When our favorite music artists release a new album, a tour is sure to follow. Some of the most notable tours include Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour, Harry Styles’ Love On Tour or Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. These tours are most well known for the music, attendance records and surprise guests brought out to perform. However, what is not talked about as much are the tours that donate proceeds to charities and help support different communities.
In early 2024, Olivia Rodrigo set out on her Guts World Tour. This tour emerged after the success of her sophomore album “Guts,” where she then embarked on her year-long tour spanning more than 80 cities. With all the tour proceeds, Rodrigo was able to set up a global initiative called Fund 4 Good that aimed at building equitable futures for women and girls regarding reproductive freedom. Along with this initiative, Rodrigo partnered with different women’s organizations in the cities she went to, donating some of her ticket sale proceeds to shelters and charities. Recently, Rodrigo was given an award through Planned Parenthood for her contribution to women’s reproductive freedom in the cities she visited on tour. In her acceptance speech, she gave inspiring advice to all the women who continue fighting for reproductive rights. Through Rodrigo’s strong nature and perseverance, she has been able to help support women all over the world.
Many artists have spoken up about the controversial overturning of Roe v. Wade back in 2022 on their tours, sometimes even through their music. One artist who has stood up for reproductive rights, aligned with the fight against climate change, is Billie Eilish. In a song Eilish released in 2022, called “TV,” she used her platform to speak up about the overturning of Roe v. Wade. On her “Hit Me Hard and Soft” tour, she created concert merch that is made from 100% recycled cotton and other materials. Along with her clothing, she has also made her records more eco-friendly by making the vinyls out of recycled materials. On this tour, she has been able to make major changes regarding lowering carbon emissions by giving vegan restaurant suggestions in tour cities, having refill stations for water bottles, donating to climate organizations and having canned food donation spots in each city for local charities. With all these actions on the “Hit Me Hard and Soft” tour, she has been able to feed people in all of her city stops and start the move towards lowering our collective carbon emissions.
These two artists are not the only ones aiming to inspire change; many old and emerging acts are turning towards a platform called HeadCount. This is a nonprofit organization that works with musicians to encourage voting and participation in democracy. Some notable artists that HeadCount has worked with include Tyler Childers, The Avett Brothers, My Chemical Romance, Meghan Trainor, Green Day, The Lumineers, Dead and Company and so many more. Many younger and new emerging artists are using their platforms as well, such as Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, Lizzy McAlpine, Harry Styles and the list is growing. With these newer artists, younger audiences are being brought into their concerts, which allows HeadCount to then teach younger generations about the importance of voting and using your voice for good.
Through the actions of these superstar artists and HeadCount, they have been able to bring awareness to ongoing issues that are facing our current country and world. With all of their hard work and perseverance, I hope that new generations take inspiration from these two amazing women and this organization to keep fighting for what they believe in.
