Since stepping onto the music scene in 2015, singer Dua Lipa has had some serious success. Her single “New Rules” from her 2017 self-titled debut album has been burning up the charts, and her star power only seems to be on the rise.
Her success, coupled with the boldness of the women blazing the trail ahead of her, has lead the singer to speak out about sexism in the music industry and the #MeToo movement.
In an interview with British GQ, Lipa said, “For a female artist, it takes a lot more to be taken seriously if you’re not sat down at a piano or with a guitar, you know? For a male artist, people instantly assume they write their own music, but for women, they assume it’s all manufactured.”
As BBC points out, Lipa co-wrote most of the smash hits on her album.
While there’s blatant sexism when it comes to the capabilities of female directors or studio heads in Hollywood and gender inequality in Silicon Valley, among other major businesses, the sexism in the music industry is only just now starting to gain traction. After all, only four, yes, four Grammys went to women this year and the ratio of male to female artists on any given festival roster is heavier on the former, so it’s not surprising that Dua Lipa is finally seizing the opportunity to speak up.
She also tells the men’s magazine just how important the #MeToo movement is for women.
“I’m lucky in that I haven’t really had any sexual harassment in any way. But I think #MeToo is so important. You know, even from school, growing up with kiss chase or whatever, it’s been ingrained in our heads that boys will be boys and its harmless fun and no big deal and to brush things off. Like catcalling,” Lipa explained. “To some it might not seem [like] a lot, but it affects your mood, people get embarrassed about the way they dress. For lots of females, be it actresses, singers, models, no matter what it is, it’s not being able to have the right to dress and wear how and what you want and be taken seriously.”
The singer raises several important points and it’s young voices like hers that will make all of the difference in the world.