1Moved this from a different publication. This post was originally published on Jan 29, 2026.
Jan 30, 2026 Update:
MinnPost.com has created a massive list of songs that have been released lately too, including many local Minnesota artists.
Big Names Speak Out
Bruce Springsteen
Yesterday, the world was given a surprise gift from The Boss, Bruce Springsteen himself, with the release of his song, “The Streets of Minneapolis”—a song directly calling out what has been happening on the streets here since December 1st, but particularly amplified this month.
But, he is not the only musician who is speaking up.
Tom Morello
This Friday, Tom Morello, of Rage Against the Machine, will be hosting a solidarity concert with Rise Against and others at First Avenue. All proceeds from the sales go directly to the families of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Tickets sold out immediately.
Green Day
Green Day, who have never shied away from stating how they feel, also spoke up. On January 17th, during one of their shows, they dedicated the song “Holiday” to Minnesota, including a direct call out against Stephen Miller.
Swapping out the “I’m not part of the redneck agenda” with “I’m not part of the MAGA agenda,” during “Idiot,” Armstrong moved on to explain during “Holiday” that “this song is anti-fascist. This song is anti-war. We stand up for our brothers and sisters in Minnesota.” The latter appeared to be an explicit show of support in the wake of the chaos and anxiety unleashed in the North Star State over the past few weeks as ICE agents have descended on Minneapolis to enforce the White House’s aggressive immigration agenda.
Local Music Rocks Too
Minnesota Public Radio (MPR); who has been providing incredible news coverage this month, spoke with three Minnesota artists about how they’re using music to cope with the realities of what Minnesota is dealing with. Geoffrey Wilson was one of those artists.
Like many, Wilson initially knew very little of the situation, other than that a woman had been killed during an interaction with ICE.
“When I’m having big thoughts, they sort of lead to having musical output, as sort of a cathartic process for me,” Wilson said.
Those thoughts became “Who was She to you?” a somber ode to Macklin Good that also asks pointedly if the ICE officer who shot her, Jonathan Ross, understands the weight of his actions. But at the time of writing, he still didn’t know Macklin Good’s full name or the name of the officer who had killed her.
“I had moments of wondering… how accurate are the lyrics going to be, or, sort of how, like, you know, relevant to the moment?” Wilson said.
You can view even more recent local songs in this article from the Minnesota Star Tribune, who have also been providing fantastic journalism during this time.
Any other local musicians releasing music to support Minneapolis or Minnesota? Share in the comments and I’ll add them to this post.