The ‘cancel culture’ campaign is ratcheting up again as the 2024 election campaign season heats up.
Carly Tefft, a 2015 graduate of Berklee College of Music, recently relocated to Nashville in pursuit of her music career. While she still considers Massachusetts her home, Tefft has garnered significant recognition, being hailed as a “phenomenon” by the Boston Globe and receiving praise from Matty in the Morning on Kiss 108.
However, Tefft’s performances at Harvest Gallery in Dennis, MA were abruptly canceled after she sang the national anthem at an event hosted by a former president, causing her presence to be deemed “threatening” and compared to lewd art. The decision forced Tefft to reevaluate her summer plans, all because she accepted an invitation to perform the national anthem at Trump’s rally in Manchester earlier this spring.
Acknowledging the risks associated with today’s polarized political climate, Tefft expressed her perspective with The Howie Carr show on accepting the invitation.
“Still, this was an opportunity to bring people together with the National Anthem by a former president,” she said. “For me, that’s full of positives.”
The opportunity to perform for Trump came unexpectedly when a member of his team reached out to Tefft after viewing clips of her previous performances. Tefft, who was back in Massachusetts at the time, felt the timing was serendipitous as she had already booked several appearances at Harvest Gallery for the summer of 2023.
When Tefft received a call from the owner of Harvest Gallery about five days later, she was taken aback since she typically dealt with a different manager for her bookings. Having performed at the venue for seven years, she was shocked to find out that her performances were being canceled indefinitely.
The owner referred to a video Tefft had posted on her Instagram account, though it did not imply an endorsement or support for Donald Trump. The video simply showcased Tefft singing the National Anthem and receiving applause.
BREAKING: Country Singer @CarlyTefft CANCELLED from Harvest Gallery on Cape Cod for performing National Anthem for President Donald Trump in New Hampshire
The woke mob is threatening her livelihood!
STAND WITH CARLY! Follow @CarlyTefft and SHARE! pic.twitter.com/2BDAtvSr1H
— Eric Spracklen🇺🇸 (@EricSpracklen) June 14, 2023
However, it stirred controversy. Recalling the conversation, Tefft said, “Ultimately, I just had to know, ‘Are you a Trump supporter?’”
Tefft responded by emphasizing that her sole support was for God and that performing at the rally was an opportunity to bring people together with the National Anthem.
The owner appreciated her response but expressed concern about the impact on his customer base, leading to the decision to cancel her performances. This decision came as a shock to Tefft, considering she had never encountered any problems during her seven-year tenure at Harvest Gallery.
“’You know, I’ve never had to do this before, but…’ Tefft described the windy discourse from the owner about “controversy.” Upon hearing that buzzword, she knew where the conversation was going.
“I just sighed,” Carly recalled. “I knew that no matter what I said, he had already made up his mind. That’s his business, and that’s his prerogative.”
Tefft never publicly endorsed the former president. She went on to describe the call. “He thought that his customer base would feel—he used a very specific word—threatened.”
Surely the manager at Harvest Gallery did not feel “threatened” by Carly. She had been performing there for years with good reviews.
“I have a pretty good idea of the customer base that’s been there,” she said. “I don’t think—even if they saw that I did this—they would completely shut down Harvest.”
Contrary to the manager’s claim that her performances were canceled due to feeling “threatened,” Tefft believed that the customer base would not be entirely deterred, even if they disagreed with her participation at the rally. She also noted the owner’s comparison between her performance and lewd “nude artistry,” a puzzling analogy to her.
This incident marked the first time Tefft had been banned from performing at a venue and left her accountable for every negative comment and nickname associated with the former president. While she was still welcome to dine or have a seat at the bar, she questioned the fairness of being denied work due to her political choices.
Recognizing the increasingly divisive atmosphere surrounding the upcoming 2024 election, Tefft deliberated on whether to share her Harvest Gallery cancellation publicly. She concluded that while she personally accepted the consequences, she was concerned about what it represented, particularly the potential impact on her children or others facing discrimination based on their affiliations.
Tefft also discussed the hyper-politicization within the music industry, including the country music scene, expressing her disappointment with the prevailing atmosphere at awards shows and behind the scenes.
Despite the setback at Harvest Gallery, Tefft remains focused on her music career. She is actively recording new material, including a collaboration with Greg Rider called “Freedom in This Country.” Her music can be found on Instagram, YouTube, and Spotify, but her Facebook page has been restricted.
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Source: Becker News Rephrased By: InfoArmed