Singer/ songwriter Lauren Daigle was recently named Female Artist of the Year at the K-Love Fan Awards show. She spoke to media members at the event, encouraging them to use their platforms to pursue kindness. “The world is looking for people who will bring something kind and something good. We have enough people over there that’s willing to tear people apart. But for the people who are willing to take a stand and say, ‘No, I’m gonna use this platform and this gift of media to spread hope and joy and kindness into the world’- that is the most important thing you can do with your call,” she told them.
Daigle is no stranger herself to media scrutiny. In 2018, she received criticism for appearing on the “Ellen DeGeneres Show,” with many of her Christian fans noting that host DeGeneres is openly lesbian. When she spoke with Domenick Nati on his iHeart radio, Nati addressed the controversy and asked Daigle if she believed homosexuality was a sin. “You know I can’t honestly answer that,” responded Daigle. “I have too many people that I love that; they are homosexual, I don’t know. I actually had a conversation with someone last night about it, and I was like, ‘I can’t say one way or the other; I’m not God.’ So, when people ask questions like that, that’s what my go-to is. I just say read the Bible and find out for yourself, and when you find out, let me know ‘cos I’m learning too.” The conversation was posted to YouTube with the title “Lauren Daigle Doesn’t Know If Homosexuality Is A Sin.” She received criticism from many Christians who felt the singer had dodged her responsibility of speaking for the Bible. Host Nati defended her, saying, “The backlash Lauren Daigle received from our interview has been very disappointing to witness. I was shocked by the amount of attack and assumption there was on someone simply saying, ‘I don’t know.’ The truth is YOU don’t know. You don’t know if she was being honest, you don’t know if she was dodging the question, and you don’t know if she was lying… and neither do I.”
More recently, Daigle was asked about abortion restrictions in Louisiana, her home state and responded, “I have no idea, I’m terrible. I know that we have a Democrat governor, but I don’t know where our abortion laws are in Louisiana.” Again she was criticized for seeming to dodge an issue that many Christians feel very passionate about, particularly in the wake of Roe vs. Wade being overturned. The singer has also shared about some of her mental health struggles that have informed her latest self-titled album.
Daigle’s comments at the K-Love Fan Awards seemed to have some of this media scrutiny in mind. “You can either help someone and bring someone to beauty, into fruition to their dream and their call. Or you can absolutely devastate someone and bring their heart to just utter shame and distress. So, the job that you have is not a job to hold lightly. Headlines at the sake of people’s ridicule- it’s not worth it. It spreads hate in the world. And I just want to encourage you to keep being the people that put good material in front of people’s faces, that keep encouraging people and bringing them on their journey.”