This article was written by a Baybeats Budding Writer under the guidance of mentor Eddino Abdul Hadi, music correspondent for The Straits Times.

When Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated career documentary Miss Americana aired on Netflix at the start of the year, there was one scene that stood out in particular and garnered much attention from the public. 

Dressed in a simple pink sweater and dungarees while leaning against a brick wall, Swift gazed bleakly into the distance, reflecting on her career journey so far. She commented on how all the female artists that she knows of “have reinvented themselves 20 times more” than their male counterparts.  

"Constantly having to reinvent, constantly finding new facets of yourself that people find to be shiny,” she stated in a deadpan tone, reiterating the harsh truth of the matter to viewers. “They have to, or else you’re out of a job”.  

Because the music industry thrives on and encourages diversity, it may be difficult for some to believe that it is still plagued with gender imbalance, especially in countries such as the US. Granted, there have been improvements in the demographic makeup as more women take up roles in the music ecosystem. However, this change is minimal in the grand scheme of things, and achieving gender parity remains an elusive concept.

What about Singapore? 

While this may be the situation in other countries, a question then comes to mind: does the same hold true for Singapore’s music industry? 

Actress-singer Annette Lee, 28, weighs in, stating that in her experience, she has not encountered any gender imbalances within the local scene. 

She believes that this is due to how musicality and talent are the key components that take precedence and shine through as the main focal points when it comes to music. Additionally, in terms of creativity, there is also a level playing field that allows for everyone to have the same opportunity to create “awesome melodies and lyrics” regardless of gender.  

Furthermore, she also hopes that “younger female artists will always have the confidence to know that their work and music will stand out on its own” as she reckons how streaming platform algorithms have made it such that the quality of music alone is the deciding factor of a song's success.  

Singer-songwriter Joie Tan, 25, echoes similar sentiments as she reflects on her own journey:

“I don’t have any personal experiences that have led me to feel like being a woman has an added bonus or inconvenience, for lack of better word. I’m very thankful to have not experienced anything sexist so far.”

Joie Tan, singer-songwriter

The only thing she could think of would be the weird look that she used to get when she told others of the work she did for live shows, which involved setting up and carrying equipment up and down stairs of venues. Even then, she attributes this to how it might just be because she “used to be tiny”, and not anything to do with her gender.  

However, despite not experiencing it for themselves, both artists do not overlook the fact that a common challenge of being a female musician is concerns about image and appearance. 

While Tan considers herself “very lucky” to not have been told that she needs to change her clothes or put on more makeup, that does not mean that situations like this cease to exist entirely as she has heard of it happening to some of her friends. “I can’t speak on behalf of anyone but I do know that some venues like bars require females to look or dress a certain way to get the job.” 

Lee also identifies how there could be pressure for female artists “to look more attractive or dress a certain way compared to male artists, in order to grab more attention".

Media advertising in this digital era has significantly influenced and perpetuated social definitions of beauty and attractiveness. This also acts as a key factor that pushes some musicians to conform to a specific standard with the hopes of becoming more appealing to audiences.

Yet, there are also artists out there who are actively defying this notion through their music, conveying the message to listeners that being uniquely you is always the way to go.  

RRILEY, also known as Sandra Riley Tang, 29, one of the founders of the popular quartet The Sam Willows, is an artist that is no stranger to this feat. In the music video for her catchy song mmm bye, she shares that the concept behind it came about from her wanting to make a powerful statement on how “women come in all shapes, colours and backgrounds, and there should be more of that portrayed in the media”.