Alicia Keys has spoken candidly about the obstacles women face in the music industry, describing a deep male network that keeps female producers and engineers locked out, and calling for action rather than frustration.
In an interview with London weatherThe 17-time Grammy Award winner pointed to a striking statistic to highlight the scale of the problem.
“The music world is becoming a good old boys’ network and all the amazing women working as engineers and producers don’t have an open door,” she said.
“Women make up 2 percent of the entire company. I’m a producer and here we are, doing a bunch of work, killing it, so it’s shocking that the number is so small. Rather than getting upset about it, it was time to create opportunities.”
Keys also reflected on the feminist themes that run through her own music, gently pushing back against the idea that they were always deliberately placed.
“I didn’t set out to come up with songs with a feminist message, and most of them were written because I didn’t feel very strong, so I had to give myself a pep talk to keep going, but it’s a common thread in my work,” she said.
She also used the interview to issue a blunt warning to emerging artists about the commercial side of the industry, urging them to take ownership of their creative work from the start.
“No one tells you these things,” she said.
“You’re dealing with all these executives and lawyers who love to take their percentages and charge you too much, but they never ask you, ‘How can we guarantee you’re here to stay?’ » »
His advice: become your own advocate as soon as possible.
