FEATURE:
If You Could Read My Mind
PHOTO CREDIT: @anthonytran/Unsplash
Improving the Mental-Health of Young Women in the Music Industry
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I have been writing a lot about….
IN THIS PHOTO: Lauren Aquilina
older artists or albums; not focusing too much on current developments, as the landscape is quite bleak at the moment. I was struck by an article in The Guardian from earlier in the week, where it seems like developments are occurring regarding mental-health in music. I do think that there is this notion that artists need to be tortured to create something worthwhile, or that this sort of feeds their creativity. In fact, mental-health concerns are very real and serious, and it is especially important now. As the article explains, there are a lot of issues that face modern artists. Whilst everyone in music faces challenges and loneliness, I think things are worse for young women in terms of the sort of abuse they face online, how they are perceived by the media and the ideals thrust upon them; and the fact that there is still massive inequality and fewer opportunities for them:
“The pressures of burgeoning fame, the loneliness of the industry for the young pop singer and endless meetings full of people (mostly men) twice her age talking over her had taken a toll on her mental health and the only way she thought she could recover was to leave without looking back. Now, she is hoping to revamp the industry’s approach to care with a new independent community group and support system, Girl & Repertoire.
“Having this kind of community would have made all the difference to me,” (Lauren) Aquilina says. She cites a lack of women as a key issue in her own experiences, and hopes to provide a “big sister” presence for young artists now. “That’s something I didn’t have when I was 16, 17 and that’s something that could have changed the path of my whole career.”
IN THIS PHOTO: Georgie Willmore
Aquilina represents the artist side of Girl & Repertoire, the brainchild of Georgie Willmore, whose own experiences working at a record label as an 18-year-old inspired her to improve the experience for young women entering the industry behind her. “I was shocked when I first started out that other girls around me would stay quiet if someone spoke to them badly,” Willmore says. “Why didn’t these girls feel empowered and strong enough to stand up and speak out?” She acknowledges, though, there were consequences to speaking out herself. “It made me not very well liked; people thought it was controversial that the young intern would say, ‘You can’t do that’ to some big senior executive”.
“We’re figuring out what we can do to help more,” a spokesperson for Warner Music UK says, adding that the label is in “a significant trial project” with independent experts to provide mental health support to both artists and employees. Sony cites its work with the mental health charity, Mind. “Now we’re focusing on the next level of advice, resources and guidance for both the artist and their management teams and families,” says the chairman and CEO of Sony Music UK and Ireland, Jason Iley”.
It is good that there is movement and conversations happening; charities like Girl & Repertoire will go a long way to banishing the notion of a tortured artist or that mental-health struggle is conducive to great art – almost side-lining it and diminishing it. I hope momentum will continue, as this is a particularly bad time for all artists, there is a lack of money and gigs. This, combined with unabated social media toxicity and loneliness is already having a devastating effect.
PHOTO CREDIT: @timmossholder/Unsplash
I think young women have always had the roughest deal and had to struggle the most when it comes to being heard and getting support. I can appreciate labels have their hands full and they are promoting their artists, but mental-health support and care has never been high on the agenda. The conversations are shifting, and it is welcome news that things are improving. Going forward, I think labels will especially need to prioritise the wellbeing of their artists. Of course, there are many young women – and artists in all genders – who are not signed to a label and might feel that they are isolated and particularly vulnerable. As The Guardian’s article explains, mental-health stigma and challenges were not necessarily part of the vocabulary for the older generations, so one can sort of understand why initiatives have not come directly from the labels themselves and it has taken a while for things to improve. For women and non-binary artists, I do think that this latest news will provide great solace, and I hope that all labels make a pledge for 2021 regarding the mental-health of their artists and making it a priority. It is shocking hearing women like Georgie Willmore and Lauren Aquilina reveal their experiences of working in music, and it should provide an impetus for the industry as a whole to take. Of course, there is a long way to go until things significantly improve for young women in the industry but, with the likes of Girl & Repertoire providing noble and essential support, it is a welcomed and…
PHOTO CREDIT: @getuliodt/Unsplash
POSITIVE change.