[Source: BBC]
Singer and actress Beverley Knight has said it is “so important” for female artists to speak up and maintain artistic control over their careers.
She told BBC Woman’s Hour she’s always been “determined” to keep control, even if it’s made for a “slow burn” success.
This included holding firm over the sound of her 2002 single Gold.
Knight is currently starring in the West End show The Drifters Girl as Faye Treadwell – one of the first black women to manage a group in the US.
The musical tells of how Treadwell, following the death of her husband George in 1967, decided to take control of the doo-wop and soul group – revitalising their popularity in the face of racism, sexism, and legal battles.
Knight said the role at the Garrick Theatre had led her to relate to Treadwell as a “forthright woman” who was “not afraid to speak her mind” in a male-dominated music industry.
Speaking to Woman’s Hour host Emma Barnett on Tuesday, Knight reflected on her own experiences defending her artistic vision.
The soul singer also revealed she had come under significant pressure from male producers to forego the “stripped back” sound she intended on her single Gold.
