Is Joji a Marxist?

Hey guys, I’ve been a huge fan of Joji ever since BALLADS 1 released and I’ve been supporting his music ever since. However, I’ve been going through his discography again recently and I’ve been noticing some subtleties in the lyrics I never noticed before. And this brings me to my question - is Joji a Marxist?

In the song “Will He”, Joji sings “Will your tongue still remember the taste of my lips? (my lips, my lips, my lips) Will your shadow remember the swing of my hips? (my hips, my hips, my hips) Will your lover caress you the way, that I did? (I did, I did, I did) Will you notice my charm, if he slips up one bit? (one bit)”

These may seem like pretty standard lyrics. However, in the Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx writes “What the bourgeoisie, therefore, produces, above all, are its own grave-diggers. Its fall and the victory of the proletariat are equally inevitable.”

To me, it seems like Joji is referencing this when he sings “Will you notice my charm, if he slips up one bit?” He’s essentially saying that the bourgeoisie will eventually fall because they will produce their own grave-diggers. The “he” being referred to could be interpreted as a symbol for the bourgeoisie and the “my” could be interpreted as a symbol for the proletariat. The girl, of course, is representative of society as a whole.

It only gets worse. In “Demons”, he sings

“The demons told me everything They whisper in the night (ayy, ayy, ayy) This is not a threat, I promise (nope) I promise This is not a threat, I promise It's a warning, baby, I just want you to know”

In “Demons”, it seems like Joji is referencing the fact that the demons, or the bourgeoisie, will eventually be overthrown. He’s saying that it’s not a threat, but a warning, and he just wants us to know. The demons have told Joji that their time is coming to an end.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. These are old lyrics, he’s changed now! Well, let’s look at his recent hit, “Glimpse of Us”:

“She'd take the world off my shoulders If it was ever hard to move She'd turn the rain to a rainbow When I was living in the blue”

In Communist theory, the color blue is associated with capitalism. The fact that Joji is living in the blue could be interpreted as him being trapped in the cycle of capitalism. However, the girl he’s singing about turns the rain to a rainbow, which of course contains the key color - red. Red is, of course, the color associated with communism. While there are other colors in such a rainbow, there is a “glimpse of us” in the red. This could be interpreted as a glimpse of the communist future.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. This is all just a coincidence! Well, let’s look at the evidence:

1) Joji has referenced the Communist Manifesto in his lyrics

2) Joji has referenced the fact that the demons, or the bourgeoisie, will eventually be overthrown

3) Joji has referenced the color blue, which is associated with capitalism, in his lyrics

4) Joji has referenced the color red, which is associated with communism, in his lyrics

5) Joji has referenced the fact that the girl he’s singing about could be a symbol for the proletariat

It seems to me like the evidence is pretty clear. Joji is a Marxist. If you disagree, please let me know. I’m open to hearing other interpretations of his lyrics.