Alicia Keys reflects on the ‘Thread’ of feminism in her music

Alicia Keys has spoken bluntly about the barriers women face in the music industry, describing a deep male network that keeps female producers and engineers locked out, and calling for action rather than frustration.

In an interview with The Times of London, the 17-time Grammy winner pointed to a striking statistic to underline the scale of the problem.

She further mentioned, “the music world becomes a good old boy network, and all the incredible women working as engineers and producers are not given an open door”.

“Women make up 2 per cent of the entire business. I’m a producer, and here we are, doing a bunch of work, killing it, so it’s shocking that the number is so small. Rather than just being pissed off about that, it was time to create opportunities.”

Keys also reflected on the feminist themes that run through her own music, pushing back gently on the idea that they were always deliberately placed.

She also mentioned, “I didn’t aim to come up with feminist message songs, and most of them were written because I wasn’t feeling that strong, so I had to give myself a pep talk to keep going, but it is a thread through my work”. She also used the interview to offer a candid warning to emerging artists about the business side of the industry, urging them to take ownership of their creative work from the outset.

She further stated, “No one tells you these things. You deal with all these executives and lawyers who love to take their percentages and overcharge you, but they never say, ‘How can we ensure you’re here to stay?’”