-specific lyrics used by the media to spin a narrative.

Similarly, in 2020, Selena Gomez’s post-breakup album, Rare, included lyrics that detailed her relationship with singer Justin Bieber, and this prompted harmful digital speculation. A track on the song, “Lose You to Love Me,” is supposedly directed at Bieber. In the song, Gomez sings about how Bieber metaphorically “sang off-key in her chorus” and ultimately “tore [her] down.” This may have referred to an observed off-putting energy that Bieber expressed around Gomez, leading fans to believe he didn’t fully support or love her. Before the album’s release, fans were already spreading rumors about Bieber having cheated on Gomez with model Hailey Baldwin. In the eyes of fans, the release of Rare was a confirmation of their accusations. Fans went to X and Instagram to attack Bieber for his allegedly toxic behavior. Bieber has since spoken out about his harsh struggles with anxiety, depression, and loneliness that were exacerbated by such hate-ridden fame. Regardless of the validity of these song-based theories, consequential harassment puts immense pressure on celebrities to meet impossible standards and avoid mistakes, thus dehumanizing them and promoting the idea that they are meant to be flawless public figures.

Ultimately, this trend of releasing and unnecessarily contextualizing hyper-specific lyrics has become problematic, fueling a digital hate that severely impacts targeted celebrities’ health. Although the media heightens the problem, singers are at the core of the issue by unintentionally promoting this social dilemma, and they should be aware of the inadvertent messages their lyrics relay. If lyrics make obvious references that fans will likely take advantage of to confirm negative interpretations and villainize real people, the situation should be handled differently. After taking notice of any conflict circulating from these references, it is important for celebrities to utilize their platforms and outwardly advocate for more positive media by shutting down hateful speech and false rumors. When committing to a job as socially and digitally prominent as being a singer, each artist must recognize the inevitable nature of the media to bluntly speculate about others and jump at the mention of any drama. Artists do not necessarily need to craft in fear, but they should take responsibility for which messages they choose to put out, with the basic understanding that fanbases typically cannot control themselves. By either intentionally filtering out words that put blame on others or by using social media to shut down hatred that their songs promote post-release, artists can take a step to minimize the unnecessary speculation that could otherwise ruin someone else’s life. 

That said, changes in lyrics don’t need to be so dramatic that they compromise a song’s authenticity and vulnerability. For example, Rodrigo could have altered “that blonde girl” to “that one girl” or in another track of the album, changed the phrase “I read all of your self-help books” to “I read up on all your favorites.” This would convey the same story while avoiding narrow references to her situation with Bassett, thus reducing the content that fans could use to form or support harmful theories about him. While fans will always find reasons to be unhappy, these minor changes, alongside speaking out against online hate, would help celebrities minimize widespread conflict and take accountability for their music releases. 

Almost a year after the conflict started, Rodrigo herself confirmed that “all my songs are about me and my experiences and my feelings.” While this statement did not directly take responsibility for the hate Bassett suffered, it briefly acknowledged the wrong direction that fans had taken in response to her extremely particular lyrics. In affirming this idea, she reflected on the realization that this not only hurt other people, but also her career. The media generally ignored the meticulous craft and journey behind her songwriting and instead focused solely on the drama surrounding her work. By continuing to utilize her platform, Rodrigo could minimize hostility to further foster a digital space where her voice and songwriting capabilities are respected for their creativity rather than picked apart for worse. Other artists should follow this pattern and use platforms such as interviews or social media accounts—both could reach a large audience—to make even clearer statements regarding specific conflicts.

This intersection between music and personal stories, driven by social media’s consequential animosity, fosters a toxic digital environment and leaves detrimental stains on the involved artists’s welfare. It is imperative for artists to proactively mitigate these unintended consequences. In some cases, artists have already released broad statements that acknowledge the existence of such speculation. However, they still enable the circulation of threats and bullying, and thus they need to specify these messages by using direct and active language communicating that the media needs to stop. By speaking out against untrue theories, releasing disclaimers that preemptively call for minimal speculation, or initially rewriting lyrics, artists can take steps to prevent hyper-specific details from reaching fans and move away from giving into the vicious cycle of digital hate.