From Bob Dylan to Billie Eilish, pop stars have taken a stand on social justice issues across generations. Whether it’s lines in a song, a call-out during an awards show speech, or a performance with the intention to bring awareness to a certain cause. Lack of a stance on social issues can also be seen as a mark of an artist losing touch with their crowd, especially in the social media age where fans cling to stars every word and move that they make in media. 

The English music star Ed Sheeran is currently facing major scrutiny after losing all of his opening acts for his US Tour. This is at the behest of Macklemore's removal from the tour after making statements on the Palestine-Israel conflict. 

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As stated, music artists have long been praised for voicing clear and strong stances on social issues and expressing them in their music. Now more than ever though, it appears that at a certain level of fame and notoriety, your messaging and outward stance are likely to be compromised by corporate interests. In Ed’s case, he’s never had a strong political message in his music. His catalogue is comprised of lovey-dovey, feel-good tunes. So, to bring on Macklemore, who has a history of releasing protest songs with heavy political messaging, there had to have been some anticipation of this situation arising.  

At the early stage of the media storm following reports of Macklemore’s removal, Sheeran’s statement on the issue left a bad impression on supporters as he emphasized that 

“Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter's decision; it was not mine. Macklemore's contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me. […] I am not complicit. I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn't mean I don't have them, and it doesn't mean I don't care. Nor does it mean I don't support causes in my own, personal way.”  Fellow pop stars and fans were polarized on Sheeran’s take on navigating the matter as the headlining artist. “  This statement was followed by reports of Robert Kraft and other venue owners pressuring to have Macklemore removed from the tour.  

By this point, tickets for Sheeran’s shows were being discounted by 50%; the singer was crying on stage at said shows, lamenting his own actions. Most notably, the discourse was filled with countless memes, including sheeran, activists calling for accountability from the pop star, and other popular artists chiming in to give their take on the issue. 

In the eye of this storm sit the fans. Fanbases are more often than not the victims in these circumstances.

Throughout pop culture, many famed artists reach the point in their career where their success is seen as a product of them “selling out” in some fashion.  As a fan, it's hard to overlook the nature of the music industry and how exploitative it can be for artists at any level.

The status that artists like Ed Sheeran hold is a platform that does not come without wealth and privilege that can be blinding to artists who occupy that space. In these moments, stars have a chance to reconnect with their audience through showing awareness of the same issues that fans face on a daily basis.  In this instance, Sheeran’s lukewarm attitude in addressing the topic showed the severity of the disconnect between him and his audience, where his stardom is derived from.

On the other side of the storm sits Macklemore. His stardom has only increased as he’s further cemented himself as a voice for the people. Now he’s headlining his own concert series in support of Palestine later this month, and his fans can rest assured that his voice will never be censored or compromised for profit.  

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