IWD 2021

Some thoughts on the music industry this International Women’s Day…

This was originally written and posted across on my Facebook page on 8th March for IWD 2021, but I wanted to post it here on my own little corner of the internet too, as a more lasting reminder of a subject that is important to me:

Hello loves. Today is International Women’s Day, and it is giving me FEELINGS. There is so much to say, but let’s talk for a moment about inequality in the music industry. No, it is not ‘all men’, but undoubtedly a disparity exists and the system is flawed.

Between January and August last year, reports showed that fewer than 1 in 5 of the songs by British artists in the UK Top 100 airplay chart were female acts, and only 3% of music producers in the top 100 were women.

The Gender Disparity Report in Radio 2020 recorded that, between June 2019 and 2020, BBC Radio 1’s most played songs were made up of 85% male artists, 10% female artists and 5% collaborations.

I have seen much inequality and sexism in the industry myself. On a rudimentary level, I have been groped several times, including in front of a group of people for ‘laughs’. (Although I wish it was different, my reaction is usually shock and shame. The anger comes later when the situation has passed.) I have been stalked and harassed both online and in person by people on the scene and have often had men mistake my politeness for further interest, with this persisting until it’s made known that I’m in a relationship, and therefore ‘taken’. I have been physically moved by the shoulders several times at gigs by men I don’t know, who didn’t think to just ask if they could get past and thought the better option was to touch me without permission and to move me aside.

Subtler examples include the changing of my song titles, or even the name of my act despite several polite corrections, and being introduced as a ‘pretty young lady’ or ‘nice young girl’ while my male counterparts are more likely to be described as ‘talented’ and addressed as ‘men’, not ‘boys’. Songs that I’ve written about sexual assault, mental health and death have been described as ‘nice’.

I am also, more often than not, the only female act on the bill - I remember 3 gigs across about nine years of performing with a women-only bill, and two of those had to be specifically planned that way. All male line ups are common.

Not immune to societal pressures, I already worry about my age (at 28!), about the crow’s feet and forehead lines appearing on my face, and what they will mean to my musical relevancy. I’ve been told by professionals that as long as I ‘look’ young, I will be okay. I did a photoshoot lately wearing very little make up, and it felt both terrifying and empowering - an act of rebellion underpinned by the knowledge that people would see my 'flaws' - but when I look at others with expressive faces I see their lines and wrinkles as beautiful.

I have had men with less experience on the music scene give me unasked for ‘advice’ without knowing my career history, and tell me in surprised tones after my performances that they actually found my music very interesting, and did I know that I actually played some ‘great chords’.

Playing an awkwardly large instrument, I have been judged for both not wanting help with carrying my keyboard and equipment (and have had men I barely know physically take it off me when I am managing perfectly fine by myself), but also I have been judged if a friend has offered to help and I’ve agreed, with pointed comments that it must be nice to have gotten myself a stage crew, and insinuations that this is diva behaviour. I have never had these comments or interventions from a woman.

It is difficult. I am not the kind of person who finds standing up for themselves easy. Indeed, I have been socialised that way, and various events and people in my life have contributed to my being shaped as such. It becomes very hard to unpick all this when your default setting is to be polite, and to put your own knowledge and abilities down so as not to offend anyone else.

I am not yet the strong version of myself that I would like to be, but I am working on it all the time. I am grateful for the support of other women, and for people of all genders who really listen and who stand up for equality, while I am still finding my louder voice.

I suppose that what I want to say this International Women’s Day is that I will keep on trying to do the work, and I am grateful for all of the wonderful people who are paving the way.

While I’m here, I’ve been supporting and fundraising for Refugee Women Connect this past year – they are doing some great work, so please consider checking them out and donating if you can.

Thanks for reading, and let’s be the change together. x

#choosetochallenge #iwd2021

Photography: Tom Kimber