Julie Hawk from HAWK guest blog - women and imbalances in the music industry

26 November 2014

When I moved to London four years ago, the dream of working in music was there. It always had been. But it was basically totally unreachable, and shrouded by this crazy fog of questions and self-doubt. I'm not kidding- I couldn't actually sing and play guitar at the same time, so I did have some basis for doubt! Two definite heroes of mine at the time were Merrill Garbus (tUnE yArDs) and Annie Clarke (St. Vincent).

HAWK

I saw both of them live in London that first year, and basically had my mind blown apart! But it wasn't just their music that got to me; there was a white-hot undercurrent to both of these women that seeped through every lyric and note. I remember coming away from those shows with this profound sense of laziness that I wanted to break out of, nails first. I thought, 'why am I spending time thinking about making music, when I could be taking risks and living it, like these guys?' This is the energy I try to tap into when we write and perform.

By the time Matt and I started working together, I admit I had bought and failed to master a loop station (thank you, Merrill). But I had put some serious hours into learning guitar and I had one finished song in my artillery.

We haven't been on the scene very long, but already I've been asked a few times what it's like 'to be a girl in the music industry' these days. It's a question I have mixed feelings about, but that's not to say that it isn't worth answering. First of all, it's freaking great! I hope I speak for more than just myself here. I am outrageously lucky to work with three of the most awesome people I've ever met, and I feel in no way outnumbered for being the only girl in the mix. We all contribute, work our asses off, and not one of us is safe from our exceptionally creative piss-takes.

But like any industry, there are imbalances to be seen all over. For women in music, I think there is a massive focus and pressure to live up to an image that you can authenticate at the drop of a hat. It's like that age old scenario of being asked whether the guitar on your back is 'actually yours or your boyfriend's'. Only now it's not in the school yard- it's on newsfeeds and comment threads, with hardass_87 and ilovecatssomuch12, and it's your actual profession being thrown in the mix. There are lots of people who will say that that is simply part and parcel of putting yourself out there as a musician. But when I think of the scrutiny directed at artists like Lana Del Rey, and the aesthetic freedoms afforded to certain male 'industry constructed' acts out there, I feel like there is still a massive disjoint that needs to be fixed.

All this said, I think it's a really exciting time to be digging out a place in the music scene, regardless of gender. We're working in a digital D.I.Y. era, and it has flattened the playing field for musicians globally. We have a chance to bring music directly to our listeners, and engage with them, and take real control of the story and image that we want to put out there. I hope this will be something empowering for women in music, and enable them to undercut people's expectations with their own ideas. Fair enough, there isn't the same money being invested in new artists as there was ten or twenty years ago. There aren't many label reps cueing up to give us make-overs either. Apparently this is how I imagine the music biz in the 90s - lucky Alanis!

It's also an exciting time, because the topic of gender has become more mainstream in the last couple of years, than I've ever seen before, especially amongst younger generations. It's become less academic and political. And just like the music industry, it has become more social and accessible. There are more platforms to discuss and really question our everyday choices, whether it's defending our role in the industry, how we put ourselves out there on digital platforms, or who we choose as our role-models.

It will be a good day when we don't need to ask females specifically what it's like to work in music. But for now I hope that the question will trigger positive discussion and change.