Music is often seen as a universal and fluid language, but did you know that there is a lack of female representation as gender inequality continues to persist within the industry? Singer-songwriter Beth Keeping has been working to empower female voices and songwriters, not only through her music, but also through her initiative Write Like A Girl. As a passionate supporter of women in music, she looks to champion and encourage female artists on both a local and global level. To learn more about her work, please read our exclusive interview below!

Where are you based?
I’m from Surrey in South East England but I currently live in London, which feels like home now!

Have you always wanted to be a singer / songwriter?
When I was a kid I wanted to be an author actually! I wrote a novel when I was 12 (it was terrible...) and then gradually moved over to songwriting in my teens.

What got you interested in music and writing?
I remember listening to singer-songwriters as a teenager and appreciating how much I could relate to their songs and what a great type of creativity it was, so I started trying it myself and it went from there. I liked that it was a healthy way to express emotion and explore how you’re feeling about life.

Where do you get your inspiration from?
All sorts of things! Generally from my own life - situations I’ve gone through and things I’m feeling - but sometimes a friend will say something in a conversation that will spark an idea. I also love getting ideas from movies.

Can you tell us more about your initiative ‘Write Like A Girl?’ What inspired you to start it?
Write Like a Girl is about championing female songwriters and celebrating the way that we write as women. It’s an idea I’ve had for years after I realized the gender imbalance at the networking nights I was going to – sometimes I'd be one of only three women in the room. In fact, only 17% of songwriters in the UK are women, so we’re trying to do our bit to change that by giving women a platform and having those conversations.

Gender inequality, in general, is a prominent concern in regards to women’s rights and across various topics and categories. What does gender imbalance look like in the music industry?
It varies across the industry. In songwriting particularly, there are a lot of incredibly talented female writers, but USC Annenberg did a study last year that showed in the past six years, only 12% of songs in the Billboard Top 100 had a female songwriting credit. There are fewer female artists in the charts and on the live scene as it is, and when you look at the female artists who ARE releasing music, they’re often singing songs written and produced by men. It’s pretty shocking how little the female voice is coming through in today’s music, and the production statistics worry me even more — in the UK only 2% of music producers are female!

As a female songwriter, what does it mean to have a voice and why is representation so important in the industry?
I think, to me, it means partly not being afraid to be myself in my writing and say how I really feel, without worrying about coming across as “emotional” or “too girly”. It is also sharing my ideas in a cowriting session and not holding back or making apologies for myself.

Representation is so important because I think music is incredibly important - it often becomes the soundtrack to our lives, one way that we process emotionally and carries great influence - so we need to make sure that there is music that represents all voices, genders, races, sexualities etc. If you look at the songs on the Top 40, the same writers crop up over and over again…and as I said before, statistics show that they are primarily men. They’re fantastic writers, don’t get me wrong, but we need other voices to be represented too.

What are some of the challenges or pressures you face as a female singer / songwriter? How do you deal with those struggles?
There’s always that pressure to look a certain way and be a certain age. My female industry friends and I constantly get asked how old we are, which is a pretty personal and irrelevant question. There’s also the battle to be taken seriously. I don’t struggle so much to be taken seriously as an artist; the challenge more comes when I’m acting as a songwriter or businesswoman. People are fine with hearing you sing, but when it comes to the industry - marketing, creating, networking - sometimes people make assumptions that you don’t really know what you’re doing.

Are these challenges of gender equality necessarily specific to the UK? Or are there other struggles of gender imbalance across the globe?
Oh definitely. I think when you look at the UK in context of the wider world, we’re doing pretty well on gender equality. But that doesn’t mean we should stop pushing. There’s still a long way to go.

What made you decide to start Write Like A Girl?
I write with a lot of incredibly talented women, and I wanted to create a platform to show what they could do, and celebrate the female writing voice. I also really wanted to have a showcase that presented how women can build up and encourage other women. In our shows, we have all four artists sit side-by-side on stage in a Nashville-style writers round, and there’s a moment towards the end of the show where we encourage them to say something complimentary about someone else’s writing style. It’s a really beautiful moment where you see talented women recognizing each other’s gifts and not feeling threatened or competitive.

As an advocate of feminism and women’s rights, what do you hope to achieve with Write Like A Girl?
I want to inspire other women (and men!) to explore their own creativity, create a network of women who support and appreciate one another, and start conversations about why we need more female writers in mainstream music.

How has the initiative inspired your music and songwriting process?
It has! I work a lot more with other female writers now, and I make a conscious effort to seek out female producers to record with because they are even more underrepresented. San Francisco was co-written and produced by my friend Kaity Rae, who is an amazing up-and-coming producer from London. I’m also more conscious now about not holding back in my writing or worrying what other people will think.

Your 2019 Write Like A Girl tour is just right around the corner. What can the fans expect and where will you be performing with your upcoming shows?
Yes, it’s so soon! I’m really excited. We’re going to Northampton, Norwich, Manchester, Birmingham and London. People can expect girl power and honesty as we share the stories behind each of our songs. I'll be playing at all five shows with two friends of mine - Emily Faye and Vic Allen, both very talented singer-songwriters on the UK country music scene. And we have a special guest joining us each time too!

Will you be bringing your tour to the US? How about other countries?
We’d love to! It’s a bit tricky with VISAs, but hopefully one day.

What advice do you have for women and girls wanting to break into the music industry?
Be yourself! Find out what style of music feels like you, what your identity is as a performer, and what it is that you have to say. If you’re trying to be a songwriter for other people, something that has really helped me more recently is thinking about what I personally bring to the table in a session. How will writing with me bring something valuable to a song? I think people are more likely to want to work with you if they know what unique skills, vibe or perspective you can offer them.

What have you been listening to these days? Do you have any favorite artists?
I’ve been listening to a lot of pop lately, particularly those artists who are saying something real in their music - Lauv, Sasha Sloane, Julia Michaels etc. There’s a singer-songwriter out in LA called Wrabel who I love. I’ve followed his music for a few years, and he just keeps get better and better.

Are you currently working on any new music?
Always! I have a few new songs at various stages in the recording process that I’m really excited about. I’ll be playing some of them on the Write Like A Girl tour this month, and hopefully will release new music next year.

What is your life motto?
It’s nothing snappy, but remember to look up from things that take your time and energy and remind yourself what's really important in life.

To learn more about Beth Keeping , and her many projects, please follow her via the links below:
Her current single: San Francisco
Instagram: @bethkeeping
YouTube: @Beth Keeping
Website: https://www.bethkeeping.com/
Facebook: @bethkeeping
Twitter: @BethKeeping

Emily Faye
Instagram: @emilyfayemusic
Twitter: @emilyfayemusic
Facebook: theemilyfayemusic
YouTube: Emily Faye

Vic Allen
Instagram: vicallenmusic
Twitter: VicAllenMusic
Facebook: @VicAllenMusic
YouTube: Vic Allen

Kaity Rae
Instagram: @kaityraemusic
Twitter: @KaityRaeMusic
Write Like a Girl
Twitter: @writelikeagirl_
Facebook: writelikeagirluk

Cover photo copyright is Tomodo.

Beth Keeping Is Helping To Write Women Into The Future