ABSTRACT
Anohni’s 2016 album HOPELESSNESS ruminates on feelings of hopelessness in the wake of climate change, domestic surveillance, and geopolitical instability. This chapter considers Ahonhi’s critiques of power through the “Trojan horse” effect of the album, specifically her use of the language of popular music and positioning herself and listeners as both enactors and objects of violence, desire, and control. Through a close analysis of the songs “4 Degrees” and “Watch Me,” this chapter demonstrates how Anohni mobilizes the political potential of irony and the compelling ethos of the confessional genre to implicate listeners—an inventive approach to communicating politics with revolutionary possibilities.
