MUNA's Upcoming Album and the Importance of Representaiton

American alternative pop sensation MUNA return with their newest singles, “Number One Fan,” and “Who.” MUNA, made up of Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson, have revealed “Number One Fan” to be the first single off their new record Saves the World, set to come out September 6th. “Number One Fan” follows an upbeat, catchy rhythm, and the lyrics preach a new kind of self-love. The synth-driven song opens with the line “So I heard the bad news / Nobody likes me and I’m gonna die alone,” a seemingly depressing sentiment until it’s followed by “Wouldn’t you like if I believed those words?” This new single is all about recognizing the negative voices in our minds and learning not to listen to them. Released on June 7th, the single comes just in time to be the perfect summer anthem of self-love and acceptance. “Number One Fan” colors the rest of the album; as MUNA put in one of their tweets, “in some ways i feel i have saved myself and in that way i feel i have saved the world.”

The following single “Who,” released on June 28th, isn’t quite as upbeat as “Number One Fan.” A more open and heartfelt track about unreciprocated love, Gavin poses the question: “I need to know who / Who, who are you singing about?”

“Who” certainly holds the weight and raw emotion that comes from thinking you knew someone, then finding out later that you really didn’t know them at all. Accompanied by the pain of loving someone who doesn’t love you back, Gavin laments in the bridge: “And it was like a dream to hear such a sweet melody / But I knew it was not for me”

The video released with “Who” pictures Gavin watching videos of Gaskin and McPherson laughing and embracing. In the sole shot of them with Gavin, however, the two appear cold and disinterested. The song and video paint a painfully clear picture of something we can all relate to: falling for someone who doesn’t feel the same way. The new singles fit into the narrative of the album in their own respective ways, both feeling genuinely introspective and honest.

There’s a bigger reason MUNA are really capable of saving the world. It’s certainly no coincidence that their two new singles, arriving two years after their last album, came out during pride month. MUNA bring more than representation to the LGBTQ+ community—they bring hope. While representation has certainly come a long way in recent years, there is still a long way to go. That’s where MUNA come in, seeking to normalize queer narratives in a unifying way. MUNA said in an iHeartRadio interview: “We wrote ‘I Know a Place’ to be like a contemporary anthem for the queer community. [...] We started writing it in 2015 after the Supreme Court decision to legalize gay marriage, and it was a really celebratory song, but we also knew that there were a lot of people in our community who still [didn’t] feel safe. So we wrote it also as a message of safety and nonviolence. And then it took on a new meaning after the Orlando shooting.” Additionally, during their live performance of the song at Honda Theater in 2017, they changed the bridge to: “Even if our skins or our Gods look different / I believe all human life is significant / I throw my arms open wide in resistance / he’s not my leader even if he’s my president.” The band members have also talked before the song about how their concert is meant to be a safe space for LGBTQ+ people and people of color.

While certain songs do address LGBTQ+ issues specifically, a lot of MUNA songs focus on universal experiences. While raising and addressing issues the LGBTQ+ community faces is incredibly important, we’re all still human and we all share the same love and heartbreak. MUNA’s dark pop follows these all-inclusive narratives, while still being written for the underrepresented. In a recent interview with Paper Magazine, MUNA expressed their gratefulness for their platform and the ability to share their message, while voicing their frustration that these conversations about representation are still so necessary.

Yes, society has come a long way, but we still have so far to go. In a lot of ways, constantly having to advocate for your identity and lifestyle can be exhausting. At some level, we all just want to be able to live our lives and be accepted for who we are, and not have to constantly fight for that. This is the kind of safe haven that MUNA build with their music: a place of acceptance and love, a place where the pain and heartbreak we feel is universally understood. In an increasingly divisive society, we need unifying and inclusive music now more than ever.

After all, it is 2019. We have no excuse to not pay attention to the kinds of artists we are supporting. It’s important that we take the time to really think about this; if you’re streaming their music, you’re supporting them not only as an artist but also as a person. If we want the world to be a better place, if we want the music industry to be a better place, we have to enact that change ourselves. Regardless of your political stance and beliefs, choosing to ignore already marginalized groups doesn’t make you anything other than a bad person. It’s about time we shift the spotlight. Support female artists, support LGBTQ+ artists, support POC artists. I’ll leave you with just one question, the one everyone should be asking themselves: Why aren’t you listening to MUNA yet?