Lizzo’s Drag Show After Ban in Tennessee and Other Protest Performances

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Lizzo made history in her latest show after a stunning group of drag queens joined her on stage at her concert in Knoxville, Tennessee. The artist delivered a dazzling performance aimed to protest against the state’s law that restricts drag shows in public.

In a show of defiance, Lizzo, known for her vocal support of body positivity and self-love, welcomed queens including Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, Kandy Muse and Asia O’Hara from RuPaul’s Drag Race to her show at the Thompson-Boling Arena last week.

Watch Lizzo perform with drag queens at her concert to protest Tennessee law pic.twitter.com/KFBN5hUIxF

— CNN (@CNN) April 24, 2023

However, Lizzo is not the only star that has taken the opportunity to raise awareness and send a powerful and revindicative statement in one of her performances. Other artists like Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny or Jennifer Lopez have also lit the stage with powerful messages. 

Beyoncé’s ‘Formation’ Halftime Performance

In the Super Bowl of 2016, Beyoncé performed her track ‘Formation’ with direct references to anti-racism movement in the United States.

In the show, the dancers donned Black Panther-inspired berets, performed black power salute and formed the letter «X» in honor of Malcolm. They even held up a handmade sign that called for «Justice for Mario Woods”, a victim of a police shooting in San Francisco whose case turned into a focal point for the Black Lives Matter movement, as The Guardian reported. 

Moreover, she paid tribute to the victims that died under police custody during her Glasgow concert in her ‘Formation’ world tour.

Beyoncé just paused her Glasgow show for a moment of silence, displaying victims of police brutality. #AltonSterling pic.twitter.com/3T8KyAkfIA

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 7, 2016

Bad Bunny’s Support to Alexa and Trans Rights 

On February 28, 2020, during his appearance on Jimmy Fallow’s ‘The Tonight Show’, Bad Bunny took the opportunity to draw attention to the transphobic comments around the killing of Alexa Negrón Luciano, a homeless trans woman  who was fatally shot in Puerto Rico that same week.

The Puerto Rican artist wore a white T-shirt featuring the words «They killed Alexa, not a man in a skirt», written in Spanish.The artist has previously been outspoken about issues affecting Puerto Rico and utilized his performance on the TV shor to raise awareness about Alexa’s tragic death while performing his collab ‘Ignorantes‘ with Sech.

Kendrick Lamar On Reproductive Rights 

Kendrick Lamar is recognized for making use of his music and performances as a way of protesting about social and political issues. For instance, during his headline set at Glastonbury in 2022, Kendrick Lamar concluded his performance with a potent protest against the situation of reproductive rights in the United States, regarding the Roe vs, Wade abortion ruling. «They judge you, they judge Christ. Godspeed for women’s rights», said before he left the stage. 

Furthermore, his track ‘Alright‘ has emerged as a symbolic anthem for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Lady Gaga’s ‘Arrest Me!’ in Support of the LGBTIQ+ Community 

Lady Gaga was scheduled to perform in Russia during her ‘Born This Way Ball’ tour in 2013, but she met with some controversy regarding the country’s restrictive laws in matters of LGBTQ+ rights, a situation that has been widely criticized by human rights groups. 

But, as we already know, Lady Gaga is one of the artists who have provided more public support to the LGBTQ+ community and she didn’t stand still. During her show in St. Petersburg, Gaga took the opportunity to make a striking statement in support of LGBTQ+ rights. «I believe that men and women deserve to love each other equally. Cuff me, Russia. Arrest me!», she screamed on the stage. 

Visibility of Migrant Rights in Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s Super Bowl Performance

Jennifer Lopez delivered a subtle but powerful statement about migrant rights during her half-time’s turn at the Super Bowl with Shakira. 

JLo sang Bruce Springsteen’s iconic track ‘Born in the USA’ alongside her daughter Emme, donning a two-sided cape featuring the American flag on the exterior and the Puerto Rican flag on the interior, sending the message that American kids, even if they are born to parents of other country or territory, they are also American. 

But the most powerful moment was when small cages containing children were visible on the field near the stage, trying to represent the family separation policy in the US-México border. In fact, in the ‘Halftime’ documentary, which speaks about Jennifer Lopez’s trajectory, it can be seen how she planned the performance trying to symbolize the migrant families situation in the country.

Olivia Rodrigo On Women’s Rights 

Olivia Rodrigo took a stand in her ‘SOUR‘ Tour performance in Washington, D.C. for the protection of women’s reproductive rights. Rodrigo paused her concert to address the polemic topic, which has been at the forefront of many people’s minds in light of the Supreme Court opinion that proposed the reversal of Roe v. Wade.

Rodrigo expressed her dismay over the Supreme Court’s possible decision, stating, «Because we’re in D.C., I couldn’t miss the opportunity to convey how heartbroken I am over the potential decision» as the audience erupted in applause. «When a woman tells us her body should never be in the hands of politicians».

Logic, Alessia Cara and Khalid Bringing Visibility to Suicide Prevention

Logic, Alessia Cara, and Khalid brought their song ‘1-800-273-8255’ to the stage at both the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards and the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. The collab’’s title is the former phone number for the American National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL), now updated to 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

During their Grammy performance, the artists were joined by a group of people (in fact, they were suicide survivors, according to The Hollywood Reporter) who wore T-shirts displaying the hotline number and a message of encouragement that stated, «You are not alone», it read. Following their performance, Logic even took a moment to discuss current events such as the #MeToo movement and the immigration conflict.