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CLEO BANKS exlcusive interveiw with Cleo Banks following her experience as a women in the music industry

£4.75

Spring Issue 2021

How to deal with Misogyny 101

Cleo Banks opens up about her mistreatment as an up and coming artist The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.”– Alice Walker.

Cleo Banks embodies this ideal perfectly. As an up and coming artist, she was manipulated by highly respected music producers and exploited by the industry dismissing her treatment on the basis that ‘everyone experienced it.’ Now in the limelight, she has decided to speak exclusively about her experience to Record Scratch.

Words by: I ris Tay lor

Pictu res by: El la Wittlebroug h

“I

feared the industries’ treatment of women from a young age.” Cleo Banks honestly admitted with a modest shrug before blowing the roof off a packed gig at Alexandra Palace, London. I was lucky to catch her at this pivotal moment in her career, age 25, about to perform at her largest venue yet. She had taken a few moments out of her jam packed schedule to sit down with me backstage and discuss her journey to this momentous occasion. she sat across from me with a mug of something a bit stronger than coffee in hand then looked me in the eye before giving a gentle sigh and stating, “I had heard murmurs of warning about the exploitation of young women, who were forced into uncompromising

situations, but I suppose I hoped I would be the exception.”

In her initial days after signing with Sony Records, Banks quickly discovered this would not be the case.

that change may be on the horizon.

Since leaving Sony, Banks has established her own institution ‘United Music’ which solely aims to create a safe space for young women who need an empowering route into the music industry, and for those already damaged by it. Banks explains this by claiming “Everyone deserves a chance at success, but no one, especially vulnerable adolescent girls, deserve the cruelty which may come with it.”

The sheer passion which resonates within each word she speaks showcases how dedicated Banks is to create much needed change.

“It started with revealing album photoshoots and ended in promises of succeess in return for sexual promiscuity.”

She began to look around, defeated and almost ashamed before plastering a saddened smile upon her face claiming, “I suppose my main regret is that I didn’t speak out sooner.”

Possibly stemming from this sense of regret, Banks has started to push back, proudly advocating for female rights and power within the industry.

“I hope young girls may catch wind of my experiences and understand that there are other paths to success.”

During her time at Sony Records, Banks admitted that she fell into a rather dark place mentally, especially as she felt as though there was simply no one that she could speak to about the abuse she was experiencing. After telling me this, Banks attempted to push the conversation onto a lighter topic and in doing so instilled me with hope

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Her political consciousness does not just end here, with her latest music video ‘I know I want to be with you’ heartbreakingly depicting the coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent mental health issues many faced during this period. Banks claims she “Just wants to raise awareness.”

However, she has achieved much more than this, especially through her social media campaign ‘#checkup’ which encouraged her extremely large fan base of 4 million twitter followers to regularly catch up with their friends and family.

She

argues

that:

“Maybe if someone checked up more frequently on me, I would not have endured the abuse I did for so long.”

Banks has been using campaigns to spread awareness but also expanded upon this to include her feminist veiws within her music videos. She explained that “After seeing women be degraded in such a way, I made a promise that this would not occur in my music.”

Banks then momentarily appeared speechless as she reminisced upon her achievements and the strife she was able to overcome. Then the musician spoke truthfully stating “A lot of my inspiration comes from the universal struggle of women, and I refuse to be the cause of this.”

Banks was able to create her extremely rapidly growing fanbase through the portrayal of the female position in society with her debut album featuring songs such as ‘Why don’t you look at me’ and ‘Lying to yourself’ which criticise both the romantic and societal treatment of

women. Banks’ presentation of the female psyche appears so raw as she has clearly struggled with it herself.

The artist therfeore hopes to “Inspire women by proving they are not alone.”

Whilst still under her contract with Sony Records, Banks explains that she “Could not eat or wear anything not approved by the label” and would be dropped if she “Gained an ounce of weight.” It became clear that discussing her past was very distressing for Banks, as her voice began to quiver and one could hear the gentle tapping of her thumb.

However, Banks was determined to overcome her trauma stating “I went to therapy, it seemed like the only viable option after years of mental torment.”

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she explained “I did not feel like myself for years after as I simply did not

community between young women, one she believes is incredibly pivotal during an era when social media pits them against each other for male attention.

I believe that Banks is suggesting that the key to overcoming the very discimrination and misogyny she faced for years lies within accepting help from others, especially women who have undergone similar strife, along with embracing her feminine strength and power which is key in modern society.

I could not keep Banks long before she was rushed off to get dressed for her life changing performance. As I sat alone listening to the fumble and distant crashes and voices chattering I began to reflect on how much prejudice Cleo had had to overcome throughout her career, especially at such a young age.

It deeply saddened me to think about

“How many girls were undergoing the same treatment at this very moment.” know who ‘myself’ was anymore.”

Banks went on to explain that she “Felt lucky to have a female therapist who would not dismiss her struggle.

Fundamentally, it appears that this idea lies beneath her ethos as Banks uses her music to create a sense of

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I know this is just the beginning for Banks and I have a feeling that her dedication, talent and enticing persona will lead her to be at the forefront of the music industry for a long time, and regardless I can say with large confidence that she will remain in my memory forever.

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