FRONT
MOU THPIE CE Tamara Schlesinger was fed up with the music industry continually excluding female artists. This is what she’s doing about it H ow often have you been angry about inj ustice and thought ‘how can I make a difference? ’ The temptation is to turn to social media and vent that anger, knowing that it won’t really change anything. F or years now we have seen a lack of female artists on festival line-ups. W hen you remove the male artists from the promo posters, the number of acts that remain is j ust embarrassing. And while many of us shout as loud as we can, not much has changed. In spite of festivals signing up to schemes such as K eychange, an initiative led by PRS ( the royalties collection society) for 5 0/5 0 gender eq uality on festival line-ups, only 1 5 % of 2022 headliners are women. The problem is not j ust on the live circuit but across the board. O nly 1 7 % of composers signed to PRS are women; only 20% of acts signed to maj or labels are women; and only 5 % of H ollywood film composers are women. F ed up with shouting on social media, in M arch 2020 I made the decision to launch H en H oose, an all-female and non-binary songwriting collective. During lockdown we brought together some of the finest female songwriters, producers and engineers in Scotland and created an incredible body of work with the aim of highlighting the talent that we have right here on our doorstep. O ur resulting album E q ualiser has gained critical acclaim from national press and radio. H en H oose has also been looking at alternative revenue streams for artists. W e all know the pittance that Spotify pay their artists, and that many have had to cancel live dates. There are also those artists who are clinically vulnerable and unable to perform while the virus still threatens. Given these circumstances, it’s important to find other ways to make a living from music. W e have created a niche for ourselves composing for TV , film, adverts and podcasts with great success. The pandemic has seen options open out for remote working which has also enabled accessibility for the H en H oose writers. M others can work around their childcare needs and those that are shielding can partake in co-writes at a distance. W e’ve found a method that has allowed for artists to be included where they may have previously been overlooked. Across the music industry, companies and organisations need to look at what we are doing. It’s time to actively embrace and support change, and cultivate greater inclusivity. n T am ara Schlesinger is founder of fem ale and non- b inary songw riting collective and p roduction stab le H en H oose; new single ‘ N ot Alone’ b y MALK A from the deb ut H en H oose alb um E q ualiser is out now ; henhoose. com
Carla J Easton is one of the artists given a leg up by Hen Hoose
Might be a big joke to you lot, but having a birthday on the first day of April is no laughing matter for some. Such as Asa Butterfield, David Oyelowo and Bijou Phillips. Breathing a huge sigh of relief that mum and midwife couldn’t release them into the wild a day earlier are Michael Fassbender, Emmylou Harris and Jesse Plemons. Still, perhaps April is officially the most hilarious month given these comics are all celebrating: Eddie Murphy (3rd) David Cross (4th), Jerry Seinfeld (29th) and Vincent Gallo (11th). What do you mean Vinnie’s not a comedian? Have you heard an interview with him and his cuddly conservative views over the past 20 years? Two of those famous Hollywood hellraisers you used to get will be keeping the party on the downlow this month in the shape of Robert Downey Jr (4th) and Jack Nicholson (22nd). And April’s selection of Scots marking their entry unto the planet include ex-Time Lords Peter Capaldi (14th) and David Tennant (18th), plus Emma Thompson (15th), James McAvoy (21st) and Sam Heughan (30th). Bon anniversaire to you all.
Sam Heughan adopts an unconventional method for blowing out his candles
HAPPY RETURNERS
