How big is the political influence of stars like Stevie Wonder?

Stevie Wonder and Politics How much political influence do pop stars have? As of: October 29, 2026 • 5:12 p.m

Stevie Wonder's music has always been political. He was active as a civil rights activist for decades and later campaigned for Obama. What influence do pop stars have - and what are they making of it, especially now, before the midterms?

Sure, everyone knows the chorus of Stevie Wonder's global hit "Happy Birthday". But what about the rest of the text? For example, lines like this, whose German translation goes like this: "I just never understood / how a man who died for good / can't have a day / dedicated to his appreciation."

This refers to the black civil rights activist Martin Luther King, who was assassinated in Memphis in 1968 and turned the American civil rights movement into a mass movement. "Happy Birthday" is just one song of many from Stevie Wonder's repertoire, in which the soul legend, who is currently touring Europe, combines music with political commitment.

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For decades, Stevie Wonder himself was a civil rights activist, appeared as an anti-apartheid activist and as a UN peace ambassador. He spearheaded a multi-year campaign to make Martin Luther King's birthday a federal holiday in the United States.

In 1980, Wonder released the song "Happy Birthday" as a cultural and political appeal, says Wilfried Raussert, professor of North American literature and cultural studies at Bielefeld University. With success: Since 1986, the third Monday in January has been an official memorial and holiday for Martin Luther King in the USA.

Stevie Wonder's commitment was also based on his own experience with racism: When he began his career in the 1960s, the American music market was strictly racially segregated. Black music was derogatorily referred to as “race music” on the charts and on the radio. "We were shot at, we weren't served in restaurants," recalled the African-American singer Martha Reeves in an interview.

These experiences shaped Stevie Wonder's life, says British music journalist Barney Hoskyns in an Arte documentary. Wonder developed an interest in social issues as early as the 1960s, and it probably first became apparent with his successful version of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind," music journalist David Nathan tells Arte. The song is about humanity, equality and peace.

Racism, poverty and political corruption were directly addressed in Wonder's music albums of the 1970s, says American scholar Wilfried Raussert. For example, the song "Living for the City" (1973) describes systemic racism and an unjust criminal justice system, while "You Haven't Done Nothin'" (1974) denounces political apathy and the Nixon administration. Stevie Wonder later composed "It's Wrong" (1985) as a protest song against the South African apartheid regime.

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Stevie Wonder's social and political commitment beyond his music is very multifaceted, says Wilfried Raussert. While the now 76-year-old is currently less visible in public, he previously acted at local, national and international levels, for example in support of the global anti-apartheid and peace movement, said Raussert. He dedicated the Oscar for his global hit "I Just Called to Say I Love You" to the then-imprisoned Nelson Mandela, after which his records were banned in South Africa.

Later, Stevie Wonder used his popularity to support Barack Obama and the US Democrats. In 2007 he accompanied Obama on the election campaign tour. In an interview, the pop star said Obama was a mix of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King. This is a combination that cannot lose. His last major appearance as a musician on the political stage was probably at the Democratic Party Convention in August 2024, where he called on people to choose courage instead of complacency, said Raussert.

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Currently, in the run-up to the congressional elections on November 3rd, the so-called midterms, many musicians are using their popularity to mobilize voters or support certain candidates. A month before the elections, Tom Morello, the guitarist of Rage Against The Machine, organized the "Power to the People" festival in Maryland. Also present: politically active stars such as Bruce Springsteen, Joan Baez and Cypress Hill. Even if it wasn't an explicitly anti-Trump festival: the message and the announcements on stage were clear in their positioning against the current government.

US President Donald Trump, on the other hand, likes to show off with musicians and has appeared at his election campaign events with rapper Nicki Minaj and country star Jason Aldean, among others.

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According to Wilfried Raussert, music still has the potential to mobilize people politically and socially. However, communication scientist Thorsten Philipp from the Technical University of Berlin has doubts about the influence of pop music on politics.

The political content in song production is absolutely unstable, said Philipp in the WDR interview. “Happy Birthday” by Stevie Wonder, for example, is not missing from any birthday party - but very few people would associate it with political content. In the end, what matters is what commitment pop stars show beyond their song lyrics.

Stevie Wonder has been politically active throughout his life alongside his music. Even if, according to Wilfried Raussert, he withdrew from the public debate after Trump's re-election, disillusioned, his current concert tour shows that he continues to "enthusiastically want to spread the messages of togetherness, peace and love in the world" with his music.

This topic in the program: WDR 3 | Resonances | Oct 27, 2026 | 6:10 p.m