Bernie Sanders Once Revealed This Music ‘Shaped’ Him
Bernie Sanders generally talks to the media about politics, however, he’s also been incredibly open about his taste in music. During interviews, he’s revealed he enjoys an eclectic mix of artists. Here’s a look at the wide array of artists that make him tick — and the one to whom he gave a major award.
The ‘eclectic’ array of music Bernie Sanders enjoys
In 2015, during his 2016 run for the White House, Sanders sat down with Rolling Stone. As Rolling Stone is primarily a music magazine, they asked him about his favorite musicians. He had a sonically diverse array of artists.
“I am pretty eclectic,” he said. “I love music, I really do. On my gizmo here, on my iPad, you have the complete works of Ludwig van Beethoven. On the other hand, I’m a big fan of Willie Nelson and I like country music. Willie came up some years ago and campaigned for me. We had a great time and I love his music. I would say I was shaped — my music was shaped — in the ‘60s by Motown, by The Supremes, by The Temptations, and, uh, that’s kinda it.”
Other pop artists he enjoys
That’s certainly a varied mix of artists — from the sounds of 17th-century Germany to 1960s Detroit. While Sanders said this group of artists was “kinda it,” he’s also cited a handful of other artists as favorites. He told Rolling Stone he enjoys disco music, citing the Bee Gees and ABBA as two of his favorites in the genre. He’s also a fan of Celine Dion.
Bernie Sanders gave this artist an award
Apparently, his love of disco music expands beyond the classic disco music of the 1970s. He’s also a fan of one of the most notable nu-disco artists: Dua Lipa According to Billboard, he presented Lipa with their Powerhouse Award. While the award is designed to congratulate an artist for their commercial success, Sanders praised Lipa for her commitment to social justice.
While giving Lipa the award, Sanders said we are living in unprecedented times and we cannot go back to “business as usual.” “The winner of tonight’s Powerhouse Award understands that,” Sanders said. “[Lipa] has said loudly and clearly with her actions that now is the time to fight for a better future for all. She is fighting for young people, women, refugees, the LGBT community [and] she is using her platform to bring people into the democratic process. She is raising her voice to demand real change.”
In addition, Sanders said Lipa understands that the world needs to be governed by new rules. This comment was a clear reference to “New Rules,” one of Lipa’s most famous dance tracks. Afterward, Lipa said it was an incredible honor to receive the Powerhouse Award from Sanders, citing him as her personal hero. Sanders admires a lot of artists — but he went out of his way to honor her.
