Damon Albarn says music needs to be more political: ‘Selfie music isn’t sustainable’
‘Have I made a selfie tune? I probably tried to but my innate obtuse nature prevented me from doing it properly’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Damon Albarn has lambasted “selfie music”, while urging musicians to take a more political stance.
The Blur frontman appeared on BBC 6 Music’s The Leisure Society with Gemma Cairney, where he said: “The selfie music is not sustainable. Have I made a selfie tune? I probably tried to but my innate obtuse nature prevented me from doing it properly.”
He also stressed the importance of travel, adding: “It’s really important and I honestly feel that we could definitely tone down the extremist views people seem to behold at the moment if they weren’t so isolated in their own little bubble.”
“The internet has given this weird access to everyone to feel like they’re informed and they connect with the world but they’re not physically going to the places,” he said. “If you physically see the bigger picture, not just the harsh edit of what something is, and you see the human side of what it actually is, you have such a different view.”
He further added that this is why Brexit “has been so depressing”. “On the surface, it makes sense to me to stay friends with your neighbours – that just seems like basic common sense,” he said.
“On the broader picture, the licences given to some of the really tragic ideas that people are harbouring at the moment, that is the tragedy of Brexit. It’s opened a Pandora’s box.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments