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is a professor of Musicology at and is an associate professor of musicology at
Current trends in male singing offer strikingly different visions of what it means to be a man. Consider, for instance, , who will on Feb. 7, and the reassuring choruses of sea shanties currently trending on TikTok. What can these singing styles tell us about being a man in 2021?
During the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, our longing for an embodied connection has grown intensely, and ShantyTok offers collectivity through group singing in a time when we are all isolated. The ShantyTok trend started with a in 鈥淭he Wellerman,鈥� a 19th-century song created by merchant seamen longing for the arrival of the Weller company man who would bring supplies.
Taking advantage of TikTok鈥檚 collaborative possibilities, an American teen joined in, . Between them, and carved out the upper and lower ends of the conventional male range, making space for .
The sea shanty tradition is embraced as wholesome, and nostalgic for simpler times, like a However, many of these songs originated in , and the Wellerman鈥檚 鈥渟ugar, tea and rum鈥� were . In professional sports likewise, Black athletes鈥� labour can be exploited, by their teams.
Participating or watching
Sea shanties are musically appealing, with simple melodies, triadic harmonies and lots of repetition that invites participation, even upon first hearing. involve dissolving into a collective.
Falsetto singing, on the other hand, signals rupture, and the transcendence of restrictive boundaries. The technical demands of represent the heights of individualism, placing the listener squarely in the position of passive spectator.
Historically, men who sing high have portrayed heroic, noble and powerful characters on the opera stage. The appetite for high voices paired with men鈥檚 bodies drove the . These opera stars were male singers who had been surgically prevented from going through puberty, resulting in a high vocal range combined with an adult鈥檚 build and lung capacity. played roles such as , to acclaim that seems strange at this later point in history.
Popstars at the Superbowl
The Super Bowl is , and the halftime show is the most viewed musical performance in any given year. While English football is notorious for fan singing, American football presents music as a spectacle to be watched instead. The halftime show has been central to enhancing the appeal of the National Football League beyond its American, male fan base.
Up through the 1990s, the show featured . All shows before 1991 involved a team of performers, often presenting a medley of .
The first pop superstar act was New Kids on the Block, a pop ensemble whose sound and image offset the manhood offered by burly team players engaging in a violent contact sport on the field. Aiming to appeal to international audiences of all ages and genders, the group鈥檚 performance was framed by a children鈥檚 choir singing 鈥淲e Are the World鈥� and 鈥淚t鈥檚 a Small World.鈥�
Strikingly, NKOTB performed 鈥�,鈥� rather than their more familiar hit 鈥�,鈥� even though this song鈥檚 theme, complete with unison chanting in a low range, would seem more in line with football manhood.
Still, their success paved the way for more superstar performers, including , the 鈥淣ipplegate鈥� incident with in 2004. This infamous event was followed by safe, legacy acts like , the and .
The vocal prowess of falsetto
American football revolves around strength, power and dominance in the context of a team of men, yet this year鈥檚 halftime entertainer will present a singer famed for his . The Weeknd鈥檚 virtuosic display follows a long line of Black male falsettists: , (who ditched his falsetto to perform at the 2007 Super Bowl) and .
This style comes from African American gospel singing, exemplified by soaring voice trying to break free of earthly constraints and everyday indignities.
Yet the Weeknd鈥檚 vocal agility has a parallel in the prowess of football鈥檚 skilled position players. The gravity-defying receptions of wide receivers, along with the acrobatic manoeuvres of running backs, get the most play on post-game highlight shows. These spectacular feats are enabled by the grunt work of linemen, who are paid less and regarded less than the stars they support. Just as seamen鈥檚 singing helped them work together in rhythm, the timing, execution and teamwork of largely anonymous linemen is essential, if unglamorous.
These versions of manhood need not be in competition: they show us clearly that there are many ways to be a man. The inclusion of a falsettist within the macho world of American football may indicate that we are ready for a fuller range. We need the fragile and the strong, the chorus and the star, the lineman and the touchdown maker, to embrace all kinds of men.
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