The US presidential election has caused a rift in the Cyrus family. Avid progressive Miley Cyrus has just admitted that she supports Kamala Harris, allowing the Democratic presidential candidate to use her hit song “Party” in the United States. Her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, voted Democratic when he was younger, but now supports Donald Trump. Both candidates are seeking support from the music community, but the competition is uneven. Trump has drawn supporters from alternative scenes such as trap, electro-indie and gangsta rap, but major stars including Taylor Swift and Beyoncé have backed Harris.
The exception, as always, is the country music scene. Country music has a long tradition of ideological conservatism, dating back to pioneers like Hank Williams and reactionary songs like Merle Haggard’s “Okie from Muskogee” and Clint Black’s “Iraq and Roll.” I created it. Billboard editor Melinda Newman said: “Country music and conservative politics have been inextricably linked for more than 50 years. When Richard Nixon ran for re-election in 1972, he appealed to southern working- and middle-class voters who had previously voted Democratic. They started pulling white people away.”
Furthermore, while a significant 38% of Americans consider themselves fans of country music, its primary sociological impact remains on the white working and middle classes of Republican-majority southern states. I am. That’s why Trump has received active support from familiar faces like Jason Aldean, a 47-year-old Georgia native who frequently plays golf at his Mar-a-Lago mansion, as well as Travis Tritt and Brian Kelly. No wonder it’s received so well.
On the other side of the ring were always progressive country stars, including the late Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn, Emmylou Harris and Miley Cyrus’ godmother Dolly Parton. However, most of them chose to keep a low profile during the election to avoid alienating their fans. In 2003, in the days before the invasion of Iraq, the Dallas-based country-pop band Dixie Chicks publicly criticized George W. broke. As a result, they faced significant backlash and boycotts.
What’s new this year is that parts of the progressive country scene are coming out of the closet and daring to expose themselves to potential rejection from their natural audience. Harris has attracted attention not only from Nashville deserters like Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus, but also from a small number of proud dissidents who no longer care about the backlash they might face performing in Arkansas or Tennessee. I am supported. These include Jason Isbell, who performed at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last August, and Maren Morris, who publicly voiced support for the vice president in an interview with USA Today. Additionally, African American country star Mickey Guyton attended the Chicago convention, along with the three surviving members of the Dixie Chicks, who had renamed themselves The Chicks. Harris successfully established a name for himself in Nashville.
Rising star Zach Bryan has been a source of disappointment for those who expected him to lean left. Recently, the musician tweeted that Kanye West is better than Taylor Swift. Given Kanye’s reputation as a prominent supporter of the Republican Party in the polarized climate of the current campaign, many interpreted Bryan’s comments as a coded endorsement of Trump. He has since deleted the tweet, made his profile private, and claimed he wrote it while drunk. The question remains: Will he side with Miley or Billy Ray in the Cyrus family divide?
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