Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Hozier and Nine Inch Nails are some artistes whose songs contain “offensive lyrics”, a Singapore Parliament handout issued on Monday, April 1, apparently showed.

Part of Ministerial Statement

A picture of the handout was shared on Facebook by Workers’ Party MP Chen Show Mao.

The handout appears to be part of the Ministerial Statement that Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam delivered in Parliament earlier in the day.

The document showed lyrics of the four artistes.

What were the offensive lyrics

Ariana Grande

God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande was one of the examples cited.

It contained the words: “You love it how I touch you/ My own, when all is said and done/ You’ll believe God is a woman”.

Lady Gaga

Another example was Judas by Lady Gaga.

The lyrics said: “I am just a Holy Fool, oh baby... I wanna love you/ But something’s pulling me away from you/ Jesus is my virtue and/ Judas is the demon I cling to/ I cling to”.

Hozier

Take Me To Church by Hozier had the words: "Take me to church/ I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies/ I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife."

Nine Inch Nails

Heresy by Nine Inch Nails had the following lyrics: “He sewed his eyes shut because he is afraid to see... He dreamed up a god and called it Christianity/ God is dead and no one cares/ If there is a hell, I’ll see you there.”

What happened in Parliament on April 1?

Shanmugam gave a 90-minute Ministerial Statement on hate speech.

He emphasised the need to curtail offensive speech even in the entertainment arena.

He said that offensive speech was worse than hate speech.

Offensive speech, which can imply that its targets lack morality, intelligence or dignity, is “even more insidious” than hate speech, he added.

Shanmugam addressed the cancellation of the planned concert by Swedish black metal band Watain on March 7, after Christian leaders whom his ministry consulted did not want the concert to go ahead under any circumstances.

The minister also said that offensive speech can lead to “dehumanisation” and create an environment “conducive to discrimination and eventually violence”.

By allowing a band such as Watain to perform could normalise offensive speech in the future.

He also said it was the duty of the Minister for Home Affairs to make decisions based on national interest.

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