It is no secret that artists have an ever-increasing influence. With the rise of social media and music streaming platforms, it is easier than ever for these artists to get in touch with their fans and even more so, their critics.

As of recently, there have been a lot of artists taking over social media and not in the right image. Artists like Ye West and Rex Orange County, have sparked controversy over their recent actions which have put them on blast in recent weeks. The real question is, should we be separating these artists from their music?

The answer is yes: we as listeners and supporters should be separating the art from the artist. Celebrities being controversial is nothing new. Whether it be Sinead O’Connor ripping the Pope’s picture on Saturday Night Live, Will Smith Slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars, Britney Spears and her father, Justin Bieber in his teen years, or Demi Lovato’s drug dependency. In hindsight, all of these artists grew and had a chance at redemption. All of these artists had a chance to grow and redeem themselves and their image. No matter the severity of the situation, redemption is always possible. As time goes on people grow and develop, learning from their mistakes and finding the right balance for them.

When it comes to artists such as Ye West, mental health is a major issue among celebrities, with people like Ye West being diagnosed as bipolar and dealing with that in his everyday life. Infamous artist Billie Eilish has opened up about her struggles with mental health and suicidal thoughts. Other Artists, for example, Bruce Springsteen, have opened up about mental health with Springsteen himself experiencing emotional breakdowns.

With these artists’ lives always being broadcasted to the public and being followed by paparazzi 24/7 it is easy to make mistakes.

With every huge fan base comes a great amount of criticism.

We can all agree that celebrities do not always make the best decisions for their image, and that can cause a lot of backlash from media outlets, other influencers, and even internet trolls. With that, is it fair to put someone on blast because of a mistake they made?

Artists shouldn’t lose listeners because they made a mistake or are not in the right state of mind. We definitely shouldn’t blacklist these artists when we ourselves make mistakes too, the only difference is that people aren’t following us around with cameras all the time. Artists probably shouldn’t try and spark controversy, especially on social media. But at the end of the day, these artists are human and make mistakes. History has shown they can learn from and redeem their images.