IWD 2020 & the music industry: how does it feel to work in a world where you are treated differently just because of who you are?
This month we celebrate International Women’s Day which is an impressive 109 years old! This year’s campaign theme is #EachforEqual.
Around the world people will celebrate the social, economic, political and cultural achievements of women and many will be revisiting and sharing their favourite work from writers, artists and musicians.
A new UN report has just been published and has found at least 90% of men and women hold some sort of bias against females (BBC News, March 5). Among them, it is revealed that women are still paid less than men and are much less likely to be in senior positions.
What about the music industry? How do women artists feel about working in a world where women are often treated differently?
To celebrate women and their achievements, Women In Pop teamed with Liberty Music PR who asked some of their current clients their thoughts on confronting societal gender stereotypes that International Women’s Day is fighting.
Mary Eckert
Stereotyping based on gender is a massive part of the world and a big part of the music industry. There are stereotypes for all genders and they’re not a healthy part of society or the world that is popular music. I wish the industry was more accepting of everyone, an example being females gain higher praise for singing about certain topics and the line between sex-positivity versus slut-shaming is very very fine. I believe gender to be a spectrum and that every human should be allowed to fall wherever they please and not pushed to the extremes of performed masculinity and femininity. One of my favourite quotes by de Beauvoir is: ’One is not born, but rather one becomes a woman’. Gender and the music industry share something in common and that is that gender is performative. Even though toxic gender roles such as hyper-masculinity and hyper-femininity portrayed in music videos and lyrics make me unsettled. What really upsets me is the lack of diversity and representation in the industry. The under-representation of women in the music industry is shocking but I also feel the industry looks over those who identify as transgender or non-binary. Looking up the stats online and seeing all the recent articles about the lack of active female songwriters and performers is startling and a sign that change is needed. Looking forward to being a female songwriter in this time and watching that change!
Mary Eckert’s single, ‘IFAH’, is out now
Kerry Kathleen
I am fortunate enough to have started my music career in a wonderful area of Sonoma County where the support there was great for everyone, of every gender.
The open mics and shows were extremely uplifting and non judgmental and there was a music scene where you could go to 5 different open mics a week, all close by. (I started singing at my first open mic only about 3.5 years ago)
A friend, Star Blue, is leading a beautiful cause where she empowers female singers, features new singers in her band every week, and hosts an open mic in Santa Rosa.
Stereotypes of having to or look a certain way to make it in the music industry does exist and we all have to be aware of that.
To me, every artist is unique and has their own sound regardless of gender and I support indie artists of all kinds. Billie Eilish is inspiring because she doesn’t conform to society's standards and is true to herself- I love that she rocks who she is and is an independent artist like me with such a unique sound. I love empowering other female singers, because it takes a lot of guts to sing and be vulnerable on stage, and the industry is tough enough already to break through.
Kerry Kathleen’s single, ‘Over And Over’ is out now
Havva
One hurdle that has stuck with me and has made me stronger as a female artist is a session I had with a male musician. The whole session was terrible, he would not let me have any say in what to write for the lyrics, he didn’t allow me to express myself as a female artist and I felt quite shut down. Any idea I gave he would tweak and by the end of the session he claimed he did most of the work and didn’t want to split the rights equally. I was so upset and was honest with him that any idea I gave he refused to accept. I felt taken advantage of as I am a young woman on my own in a studio with men I’ve only just met and worked with and there is only so much you can say when you’re on your own feeling intimidated, I let him have his split he wanted and left. It actually really affected me for a while after as I was scared of being an independent female artist at the moment this was all I was going to face, but luckily it's been the only case so far! My advice to any woman and to myself, the minute you don’t like how a situation is going, get up and leave and try to always stand your ground.
Havva’s latest single, ‘Focus’, is out now
Llynks (Sara Kendall)
Ageism is a real prevalent thing women have to deal with in the music industry. I remember when I was 23 some guy claiming to want to be my manager said that I’d have to “make it” by 25 or else I’d never make it at all. (Whatever making it meant.) I’m 26 now and I’ll never stop regardless of whether I “make it” or not. The fact that we are told to our faces at young ages that we have a shelf life is super fucked up. Do men get told this? I was told by a DIFFERENT guy claiming to want to be my manager in all seriousness that I should never tell potential producers to work with that I’m in a relationship because if I do, they won’t want to work with me anymore seeing as they can’t have sex with me. So ya, you have to detach yourself from that noise and not take those people seriously. Take yourself seriously. It’s like a war zone sometimes, but just keep doing your work and don’t listen to that shit, haha.
Llynks’ latest single, ‘Slow Burn’, is out now
