Photo Credit: Srikanta H. U.
Following President Biden announcing that he would not seek re-election in 2024, several music industry figures have rallied around Vice President Kamala Harris.
Calls for Biden to step down reached a fevered pitch in recent weeks following his debate performance, leading to concerns about his electability in November. With Biden stepping aside and endorsing Harris, several videos of Harris’ previous speeches began to circulate on social media. The videos on TikTok incorporated songs from Charli XCX, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Kim Petras, and Chappell Roan and many more.
Meanwhile, Charli XCX took to X/Twitter to express her thoughts, sharing: “kamala IS brat” in reference to her latest album, Brat. The official Harris campaign account updated their header on the platform to match the same color and typography used in the album cover. Kesha reposted a series of clips of Kamala speaking from May 2023 about none of us “living in a silo.”
“My mother used to—she would give us a hard time sometimes, and she would say to us, ‘I Don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.”
The ‘coconut tree’ quote has become a meme on social media, with references popping up nearly instantaneously. Kesha jumped onto the trend with a remix of the Kamala Harris quote, followed by her dancing. Katy Perry posted a montage of videos of Harris with the soundtrack of a remix of the coconut quotation.
Cardi B also jumped into the ring with a selfie video recorded on June 30 that says Kamala Harris should have been the Democratic nominee from the beginning. “Done been told y’all Kamala should’ve been the 2024 candidate,” the rapper says in the caption. “Y’all be trying to play the Bronx education, baby this what I do!”
“She’s ready for this fight and I’m excited to help her in any way that I can,” added John Legend. Lizzo also took to Instagram to show her support for Kamala Harris, while other musicians also showed their support for Biden’s decision to step back.
“Joe Biden will go down in history as a man who accomplished significant achievements in his 4 year term,” Barbra Streisand wrote on X/Twitter. “We should be grateful for his upholding of our democracy.”
“I believe it’s only chance for [America] to remain democracy,” Cher writes on X/Twitter. Questlove took to Instagram to share his support. “Some of us see this as a no brainer. Some of you are inside your feelings and fear and that’s okay.”
“I see a person putting the people before themselves and their pride and for that, I have an enormous amount of respect,” adds Finneas.
