ela.
In the beginning “there were always only men around me”
singer ela. wants “fair equality”.
© Alex Kleis
On International Women’s Day, singer ela. a clear demand: “In my branch, the music industry, something has to change.”
singer ela. (29) sends a strong message on International Women’s Day with her new song “If I say no, then I mean no”. When it comes to equality, there is still “a lot to do,” emphasizes the 29-year-old in an interview with spot on news. “Something has to change in my industry, the music industry, too,” explains the singer-songwriter. When she took her first steps in the industry at the age of 16, “there was always only men around me,” she recalls. “That’s sobering,” she says, and demands: “I want it to be different for the new generations.”
“If I say no, then I mean no,” says your new song. How often and in which situations have you had to emphasize this sentence in your private life?
ela.: For me, this is a central sentence that many women can understand. It doesn’t matter whether it’s about sexual harassment or generally about being taken seriously, about the struggle that it means to make your voice heard as a woman. It’s about gender inequality, a message to the fossil patriarchs. It’s my little hymn to all the strong women out there.
You campaign for female empowerment. What is particularly important to you?
ela.: I am privately and publicly committed to women because, despite all the openness of our society, there is still a lot to be done in terms of equality.
Women still experience far too much sexualised, psychological and physical violence in the domestic and professional context, but they still earn less than men on average, do an average of 87 minutes more unpaid care work per day and have a greater risk of falling into poverty in old age and cannot fully control their own bodies, as can be seen in Section 218 of the Penal Code on the subject of abortions. And these are just a few selected problems that women face in today’s society in Germany.
In my line of business, the music industry, something has to change too. When I look back, when I started working in the studio as an artist/songwriter at the age of 16, there were only men around me: label boss, A&R, producer, manager, publisher… It’s sobering and I want, that it will be different with the new generations. Even today I still experience young artists who have never worked with other women. And while that is the case, we must speak out to draw attention to all the problems.
To what extent are women still disadvantaged in the music industry today? Have you ever experienced disadvantages yourself because you are a woman? How did you deal with it?
ela.: It starts with the fact that there are very few women in management positions such as in labels, publishers or booking agencies. Furthermore, we have too few women producing music and too few authors and composers writing music and lyrics. Radio stations also play fewer women in comparison. Even the festival rate of female artists is too low – see all the lineups that show it. That’s sad because there really are a lot of great female artists out there who just deserve a platform to increase their visibility!
How do you think the role of women in the music industry has changed over the years?
ela.: There are more and more female artists, songwriters, musicians, producers and also more women who are stirring up the music industry – but unfortunately still not enough to be able to speak of fair equality.
What is your personal message on International Women’s Day?
ela.: International Women’s Day is an important day for me, celebrating all the strong women who have changed our lives right now. But it should also be used to show where we are now and how much we still have to do.
There are still misogynistic comments that are not even thought about. How do you react when you experience this in your environment?
ela.: Address, counteract and work to ensure that these comments do not even occur.
What other professional and private plans do you have for this year?
ela.: I’m working hard on my second album and I’m going on my “Together” tour in November. I really can’t wait to see all my fans again and hopefully give them all their love back with my music.