2018 Grammys: Misogyny and Racism Abound

The Grammy Awards represent the politics of the music industry; a spectacle of misogyny, racism, and façades. This ceremony treats music like a product, instead of an art form, which is evident given who received awards this year.

Lorde, the only female artist nominated for Album of the Year, was not given the chance to perform. Every male artist nominated was given a spot. Naturally, a lot of people noticed and criticized Neil Portnow, Recording Academy President, for not including her. His response to the mountain of criticism was despicable, “[Women need] to step up because I think they would be welcome.” This got a number of responses from women in the music industry including P!nk who tweeted, “Women in music don’t need to ‘step up’ — women have been stepping since the beginning of time.” In 2017 a USC study found that women represent 16.8% of the industry, but only 9.3% of total nominations were given between 2013 and 2018. The Recording Academy is clearly biased towards men and needs to take a step out of the past. Your time is up Neil Portnow—how will you respond next year?

In the entire history of the Grammys only 10 black artists have won Album of the Year. Lamar took home four Grammys for DAMN., but did not receive this prestigious award presumably because it is a hip-hop record. His record is a masterful collection of art that pushes the envelope for hip-hop, social justice, and story-telling. Could you say the same about 24K Magic?

Another big failure of the night is Alessia Cara beating SZA for Best New Artist. This comes as no shock seeing as Cara’s music has the same pop-infused formula of the Taylor Swift ilk, whereas SZA’s contains a sonic journey with incredible grooves, lyrics that are deeply personal, melodies that you’ll sing all day, and crisp production. This pattern is omnipresent in the history of this award ceremony. It’s time to stop supporting this racist and misogynistic platform.

I support Kendrick, SZA, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Janelle Monáe, Chance the Rapper, Kanye, Frank Ocean, and Lorde. Kendrick pushes cultural boundaries with music a way that invites us to engage with our privilege. SZA is a force of vulnerability—openly addressing misogyny and racism in creative and open ways. I support Lorde, Kesha, and Lady Gaga, who have made a profound impact although they’ve faced misogyny, oppression, and objectification.

The Grammys have a terrible history of silencing or lessening the impact of women and people of color. Can we celebrate cultural impact over fame? The music industry celebrates money over artistry, but shouldn’t it be the other way around?  

Joe George and the Commitment to Collaborate

Joe Shadid, also known as Joe George, is embarking on a journey where he will release one song every month of this year. It will involve Chicago musicians, videographers, visual artists, producers, and sound engineers, fusing many voices, visions, and ideals. In a world where divisiveness is omnipresent, bringing people together is a wonderful resolution moving into 2018.

His first release of the year dropped on January 12 with a video performance of Don’t Be Afraid of Yourself. This nostalgic folk tune was inspired by a dream where Joe stumbled upon a younger version of himself where he offered humble advice, “time has gone by in a hurry, I worry of some things to come, life has a way of weighin’ down, enough to make you think it’s all on you—don’t be afraid of yourself.” The liberation to be yourself is what Joe is chasing in his project as he continues to define himself as a pillar of the Chicago songwriting scene.

Joe George’s sound evokes a young Sufjan Stevens combined with a Jeff Tweedy twang and an Arcade Fire twinge. The song is beautifully arranged and the string parts showcase his film composition degree from Berklee. This is accompanied by unique harmonic movement placed in just the right moments. He sneaks in a beautiful minor-major chord in the middle of the chorus, which adds a flavor of contemplation that makes the words don’t be afraid of yourself really hit home.

Check out the video here!

Joe George on vocals and guitar | Jake Hawrylak on bass | Paul Grill on drums | Josh Lava on Wurlitzer | Ian Maskin on cello | Andreanna Moravec on viola | Inger Carle on violin |Tom Yang on violin | Rick Fritz and Brok Mende of Audiotree fame on sound engineering, mixing, and mastering | Jim O’Connel on film and direction |

Join the collaborative efforts and help Joe with three actions to support his future endeavors:

-Follow him on all social media platforms (@joegeorgemusic)

-Purchase a record from his website

-Share the video!

Help me build a community with Joe where we can all collaborate to build a more connected world. The future is bright and full of Joe George releases. Be on the lookout for the next one in February! You can find that release on any social platform of Joe’s and here on my blog.

Musicians: 6 Ways You Can Be An Ally

Women rarely get credit in the music industry for producing or writing. Only six women have been nominated to win a Grammy for Producer of the Year since 1974. Women are often reduced to the face of the music or a muse, even when they’ve done most of the work. Bjork and Esperanza Spalding, as well as many others, have suffered from sexism in the music industry.

Björk has been denied due credit for production on her albums for years. She exposes this by explaining how Arca got credited as the sole producer of Vulnicura. She did most of the production on Vespertine, yet her friend Matmos (Drew Daniel) was credited in publications as having produced the whole album. It infuriates me to hear that men are assumed to have done the writing, production, and deep thinking about a project. It’s time to give credit where credit is due.

Natalie Weiner from Billboard interviewed Spalding about a project with Gerri Allen and Terri Lyne Carrington. Spalding lauded the freedom of being in an ensemble without male control or contribution. “It can be really lonely to be a young woman in the music industry. We all had gone through a lot…and when we played, there was this understanding of a common experience that we'd all lived.” It’s our shared responsibility to break free from old-world belief that women are objects.

Here are steps you can take to be a better ally:

Educate – read articles and books about feminism; ask the women in your life to engage in dialogue about these topics

Be Strong – with the education you have gained, work to push back against the patriarchy

Be Open – be open to other perspectives; own your privilege and use it for good, not for silencing oppressed people

Rewrite – the idea of women as objects has been an ongoing problem in the music world and continues to be passed down to younger generations; do all that you can to undo this injustice and set a good example

Speak Out – speak out against microagressions and the patriarchy

Empower – support women to lift up all of society; power is not a zero-sum game

Due to the hegemony, women are often overlooked. This happens everywhere. If we can get over our egos, feminist theory can benefit the music industry. By following these six steps you can do your part to dismantle the patriarchy. Ask yourself: what can you do?

Musicians: 6 Ways to Define Yourself

Justin Vernon, from Bon Iver, and André 3000, from OutKast, talk to great length about their anxiety. The stigma of mental health in musicians is largely avoided and I respect these two for bringing the painful truth to the world. Not only do they talk about how fame can affect a person, but how they started a journey to truly know themselves.

The music from Bon Iver has been a staple in my music catalogue since his first record For Emma, Forever Ago. When I first read this article, written by Laura Barton from The Gaurdian, I was flabbergasted by how much depression and anxiety he was dealing with. Isn’t it every musician’s dream to make a record in a cabin and gain notoriety for writing the most amazing break-up songs you’ve ever heard? Turns out fame isn’t everything you could ask for.

The same goes for André 3000—OutKast has been an influence on me ever since high school. I remember waking up, eating breakfast, and bumping Liberation on my way to school. To me OutKast was the definition of success. They were making music in their basement and coming up with catchiest hooks, beats that will make you move, and lyrics that hold an incredible amount of weight. After reading this GQ article, written beautifully by Will Welch, I thought twice about success and what it means to follow your passion. 

Here are six ways know the true you:

Meditate – get to know yourself

Contemplate – understand that you aren’t the only one that suffers

Love – if you love yourself you can be an example for others

Awareness – understand your feelings and instincts

Get Help – ask for help when you need it

Transparency – be honest, be real

Seeing the impact of fame worn by these musical giants makes you think twice about what you wish for. Exposing your depression and anxiety is only the beginning. It’s about the actions you take to become your true self. How will you define yourself?