Pop superstar Adele on Tuesday lodged objections as Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump played her music on the campaign trail.
Pop superstar Adele on Tuesday lodged objections as Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump played her music on the campaign trail. Mr Trump, an apparent fan of Adele who was spotted at her concert in November in New York, has regularly played her hit Rolling in the Deep at his rallies.
“Adele has not given permission for her music to be used for any political campaigning,” a statement from the singer’s spokesman said.
Adele, whose blockbuster success has been attributed to her ability to attract audiences across wide demographic lines, did not mention Mr Trump by name.
Adele in the past has declared herself as a staunch supporter of the Labour Party in her native Britain although — in a potential area of common ground with Mr Trump — she has complained about the heavy tax bill since becoming rich.
US candidates, especially on the right, have repeatedly faced a backlash when playing well-known songs.
Mr Trump earlier in his campaign played Neil Young’s Rockin’ in the Free World” and R.E.M.’s “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine),” triggering furious protests from the artistes known for their left-leaning views.
But Mr Trump on Tuesday picked up an endorsement of sorts from one prominent musician.
Azealia Banks, the New York rapper who like Mr Trump is fond of heated exchanges on Twitter, offered a backhanded compliment as she said she planned to vote for Mr Trump.
“I think Donald Trump is evil like America is evil and in order for America to keep up with itself it needs him,” Banks wrote in a series of late-night tweets.
Yet Banks — an African-American woman who in the past has accused the music industry of double standards and declared her hatred for “fat white Americans” — also offered more straightforward praise for Mr Trump.
She said that the real estate tycoon “is the only one who truly has the balls to bust up big business.”
