Filipino Popstar Sarah Geronimo received mixed reactions from netizens after making an intriguing lyric change to Chappell Roan’s celebrated queer track ‘Good Luck, Babe’.
Geronimo’s return on the ASAP stage was one of the show’s highlights, but it was soon tainted by her controversial rendition of the Roan’s song, in which she changed some of the original lyrics such as “you can kiss a hundred boys in bars” to “you can kiss a hundred girls in bars”, and “you’re nothing more than his wife” to “she’s nothing more than your wife.”
This creative choice irked some netizens, who aired their disapproval on social media. Many have accused the singer of dismissing the queer experience to make her performance more palatable for the heteronormative audience. They claimed that by changing the lyrics to fit the ‘straight’ narrative, Geronimo contributed to the suppression of the queer experience— an act that further marginalizes the community.
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Screenshot from: @nmxnoelle
Others even compared the Popstar’s cover to other artists who also performed the song, emphasizing their choice to retain the song’s original meaning.
Screenshots from: @deuhimidifier-glass
Screenshots from: @enifox
But not all are quick to draw blood on the controversy. Some came to the popstar’s defense, saying that it shouldn’t be that big of an issue as Chappell Roan herself would appreciate the universality of the song she had written. They said that lambasting Geronimo for her performance of a 3-minute song is ‘too woke’ and unnecessary.
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Even Mark Bautista, another Filipino singer and Geronimo’s long-time friend, came to the singer’s defense. He said that changing lyrics is something most performers do to have their own version.
Screenshot from: @iammarkbautista
Yet there were some who didn’t buy this explanation, contending that the song’s message is about a specific experience of being unable to pursue love due to the societal pressure to be heterosexual. They said that the pronoun change in the song implies a carelessness to its true meaning and is ultimately a reminder of the pressure put on queer people to comply with what is believed to be the norm.
Screenshot from: @Watdahel_MarceI
Screenshot from: @404marknotfound
As of writing, Sarah Geronimo has yet to comment on the issue.
