The US elections have caused a schism in the Cyrus family. Miley, a stubborn progressive, has confirmed that she supports Kamala Harris and has just authorized her to use her success Party in the USA. His father, Billy Ray, a Democratic voter in his youth, today supports Donald Trump. The search by both candidates for support in the world of music is, in any case, an unequal contest. Trump is recruiting followers in alternative scenes such as trap, electronics indie or the gangsta rap, but the biggest stars in the business, starting with Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, are with Harris.
The exception, as usual, is the country. Cowboy music has a strong tradition of ideological conservatism that dates back to pioneers like Hank Williams and has given rise to reactionary anthems like Okie from Muskogee, by Merle Haggard, or Iraq and Roll, by Clint Black. In the words of Melinda Newman, editor of Billboard, It has been “the preferred soundtrack of multiple Republican campaigns since Richard Nixon’s re-election in 1972.” Furthermore, although a considerable 38% of Americans declare themselves fans of country, This music has its main sociological fishing ground among the white middle and working class of the southern states of the nation, mostly republican fiefdoms. Consequently, no one is surprised that Trump is receiving the active support of usual suspects such as the 47-year-old Georgian Jason Aldean, with whom he often plays golf at his Mar-a-Lago mansion, and there are also Travis Tritt or Brian Kelly.
On the other side of the ring, there have always been country stars with progressive ideas, starting with the recently deceased Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn, Emmylou Harris or Miley Cyrus’ godmother, Dolly Parton. But the majority opted for a low profile during electoral periods so as not to generate rejection among their followers. A country-pop band from Dallas, Dixie Chicks, broke this unwritten law in 2003 by expressing their rejection of George W. Bush’s foreign policy at a time of intense patriotic effervescence, a few days before the invasion of Iraq, and suffered reprisals and boycotts.
What’s new this year is that part of progressive country is coming out of the closet, even exposing itself, with unusual audacity, to the rejection of its natural audience. Harris is not only favored by dropouts from the Nashville scene like Swift and Miley, but also by a handful of proud dissidents who no longer care if their position takes a toll on them when they play concerts in Arkansas or Tennessee. This is the case of Jason Isbell, who performed last August at the Democratic Convention in Chicago. Or Maren Morris, who made public her sympathies for the vice president in an interview in USA Today. Mickey Guyton, African-American country star, was also in Chicago with the three surviving Dixie Chicks, renamed a few years ago as The Chicks. Harris has managed to make a splash in Nashville.
The disappointment, for those who assumed he was close to the left, has been an emerging star, Zach Bryan. The musician published a tweet a few days ago stating that Kanye West is better than Taylor Swift. In the polarized context of the current campaign, everyone interpreted that Bryan was expressing his support for Trump in code, because Kanye is considered one of the Republican’s most notable supporters. Bryan deleted the message, closed his profile and claimed he was drunk when he wrote it. The question remains whether, in the schism in the Cyrus family, he is on Miley’s side or Billy Ray’s side.
