FEATURE:
The Lockdown Playlist
IN THIS PHOTO: Irish rapper Denise Chaila
Brilliant Irish Women
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I have been struck…
IN THIS PHOTO: Ailbhe Reddy
by an illuminating article that appeared in CLASH regarding Irish women and the disparity in terms of radio airtime - and how things have sort of started to turn a corner now. It makes for striking and interesting reading:
“When Other Voices - the internationally renowned live music series which broadcasts annually from Dingle in Kerry since 2003 - announced the line-up for the Courage series of live streams, few truly expected the impact and the ray of hope it provided to people and families across Ireland. The series welcomed performances from renowned Irish artists including Fontaines D.C, Lisa Hannigan, James Vincent McMorrow, the folk band Lankum (who’s latest album had, just three months previously, been awarded the Choice Music Prize), and fellow nominee Maija Sofia, to name but a few.
Among the artists with discographies few could match in both volume and quality, was Limerick rapper Denise Chaila, who at the time had yet to release a project, EP or album. Despite the audience's lack of familiarity with her work, it was her performance that stood out from the crowd. Performing live from the National Gallery, one of the country’s most historic buildings, it gave a very visceral and captivating image highlighting the new Ireland.
Yes, Chaila was the only black artist on the line-up, but more importantly, she was a new non-folk female artist being given a stage, a platform, and a chance to perform for thousands across the world. She took the opportunity with both hands. Images of Chaila, supported by fellow Limerick rapper God Knows and DJ Replay, became a symbol of hope when many had lost it. It was proof that as a country, Ireland was changing for the better and becoming a more accepting place for all people, all artists, both male and female alike.
As Ireland has grown as a country and as a people, there remains sections of life at which gender parity has not yet been reached. The radio, and Irish female artists' representation on Irish radio compared to Irish male artists, is one such sector. On Irish radio, music created in Ireland is played once to every six plays for international artists, which amounts to less than 15% of all radio play. Of this 15%, the vast majority of music is created and released by men. The leading male artist (Dermot Kennedy) had 80% more radio impact (listeners) than the leading female artist (Soulé).
In 2020, however, Irish female artists took a stand, and in doing so raised over €300,000 for charity.
RuthAnne Cunningham is one of Ireland’s most renowned songwriters, with credits for artists such as Niall Horan, One Direction, Devlin, John Legend, and Britney Spears. In 2018, she began releasing under her own name and released her debut album ‘Matters Of The Heart’ in 2019. She’d realised long ago that representation on Irish radio was an issue. “When I was 17 and starting off in the industry, there weren't many Irish female acts” she explained. “When I ask people to name me a breakthrough female artist from the last ten years they can’t, and I don’t think that’s because the talent isn’t there, I think there hasn’t been enough championing of it”.
IN THIS PHOTO: Soulé
On June 24th, the Gender Disparity Data Report on Irish Radio was published, which showed that Irish female artists and artists of colour were vastly under-represented in Irish media plays across the country in comparison to white men. Across the entire country, only one station had a 50:50 gender split between the Irish music they played, and that was RTÉ Radio 1. In comparison, RTÉ 2FM 10% Irish female artists compared the 90% Irish male artists. This was apparent across the spectrum, with many stations playing close to 0% Irish female artists. There was also only one single artist of colour in the entire report: Soulé.
As the year draws to a close, the question remains: was 2020 a turning point in female representation in Irish music, and can this translate to representation on TV, on festival line-ups and within the industry itself across the country? Both RuthAnne and Coogan Byrne believe so.
“We are seeing something that has never happened before, and it’s reflected in the data - more women on air and more artists of colour. We are closer to a more equal and diverse industry,” Linda replies. “I’m very hopeful that the industry has now seen the disparity that’s there and the injustice”.
RuthAnne is equally optimistic, noting that while a 50:50 split will likely never be possible, given the time it takes artists to release music, there has been progress. “The best thing we could do is make everything fair for Irish artists. It’s tougher to get an Irish artist into the top 20 in our own country than it is to do everything else, we cannot get our own in there and we need to tackle that”.
To highlight some brilliant Irish (from E.I.R.E. and Northern Ireland) women who are making exceptional music, this Lockdown Playlist honours them. I may have missed a few names out – for which I apologise! – but I have combined as many as I could think of. It looks like things are changing but, at the moment, there is still a little bit of a way to go regarding true gender equality. Because of that, this Lockdown Playlist is a celebration of some…
IN THIS PHOTO: Pillow Queens
MIGHTY incredible Irish women.