Annie Clark, better known as artist St. Vincent, is speaking her opinion on the topic of "cancel culture," the somewhat new phenomenon of public shaming coupled with an attempt to destroy a person's livelihood and/or social standing.
In a new interview with NME, Clark feels the advent of social media has brought on a "cruelty" she witnessed firsthand growing up in Texas where religion was “the predominant mythology of the place.” Adding that those who put themselves across as spiritual were often the most unsympathetic, she sees similar underhanded tactics being employed today. "I have a real knee-jerk reaction to that," she admits.
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Continuing her thought Annie says, "I don’t know who among us has lived a flawless life. Find me the person who has lived a flawless life, or a life without struggle. I don’t think that’s possible." Although the argument has been made, (just ask Sharon Osbourne) that actions and words should have consequences, especially for those in the public sphere who hold immense influence over their listeners and viewers.
Veering into territory that we can all agree with, Clark feels technology created by humans should ultimately help us live better, more fulfilling lives in the longterm, not create divisions and strife. "We’re in a strange time where there’s a lot of new information," she says, "and we need to be able to integrate it in a way that causes less human suffering, [rather] than more.”
After teasing a new album was "locked and loaded" at the end of 2020 and the previous release of her single "Pay Your Way In Pain" earlier this year, it looks like her forthcoming record Daddy's Home is beginning to take shape. The second offering, "The Melting Of The Sun," and a trippy new video to go along with it has officially arrived.
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The album, she says, takes inspiration from her experience in dealing with the nine-year imprisonment of her father and subsequent release following his role in a stock manipulation scheme. "I wanted to tell stories of flawed people doing their best to survive, and write about the human condition with humor, compassion, and a lack of judgement," she tells NME. "Nobody’s perfect and people make mistakes, and people can transform, and people can change. If we don’t think that’s possible, then I don’t know what we’re doing."
In her 2020 travels, St. Vincent also found time to make and score a movie, The Nowhere Inn, a mockumentary/thriller with friend and Portlandia / Sleater-Kinney founder Carrie Brownstein which she spoke about recently (as well as the new album and future music) on Audacy's New Arrivals.
Look for her seventh studio album, Daddy's Home, scheduled to hit shelves and streaming services on May 14.
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