Should we demand politics from our musicians?

As culture shifts, the best artists keep up – and inevitably, some who used to be heroes fall behind

I don’t talk about being a woman in the music industry very often. If anything, it’s a subject I steer clear of, as I’ve noticed many female-identifying artists do. They want to be considered as “artists” alongside their male peers – not segregated because of their gender. Equally, I am a music critic, full stop. My gender has nothing to do with my work.

In the wider scheme of things, being female in the music industry is an incredibly important issue. Safe spaces at gigs, misogyny, sexual assault and harassment, artists grooming young fans… these are all subjects I’ve written extensively on. But from a personal perspective, my experience over six or seven years has been a largely positive one.

One thing that really does bug me, though, is the assumption that, as a woman, I know nothing about certain genres that consist of a largely male fanbase. If, as a woman, you dare to criticise a major artist, their fans will be there in a heartbeat; trawling your social media and forcing you to turn off your notifications to avoid the endless messages accusing you of knowing nothing, or throwing expletives your way.