A person separated from art as they weigh their own morals
The Howler
Should Art be Separated from the Artist?
BY JUSTIN WANG
OCTOBER 30, 2026, 8:00 A.M.
Racists, fascists, activists, and artists: -ist words that could describe plenty of celebrities who make up the modern-day music industry. Combined with the weight social media places on an artist’s reputation, every celebrity’s actions becomes part of their public image—and, therefore, also part of how audiences perceive their art. But does disliking the person behind a song mean we have to dislike the song, too?
Fans of Kanye West invented the phrase, “separate the art from the artist” and he presents possibly the most difficult and notorious case for it. Once celebrated for albums like The College Dropout and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, West’s music has become somewhat intertwined with his increasingly controversial public statements/actions, including antisemitic remarks and praise of Adolf Hitler. For some listeners, listening to the artist comes with a defense; some listeners say his musical talent overshadows his actions, or try to make a strong differentiation between art and the artist. For others, knowing about the person behind the music changes the way the music itself feels.
EBHS Alumni Jeremy Huang takes this approach: “I typically try to step away from artists who have a bad image/have done bad things, and I wouldn't enjoy their music as much as I did before,” he said. Although Huang still reminisces about controversial artists he used to listen to, he said he “wouldn’t listen to it” anymore.
Representative of a never-ending summer, Zara Larsson’s “Midnight Sun” brought her back into public eye a decade after her smash hit Lush Life in 2015. From being an opening act to her own headliner, Zara Larsson’s songs not only got pushed back into the limelight, but her political beliefs and activism as well.
For some fans, those beliefs can make the music even more enjoyable. EBHS Junior Janki Mishra said that when an artist openly discusses their political beliefs, the non-career related worldview can “definitely strengthen their authenticity”. Because she finds herself agreeing with Zara Larsson’s beliefs, she “ends up enjoying her music more”. However, the reverse can also be true; if an artists views do not match with the listeners : “it [would be] easy for me to just stop listening to their music altogether”.
Unlike a situation where a listener discovers something objectionable about an artist completely outside of their music, Rodrigo’s personal values can sometimes intertwine with her songwriting and public activism. The young artist has already leveraged her music and fame for the Daisy Chains Festival to fundraise for women-focused non-profit organizations. Her single, “serena joy”, touches upon the dangers of complicity, political silence, and the dangers of ignoring oppression.
Sophomore Venya Mehra believes that “[the distinction between the art and the artist] becomes harder when fans disagree with her values and can hear them reflected through her lyricism. Ultimately, it’s up to the fan’s personal beliefs and whether they resonate with Olivia’s values.”
From the students of EBHS, the artist may create the art, but they do not control what it means to the audience—and enjoying the art does not necessarily equate to approval of the artist. Each viewer/listener has their own interpretation of what a piece of art means to them, and it is up to them to decide the impact they want the it to have in their life.
