Life all over the world has become pretty political in the past few years. Politics is always a concern of art and music, and an artistic pursuit is no different. As political positions become more evident in people’s personal lives, music is can be politicised and political music is created.
K-pop has regularly been used as a tool for propaganda in North-South Korean political relations and groups have often used their music to bring attention to individual concerns related to mental health, personal perception, and struggles. Political music illuminating the collective concerns or critiquing people in power is not so common.
Some songs like “Into the New World” by Girls Generation have been politicised through protest and their lyrics gain new significance with social events. Some music like “Red Light” by f(x) have been written with lyrics and themes referencing specific events (the Sewol Ferry tragedy) and critique how those events were handled by the government.
Thinking about protests that have been happening all over the world has brought me to this playlist of songs. I hope people do not only listen but also find out a little more about each song and appreciate the bravery of artists who made them.
