Resistance in Maxida Märak’s album Utopi

In this article, the music, lyrics, and music videos of Maxida Märak’s 2019 debut solo album Utopi (Utopia) are analysed using feminist, decolonial theories. The article discusses how the construction of resistance to colonial, patriarchal, and capitalist oppressions takes form on Utopi, and shows p...

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Published in:IASPM Journal
Main Author: Werner, Ann
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Södertörns högskola, Genusvetenskap 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-47946
https://doi.org/10.5429/2079-3871(2021)v11i2.6en
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spelling ftsoedertoernsho:oai:DiVA.org:sh-47946 2023-07-16T03:59:17+02:00 Resistance in Maxida Märak’s album Utopi Werner, Ann 2021 application/pdf http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-47946 https://doi.org/10.5429/2079-3871(2021)v11i2.6en eng eng Södertörns högskola, Genusvetenskap International Association for the Study of Popular Music IASPM@Journal, 2021, 11:2, s. 69-83 orcid:0000-0002-2540-8497 http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-47946 doi:10.5429/2079-3871(2021)v11i2.6en info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Maxida Märak decolonial feminism Saami popular music resistance Music Musik Article in journal info:eu-repo/semantics/article text 2021 ftsoedertoernsho https://doi.org/10.5429/2079-3871(2021)v11i2.6en 2023-06-26T22:12:04Z In this article, the music, lyrics, and music videos of Maxida Märak’s 2019 debut solo album Utopi (Utopia) are analysed using feminist, decolonial theories. The article discusses how the construction of resistance to colonial, patriarchal, and capitalist oppressions takes form on Utopi, and shows popular music’s relationship to feminist and Indigenous resistance today. Lyrics, sounds, and images are analysed using discourse analysis, leading to the conclusion that Utopi holds ambiguous possibilities, of resisting settler colonialism, sexism, racism, and capitalism, while at the same time reinforcing neoliberal story telling tropes of individual success, and marketing Indigenous epistemes as goods. Currently the most visible Indigenous pop and rap artist in Sweden, Märak was born in Stockholm and considers Jokkmokk, in Sápmi, her home. She became famous for her music and political activism for Saami rights and Saami visibility in 2015, and reached a larger audience when she performed in the intermission of Melodifestivalen, the Swedish contest leading up to Eurovision, in 2018. During 2019, she released her first, full length album with songs about motherhood, land, class, love, sex, and loss. She sings and raps mainly in Swedish, and blends rap, pop, and Saami musical heritage. The conclusion of this article shows how land, and Saami feminine spirituality, are constructed as the basis for feminist, anticapitalist, and anti-settler colonial activism in Märak’s work. Article in Journal/Newspaper Jokkmokk saami Södertörn University College: Publications (DiVA) Jokkmokk ENVELOPE(20.150,20.150,66.500,66.500) IASPM Journal 11 2 69 83
institution Open Polar
collection Södertörn University College: Publications (DiVA)
op_collection_id ftsoedertoernsho
language English
topic Maxida Märak
decolonial feminism
Saami
popular music
resistance
Music
Musik
spellingShingle Maxida Märak
decolonial feminism
Saami
popular music
resistance
Music
Musik
Werner, Ann
Resistance in Maxida Märak’s album Utopi
topic_facet Maxida Märak
decolonial feminism
Saami
popular music
resistance
Music
Musik
description In this article, the music, lyrics, and music videos of Maxida Märak’s 2019 debut solo album Utopi (Utopia) are analysed using feminist, decolonial theories. The article discusses how the construction of resistance to colonial, patriarchal, and capitalist oppressions takes form on Utopi, and shows popular music’s relationship to feminist and Indigenous resistance today. Lyrics, sounds, and images are analysed using discourse analysis, leading to the conclusion that Utopi holds ambiguous possibilities, of resisting settler colonialism, sexism, racism, and capitalism, while at the same time reinforcing neoliberal story telling tropes of individual success, and marketing Indigenous epistemes as goods. Currently the most visible Indigenous pop and rap artist in Sweden, Märak was born in Stockholm and considers Jokkmokk, in Sápmi, her home. She became famous for her music and political activism for Saami rights and Saami visibility in 2015, and reached a larger audience when she performed in the intermission of Melodifestivalen, the Swedish contest leading up to Eurovision, in 2018. During 2019, she released her first, full length album with songs about motherhood, land, class, love, sex, and loss. She sings and raps mainly in Swedish, and blends rap, pop, and Saami musical heritage. The conclusion of this article shows how land, and Saami feminine spirituality, are constructed as the basis for feminist, anticapitalist, and anti-settler colonial activism in Märak’s work.
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
author Werner, Ann
author_facet Werner, Ann
author_sort Werner, Ann
title Resistance in Maxida Märak’s album Utopi
title_short Resistance in Maxida Märak’s album Utopi
title_full Resistance in Maxida Märak’s album Utopi
title_fullStr Resistance in Maxida Märak’s album Utopi
title_full_unstemmed Resistance in Maxida Märak’s album Utopi
title_sort resistance in maxida märak’s album utopi
publisher Södertörns högskola, Genusvetenskap
publishDate 2021
url http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-47946
https://doi.org/10.5429/2079-3871(2021)v11i2.6en
long_lat ENVELOPE(20.150,20.150,66.500,66.500)
geographic Jokkmokk
geographic_facet Jokkmokk
genre Jokkmokk
saami
genre_facet Jokkmokk
saami
op_relation IASPM@Journal, 2021, 11:2, s. 69-83
orcid:0000-0002-2540-8497
http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-47946
doi:10.5429/2079-3871(2021)v11i2.6en
op_rights info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
op_doi https://doi.org/10.5429/2079-3871(2021)v11i2.6en
container_title IASPM Journal
container_volume 11
container_issue 2
container_start_page 69
op_container_end_page 83
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