Written by: Tan Yue Tong
For most of us, we would have had celebrity crushes at one point or another in our youth. For many years, I was an ardent fan of Kris Wu, a Chinese-Canadian rapper, singer, model and actor based in China. I loved listening to every piece of music he produced, watching every movie he ever starred in and keeping up with his latest collaborations with various luxury brands. When media outlets broke the news that he had been detained for sexual misconduct, it sparked massive public outrage. This scandal left many of his long-time fans, including me, shocked and appalled.
But for some die-hard fans, their love for Wu did not waver. Several Instagram fan accounts dedicated to Wu continued to show their strong support for him on social media and were insistent that Wu was innocent.
Many other musicians and actors have come under fire for their problematic behaviours as well.
For over a decade, Chris Brown has been infamously known for his violence toward women. In 2009, his aggressive nature was exposed after he assaulted his then-girlfriend, Robyn Rihanna Fenty. Better known as Rihanna, the “Umbrella” singer was hospitalised as a result of the physical altercation. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Over the years, Chris Brown has found himself embroiled in multiple lawsuits and controversies and most of them were caused by his inappropriate behaviour. On 28 January 2022, BBC News reported that Brown allegedly drugged and raped a woman and is now slammed with a $20 million lawsuit.
In spite of the copious amount of scandals Brown is involved in, he remains one of the best-selling musicians in the world, garnering more than 100 million record sales. With more than 40 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Brown’s career continues to thrive and his reputation is unscathed.
Celebrities seem to be able to shake off their inexcusable behaviours easily and quickly. The question remains: as an audience, should we should separate the art from the artist.
Do you continue to support artists like Chris Brown, despite being aware of the harm he has caused many women? Do you continue to support artists like Kris Wu, despite being aware of his illegal acts?
Separating The Art And The Artist Is Possible
Unfortunately, sometimes the most catchy song is sung by a sexist singer or the most thrilling movie is produced by a racist filmmaker. Thus, some may argue that you can enjoy the beauty of the artist’s work without idolising them.
“As long as the content doesn’t reflect any problematic beliefs like misogyny, racism, violence or anything, I think it’s okay to continue supporting their art. For me, I appreciate the art itself instead of the artist,” 25-year-old Andrea Goh said.
Goh added: “Whatever the celebrity chooses to do in their life is their own decision. Their art is only a form of entertainment to me.”
Furthermore, art is usually created by more than one person. For instance, a movie takes hundreds of people to produce it. Boycotting a movie because of its problematic film director may cause a domino effect. Not only does it negatively affect the film director, but it also affects the hundreds of innocent crew members who worked tirelessly on the film.
Supporting The Art Is Equivalent To Supporting The Artist
We are all humans. We are all prone to making mistakes and celebrities are no different from us. Even so, supporting a problematic artist is as good as condoning their misdeeds.
“If we listen, watch or give any kind of support to the content produced by a problematic artist, we are helping to boost their popularity. In a way, we’re indirectly normalising their wrongdoings just because they are famous people,” 17-year-old Dema Aulia Azzahra said.
By purchasing the artists’ albums, attending their concerts and streaming their music videos on YouTube, you are essentially putting money into their pockets. Being a fan of problematic artists puts them on a pedestal, letting them feel like they have the power to do whatever they want without being held accountable.
Ultimately, the choice of whether you should separate the art from the artist is in your hands. Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and it is up to you to figure out what is right.
