Hozier's "Nina Cried Power"

 Makoto Fujimura, in Culture Care, writes: 

“Such a vision by its nature a challenge to dictators and totalitarian regimes—a threat to those whose power depends on holding humanity at the level of survival or, worse, on eliminating diverse elements from societies.” 

In his writing, Fujimura points out that creativity is not just an aesthetic, but an act of resistance and power. When a group in power is trying to reduce society to survival, art can bring life back into a culture that is devoid of creativity. This art gives people an anchor to build around and to use for motivation to get up and make changes. 

Nina Simone

The musical artist Hozier, is known for his call to action during his concerts and the music he produces highlighting the need for change. This is most apparent in his song “Nina Cried Power”, where he pays tribute to artists like Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, and Mavis Staples. These artists use their music as weapons against injustice and unite people to fight together. 

 

By opening the song with the line: 

“It’s not the waking, it's the rising”, 

Hozier insists that awareness alone is not enough, but action is also required. Hozier then goes on to list names:

 “Nina cried power / Billie cried power / Mavis cried power”, 

bringing the listener through the history of other artists using their voice to unite society. These artists, similarly to Hozier, used their platform to confront systems designed to silence, separate, and suppress the people. Nina Simone used her performances as an act of protest and closed her shows with her thought provoking song, “Sinnerman”. Billie Holiday forced audiences to face the horror of racial violence and Mavis Staples is considered to have written the soundtrack of the civil rights movement. These works of art challenged the leadership and the systems that were keeping people divided and oppressed. 

Mavis Staples

Billie Holiday

In Hozier’s second verse: 

                                “And everything that we’re denied / By keeping the divide”, 

Shows how regimes exploit and reinforce division to maintain power. By keeping society divided due to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or any other differentiation, we are blocking the way to a better future. This directly corresponds with Fujimura’s warning in his writing warning the people that powerful people eliminate diversity to ensure that the people remain unable to rise together. The song’s bridge: 

“Power has been cried by those stronger than me”,

Brings the focus back to the empowerment of people. Looking towards and following other leaders is not enough, one must become a leader themselves. It can be easy to follow silently in the footsteps of history or people that are currently fighting oppression. But, until we all become leaders in our own way and break through the barriers set to keep us apart, the regime will continue. 

Together, Fujimura’s reflection and Hozier’s song show us that culture is never neutral, but is an act of resistance. Whether its words, songs, or other mediums, the artist has the power to challenge a society that aims to silence them. When an artist creates a piece of resistance, the people have a common piece to unite around and inspire others to join.