Lily Allen recently shared her thoughts on the impacts of motherhood on stardom. In a podcast interview with the Radio Times, she reported that having her two children, Ethel and Marnie, “totally ruined” her career in the music industry. She had her first daughter in November, 2011 with her ex-husband Sam Cooper, named Ethel Mary Cooper (12 years old) and two years later, Marnie Rose Cooper (11 years old) was born in January. Although, it must be stated that of course Lily Allen only said this in playful, joking terms. She was asked if she’d ever reconsider her career after having her daughters, and she responded comically, “Yes, my children ruined my career.”  and added to her response sharing that, “I love them and they complete me, but in terms of pop stardom, they totally ruined it.” Ultimately, she prioritised motherhood over career progression because she 100% wanted to focus on raising her daughters.

This ambition stemmed from her own feelings of neglect that she experienced whilst growing up. Her parents are actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen, whose careers clearly overshadowed Lily Allen’s adolescence. She shared that she felt her Mother and Father were “quite absent,” as she grew up. She continued to extend on this feeling of isolation and why it led to her to make a career sacrifice because it was her parental prerogative. Her neglect “left some nasty scars that I’m not willing to repeat on mine.”

Allen of course has no regrets in this decision. She took a break from the world of music in 2014 after she released her album ‘Sheezus.’ Followed by her final farewell album which marked her exiting from the music world to pursue her ambition of dedicated motherhood, was released in 2018 and is entitled ‘No Shame.’

However, Lily Allen’s career in the limelight is by no means over yet! Since her marriage to ‘Stranger Things’ actor David Harbour on September 7th, 2020 in Las Vegas, she has entered the world of acting. A force to be reckoned with and a golden talent as she received an Olivier Award nomination in 2022 for her performance in the play ‘2:22 A Ghost Story,’ which broadcasted in the West End of London.

A rippling wave has been triggered as more and more female musicians have spoken up in solidarity. Chloe Little, the other half of the duo ‘Wings of Desire’, shares some unsettling stories that all have a common theme of gaslighting. At age 19, she sent a notable producer her music. After he expressed his enthusiasm, he invited her to work with him. The producer, a man double her age, invited her not to a professional location, but to his hotel room in Mayfair to collect the music. The fear of confronting him at her young age played a big role, along with the manipulation that she would have to “prove” she was good enough and to do so, this was the “normal” protocol.

The British singer and songwriter Katie Waissel, who rose to fame on season seven of The X Factor, spoke up on the 30th of January, 2024. The 38 year old interviewed with Sky News, and stated that her time within the industry was a “frightening place to be.” Like Chloe, as young as sixteen, most of the time Waissel was “unsure of what (was) actually happening.” She reported to The Sun that X Factor “ruined her life,” and in early 2023, she was planning a legal battle against one of the companies that run X Factor: Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment. 

Despite great changes that have occurred, it hasn’t changed the toxicity behind closed doors. Men in powerful positions often use the vocabulary related to female mental health to mask misogyny. A stomach-churning method that has worked because the public have sympathised with this vocabulary, which has driven “change”.

The root of Katie’s reluctance to speak out was the fear of losing her job because of the “zero-transparency” non–disclosure agreements (NDAs) which were left unsigned. These contracts were shown to her without receiving any guidance. She described that every speck of the music industry was led by powerful male figures who operated within the same circle. Interviewee of Sky News describes it as a “boys club.” All of which,  “swim in the same pond.” The music industry is “A very small pond – with fish that believe they are large.” (Waissel) This hierarchy of figureheads, whether these are leaders of PR / marketing firms, or record labels, possess a style of behaviour that resembles a cardboard cut-out of one another. She describes this replication of behaviour as a “trickle-down effect”. The bosses behaviour sets a precedent which is subsequently seen as socially acceptable.

This is a tremendously important conversation because, as Waissel states, she has “finally found the confidence” to contribute to the conversation, and she expresses her disbelief that this “hysteric behaviour has been going on for so many years…” She was motivated to speak up after the Women and Equalities Committee spoke out in early January, 2024. MPs have outwardly stated that misogyny and discrimination is endemic in the industry. The Committee has gathered that women are holistically underrepresented in key roles of the industry. 

It appears men have copied one another’s behaviour because of the underrepresentation of women within the industry which has created a toxic power imbalance. As a response, and new mother of one, Katie has pursued a career into protecting artists within the creative sector. She is now the founder of the OWHL Foundation which offers support to female artists – a service she wished she had access to during her time within the “pond” that is the music industry. She is “turning poison to medicine,” states Waissel. She is contributing to an important time in music history, something that has potential to reach the successful heights gained by the “MeToo” movement in 2017. More and more artists are speaking up about the darkness behind the previously pristine and glamorous face of the UK Music Industry.

According to the BBC, musicians of all varieties were lining up to audition two days ago (4/3/2024). London’s rich tapestry of cultural diversity is certainly being reflected in the 280 people that auditioned this week in the Busking competition. This reported audition on the 4th March took place at Southwark station and was judged by three expert music industry judges. The other judges (unofficial of course) include the passing public who are intrigued and pulled to the vibrating musical tunes that echo through the underground. Auditioners are judged on their technique, overall performance and unique style. According to the TfL, the ‘shortlisted musicians will perform to a panel of musical experts and TfL operational staff in a busy station environment and judged on technical ability and audience response.’

The busking auditions have been a 20 year tradition and it is particularly exciting this year because it is happening for the first time since 2018, due to the Covid19 pandemic. To name a few auditioners, there is 19 year old Macy O from Shropshire, and Andrew Bruell the garage / R&B saxophone player, and Fabio, also known as the “Pianist Without Borders”. According to the BBC, Fabio is one of the 200 buskers registered for the Busking Scheme. He’s been busking for 20 years and wants to continue to do so forever. He busks 7 days a week and compares playing the piano in the underground to “meditation for 5 hours a day”. His love for busking began through a story that can only be defined as divine intervention. He took the bus in the wrong direction at 1am in Leicester Square, and his attention was gravitated towards buskers playing the drums and he instantly fell in love with it. He has been living like this for 20 years believing that “the more you give, the more you receive.” He compares the competition to “X-factor,” as they play for 4-5 judges, then they send an email saying if they will take you and give provide you with a license. There is a community underground. Fabio mentioned a lady who gives him an “amazing sandwich” daily, and has done so for years. Despite this community, each contestant wants the same thing – the prize. The BBC reports that you “can smell the competition in the air.” The prize is not a record deal, or cash, but it is a license to busk on the London Underground. The successful singers will join 200 buskers on the Tube, London Overground and Elizabeth Line. 

What we can compare to Britain’s Got Talent, is ‘TfL’s Got Talent.’ TfL stands for Transport for London, and they are working with ‘Found in Music’. The auditions are coordinated by ‘Found in Music’, a program supported by the Mayor of London (Sadiq Khan) and they run the Busk in London. According to the Music Programme Director Kate Jones: “Found in Music is delighted to be working with TfL on the audition process for the iconic London Underground Busking Scheme.”

Overall, it is clear that “London’s Calling” (The Clash) from the Underground, where there is over 100,000 hours of music on an annual basis. It is an exciting and unique time in London’s Underground. Emma Strain, the TfL’s Customer Director, said: “As we enter our busking programme’s twentieth year, I can’t wait to hear the songs of a whole new generation of buskers. It is a vibrant part of London culture and we’re proud to celebrate 20 years since we introduced the busking scheme on our network by opening auditions again…”

Last week, the Music Venue Trust revealed that 67 venues had closed so far in 2023 and the trust estimates that 100 venues will be closed by the end of the year, constituting for 10 per cent of the independent venues in the country.

The Music Venue Trust have been pushing big music industry players like major record labels and the country’s arena venues to pump more money into the independent music venue industry.

With this open letter, the Music Venue Trust has doubled down on this push by asking the UK Government to extend business relief for its members.

MVT CEO Mark Davyd told NME “Between us finishing our report at Friday at 5pm and coming back at 10am on Monday morning, two more venues closed,”. The venues reference were Jimmy’s in Liverpool and The Brass in Hastings, two venues which closed across the weekend.

Davyd continued, saying: “Our report shows that we’ve gone from 960 venues in October of last year to 835 that are actually operating. That’s 125 less and a 15.7 per cent decline. Venues haven’t just closed down, but some of them have also given up putting on live music. The only way that they could afford to survive was to stop putting on live music and start selling pizzas.”

“On top of that, there is the current relief of 75 per cent off business rates. That’s due to end on March 31, which means that venues will go back to paying the business rates they were paying in 2018. Without a doubt, that will see the sector collapse because there is no way that they can afford to pay it. That’s £15million in extra costs.”

Davyd is also pushing for the wider music industry, especially in the live music scene, to have a “major intervention” regarding the extreme issues independent music venues are facing. About this he said: “There’s going to have to be movement from the industry itself too. They can’t just sit around making oceans of money and declaring this to be the greatest year ever for live music, all while venues are closing down every day.”

“There have been 120 emergency response cases so far this year, and there are 60 live cases today from venues that are at risk of closing down. I don’t think people have really understood. When this happens, the impact rolls out everywhere. If there are 20 per cent less venues to play in next year, then that will mean that some tours just can’t happen.”

“These venues are all over the UK, and everything is in complete free-fall. It’s as dire as it can be. It’s not possible to exaggerate it at this point.”

The venue was closed for several months following a stampede outside the venue on the night of an Asake concert last December, in which two people died and major questions were asked of the security of the venue as it became known that the security had previously let those without tickets into the venue.

The decision to reinstate the venues license was made at a review hearing at Lambeth Town Hall on September 11^th and 12^th. The decision was made on the premise that 77 new conditions had to be met to ensure the safety of the venue.

Lambeth Councillor Dr Mahamed Hashi released a statement saying: “Stronger doors, new crowd management systems, more detailed risk assessments, a new ticketing system, a new centralised control and command centre as well as new security and management at the venue, were among the measures proposed by AMG at the hearing to support their aim of regaining the venue’s licence so it can reopen, and making sure we never see a tragedy again like the one there in December 2022.

AMG will now need to put in place the agreed measures to enable the reopening of this much-loved local venue, which is a key part of Brixton’s cultural heritage and has been enjoyed by millions. We’ll be working to closely monitor all licensing conditions to ensure that safety is at the forefront of the venue’s future operations.”

A timeline for the venue’s reopening has yet to be announced as well as the nature of the test events that will test the venue’s new procedures and systems.

AMG (Academy Music Group), the company that runs the venue released a statement saying: “Over the past nine months the venue’s importance to the local community and the live music scene in the UK has been made clear through first-hand professional testimony, campaigns, and petitions as well as economic assessments demonstrating the financial impact to the surrounding area caused by the closure,”

“Academy Music Group is determined to learn all appropriate lessons from the night of December 15, 2022. Working at a senior level with experts across all disciplines, AMG presented a comprehensive, multi-faceted response for the licensing authorities to support their case for the safe and secure reopening of the venue. We appreciate having had the opportunity to present these detailed proposals and revised licence conditions at the hearing and we are very grateful they met with the approval of the Licensing Sub-Committee.”

Many will be happy to hear that the historic venue is reopening, as evidenced by a petition that was launched last April called #SaveBrixtonAcademy, in which over 116,000 people signed the petition including big names like The Prodigy.