Pink or otherwise known as Alecia Beth Moore co-wrote “What About Us” with songwriters Johnny McDaid and Steve Mac. These songwriters have also written songs for other popular artists such as Ed Sheeran. In 2017, “What About Us” was released to the public. During this time former President Donald Trump was inaugurated into office for four years. Also during this time I was graduating high school and shifting over to my college career as well. This period of time was an emotional rollercoaster for a lot of people. The United States was going through a massive transition which either upset a lot of people or made a lot of people happy. In most cases, it made a lot of people upset and horrified for our future and future generations to come. This NBC news article goes into great detail about the major events that happened in 2017 NBC NEWS 2017. Not only was Trump inaugurated as president, the 2017 Women’s March took place during the first day of Donald Trump’s full presidency. Hundreds and thousands of women and allies crowded the U.S. capital as a massive protest aimed mostly at the Trump Administration and the threat it represented for civil human rights especially women’s rights. This History Channel article goes into further detail regarding the Women’s March and how it’s affected more than 3 million people across the whole entire country and even the entire world. Looking back at this time in my life as a 17/18 year old white female, I never realized the amount of privilege I received and still receive just because I’m a white female. Now that I’m more aware and educated about these important topics, I wish I could have attended the march back when I was 18 years old.
As for the song’s music genre, “What About Us” is considered to be a pop song. This genre has always been known to include many different styles of music whether it’s rap, rock and roll, hip-hop, dance, jazz, or traditional pop music. Unlike traditional folk music, popular music is written by known individuals, usually professionals, and does not evolve through the process of oral transmission. Rosenthal and Flacks argue that “genres and other musical codes and conventions provide frameworks that guide our interpretations of what we’re hearing” (Rosenthal & Flacks, 2011, 52). Especially in pop music, many artists use this genre to spread awareness about certain social justice issues. “What About Us” expresses many concerning qualities about issues such as civil rights and equality. The broad appeal of pop music is seen to distinguish it from more specific types of popular music, and pop music performers and recordings are among the best-selling and most widely known in many regions of the world.
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