The assertion that music must be separate from political opinions is still defended by some, but for others, including artists, such thinking doesn't seem to make sense. Something that Sevendust , Lajon Witherspoon , seems to agree with.
In an interview with Loudwire , Witherspoon was asked about his role in encouraging positive change at a time of so much discussion in the United States regarding racism, being an African-American singer in a predominantly white musical genre like metal.
In response, Lajon states, “Nobody brought up this subject or asked me anything. Today, we can definitely see that there is a lack of equality in this world that is being highlighted. Luckily, in the industry I'm in, the metal community, I feel that this is definitely something that is not tolerated, from what I've seen.”
“I feel that this community is incredibly friendly and I have been very blessed to be a part of it. I also feel that there are a lot of people hiding behind masks, who are racist, out there. But if there’s anything I can do, it’s always to be a leader in bringing peace, love and equality, and that’s what I do,” says the singer.
“I can say that love doesn’t see color, but I believe that people do see color, obviously. But I still want to unite everyone and that’s not a problem. In our community, there’s everything, black, white, yellow, etc. And that’s how the world should be. We should definitely get to that page, that point again, where we don’t have that problem. I pray that we get there.”
“But musically, I feel like, ‘Thank you for letting our voices be able to speak and bring people together.’ I feel like it’s something we’ve been able to do as Sevendust. People look at us and see a lot of different faces from different places and different ethnicities. It’s something we’ve been doing for over 20 years. We haven’t stopped, and I hope that’s something people will understand and see and learn from,” the vocalist concluded.
Check out the cover art and tracklist for Sevendust's new album, Blood & Stone .
Sevendust:
Blood & Stone 01. Dying To Live
02. Love
03. Blood From A Stone
04. Feel Like Going On
05. What You've Become
06. Kill Me
07. Nothing Left To See Here Anymore
08. Desperation
09. Criminal
10. Against The World
11. Alone
12. Wish You Well
13. The Day I Tried To Live
READ ALSO: Sevendust confirms new album for October of this year; find out more
