Throughout March we are celebrating Women in the Arts with a connection to the Isle of Man. The aim of this series is to highlight the challenges that women face in the creative industry, share some advice to younger creatives and also to celebrate these women in their achievements.
Alanna Cowley, professionally known as Alanna Lyes, is a UK based electro-swing vocalist, songwriter, and front woman of Freshly Squeezed's electro-funk signees, Grinny Grandad. Alanna is originally from Peel in the Isle of Man and we caught up with her to tell us more about her experiences as a woman in her industry.
What is your professional background in the arts?
My professional background in the arts has ranged from working in fashion with island-based brand Claire Christian, to teaching music with Rocksteady Music School. But after years of performing in bands and collaborating with producers from round the world, I’m currently focusing purely on developing a new solo project that I’m really excited about..
What inspired you to pursue a career as a singer?
Music has always been a massive part of my life, but a lot of us grow up believing that ‘musician’ or ‘artist’ aren’t real jobs. I never really felt fulfilled doing anything else because as a working mum I rarely had the time to start reaching anywhere near my potential, so it’s a big deal for me to be devoting so much time to music right now. I guess my biggest inspiration to pursue music more seriously was my own fear of regret further down the line.
What are the current challenges for women in your creative industry?
The music industry is massively male saturated. There are plenty of incredibly talented females but we clearly still have a big equal opportunities issue because the further mainstream you dive, the less and less female producers, songwriters etc you will see. I know many females in the industry, myself included, have been subject to very patronising behaviour, and this stereotyping of women in the industry can be detrimental to careers, widely disheartening and unjustly discrediting. That’s before I even get into the huge issue of the objectification and degradation of women depicted so often in lyrics and music videos...
What progress have you seen for women in your field?
I think there’s been an improvement in the sexualisation of female artists in the industry. It’s still a big problem, but it’s hopeful to see women supported for creative ideas and not just for a ‘sex sells’ philosophy.
Share a women’s empowerment moment that inspired you.
As a music-adoring 90s kid, the Riot grrrl movement was really inspiring. Women sick of being labelled and pushed around, picking up their guitars and shouting about it. I wanted to be those girls!
What do you think is the biggest issue today facing women of your age?
I think that’s a tough question. Women are facing gender-specific struggles every day and that’s very personal. But in professional terms, the lack of women in positions of power is a big problem because it filters down. We need equality, we need representation and we need diversity.
How important is it for women to lift each other up and what does that mean to you?
There’s something safe and comforting about the support of other women. We are so often swamped by men at gigs, festivals, events etc that I feel instantly connected to other females working in music. We all have our stories. A lot of us keep them quiet for a long time, but when we lift each other up we empower each other to stop tolerating negative behaviour.
In the wake of International Women’s Day, what is the most important message you want to send out to young women thinking about a career in the arts?
You will do your best work when you are doing it for you, and because it’s what you love - so try to stay true to yourself. Remember that all art is subjective, so some people won’t like your work... and that isn’t your responsibility, or a reflection on your talent.
What have you been working on recently?
I’ve been working on a solo project under the name of Alanna Lyes that is my favourite ever work, and really different from anything I’ve released before. I dreamt it up on a car journey last year and thanks to lockdown, it’s actually happened. All will start to be revealed very soon. Follow on Spotify to keep updated..
I’m also really enjoying teaching children/teens (and even some adults..) as young as 5 to start songwriting and using their voices – it’s all online, with kids from England right over to the US, so I’d love to gather some students from the Isle of Man too! Contact purevoicelessons@outlook.com for more information 😊
