Jason Isbell Offers Democrats a Way to Connect With a New Audience

The Southern white, working man’s musician performs at the Democratic convention and lets loose on the state of politics in an interview.

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Jason Isbell at his home in Franklin, Tenn., in 2020.

As both a musician who channels the voices of forgotten Americans, and a white man from the South with a working-class upbringing, Jason Isbell provides hope for Democrats.

Set to perform inside the hall on the first night of the Democratic National Convention, the 45-year-old songwriter from Alabama, who has long been vocal about his liberal leanings, offers proof that the party can reach certain kinds of voters who seem to have rejected the modern Democratic Party.

A few hours before he took the stage, The New York Times sat down with Mr. Isbell to discuss politics, music and the inextricable intersection of the two.

The following interview has been edited and condensed.

Nick Corasaniti: This has been a campaign that’s been marked by a lot of agita on the left, until maybe a few weeks ago. How do you feel right now, about the country and Democratic chances in November?

Jason Isbell: I think the Democratic chances in November are good right now — and I think because of the fact that Kamala is prepared, and because of the fact that Biden actually did something selfless for the country, which was sort of shocking. I wouldn’t say unexpected, considering the kind of person that he seems to have always been, but it feels shocking when somebody actually does something patriotic now in a leadership role.

To set aside his own ego and pride and even just his work ethic and do what he did, it was a huge, huge moment. And it reinvigorated the party and the voting base but also made me sort of realize that we have an opportunity here to aim for something that’s not just mitigation.

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