The Biggest Music Controversies of 2023

The year in music was defined by a few main plot lines. Of course, there was Taylor Swift's Eras Tour and Beyoncé's triumphant Renaissance run, and high-profile new albums from big names like Olivia Rodrigo and SZA. But just as often, our feeds were dominated by the many controversies that rocked the music world this year. From the sudden emergence of upstart folkie and political lightning rod Oliver Anthony to an unsettling trend of objects being thrown at musicians onstage, and lawsuits involving Lizzo, Hall & Oates, Diddy and more, here are the biggest music-world controversies of 2023.

The Matty Healy and Ice Spice controversy spills over into the Taylor Swift universe

In February, Matty Healy, frontman of the 1975, appeared on an episode of the Adam Friedland Show podcast in which co-hosts Friedland and Nick Mullen commented on he ethnicity and body size of "Boy's a Liar" rapper Ice Spice. The hosts proceeded to call her "Inuit Spice Girl" and a "chubby Chinese lady" before impersonating Hawaiian, Inuit and Chinese accents with Healy laughing in the background.

Soon after, Healy began dating Taylor Swift, bringing more attention to his comments and outraging Swifties. Across social media, fans begged Swift to dump the singer , viewing their relationship as a betrayal of the star's image and supposed values. Following the controversy, Swift released a remix of her Midnights track "Karma," featuring none other than Ice Spice. Some theorized she invited Spice on the track to distract from Healy's comments.

Healy addressed Ice Spice at a show in April, saying, "I just feel a bit bad, and I’m kind of a bit sorry if I’ve offended you." Later, Ice Spice revealed that the two had talked through the issue in person, and that all was "good" between them.

Jason Aldean's 'Try That in a Small Town' sets off heated debate

Jason Aldean made headlines far outside the country-music sphere this year with "Try That in a Small Town." The single, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 this summer, includes lyrics about gun ownership and messaging that could be construed as a call to violence. Some also pointed out that its music video, which originally included a clip of Black Lives Matter protestors, was filmed at the site of a lynching in Tennessee. Backlash against the song led to CMT and country radio stations pulling it from rotation, and fellow country singers condemning Aldean on social media. The singer later defended the song and refuted the idea that its video singled out members of any particular race.

Musicians weigh in on the Bud Light and Dylan Mulvaney backlash

Bud Light received backlash this year when it announced its partnership with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Much of the flak came from the country music world. Kid Rock, for example, announced he was boycotting the beer giant and wouldn't serve it in his Nashville bar. (He also filmed himself shooting cases of Bud Light with an automatic rifle.) Rock said he "didn't want to be in the party of cancel cultures and boycotts that ultimately hurt working-class people," but ultimately decided to "let the thing go." Meanwhile, Garth Brooks doubled down on his choice to continue carrying Bud Light at his bar, saying, "diversity, inclusiveness, that's me. That's always been me." 

Oliver Anthony's 'Rich Men North of Richmond' divides the nation

Oliver Anthony was a flash in the pan that sparked a lot of conversation. His viral folk song "Rich Men North of Richmond" was intended as a takedown of greedy politicians and a crumbling country, but millions on both sides of the political spectrum used it for their own purposes. It was used at a Republican debate, leading to a response from Anthony who said, "I wrote that song about those people. It's aggravating seeing people on conservative news trying to identify with me like I'm one of them." That was just the beginning. "Rich Men North of Richmond" became the No. 1 song in America. Anthony caught more flak when he refused to choose a political side and came out against Joe Biden. He upset conservatives when he said our country's diversity "makes us strong." Anthony continued to make news when word spread that he was stuck at Burning Man. But it seems the Oliver Anthony Bonanza has quieted after about four months.

Lizzo's former backup dancers accuse her of harassment, weight-shaming

Lizzo's former backup dancers accused the pop star of harassment, assault and weight-shaming in a lawsuit earlier this year. The plaintiffs sued for claims of a hostile work environment, sexual harassment, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, religious harassment, racial harassment, disability discrimination, assault and false imprisonment. Lizzo denied the allegations and made plans to counter-sue, writing on social media, "Usually I choose not to respond to false allegations but these are unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous not to be addressed. These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional." One piece of the filing that caught people's attention detailed a team trip to a strip club in Amsterdam's Red Light District, where the Grammy-winning singer told her dancers "to take turns touching the nude performers." Despite the lawsuit, Lizzo was honored with the Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award at the Black Music Action Coalition Gala for her "philanthropic work and commitment to social justice" in September. Just last month, the singer shared an update that she's working on new music. 

Daryl Hall sues John Oates

Daryl Hall, one half of the hit-making pop duo Hall & Oates, is suing his former bandmate John Oates, alleging that his longtime musical partner (though strictly on a "business" level, according to Hall) planned to sell his share of the duo's joint publishing venture, in violation of their confidential business agreement. A hearing was held Nov. 30 and the Nashville judge sided with Hall, ruling that Oates temporarily cannot sell his share until a private arbitrator hears the case.

Fans hurl objects at artists, kicking off a disturbing trend

This year, an alarming trend emerged in pop music: fans throwing objects at musicians during performances. The string of attacks began when a fan hurled a phone at Bebe Rexha during a New York performance, causing a minor facial injury and leading to the fan's arrest. This caused a ripple effect in the following months, and victims included Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Drake, Pink, Lil Nas X and more. The thrown implements included sex toys, bracelets and even ashes. The trend was so prevalent that artists like Adele and Jason Derulo paused their own shows to comment on it and urge the audience against it.

Britney Spears calls out Justin Timberlake, sister Jamie Lynn and more in bombshell memoir

Britney Spears released her tell-all memoir The Woman In Me this year, revealing details from her past relationships, tabloid tales, turbulent career path, conservatorship battle and more. One standout story talks about getting an abortion while dating Justin Timberlake, which they kept hidden for years. She also writes about her marriage to Kevin Federline, who apparently kept his baby from a previous relationship a secret: "I had no idea until after we'd been together for a while and someone told me, 'You know he has a new baby, right?'" Another relationship Spears opened up about is the one with her sister Jamie Lynn. Spears writes that Jamie Lynn refused to help her when she felt hopeless under the conservatorship, and even capitalized on Spears' misfortune with a book deal. Later, Spears brought a series of damning legal allegations against her father, Jamie.

AI-generated music has artists and fans uneasy

As AI continues to improve, more artists are experimenting with, and rallying against, the tech. This year, the surviving Beatles used artificial intelligence to complete their final song, and received quite a bit of flak for it. Paul McCartney cleared the air when he clarified how they utilized AI in a tweet: "We've seen some confusion and speculation about it. Seems to be a lot of guesswork out there. Can't say too much at this stage but to be clear, nothing has been artificially or synthetically created. It's all real and we all play on it. We cleaned up some existing recordings – a process which has gone on for years." Meanwhile, this past spring, TikTok user Ghostwriter977 uploaded an eerily realistic fake collab between Drake and the Weeknd, an AI-generated song called "Heart on My Sleeve." The deepfake track prompted both artists and listeners to share their opinions and anxieties surrounding the technology.

Flamy Grant booted from Christian and gospel Grammy categories

The music of drag and gospel artist Flamy Grant was removed from the Grammys' Christian and Gospel categories due to its "explicit language/content" not reflecting "a Christian worldview." Grant pushed back, deeming the decision "religious gatekeeping," calling out the Grammys for including Kanye West in the gospel categories and claiming, "There were no instructions about explicit material for that category." The singer-songwriter's album Bible Belt Baby, which climbed to the top of the iTunes charts earlier this year, was submitted for consideration in the Best Contemporary Christian Music Album category before being moved into the Best Pop Vocal Album category.

Diddy accused of rape and sexual assault

Rapper, producer and entrepreneur Sean "Diddy" Combs has had four lawsuits filed against him for sexual assault allegations over the last few months. Most recently, a woman who identified as Jane Doe accused Combs, former Bad Boy president Harve Pierre and a third man of trafficking and sexually assaulting her in a recording studio in 2003, when the accuser was 17 and in 11th grade. The first lawsuit this year was filed by Diddy's former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, who accused him of rape, abuse and sexual assault during their 10-year relationship. They settled, and Combs' attorney claimed the agreement was not an admission of guilt. Just days later, Combs was hit with a second and third lawsuit, both for sexual assault. The third suit was filed just before the Adult Survivors Act law in New York State was set to expire. Another lawsuit, accusing the musician of gang rape, emerged in December. "Let me be absolutely clear," he told The Messenger in a statement. "I did not do any of the awful things being alleged."

Veteran rockers come under fire for statements on transgender issues

Another unexpected trend in the music industry this year came when rock veterans shared what some deemed problematic opinions. Kiss' Stanley tweeted, seemingly out of nowhere, about gender-affirmation: "There is a BIG difference between teaching acceptance and normalizing and even encouraging participating in a lifestyle that confuses young children into questioning their sexual identification as though some sort of game and then parents in some cases allow it." Dee Snider of Twisted Sister tweeted in support of Stanley's statement, leading to the cancellation of his previously arranged performance at SF Pride. The dominos kept falling. When asked about Stanley and Snider's comments in an interview, Alice Cooper replied, "I'm understanding that there are cases of transgender, but I'm afraid that it's also a fad." Carlos Santana also caught flak for a vaguely anti-trans speech he made at one of his concerts, unrelated to the remarks of Stanley, Snider and Cooper. Stanley followed his original tweet with a semi-apology, Snider lamented the lack of civil discourse around such sensitive issues, Cooper never addressed his controversy and Santana apologized for his "insensitive comments."

Sabrina Carpenter scandalizes a Brooklyn church

Sabrina Carpenter's recent video for her song "Feather" was filmed at the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Brooklyn, and after it aired, a representative told The Messenger that the church's Bishop Brennan was "appalled." The music video features Carpenter dancing suggestively in front of the church and in the sanctuary, skipping in a black veil alongside propped-up caskets and sporting a large cross necklace. Also: shirtless men. "The parish did not follow Diocesan policy regarding the filming on Church property, which includes a review of the scenes and script," the representative said. "The parish reports that the production company failed to accurately represent the video content. Bishop Brennan is taking this matter seriously and will be looking into it further." The bishop later "restored the sanctity" of the church while a monsignor was eventually fired over the controversy. "We got approval in advance," Carpenter later said of the ordeal, adding, "and Jesus was a carpenter."