This article references sexual assault.
RuthAnne is the singer-songwriter behind hits including ‘Work Bitch’ by Britney Spears, ‘Slow Hands’ by Niall Horan, and perhaps most iconic of all, ‘Too Little Too Late’ by JoJo. Here she reflects on navigating the music industry's “boy's club”, surviving sexual assault, and the importance of women supporting women.
At the start of my career, I was often the only female songwriter in rooms full of men. It felt as though there was only one spot in the room for a woman – and we were all competing for it.
It was very rare to write with other female songwriters unless the artist in the room was also a female. It felt like there was an unspoken role I had to play to get into certain writing rooms: the ‘cool girl’, able to ‘bro down’. Being overemotional, oversensitive, or perceived as ‘difficult’ often led to not being asked back. Taylor Swift described it perfectly when she said, “A man reacts, a woman only ever overreacts.” It felt as if I needed to stay where the men were comfortable, and I needed to know my place. You could never be more successful than a man.
As a woman in the music industry, I was put in traumatic situations that have had a lasting impact on me. I had my first global hit song – ‘Too Little, Too Late’ by JoJo at 19 years old. I was travelling the world, often alone, entering brand-new writing rooms with people I didn’t know every day, and thankfully, most were professional, amazing writers, producers, and artists. Still, unfortunately, some were completely the opposite in the worst way. The music business is truly the Wild West with no union, no HR department, so there were no rules and a huge lack of boundaries. Too much money, power, mixed with a misogynistic culture, was bound to be a recipe for disaster.
I also was a very sheltered young teen when I landed in LA for the first time, and I was thrust into an adult world with no foundation of how to navigate it. I stuck to making the best music I could and putting my talent first always, but earlier in my career, I was advised by an executive that I wasn’t ‘using my sexuality enough’. They said I needed to be more flirty and use my sexuality more and ‘make label executives feel like they could sleep with me if they wanted to’….awful advice, which, thankfully, I ignored.
One particularly bizarre incident occurred when I was flashed by a male artist during a session. The producer turned around, having heard the incident and said, ‘Mate, did you just get your d**k out?’ and he laughed and said, ‘Haha yeah’. The producer said ‘Mate, you can’t do that, that's not okay, what is wrong with you? Don’t do that again’ and then he took me outside and made sure I was OK. He’s proof that we genuinely cannot tarnish all men in the music industry with the same brush.
I know a lot of women who have experienced some kind of sexual harassment and/or sexual assault in the music industry, and sadly, I am one of them. I was sexually assaulted at an A-list artists' writing camp at 31 years old. It was the first time I had met a man who wouldn’t take ‘No’ for an answer. This was way before the #MeToo movement, and I immediately told my managers and publishers who got me to safety. Ultimately, nothing was done. He’s still working in the industry today.
I can’t even say his name or see his name, and I’m still healing from that incident, to be honest. But I’m still here, and I won’t let him take away my love for making music; I won’t let anyone. I’ve learned the hard way how to navigate it, and I want to pass down what I’ve learned to other creatives.
The music industry is slowly changing for the better, and I can see it and feel it in writing rooms. We still have a way to go, but it’s happening, thankfully. For the women at the top of the game right now, I know the long road they’ve had to walk, I know the blocks they’ve encountered, and I applaud them. It takes a lot of strength and courage, on top of talent, to get to the top in this industry as a female. And I think women supporting women and rising together is vital; instead of worrying about that one spot in the room. Those days are gone; embrace your fellow female creatives, and to any male creatives out there: remember, the female perspective is an incredible asset in the songwriting process, use it, don’t abuse it.
Based on a chapter from RuthAnne's new book, It's Not Just A Song, which is out now and published by Faber Music. Her new album, The Moment, will be released on 10 October.
For more information about reporting and recovering from rape and sexual abuse, you can contact Rape Crisis on 0808 500 2222.
A year ago, over 50% of women in the music industry reported experiencing discrimination. Glamour UK and Cheer Up Luv have teamed up to explore whether anything has actually changed.
