Despite wild speculation, Beyoncé never appeared at this year’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Still, music played a major role at the gathering.
The superstar’s “Freedom” has been a campaign anthem for Vice President Kamala Harris since President Biden announced he would not seek re-election. The upbeat 2016 track triumphantly proclaims, “I’ll keep running, ’cause a winner doesn’t quit.” It fits the joy that experts say is permeating Harris’ campaign.
One of the most memorable moments of the DNC was the ceremonial roll call, where Democratic delegates announced their votes for Harris. DJ Cassidy played a unique song to represent each state.
Standout tracks included Georgia’s “Turn Down for What” and “Get Low”, performed live by rapper Lil Jon, and California’s mash-up of several songs, including Tupac’s “California Love” and Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”.
The musical celebration had fans on their feet and cheering long before Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for president. It’s a stark contrast to the mood of the roll call at the 2020 convention, which was held virtually amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The DNC is no stranger to musical moments. Clips of convention attendees dancing to the then-newly released remix of “Macarena” go viral every four years in 1996. It’s possible that organizers wanted to replicate and expand on those kinds of memorable musical moments. Harris’ campaign has already been full of cultural nods — from adopting a song by one of the world’s biggest pop stars as her official anthem to seeing the world debate whether or not she embodies the ideals of Charli XCX’s album Darling.
The roll call wasn’t the only music-centric moment at the 2024 DNC. Country stars like the Chicks, Mickey Guyton and Maren Morris performed, as did singers Pink, Stevie Wonder, Patti LaBelle and John Legend. Celebrities also took the mic multiple times — from host Kerry Washington bringing Tony Goldwyn onstage to Oprah Winfrey’s surprise speech to Mindy Kaling introducing Rep. Nancy Pelosi as a “brat.” Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Mark Hamill also made appearances.
Projecting joy and hope was an early goal of Harris’ campaign. In his first speech as Harris’ running mate, Governor Tim Walz thanked Harris for “bringing back the joy,” and a day later Harris called the Democratic ticket “joy warriors.” As a result, her supporters are experiencing a uniquely enthusiastic cultural moment.
“The mood is Obamacore — the burst of brightness and positivity that took over pop culture after the election of our first black president in 2008,” wrote Vulture’s Nate Jones.
Harris’ campaign and her supporters appear to be following the same playbook of optimistic messaging and embracing pop culture references. During her DNC speech, former first lady Michelle Obama declared that “hope is returning” and that “there’s something wonderfully magical in the air.”
“We must rise to this moment. It is now our turn to do what generations before us have done, guided by optimism and faith,” Harris said in her acceptance speech on Thursday, the final night of the DNC. She condemned former President Donald Trump but ended on a positive note.
It’s a sharp contrast to Trump’s somber stance as the Republican presidential candidate. “I think our country is in the most dangerous position it’s ever been in, from an economic perspective and from a security perspective,” he said at a news conference on Aug. 8.
Beyoncé may not have made it to the DNC, but her music will follow hot on Harris’ trail. Notably, the pop star sang the national anthem at Obama’s 2013 inauguration, so perhaps Harris’ team is embracing the “Obamacore” hope that we’ll see them both together on an even bigger stage come January.
