On the Seeds Being Planted For A New Culture

Last week, I rolled over in bed and grabbed my phone to check YouTube as I normally do (a habit that I’m working on breaking). The first video that popped up on my feed was Hayley Williams’ performance of “True Believer” on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. I clicked the video immediately for a few reasons: 1) I have loved Hayley Williams and Paramore since I was in middle school. 2) I had recently gone viral on TikTok for the first time for a video where I highlighted an underrated song on Hayley’s latest project. 3) “True Believer” (also from her latest album) is an amazing protest song that highlights topics like gentrification, the legacy of the Confederacy in the South, the white washing of Christianity, and so much more so I was excited to see how she would translate it into a live performance.

Not only did Hayley sound amazing but the performance was layered with really intentional choices that made my little stan heart grow three sizes. I’m going to spoil a few things so I definitely recommend watching the performance and then coming back. In addition, the lyrics of the song itself are very intentional and Hayley has shared her own breakdown of them on her Substack which I recommend checking out. In terms of the performance, the first thing that jumped out to me was the fact that Hayley had positioned herself towards the back of the stage and was surrounded by a primarily Black orchestra. From a visual perspective, this is a very clear way of Hayley saying that this performance is not about her, it’s about centering the experience of Black people. The second thing I noticed was that she had “Mississippi Goddamn” written on a napkin of some kind and draped over the front of her piano. The last thing I noticed (with confirmation from the comment section) is that she closed the performance with a string rendition of “Strange Fruit” by Billie Holiday which is also referenced in the lyrics of the song. I started the performance teary eyed and was in disbelief by the end because of how deeply meaningful and brave this performance on national television was during a time of deep upheaval and transformation in the U.S.

In December of last year I said the following in a previous edition of my newsletter that really shapes why I believe this performance is incredibly significant and historical. In it I wrote, “If we hope to survive what is to come and create a better society in the process, we have to be able to use stories to shift the culture before we can expect to see a change in politics. As Marquise Davon shared in an episode of Olay & Friends ‘Culture shifts before policy does.’ For better or worse, our society was primed to elect an abusive, bigoted, felon into office. How can we prime it for something better?” I believe that Hayley’s performance is one in a series of artistic and cultural moments that we have witnessed this year that is doing just that — priming our society for something better. In order to explain why, there’s some important historical context that I need to share, particularly about “Mississippi Goddamn” and “Strange Fruit.”

“Mississippi Goddamn” is a 1963 song by Nina Simone that was created in response to the 16th Street Church bombing, a white supremacist attack by the KKK that killed four little Black girls in Birmingham, Alabama and the murder of Civil Rights activist, Medgar Evans in Mississippi. The song was her way of channeling her anger about the slow progress of the Civil Rights Movement and the violence against Black people happening in the process. At the time the song was released and performed, it caused a lot of controversy and was even banned and rejected by radio stations in Southern States.

“Strange Fruit” is a song that was originally written as a poem by Abel Meeropol, a Jewish American teacher in the Bronx in the 1930s and was popularized by Billie Holiday and covered by many people including Nina Simone. The poem was written in response to the ongoing brutality of systemic racism in the U.S. and the lynching of two Black teenagers in Indiana. Similarly to “Mississippi Goddamn,” Billie’s performance and rendition of “Strange Fruit” were controversial and the song was not played by Southern radio stations. However, the song was incredibly impactful and has been referenced many times over the years, including in Hayley’s “True Believer.”

As someone who has studied the Civil Rights Movement extensively and studied Nina Simone and Billie Holiday’s work, I clocked the references in Hayley’s performance and what they might suggest about this moment in time pretty immediately. In the context of the Civil Rights Movement, the release of “Mississippi Goddamn” coincided with the peak of the movement and was followed by the March on Washington and the signing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. I can’t help but to think and hope that when we look back at this period of history, Hayley’s release of “True Believer” and her performance of it will also mark a transition towards a more liberated world. Obviously there is an ongoing flurry of activity and policy changes that would say otherwise including the current gutting of the Voting Rights Act by the Supreme Court. However, when I look at things from a bigger picture, the collapse of these unsustainable systems is inevitable and, similar to “American Requiem” by Beyoncé, I see “True Believer” as a funeral song marking that transition.

“True Believer” isn’t the only marker of the culture shifting. From the success of KPop Demon Hunters and Sinners to Bad Bunny’s album and upcoming Super Bowl performance, against all odds authentic stories are still thriving and resonating with the collective. That’s not to say that any one song or artist can televise the revolution, especially because the entertainment industry is still bound by the rules of capitalism, but they can create the conditions for it and I think that’s what we’re seeing.

The other aspect of Hayley’s performance that made me incredibly geeked was how clearly it displayed how rooted Hayley is in her artistic lineage. Typically the idea of lineage is applied to your direct ancestors, the people that biologically made it possible for you to exist. However, as an artist and a wellness practitioner, I like to apply the idea of lineage to my spiritual work and artistry as well. In the same way that I feel a responsibility to honor the lineage of my energy work teacher and all of the teachers that came before him, I also feel a responsibility to honor the lineage of artists that have informed my work and how I show up in the world. To me, the beautiful thing about artistic lineage is that it’s a lineage you can choose and that chooses you in return. Not just in the references you use but also in how you use your art to serve the collective.

In addition to shaping your work, cultivating a relationship with your lineage can help you be brave. We tend to think of bravery as a singular, supernatural moment of sheer will and force but I see bravery as something that is rooted and cultivated over time. Knowing who you are and whose you are is what enables you to show up with moral clarity and conviction even when things are difficult and we need a whole lot more of that right now. Despite what the individualistic aspects of Western culture might try to sell us, indigenous cultures have always known that we are the sum of the people that we come from. An example of this for me came through as I rewatched Black Panther for the first time in a few years. When T’Challa is going up against M’Baku and failing, Queen Mother implores him, “Show him who you are!” In response, T’Challa is able to muster up the strength needed to fight and win. Every time this idea or question comes up in the movie, it is an opportunity for the character to remember who they are and anchor themselves deeper to move forward.

One thing Ms. Hayley Williams made clear with her performance is that she has chosen an artistic lineage that uses art as a way to speak truth to power and I love her for it. Nina Simone herself said that “An artist's duty, as far as I'm concerned, is to reflect the times” and Hayley Williams is doing just that. However, she shouldn’t have to do it alone. It’s very easy to put people on a pedestal for being brave but again I don’t think you need to be superhuman or special to be brave, you just need to know who you are and whose you are. When we are anchored in something beyond our individual experience, it makes it so much easier to show up with clarity and strength.

If you haven’t already, I invite you to consider your own relationship with your bravery, your lineage, and your artistry. What makes you feel rooted? Who are the people that you feel most inspired by and connected to? How are you reflecting the times through your work? How are you planting seeds for a new culture?

If you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for reading! If you’re interested in exploring your relationship with media and identity, I’m hosting a workshop called “Rewriting our Stories” on October 26th (originally scheduled for the 12th) which you can register for here. You can also book a 1:1 energy work session with me here and November’s Collective Energy Reset is available to register for here.

Thank you!

With love,

Paula