Abigail Morris, Georgia Davies, Lizzie Mayland, Aurora Nishevci, and Emily Roberts, the driving forces behind the hit single ‘Nothing Matters,’ are adamant that their presence in the music industry should not be viewed as an anomaly but rather as part of a continuum of powerful female and non-binary artists.

Morris highlighted the irony of their situation, remarking, “The revealing thing is… people seem to be implying we’re doing something really new and groundbreaking just by being, you know, five non-male musicians when in fact, we come from a very long line and community of very powerful female and non-binary artists.”

“It’s just a shame that culture at large seems to be constantly blinkered to like, the fact that like, every few years, there’s a new study being like Breaking News! Misogyny in music! and it’s like yes, we know,” Morris added.

Georgia Davies echoed the sentiment, emphasising the need for structural changes in the music industry to facilitate the advancement of female and non-binary bands, stating, “In order for female and non-binary bands to progress up into that status, they need to be given the highest slots on festival lineups. To be given the chance to perform to a big crowd because without giving those slots to people who deserve it, we’re just going to keep seeing the same kind of legacy historically,”

In a subsequent part of the interview, the band was dubbed “the new queens of feminist pop” by the interviewer, prompting a discussion among the band members about the highly gendered language surrounding their success. They admitted it’s a “huge” burden to carry.

The Last Dinner Party, alongside fellow female musicians like Wet Leg and Clairo, has faced the recurring criticism of being dubbed “industry plants,” an accusation disproportionately directed at female musicians in contrast to their male counterparts within the music industry.

In a recent interview with Variety, Abigail Morris responded to the accusations by highlighting the organic connections the band had within the London music scene, explaining, “We all had friends who were in bands in that scene in London – I feel like that’s the only connections we had…. it is kind of old-fashioned, which is why I think people were like, ‘Something must be going on!’ No, that’s literally how the music industry works.”

The Last Dinner Party’s steadfast refusal to conform to industry stereotypes and their unwavering commitment to authenticity underscore the ongoing struggle for gender equality within the music industry. As they embark on their journey following the release of their debut album ‘Prelude To Ecstasy,’ The Last Dinner Party stands ready to amplify their message through an upcoming tour across the UK and Ireland later this year.

 “I often will speak up about female equality, especially in the workplace, but this song is talking about the personal experiences and growing pains of what it’s like to be a woman”, the 24-year-old revealed in the August issue of ELLE UK. She’s explained that in “Boys Will Be Boys” she has addressed a situation many young girls have experienced before: The fear about wearing a certain outfit because of the reaction by men it will cause. “We’ve all tried to avoid confrontation, or worn something we didn’t really want to wear in order to protect ourselves. We’ve all been like, ‘Oh, I can’t bear the idea of wearing this short dress and then hopping on public transport to get to the party.’”

She continues to explain that it’s not only the outfit that’s making many young girls uncomfortable at some point. “I’ve spoken to my friends, and they’ve all done the same things, whether it’s holding keys between your knuckles or pretending you’re on the phone while walking alone at night.”

“I always speak up about female equality and gender equality in general and female rights, but it was very important for me to put something in the album that's close to my heart, that would make other women feel seen and feel heard.“ – @DUALIPA on “Boys Will Be Boys“ [@SCMPNews]

— Dua Lipa Hungary (@dualipahungary) April 5, 2020

The singer is hoping that she can take part in important conversations about what behaviour society is willing to accept and what the reason for it is. One thing is giving her hope: That some men are being held accountable for their actions. “t’s a massive wake-up call to people all around the world that no one is invincible, and no one is untouchable”, Lipa said.

Until then, she’s doing her best. In a recent interview with GQ in May, the “Break My Heart” singer has said that she’d like to work with more female producers in the future, because an all-male studio environment can be intimidating for young artists. She hasn’t worked with any female producer on her recent album “Future Nostalgia”. “I just, in all honesty, don’t know very many. And I really wish I did, because I would really take the time to sit down and hone in a sound with women.”

Who knows, with the ongoing lockdown there might be some girls out their exploring their love for producing, so maybe next time you’ll have the chance, Dua.

The controversy surrounding Lana Del Rey had begun last week after various statements claiming she cared very little about feminism despite early criticism that her music and style had degraded women and celebrated facets such as prostitution and exploitation.

In the spotlight of these allegations was her music video “Ride” which can be said to depict the Born To Die singer selling sex to truck drivers. Miss Rey claimed she cared very little for feminism in an interview with The Fader that she found it an uninteresting concept, and that she was more concerned about intergalactic space flight.

In what an only be described as a parallel to the Charlie Sheen-esk descent into madness, Miss Rey has stated several times that ” I fucking crazy, but I love it”, almost in an attempt to appear like a “super frickin rock star from mars”.

However, it also feels that Lana Del Rey has used the media attention to boost her album which have gained surprisingly good reviews and estimates of around 175,000 copies sold in the USA within the first week.

In an interview with the Guardian the 27 year old expressed that she wished she was dead, comments which further resonated throughout the media frenzy. However, it appears that whilst listing her icons such as Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse, Miss Rey has undoubtedly been swallowed up this week and has merged looking a little unstable.

“Ultraviolence” was released on the 13th of June and has been described “Del Rey’s voice flourishes. Inside the album’s big, vintage swing, she sings herself into places that Born To Die, with its pop veneer, couldn’t touch” by Time Magazine. It is a good album and certainly contains more complexities than her previous work. Del Rey may be in the spotlight for negative reasons, but the modern   Nancy Sinatra with Lolita’s smile certainly provokes emotion in her voice which clearly shows a deep rooted talent.

Here is the video for her new single “Shades Of Cool”

Miss Rey has is also featured in the Disney movie ‘Maleficent’ singing a darker version of ‘Once Upon a Dream’ originally for the Sleeping Beauty movie back in 1959. She had also a small part in last years ‘The Great Gatsby’ after recording ‘Young and Beautiful’ for the Baz Lurhman musical.

Since then Lana Del Rey had risen in notoriety having won International Female Solo Artist at the 2013 BRIT Awards but has been in the scope of criticism after her third EP ‘Ride’ was suggested to be ‘antifeminist’ and glorifying prostitution.

In an interview with The Fader she states that ‘For me the issue of feminism is just not an interesting concept” and claimed she was more interested in “intergalactic possibilities” such as space travel, but these comments appeared to be more tongue in cheek rather than a disregard for the feminist cause.

Ultraviolence is due for release on June 16th 2014.

Track listing:

‘Cruel World’
‘Ultraviolence’
‘Shades Of Cool’
‘Brooklyn Baby’
‘West Coast’
‘Sad Girl’
‘Pretty When You Cry’
‘Money Power Glory’
‘Fucked My Way Up To The Top’
‘Old Money’
‘The Other Woman’
‘Black Beauty’ (Bonus track)
‘Guns And Roses’ (Bonus track)
‘Florida Kilos’ (Bonus track)