Are Pop Stars are Stealing from the Metal Scene?
Maybe I’ve spent too much time scrolling though social media these days, but I keep seeing people talk about how pop stars have suddenly become … dun-dun-duh… Satanic! *Que gasps of terror*
Now this may just be my Instagram algorithms knowing how much I love a good conspiracy theory, but I can’t deny it knows me well. In case you’re not privy to the whole popstars-looking-questionably-satanic-these-days, I’ll fill you in: fans of artists like Taylor Swift are up in arms about some very ritual-like stuff going down during their concerts. People in black hoods with candles, flames, chanting, and flashes of demonic imagery on the jumbotron does seem a little out of place in the middle of “Shake It” or whatever song T Swift is singing these days.
Then there’s Sam Smith’s flames and horned hat performance that caused an upstir during the Grammy’s. They’re not alone. Artist like Doja Cat (whoever that is), Demi Lovato, Madonna, and Justin Timberlake have joined in on the devilish aesthetic in their music videos and live performances. I’m sure there are others as well.
Now me as a metalhead, when I see “normies” losing their heads over a bit of flames and pitchforks, I have to laugh. (That’s a Tuesday night at our local rundown music venue.)
It seems we have a new wave of Satanic Panic on our hands! A few decades back, all the pop stars were competing in a weirdness competition (but no one quite nailed it like Lady Gaga). Being overtly sexual has always been a requirement for mainstream fame and who could get the nastiest was also a contest (Niki Minaj takes the cake for me with her “Anaconda” song, but that’s just my opinion). These days, it appears scaring the shit out of your fans is now in vogue.
Not to dog on pop artists, there are a few I like and even respect, but it’s kinda sad, really. Having to jump on the what-will-get-people-talking-the-most train just to stay relevant must be exhausting. And this whole Satan-is-cool thing is so unauthentic, it makes a metalhead like me roll my eyes. Now, unless you buy into the conspiracy theory that these pop stars are trying to control our minds and turn people against the Christian God with this not-so-subliminal messaging, we can see this for what it really is: a way to sell.
Now, you may say that rockstars did this exact same thing back in the 70’s and 80’s—they used Satan to sell records and get people talking. This is absolutely true. But over the years Satanic imagery has come to mean so much more than just a cheap sale for metal bands and their fans.
When you compare this new pop star fad to the Satanic imagery espoused by rock and metal, you can see the difference. The Satanic imagery in the metal scene is not the Satan of the bible. Most metalhead’s don’t even believe in the devil. And only a teeny-tiny percentage of metalheads are practicing Satanists. And I don’t mean to offend any of you who are religious. I just ask you to bear with me for a moment and consider what Satan means to most rock and metal enthusiasts.
For us, Satan is a mascot.
Upside down crosses, pentagrams, songs about the antichrist, Lucifer, witchcraft, and pagan practices are not at all about selling our souls to the devil. It’s about being proud of being the outcast. It’s about staring society expectations in the face and saying, “No, thanks.” Metalheads do not follow the status quo. We are not weighed down by dogma (unless it’s dogma within the metal community, but that’s a whole other conversation). Metalheads are not sheep. We will not be herded into traditional ideals without question. Metalheads follow their own path. We aren’t afraid to be our authentic selves, and we don’t care what other people think.
And that’s why, to me, seeing more and more of this theft of Satanic imagery by pop artists annoys me just a little. They are using our mascot to get people to do the exact opposite: to look and think just like everyone else; to follow the trends and not think for themselves. If you feel this is a stretch, just remember pop music literally means Popular music. It’s music for the masses. Now if the masses of Swifties begin looking like metalheads, that’s fine. But I can then see Satan no longer representing a community of outcasts and free thinkers. And we could always find a new mascot to represent the us freaks, but I kinda like the dark satanic stuff. It’s fun and—hey! it was ours first!
At the end of the day, however, I have to admit that what pop artist do can’t truly have much of an impact on the metal scene. This trend will end and, in a year or two, pop stars will be chasing the next money-making craze, and our mascot will belong to us alone once more (well… us and the practicing Satanists).
Heavy metal music has endured and remained relevant for over 50 years because we are the most dedicated fanbase around. I get there are some hardcore Justin Beiber fans, but I cannot see the same girls who cried at his concert falling over themselves in 50 years to see him live. Nor do I see them introducing their children to the Beibs and passing the baton on like metal fans do.
If you’ve made it this far into this blog post, you’ve seen me go from laughing at the new satanic panic, to rolling my eyes, to finally shrugging with a “who gives a damn?” I apologize for using this platform as my personal journal/ Ted-talk drafting table. But I thought some of you might have similar feelings on the topic. Feel free to comment with your alternate point of view. I’m curious to see what sort of impact you think this might have on the metal scene, society as a whole, or even the collective consciousness! Hit me with your conspiracy theories.
Thanks for reading!
Cheers,
JJ
P.S. I truly don’t mean to offend anyone’s religious beliefs with this post. I personally see “Satan” as a mascot and therefore it doesn’t bother me to talk candidly about Satanic imagery. I understand my opinion does not reflect the entirety of the metal community (though I do think a large majority would agree).