When Sabrina Carpenter announced her Short n’ Sweet tour, I was surprised to see that one of my favorite artists, Declan McKenna, was opening for parts of the U.S. tour. Their styles are very different, but they’re both fans of each other’s work. Personally, I respect Carpenter’s music and think she has a great voice, but her new album isn’t exactly what I like to listen to regularly.
Meanwhile, I started listening to McKenna, an English artist, during the Fall 2022 semester. Conveniently, this was right around the time when I found out that I would be studying abroad in London that summer. However, it wasn’t until after the release of his most recent album that he became a constant in my artist rotation, and let me tell you why:
“Brazil” Scored 98 percent on the GCSE
McKenna’s most popular and debut song, “Brazil,” has an amazing story. He submitted it to the 2015 Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition after writing it for his music GCSE. GCSEs are the exams high school students take in the United Kingdom to certify their understanding of a particular subject. Unsurprisingly, he won, and the song exploded. It was played all over the UK and even made it to American radio.
In an interview, McKenna later reported that he got a 98 percent on the song and wondered where the other two percent went. Following his GCSEs, he dropped out of his A-levels (another UK series of exams) to pursue a music career.
Lyrical Activism
One of the coolest parts about “Brazil” as a breakout song is the clear political message behind it. 15-year-old McKenna wrote the song to protest the awarding of the 2014 FIFA World Cup to Brazil. He writes of the corruption in Brazil for accepting an internationally recognized award without addressing the level of poverty that affects a vast majority of the population. Because of this message, many pegged McKenna as the next “musical voice of Gen Z.”
Most of McKenna’s music is political. His debut album, What Do You Think About the Car?, features “Brazil” and “Paracetamol.” Paracetamol, the British equivalent to acetaminophen, is meant to serve as a metaphor for the drugs one can take to “treat” one’s sexual orientation. McKenna wrote the song to protest conversion therapy and the treatment of transgender people in the UK. He was inspired to speak out after the suicide of a transgender teenager, which gained national attention in the UK.
Later, in the single “British Bombs,” McKenna critiques UK foreign policy. The chorus repeats lines like “Great Britain won’t stand for felons/Great British bombs in the Yemen.” However, my favorite lyric that truly defines this song is sarcastic: “And if it’s not a f*cking war crime / It’s a total waste of your time.”
Throughout McKenna’s other albums, Zeros and What Happened to the Beach?, he targets social problems and conservative ideas. Never shying away from the sensitive or political, McKenna’s music always sends a progressive message backed by witty lyrics and indie-pop-rock vibes.
McKenna’s Future as an Artist
After three albums and some singles, McKenna dropped his record label, Columbia Records, to independently release his music. His most recent singles, “Champagne” and “That’s Life,” were the first to be released without backing by Columbia. In an interview with Billboard, McKenna opened up about wanting to freely collaborate with other artists and try new music techniques without the influence of a large record label. Some of his other struggles with Columbia are highlighted in his song, “Nothing Works.”
This move exemplifies McKenna’s traits as a person and musician. His goal is to exercise creative freedom with his music and stay true to himself. He keeps it real on his social media, posting quirky content with captions that capture his humor and zest for life.
Time and time again, McKenna has proven his ability to be the voice of Gen Z, speaking out against social injustices, defying genres, and expressing himself through zany posts. After touring for Carpenter, I hope to see him become more popular and get the attention he truly deserves.
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