Sam Fender fears ‘young lads are seduced by demagogues like Andrew Tate’ because of class

Sam Fender has lashed out at ‘demagogues like Andrew Tate’ in a vulnerable new interview. The 30-year-old English musician, who grew up in a working-class background in North Shields, has shared his concerns for today’s young people, particularly young boys of low-income families.

Refusing to hold back, the Brit-nominated star said they are being ‘seduced’ by people like Tate, 38, whose appeal comes from the offer of financial freedom, and it’s only getting worse as society avoids the ‘class’ conversation and instead focuses on skin colour.

Tate, a British-American influencer with over 10 million followers, has grown his large cult-like following through a marketing campaign that promises people they can be rich and successful like him. He has long received criticism after declaring himself a ‘misogynist’ and is facing multiple criminal charges in Romania, including rape, human trafficking and forming an organised crime group to sexually exploit women – all charges he has denied.

While Tate has said many questionable things, some of his more problematic comments include telling men that women ‘won’t love you if you’re poor, you have to be rich’, as well as declaring: ‘Women are the property of men.’. With the majority of his audience being young, impressionable men, concerns are frequently raised about the impact Tate has on them in their formative years, particularly in regard to their relationship with women and masculinity.

Fender, clearly fed up with Tate’s impact and the class system enabling him, has lashed out and shared his theory with The Sunday Times on why he is so popular with people from low-income families, particularly white males. The singer began by addressing the fact that the music industry is made up of ‘80%, 90% kids who are privately educated’.

‘A kid from where I’m from can’t afford to tour, so there are probably thousands writing songs that are 10 times better than mine, poignant lyrics about the country, but they will not be seen because it’s rigged,’ he said. He continued to say the problem is that society as a whole is ‘very unaware’, and while we are well versed in discussing ‘privileges – white, male or straight privilege’, class is often ignored.

He said that in his opinion, if one were to tell a child living in poverty that they’re not underprivileged because they’re white, then one would be effectively driving them toward Tate. ‘That’s a lot of the reason that all the young lads are seduced by demagogues like Andrew Tate,’ he said.

The musician emphasised that ‘white boys from nowhere towns’ are being fed a ‘narrative’ where they’re ‘being shamed all the time and made to feel like they’re a problem’. ‘People preach to some kid in a pit town in Durham who’s got f*** all and tell him he’s privileged? Then Tate tells him he’s worth something? It’s seductive,’ he stated.

Growing up in a working-class family, Fender’s parents separated when he was just eight years old, resulting in financial difficulties and the musician growing up below the poverty line. While he now admits that he has ‘as much as privilege as you can have’, Fender is a huge advocate for raising awareness about the class system and told the news outlet that there are times he feels guilty about his success while his friends are struggling ‘on the bones of their arse’ at home.

Bluntly sharing the impact of having a foot on both sides of society, he said the reality of the class system can be seen in the outcome of drug addiction. The singer said that in his experience, his friends who suffer from drug addictions who are ‘posh’ go to rehab for treatment. However, other friends of his who suffer from substance issues ‘just die’.

Drug-related deaths have seen a rise in England and Wales in recent years, with the Office for National Statistics reporting 5,448 deaths related to drug poisoning were registered in 2023, up from the 4,907 deaths registered in 2022. Elsewhere in the interview, the singer spoke about how the music industry is ‘rigged’ and used the late Liam Payne as an example.

Fender described Payne as someone who became famous when he was ‘far too young’ and had ‘addiction trouble’, adding that ‘everyone hit him with the pitchforks’. Fender’s comments come after the release of his third studio album, People Watching, which explores the stories of ‘everyday characters living their everyday, but often extraordinary, lives’.

People Watching is available to stream now. Got a story?. If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.