triple j presenter Zan Rowe has taken to social media to defend the national youth broadcaster’s recent decision to add Beyonce’s latest album, the critically hailed Lemonade, to high rotation.

As Tone Deaf reported earlier this week, Lemonade, which the diva gave a surprise release last weekend, has been added as an album packet to triple j’s playlist, meaning several songs from the LP will receive airplay.

Whilst most triple j listeners have been supportive of the broadcaster’s decision to play Beyonce, some have lobbed criticism at the fact that Beyonce is one of the most successful artists in the world and does not need j support.

Others still have called hypocrisy on triple j, alleging that the station arbitrarily chose not to play an artist like Taylor Swift (in fact banning her from the Hottest 100), but not applying the same criteria to Beyonce.

After playing Lemonade cut ‘Hold Up’ this morning, Rowe took to Twitter to defend triple j’s decision to play the album and remind critics that most listeners are in fact on board with the decision.

“If you haven’t seen or heard Lemonade in full and are slamming it, then nope. That’s just ignorant,” she wrote, post-scripting the hashtag #cleareyesfullhearts. “For the record, a heap of people who have (and aren’t nornally Bey fans), think it’s remarkable too.”

Rowe also noted that several songs on Lemonade actually feature co-writer credits from artists most would deem ‘triple j’ appropriate, such as Ezra Koenig, Father John Misty, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who worked on ‘Hold Up’.

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine