dAn Interview with Zoë Johnston
Hear from one of the many very talented women we are celebrating for Women’s History Month. In this interview Zoë Johnston discusses her music background and her experiences as a woman in the music industry:
Did you always know you wanted to be a musician? What influenced you?
I realized at about the age of 17 that writing and singing my own songs had become very important to me, but it was probably around the age of 21 that I fully committed to music as a career and stopped applying for jobs in other areas of interest in my life. I went to University thinking I’d go into a film-making career (I studied journalism and broadcasting there), and I’d still love to make documentaries or feature-length films. Before that, I thought I’d be an illustrator or a novelist, and while I was still at school I wanted to train hearing dogs for the deaf. I still have a wide range of focuses and things that excite me in my life besides music. I do a lot of drawing and writing, and those things connect with the music in terms of ideas crossing over and where I draw inspiration from.
In terms of influence, for years I obsessively listened to hundreds of different albums by a very wide range of musicians and bands. I grew up in a big family where music was always played — it was very much a connective and colourful force in the home. People playing instruments was just something that always went on around me, so it felt natural to join in.
How did you get into the EDM genre?
It wasn’t a plan of mine and even now I don’t really see myself as being linked to EDM any more than other music genres. I see music as a very fluid thing, and I’m drawn to strong melodies and chords, and the overall feel of a piece of music, rather than any particular genre. I probably first became linked with EDM when I sang for Faithless on their third album. They did something really unique for the time which was to perform dance music live, so I toured with them internationally for about 18 months as part of that live set. Above & Beyond had heard my work with Faithless but also liked the downtempo electronica vibe of the songs I recorded with Bent. I started working with them in 2004 and 17 years later we’re still in partnership with each other. It’s been a fantastic and really lovely journey, and I’m happy it’s still going on.
The music industry has a major gender inequality problem. Have you felt that through the years you’ve been in the industry? What was your experience in the industry as a woman?
I agree with you that there is a major problem with gender inequality. I find myself longing to see a lot more diversity in the dance music industry in particular. It is massively over-populated with white men inside of a particular age bracket — I think the major lack of surprise and newness is a real shame and it can have the effect of making both the visual and audial aspects of the music feel very tired and old. I would love to see more people of colour represented in the dance industry, and I also think it would greatly benefit the world to have more women upfront and central, bringing a fresh take to things. There are lots of things I’ve noticed through the years when it comes to examples of industry sexism (sometimes overt but often more subtle), although I’m glad to say I’ve had consistently good experiences with the more successful bands I’ve worked with. With them, I’ve experienced respect and full equality and inclusion, which is probably the main reason our connections have been so strong.
There is sexism behind online assumptions that I just “do as directed” by the men in a band; that I don’t write what I sing and instead parrot lines given to me. There’s sexism in being told to act out a scene for documentary purposes where I have to sing a verse and then turn to the man in control of everything at the mixing desk and ask, “Was that take OK for you? Shall I do that again?” despite the fact that this scenario has never, ever happened in a real-life session (I called out this bullshit, btw). There’s sexism in me asking an engineer if he can boost the sub in a live kick drum and being told “That’s not possible… I think you’re hearing things…. it sounds fine to me… there’s nothing I can do to make that sound better except to swap the bass drum…” only to witness this same engineer anxiously leap to attention and immediately fix the problem when the (male) drummer walked in from the live room and said, “Woah! That kick drum sounds terrible! You need way more sub on that.” Examples such as these are indicative of a wider belief system in which women are often not seen as autonomous thinkers in their own right, or seen as less talented, less capable of holding their own, and with nothing of genuine importance to say. Gender-based prejudice gets in the way of progress on every level.
I think the problems with sexism go way beyond the music industry itself though — they are rife in society as a whole. Prejudice and privilege within our wider culture certainly impact the music industry and helps to inform who is represented (and who isn’t). It also impacts on expectations of performers. I’ve been so touched by the tsunamis of love that have come at me through the years from people who appreciate my musical creations. However, there have also been a few negative online comments about my looks and demeanour, every single one of them written by men in very entitled and judgemental tones which would never be applied to a male performer in the same way. There’s always an element of control and expectation there: “YOU should be pleasing ME and you’re not! You should alter the face your parents gave you, and move your body according to the limitations of my prejudices!” This kind of thing ties in with a lot of people viewing the EDM scene as being all about the men at the helm, in full control of what we get to listen to, with women being sexy and small just off to the side. I find that depressing and archaic. It’s another sign that more needs to be done to enable women to have a voice and a platform through which they can share their gifts and influence people in positive ways through music. It’s important. It matters that women have a voice and that people of colour have a voice. Things get so much more exciting and enriching when there are more of us pitching in!
In your opinion, what should the music industry be doing to be more inclusive of women?
I think because there is so little existing space for women in EDM it can be a very intimidating and daunting prospect trying to get your work out there. I think also that a lot of labels get recommendations through existing artists who happen to be male, and therefore are much more likely to put forward their male friends for consideration. I had a conversation about this exact subject once with a really kind and forward-thinking A&R person and he was saying how difficult it is to even get to listen to demos by women. I sometimes think the scene might come off to a lot of women as a well-established boys’ club with a locked door, which is quite sad and obviously off-putting.
I think a majorly positive step would be for labels to put out statements welcoming work from female producers or writers, and maybe just acknowledging that while diversity isn’t happening with any real effect at the moment, it’s something label heads are wanting to work towards. An open and friendly invitation like that would really help to bring women forward who otherwise might be hesitant to approach heavily male-dominated spaces. Also, I think running remix competitions or opening up submissions slots exclusively for women would be a great thing too. I think until equality is established it’s really important to purposefully and mindfully create space for women to be heard and to be able to represent themselves with full confidence.
What message or advice would you like to give to young women in the industry?
I think just to follow your heart and be proud of what you’re achieving. If you really feel that you’re onto something magical with whatever you’ve created, keep going and enjoy your process. The most important part is the actual work and your part in it. That’s all yours. Find your authentic voice, and know why you want to say something (even if it’s a wordless instrumental doing the talking for you) and how you want to express it. I think people will connect with whatever you create at a much deeper level if you truly believe what you say.
Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I’m so looking forward to going on the Acoustic III tour with Above & Beyond as soon it’s safe. It’ll be a great way to celebrate the end of a very difficult year or so for all of us, and a joyful return to music and togetherness. Can’t wait to see you all!
