During his time as a politician, Geert Wilders has done enough remarkable things, but you won't easily find him playing the keyboard at a concert. Yet that is what is happening in Sweden. There, party leader Jimmie Åkesson is part of Bedårande Barn, the party band of the Sweden Democrats. ‘Music is a significant part of their political strategy,’ says Melanie Schiller, professor of Contemporary Media Cultures at Radboud University. ‘Not only do they have their own ‘party band’, they also organise music festivals and work closely with Swedish musicians.’
Whereas Sweden, unlike countries such as Italy, has no tradition of right-wing populism, it does have a strong musical tradition. ‘Swedes are proud of their music culture.’ Part of that culture is the Viking rock of the 1990s, in which bands such as Ultima Thule came up with nationalistic lyrics. Schiller: ‘At the time, this music was as popular as it was controversial, but it is the music that today's nationalist politicians listened to in their youth and which, in their own words, “taught them to love Sweden”.’
Glorious history
Sweden is not the only country where music is closely linked to the rise of right-wing populism. This musical influence is visible throughout Europe. At the same time, there are European countries where right-wing populism is on the rise, but where the role of music in this is limited.
Over the past four years, Schiller has been working on an international research project on the connection between music and populism, which has resulted in the book Popular Music and the Rise of Populism in Europe. This book compares the rise of populism in Germany, Austria, Sweden, Hungary and Italy and illustrates how music can contribute to it.
Although not every country has political parties like the Sweden Democrats with their own band and festivals, music is a powerful tool in all five countries for conveying certain messages and uniting people. ‘Take lyrics about being the underdog, the glorious history of a country and the loss of national identity. Or think of songs that celebrate traditional forms of masculinity.’
Rebellious hero
In many cases, music proves to be such a powerful tool because the message that right-wing populist parties want to bring to the fore coincides very well with prevailing ideas about music. ‘The image of the (male) hero who is rebellious and opposes the establishment is still immensely popular, especially in rock music,’ explains Schiller. Right-wing parties are cleverly capitalising on this in various ways: by making their own music (Sweden), by embracing artists with similar messages (Germany) or by subsidising propaganda music (Hungary). ‘In addition, right-wing groups regularly appropriate songs, for example by changing the lyrics. In this way, a feminist battle song can suddenly be turned into a nationalist song.’
Sometimes, simply playing a song is enough to convey a certain message, even if that song has nothing to do with that message. ‘Since German youths started singing far-right lyrics to the rhythm of L'amour Toujours (Gigi d'Agostino), it is no longer an innocent dance hit, but functions as a dog whistle.’ The same applies to the hyper-catchy Russian song Sigma Boy. ‘That song has become a representation of toxic masculinity and the propagation of traditional hierarchies and gender norms.’
According to Schiller, the use of music is part of a broader trend in which right-wing populists align their message with popular culture. ‘They are currently very successful in this. They present their politics as something fun to participate in,’ concludes Schiller. ‘Music is, of course, closely linked to emotion and feelings. This is another reason why it is such a powerful tool to help you identify with certain messages or social groups.’ But while music can generate positive feelings towards one group, it can just as easily contribute to negative feelings towards other groups. ‘Music can contribute to polarisation, which poses challenges for democracy. In our next study, we therefore want to gain a better understanding of the role that music plays in that process. Polarisation can be a dangerous development, which is what makes researching it so exciting.’
Inaugural lecture professor Melanie Schiller
Melanie Schiller's inaugural lecture will take place on Friday 3 October. She will deliver her inaugural lecture entitled From Pop to Power The Popification of Politics. Interested in hearing this lecture?