In case you’ve drifted away from reality of late, the music industry is still characterised by a level of misogyny so oppressive that it continues to provoke an array of high-profile female artists into speaking out and fighting.
Just a few days ago Sydney-based producer Anna Lunoe slammed a lazy, arguably sexist journalist for asking her a question about Miley Cyrus rather than about her own music in an attempt to recycle the problematic pattern of “writing about ‘women in the industry’ like it is something novel or new.”
This time, though, it’s Sky Ferreira fighting against the music industry’s patriarchy.
The 21-year-old is currently experiencing the most turbulent patch of her career to date, with last year’s debut album Night Time, My Time garnering universal praise and earning the singer appearances at the biggest festivals around the globe including Lollapalooza and Pitchfork.
Still, with all this happening, the ‘You’re Not The One’ singer felt the need to take time from her busy schedule to publicly speak out against the tirades of misogynistic harassment being directed at her online.
Taking to her Facebook page and her 290,000-string following, the fed-up artist wrote, “I’m exhausted of (more than some) people telling me how I should look or be if I want to be a ‘pop star’ [and] how they think it’s okay to say vile [and] (sexually) abusive shit to me on a daily basis over the internet… I’m not a mess,I’m not a drug addict, I’m not a slut or a bitch. ”
Ferreira’s post shed light on her problematic experiences with a candid account of one particularly striking incident, even though she makes it clear these instances don’t occur in isolation.
“I recently blocked someone because they were constantly harassing me [and] making fun of sexual abuse that happened in my past… Which I’ve publicly spoken about to hopefully help others.”
“They came to one of my shows & my friend confronted the person.We were accused of being homophobic after. Which is absolutely insane because my friends, my family & a majority of my fans are homosexual.”
However, the singer managed to turn her own disgusting personal experiences into a positive lesson that, despite seeming pretty obvious, still needs to be learned by a lot of the population.
“Treating people like shit because you feel like shit doesn’t help anyone,” she writes. “I think that’s the only way we can start to lower that sort of thing from happening.”
“Use the internet as a way to connect with others & LEARN. Show & spread compassion.”
Ferreira’s message echoes the same feminist sentiment of electropop outfit CHVRCHES’ frontwoman, Lauren Mayberry, who penned a powerfully inspiring essay urging people not to “roll over and accept defeat… the casual objectification of women” in the industry.
Even teen pop queen Lorde has spoken out against sexism, saying, “Lots of people ask me if being a female in the industry is difficult. I think in some ways it is.”
Ferreira is hotly-rumoured to feature on this year’s Splendour In The Grass lineup, with the singer recently announcing a one-off Australian show in Sydney on March 18th that’s suspiciously presented by the same festival’s organisers, Secret Sounds.
The Splendour linkup seems to match perfectly with her accidental tongue-slip in a Triple J interview in January, where she revealed, “I’m definitely coming in July for a festival, I think. I’m not quite sure [of the exact date], but it’s in my summer.”
Read Sky Ferreira’s full Facebook post below, and scroll down below for more information about her upcoming one-off Australian show (that might not be a one-off for very long according to the Splendour rumour mill).
Sky Ferreira Australian Debut Show
Tuesday 18th March – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
Tickets: $49.50 www.moshtix.com.au / 1300 GET TIX (438 849)
Secret Sounds pre-sale starts: Tuesday, March 4 at 10:00am AEDT Sign up to Secret Sounds newsletter to access the exclusive pre-sale
General on sale: Wednesday, March 5 at 10:00am AEDT
Doors open 8pm
