Sexual harassment, pay disparity, physique shaming — the Indian music scene is rife with situations of discrimination, however feminine artistes are slowly turning issues round
Within the autumn of 2016, Shilpa Natarajan flouted the unwritten rule that “girls artistes are anticipated to put on attire and heels”, and confirmed up on stage in pyjamas and a T-shirt. “This stress to decorate up and look a selected means isn’t on male artistes,” says the Chennai-based vocalist and composer, who had opened the Mainstage Competition in Chennai together with her parody band, Beef Sapad Trio (BST). When organisers requested her if she would change, she merely said it was her costume as Barbie Q, her alias when she performs with BST.
Within the 12 months passed by, when all the things had turned digital, this divide was much more stark. Feminine artistes have been significantly deprived due to trolling. American singer Monica Dogra had posted on feeling insecure about her profession (due to social media trolls), whereas Mumbai-based singer Aditi Ramesh spoke about fielding disagreeable emojis and feedback whereas on a stay gig for Vh1. “As a feminine musician, I’ve heard the phrases, ‘You’re a lady; folks take heed to your music due to your seems. Males are those actually struggling’, greater than as soon as. To a youngster discovering her means, it’s not tough to let these concepts beneath your pores and skin and marvel when you’re value something,” says upcoming Bengaluru-based vocalist, Frizzell D’Souza.
Know your value
- Altering self-perception can also be serving to. “As girls realise their very own potential, the way in which the world views them is altering,” says Acharya, the Mumbai-based occasion supervisor who has travelled the nation together with her feminine percussionists. “Males who by no means approached feminine artistes for collaborations now wish to work with them.” Whereas that is in no way a validation for the work that ladies artistes do, it’s maybe a sign that the boys are much less insecure of their place. And that’s a soundscape to make higher music.
So, how are girls altering the narrative in 2021? At present, an increasing number of feminine musicians are subverting the politics and economics of the Indian impartial scene by reclaiming their company. Like Mumbai-based hip-hop artiste Ashwini Hiremath, who goes by the stage identify Krantinaari, and rapper Pratika Prabhune, of the hip-hop collective Gained Tribe. They’re engaged on the discharge of a rap music titled ‘Raja Beta’, which is “impressed by many incidents that passed off final 12 months when patriarchy overtook social justice and even legislation enforcement”. Elsewhere, Sonia Acharya, director of Ladies of Rhythm, India’s largest organisation of feminine drummers, has a set charge for her upcoming artistes, which is at par with what male artistes are paid.
Rapper Pratika Prabhune and hip-hop artiste Ashwini Hiremath (aka Krantinaari)
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Particular association
Elevating questions
Indie music in India gained momentum solely as lately as a decade in the past, with a gentle improve within the variety of music festivals. And it’s nonetheless removed from being woke. As a lady music journalist, and former editor of Rolling Stone journal’s India version, I used to be accustomed to the scene being a boys’ membership. From gig photographers and artiste managers to occasion managers and technicians to journalists and artistes, males outnumbered girls. Again then it didn’t cross my thoughts to query the established order or convey up subjects like physique shaming or pay parity.
It was in 2012 that I first learnt of a sexual harassment case within the music trade, solely to seek out that few males would step up and help the sufferer. She was suggested towards going to court docket and warned that issues would get messy if she filed a case. “The organisation the place I used to be employed stopped working with the person [an event and artiste manager], however they didn’t wish to become involved if I filed a case,” says the sufferer, who needs to stay nameless. It wasn’t till the #MeToo motion in 2018 that ladies musicians, and journalists like me, started speaking about these happenings.
Monica Dogra – vocalist, songwriter and composer
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Gary Dean
Physique optimistic
No lady artiste, be it a world music sensation or a neighborhood indie vocalist, is spared the indignity of being questioned about how she seems or what she wears. Grammy-nominated sitarist, Anoushka Shankar, lately lashed out at a troll who commented on a photograph that she had posted on her social media web page.
“In case you go to the social profiles of feminine artistes, you will note how audiences are pushed in direction of their bodily enchantment greater than anything, an inherent trait of a patriarchal society. The viewership on movies and images will probably be skyrocketing, whereas their musical content material is commonly ignored,” says rapper Prabhune. “Typically the content material isn’t even up to speed. I believe that comes from our behavior of ‘social rating’, ‘influencing’, and straight up objectification of girls [something that is absent among Hindustani and Carnatic musicians, where prowess is valued]. Seldom are girls appreciated solely for his or her music or artwork.”
Calling out oppression
Nevertheless, girls are actually main the change each on stage and off it. “It’s only when girls write or submit one thing that challenges the norms that they’re trolled. However this, in flip, exposes double requirements and triggers conversations round sexism, which is able to result in change,” says Acharya.
When expertise speaks
- When Ritnika Nayan launched Music Will get Me Excessive (MGMH), a music consultancy agency, in 2007, there have been few girls working within the indie scene. “Again then, I needed to go the additional mile to show that I knew what I used to be speaking about. I really feel today, issues are getting higher. Extra girls are selecting to work in music and are beginning their firms/bands,” says Nayan, including that it’s nonetheless difficult “as a result of if girls succeed, most assume it’s as a result of we used our womanly charms and never as a result of we’re gifted and succesful.” MGMH has moved on to programming music for occasions and Nayan states that she promotes artistes based mostly solely on expertise. “The concept of equality isn’t that ladies get favoured; it’s that we’re given the identical alternatives. And that’s what I prefer to create.”
Lawyer Priyanka Khimani, chairperson of Ladies in Music’s (WIM) India chapter (began in 2019), is one such ‘warrior’. Although the pandemic has delayed her plans, she says this 12 months “my focus will probably be on addressing sensible work-life points. For starters: making a membership-based entry to authorized help so that every one artistes can have entry to recommendation and help whereas negotiating offers”. Globally, WIM has arrange mentorship programmes for ladies, created campaigns to characterize girls artistes at music conferences, and launched a video collection to help victims of sexual harassment.
Corporations with girls in management positions are additionally constructing a stronger help system for his or her friends. Digital music community TuneCore’s nation head in India, Heena Kriplani, has an equal alternative workspace ever since she joined the corporate in January 2020. “I take advantage of my station to showcase girls at each alternative. I’m a agency believer in a 50% illustration mannequin. When folks say ‘Let the most effective man win,’ what they don’t get is the years of unequal alternative it has taken to make that man the most effective,” she says. “Equilibrium greater than equality is essential. It’ll take a variety of muscle to even out the enjoying subject and it’s on all of us to do it,” provides Mumbai-based Kriplani, who has been a part of the music trade for twenty years.
The place change remains to be wanted
Pay parity: Gender inequality hits the place it hurts essentially the most. At 31, Rihanna is perhaps the richest feminine musician on the planet right this moment, with a internet value of $600 million, however her male hip-hop counterpart Jay-Z hit the $1 billion greenback mark two years in the past.
In India, girls are nonetheless combating for area on stage. Shilpa Natarajan says that in Chennai, a lady artiste can carry out at sure accommodations and malls solely as soon as a month, whereas male musicians are booked for a number of gigs on the identical venues all month. And whereas each genders are paid roughly the identical (₹4,000 for a pub gig), the boys can improve their revenue dramatically with extra performances.
The bro tradition: Over the previous few years, the indie music scene has witnessed a collection of sexual harassment circumstances. In 2017, Khodu Irani, the proprietor of Excessive Spirits, a preferred music venue in Pune, was accused of physique shaming and harassment by a number of girls. In 2018, Vijay Nair, co-founder of Solely A lot Louder (OML), the artiste and occasion administration company, was referred to as out. Of the 50-odd artistes and bands that carry out at NH7 Weekender, organised by OML, just a few, together with Shoumik Biswas (aka Disco Puppet) and Delhi-based indie music label, Azadi (which has 11 artistes on its roster, together with rapper Prabh Deep and Mumbai hip-hop collective Swadesi), took a stand and refused to carry out in 2018 and 2019.
A couple of Mumbai bands and slapstick comedian Karunesh Talwar have been amongst those that refused to carry out at Excessive Spirits. “The best way the scenario was dealt with, with no statements or feedback from the administration, simply exhibits that they have been in denial and supported Khodu. Which simply leaves a nasty style,” says Ashwin Sharma, artist supervisor for Hindi prog rock bands Coshish and Paradigm Shift.
Three years in the past, when Delhi-based vocalist/composer Pragnya Wakhlu carried out at a present in Jaipur, she was allegedly harassed by the organiser of the present. “Once I talked about it to the pinnacle of the organisation, she made me really feel like a troublemaker. And not one of the males I knew referred to as him out for his behaviour. I felt very let down,” says Wakhlu, who regrets not publicly calling out the person.
Sexual harassers proceed to seek out help. Lower than a 12 months after the allegations made information, they have been denied, dismissed and the scene was again in enterprise mode. “There’s a tradition of bro-ism within the indie scene,” says Dogra. “The tradition round alcohol, medication and quick associates is what made me wish to distance myself from it as a result of I felt that my psychological well being was getting affected. I really feel threatened as nicely and, after all, I’ve encountered sexual predators.” The trade nonetheless has a protracted approach to go.
The author is an impartial journalist and a college of journalism at FLAME College.
