Some of the most buzzed-about moments during the 2024 Democratic National Convention had little to do with policy and campaigns and nearly everything to do with the soundtrack.
After “Freedom” by Beyoncé (featuring Kendrick Lamar) took off as the anthem for Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ 2024 campaign, speculation about whether Beyoncé would make an appearance mounted as musical guest after musical guest — from varying genres and time periods — took the stage this week at the DNC.
Though entertainment news site TMZ reported that Beyoncé would perform Thursday night, leading to an explosion of rumors on social media, the final night went on without a hitch or surprise musical guest.
“If we are a devout fan (and Beyoncé has many), we want a celebrity to give a face and a voice to the principles and politics to which we ascribe,” wrote Georgia College & State University professor of music Dana Gorzelany-Mostak, creator of a research project that studies American presidential campaign music in a text message.
The musical performances that did occur on the night of Harris’ speech, including a set by Pink, relied more on an image of community than of individual star power, noted Gorzelany-Mostak.
“In the Harris campaign, the power of ‘we’ outshines the power of ‘I,‘ and she has expertly used music and dance to reinforce this message,” Gorzelany-Mostak said. “In the final live performance of the convention, Pink eschews her own star power and instead shares the stage with an intergenerational, diverse group of women, including her own daughter, in an acoustic performance of her protest anthem, ‘What About Us.’”
Predictions of a surprise performance on the final night of the convention grew throughout the day on Thursday, with Taylor Swift’s name also thrown around on social media. Notably, Swift has not yet publicly cast her support behind either candidate in the 2024 election, though she endorsed President Joe Biden’s ticket in 2020.
After TMZ mistakenly confirmed Beyoncé’s supposed upcoming performance, many other media outlets followed suit, until The Hollywood Reporter released a statement from a Beyoncé representative at around 9 p.m. denying that the superstar had ever been scheduled to perform. After Harris’ speech and the balloon-dropping finale of the convention came and went, TMZ publicly apologized for its error.
However, over the course of the week, the convention was not without at least one surprise musical guest.
Lil Jon’s unexpected appearance during Georgia’s roll call to sing his hit songs “Turn Down for What” and “Get Low” was part of a larger effort on the part of the DNC to make Tuesday night’s roll call — generally regarded as one of the more mundane parts of the convention — a spectacle, and to pay homage to the states represented.
But from longtime figures like Stevie Wonder to pop-country tunes from Maren Morris and a Prince tribute by John Legend, the DNC ran the gamut of songs to make a case for Harris to voters this week.
Many of the choices might have come as a surprise, particularly after a proliferation of memes and Harris campaign HQ social media posts attempted to link the candidate with Gen Z female stars like Chappell Roan and Charli XCX.
“These alliances are emerging very organically,” Gorzelany-Mostak said. She described how subtle allusions to the Charli XCX ‘brat summer’ memes have popped up at rallies and the DNC.
“It’s these subtle ways of Harris communicating, ‘Yes, we’re on the same page. I’m speaking with you,’” she said. “But she’s not doing it to the extent where it looks like pandering, or it becomes off-putting to older people.”
Offline, however, convention week kicked off musically with a rousing rendition of the anthem by the Soul Children of Chicago, a youth gospel ensemble. The rest of Monday’s lineup was heavy on country music, with Mickey Guyton joining to perform “All American” and Jason Isbell singing “Something More Than Free.”
Then came Tuesday’s roll call.
“The selected songs reflected a diversity of genres and artists and were chosen to celebrate the unique character of all 57 delegations as they rally around Vice President Harris and Governor Walz’s nominations,” Emily Soong, a convention spokesperson, said in a statement.
Texas, naturally, selected Beyoncé’s recent hit “Texas Hold ‘Em” from her 2024 album Cowboy Carter — only adding to the speculation about the pop star’s appearance later in the week that didn’t materialize.
The long-awaited Thursday lineup also included the national anthem sung by The Chicks.
Michael Kolenc, vice president of political consulting firm CN4 Partners — which creates mailers and digital and television advertisements for state and federal political campaigns — said engagement for television can be a challenge, even for the massive convention.
“This convention has been much more music-forward in its approach to engaging audiences,” Kolenc said. “The DNC is not necessarily for the people in the room. It’s for the millions that are watching on their couches at home and trying to stay awake because they go past prime time.”
Yet the influential power of campaign music is not unique to Harris’ run.
“Campaign songs are a lot like stump speeches,” Kolenc said. “It’s about message discipline. It doesn’t change votes, but it’s about the tone.”
The Tribune’s Dan Petrella contributed reporting.
