Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot set aside the city’s various issues to promote an annual karaoke competition on TikTok.
“It’s time to sing your hearts out, Chicago!” Lightfoot captioned a video of herself singing along to “Sweet Home Chicago” by Robert Johnson. “Our karaoke competition is starting Sunday and will go until Nov. 6th. Now’s your time to shine.”
The winner of the singing contest will be awarded $5,000.
The competition takes place in 18 venues across the city, which is currently being rocked by various issues, with immigration recently being brought into the limelight by the mayor. Lightfoot asked the city council for $5 million to deal with the “unprecedented need” of immigrants who have come to the city because of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. The governor sent 654 immigrants as of mid-September.
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In addition, four major companies have moved their corporate offices out of Chicago, including Tyson Foods, Caterpillar, Boeing, and Citadel. Ken Griffin of Citadel admitted that crime in Chicago motivated him to move the company to Miami, Florida.
Lightfoot picked “Sweet Home Chicago” for her video as it is considered an unofficial anthem for the city. While its lyrics are credited to blues singer Robert Johnson, its tune is much older, tracing back to past blues songs. Johnson would record 29 songs between 1936 and 1937 for the American Record Corporation before dying in 1938 at the age of 27.
Former President Barrack Obama famously covered the song himself in 2012 at the White House. Obama worked in Chicago and met his wife, Chicago native Michelle Obama, there.
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The version of the song featured in Lightfoot’s TikTok is that of the 1980 film The Blues Brothers.
