Stormzy has used the platform he has built, to address multiple issues aside from music; last year ‘calling out’ Theresa May at the Grammy’s for her response to Grenfell. At Glastonbury this year he voiced his views on Boris Johnson, highlighted inequality in the justice system and spent time thanking all those that had helped him in his career so far.
More impressive than his foray into politics and social justice, is his unapologetic attitude about his love for Jesus. During his set at Glastonbury, he welcomed Coldplay’s Chris Martin, before they performed an acoustic version of the UK Christian Chart hit ‘Blinded By Your Grace (part one)’ in front of 135,000 people.
In Mark 16:15 Jesus says ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation’ (NIV). Fundamentally, Stormzy used this opportunity to be an ambassador for Jesus Christ. It might be comforting to lead worship in front of a small group of Christians. However declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through worship, in front of tens of thousands of unbelievers takes a certain amount of courage and bravery.
Could this be a pivotal moment for the Christian music scene? The response to his set was extremely positive, with Jeremy Corbyn tweeting,
“The performance was political, iconic and the ballet was beautifully powerful. It won’t just go down in Glastonbury history – it’ll go down in our country’s cultural history.”
I don’t know if you will ever headline Glastonbury, have a stage that large to speak on, or a voice as good as Stormzy’s, but everyone can take something away from his performance. It should inspire artists and show them that there is no limit to how successful Christian music can be in today’s society. It will undoubtedly also encourage other Christians to be unashamed to share the Gospel with those around them, especially non-believers.
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