New X Factor judge Shelton Woolright has defended his use of blackface as a "form of expression and a point of difference".
Images which are accessible through his (now private) Facebook page and Twitter account feature the I Am Giant and former Blindspott drummer with a painted black face during performances.
Blackface – the act of putting on makeup to represent a black person – has a racist history, says Dr Nabeel Zuberi, a senior lecturer in media, film and TV at the University of Auckland.
However, Woolright defends his actions.
"My love of music and creativity means I have become not only a drummer in a hard rock band, but also a photographer and artist," he says.
"I grew up listening to and watching alternative bands like KISS, Mudvayne and Tool who all created stage costumes for their performances.
"Just like my influencers, the black face paint has been part of my stage performance for various shows and videos and and has been a developing concept. As with my full body tattoos, it has been a form of expression and a point of difference.
"As an alternative hard rock artist, I'm looking for ways to enhance my performances - to create attention and develop my stage persona - I love being creative, and it is as simple as that. Creating a show that is enjoyable and different for audiences to watch"
A Mediaworks spokeswoman says Woolright's artistic history is unrelated to The X Factor NZ and it wouldn't be appropriate for the organisation to comment.
That doesn't even look like blackface. Can people please do there research before jumping on Twitter to attempt SJW.
I mean, yeah, he's not portraying a particular black person, but this is almost the literal definition of black face. This is how blackface used to be done.
