Coming Out in the Music Industry: A Discussion The phrase coming out typically refers to an individual openly disclosing or revealing something about themselves, often related to their personal identity, beliefs, or experiences. Coming out as LGBTQIA in any industry, let alone the music industry, can be particularly challenging, and often a daunting and complex journey.
During National Inclusion Week, the Focusrite Pride in Music team welcomed a panel of artists, creatives, and product designers to share their views on coming out in the music industry. Live-streamed to the company, this discussion proved to be enlightening, uplifting, and educational. Hosted by Bamber Haworth, Product Owner at Focusrite, our esteemed guests, Andy, Paula, and Jordan, shared their personal experiences on the topic and shed light on the role of allies in fostering positive changes. We are excited to share this conversation with you.
Paula Maddox is a synthesizer designer and builder, founder of Dove Audio, and previously Director of Modal Electronics, based in England.
EXPLORING THE JOURNEY OF COMING OUT: Jumping straight in, Bamber asks the panel to share their coming out' journey in the music industry. Paula - who uses she/they pronouns - recounts their challenging experience. Paula decided to transition in 2014. Unfortunately, their music industry business partner did not respond well to the news, urging them to delay any public announcements or procedures to avoid impacting synthesizer sales. Eventually, overwhelmed by stress and depression, Paula made the difficult decision to resign from the company she had co-founded. Despite this distressing ordeal, Paula highlighted the progress made over the years, emphasizing that the music industry, populated by creative and accepting individuals, has been more supportive compared to earlier decades when coming out as LGBTQIA often meant facing violence and hostility
Andy Alseri is a Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist, who plays guitar, keys, and bass and has been a touring musician for more than 15 years.
Andy - who identifies as queer, non-binary, neurodivergent, and a person of colour - shares their journey of multiple coming-outs. By the time they started touring, they were already pretty out as queer in life, and seven years ago, sort of came out socially as non-binary, before starting to transition in their early 30s. For Andy, coming out as trans in their later 30s was more imperative as it became harder for folks to ignore the anaemic little beard that was forming. It was important for them to be true to themselves, particularly as their physical appearance began to align with their identity.
Jordan is a London-based musician and touring DJ under the artist name I. JORDAN, most recently having released high energy dance music EP Watch Out! on Ninja Tune. Image credit: @_hussko
For Jordan - who uses they/them pronouns - it has been an interesting experience working as an equality, diversity, and inclusion consultant for a university before touring full-time as an electronic DJ and music producer for the best part of the last year. They see coming out as a refreshing experience after changing jobs as people in their old workplace would know Jordan's dead name' and old pronouns. They go on to say, With music, I got almost a new and empowering opportunity to sort of refresh my identity and have people use the right pronouns. As an independent artist, being their own boss empowered Jordan to establish firmer boundaries regarding their collaborators. Regrettably, their previous role lacked the same understanding and support. If there were to be a grievance raised, the process would involve, Filling in the harassment policy, which was a long-winded process often conducted by people who didn't really understand what transphobia was.
CHALLENGES IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY:Bamber shifts the conversation towards the unique challenges prevalent in the music and entertainment industry, emphasizing the industrys natural focus on creativity and self-expression. While coming out is seen as an opportunity for individuals to express themselves and is often viewed as a positive experience; like any industry, the music industry has its own set of hurdles. Paula, reflecting on their experience at the renowned NAMM show after coming out, acknowledges the immense support and encouragement they received from the industry. They attribute this acceptance to the presence of creative individuals who are more open to embracing diversity. Paula specifically notes that any difficulties they encountered seemed to stem from the traditional management style prevalent in the industry, rather than from fellow musicians and artists.
I think the music industry is full of creative people and they are a lot more willing to accept diversity. I remember after I came out, I went to NAMM and everyone was really encouraging, really supportive, and really accepting, and that was really important to me. I'd say I've never had a problem with musicians and artists and creative people. It's really only the management that I've seemed to have this problem with. Paula
Addressing the administrative obstacles associated with changing legal names, Jordan, speaking from the perspective of a touring musician, expresses regret about using their dead name as their artist name. They describe the vulnerability they felt after transitioning and highlight the significant amount of time and effort required to coordinate with streaming platforms, music publications, journalists, and distribution services to update their information. Jordan characterises this process as a months-long endeavour for their team, and they emphasize the ongoing nature of public announcements regarding their transition.
I didn't realize it was going to be that administrative hea
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Coming Out in the Music Industry: A Discussion The phrase coming out typically refers to an individual openly disclosing or revealing something about themselves, often related to their personal identity, beliefs, or experiences. Coming out as LGBTQIA in any industry, let alone the music industry, can be particularly challenging, and often a daunting and complex journey.
