Beyoncé gives permission to Kamala Harris to use song on campaign trail – report
Beyoncé has reportedly given permission to the vice-president turned presumptive presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, to use her song Freedom throughout her campaign.
According to CNN, Harris’s team got last-minute approval from the singer just hours before she walked out to the song at her campaign headquarters on Monday.
Related: ‘Harris for America!’: Hollywood reacts with gratitude – and relief – as Joe Biden steps aside
The star’s team has apparently now given her permission to use the song throughout the campaign.
While Beyoncé has not made any official endorsement since Joe Biden stepped down at the weekend, she endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket in 2020. The star posted a video on Instagram wearing a mask with their names accompanied by the caption: “Come thru, Texas! #VOTE.”
The singer’s mother, Tina Knowles, did post a picture of herself with Harris on Instagram on Monday with a caption endorsing her as a candidate. “Go Vice President Kamala Harris for President. Let’s Go,” she wrote.
Freedom is a song taken from Beyoncé’s acclaimed 2016 album Lemonade and features Kendrick Lamar. It became an unofficial anthem of the 2020 George Floyd protests with a 625% rise in streams at the time.
Since Biden officially withdrew his nomination at the weekend and endorsed his vice-president as a replacement, trade publications have reported that Hollywood donors are “excited and motivated” to put their money behind Harris.
Related: ‘Kamala IS brat’: Harris campaign goes lime-green to embrace the meme of the summer
Major names have already shared their support for Harris on social media. Jamie Lee Curtis called Harris “trusted and tested and she is a fierce advocate for women’s rights and people of color”, while Barbra Streisand wrote that she “will continue Joe Biden’s work and will be a great president”.
After writing an op-ed for the New York Times asking Biden to stand down, George Clooney has now added his support for Harris. “President Biden has shown what true leadership is,” the actor said in a statement. “He’s saving democracy once again. We’re all so excited to do whatever we can to support Vice-President Harris in her historic quest.”
While Harris has been given official clearance by Beyoncé, her potential opponent Donald Trump has continued to struggle to get support from musicians willing to let him use their music. The artists who have refused to allow him to use their music include Adele, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Pharrell, Queen, Rihanna and the White Stripes.
At Trump’s recent appearance at the Republican national convention, he was supported on-stage by Kid Rock.
