You Can’t Separate Art from its Artist

One of the most universally valued aspects of music is the connection a listener may feel to an artist whose work they relate to, but what is the listener to do when they learn their favorite musician is a bad person? With troubling stories stretching from Bowie to DaBaby, navigating the moral implications of consuming the work of such artists will always be a difficult task. As the constant stream of new controversies continues, there will always be cries to simply “separate the art from the artist.” For those unfamiliar with the phrase, it suggests that someone can enjoy a work of art without relating to the artist as a person. While this argument positions itself as reasonable middle ground in the debate surrounding controversial performers, removing an artist’s personal motivations from their work is often a more difficult task than it appears. In most cases, it isn't a realistic option at all. 

When examining art in its relation to the human condition, the two seem to be generally viewed as being inseparable. It’s clear that in the present landscape of music consumption, the quality of a song being written from a personal and meaningful place is something often sought after and expected by artists from their listeners. This is a good thing. After all, what is art without a notion of personal expression? However, if we are to assume an artist’s work is conceived from their own intimate emotions and experiences, how are we to enjoy such a personal work when the person pouring their heart into it is a rapist, or a homophobe, or an otherwise harmful person? 

Beyond the basic moral complication of listening to controversial artists, the continued support of such artists can be dangerous in more concrete ways as well. Continually streaming a harmful artist’s work equates to actively giving them further economic support and increased exposure. While the semantics of my earlier argument can be broken down and debated ad nauseam, this is a hard, simple truth. 

photo by luke moyer

When the artists we love and relate to reveal themselves to be people we wouldn’t want to associate with in real life, the question of whether to continue to enjoy their work doesn’t afford any clean-cut answers. Regardless of this, attempting to remove a person from the art they’ve created is an effort bound to fail.