Women In The Music Industry: An Interview With The Founder of Hot Girls Podcast
[UNPUBLISHED:] Tell us about yourself.
[LEX:] I’m Lex, I go by Lex On The Decks. I’m a DJ and a presenter. I'm also a writer, and I'm the host of the Hot Girls podcast, and through my work with that, I look to challenge certain unhealthy things about the music industry. I have a website called Cleopatras, we're looking to impact diversity through sharing of information and education and do it in a way that is fun and contemporary, and accessible.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What was your inspiration for creating the podcast?
[LEX:] I think the kickoff moment was back in 2019, T.I. shared his list of the 50 greatest rappers of all time, and there were only 3 women on there. There was loads of chat around people saying that he put Nicki Minaj too highly and I just remember thinking, “what is it about rap that people consider it to be a man’s space and claim it?” That kind of sparked my interest, and then the more I looked into it, the more I realized that the problem in the music industry wasn’t just in rap, it was really across, every single genre. That there was this huge gender imbalance. And as a DJ I looked at my sets and I realized that they were so dominated by men. It came from this very genuine place of just wanting to understand why that was the case and because I think when you understand why something is the way it is, then you are in a position to change it.
[UNPUBLISHED:] When you realized this, were there any women that were inspiring you that you felt should be on this list?
[LEX:] I felt like there were loads. For example, Missy Elliot wasn’t on there, but I felt that the issue was more systemic than that. I felt like there was an underlying issue, both with the fact that there were because ultimately there is a shortage of- at that point because this is kind of a year and a half ago so before Megan thee stallion, Megan thee stallion was like bubbling at this point, she hadn’t really dominated and Doja cat hadn’t released her albums, and Cardi had just kind of blown up. So we were still very much in that space where it was- there was this sense that could only be one woman at the top, and there would always have to be a fight for that whereas there could be loads of men in the space. I felt like this issue was both about the volume of women who were creating the music and getting the opportunities to actually then get those top-charting hits. So I just felt like there was a chain of things that we’re playing into this. And I noticed in the UK, which is when it was exactly- I mean there were like British platforms where there was sort of spaces where people start, there just wasn’t enough women there. Yeah, I felt there were lots of layers of it that I wanted to understand as to kind of how we got to this base. So I suppose it was a feeling of if this is where we are right now, how do we make sure that we are not in the same space in five years time?
[UNPUBLISHED:] What are your thoughts on fixing the gender imbalance in the music industry?
[LEX:] Yeah. I think First of all we have to really care and spot talent early. When you can see that someone has a seed of talent, you know, a female who’s interested in rapping, who’s interested in music production even. Everybody in the industry needs to rally around that person. Labels need to put the money behind those artists and give them platforms and production time to actually develop because it takes a lot of people to make a hit that will make a big commercial record. It takes the right producers to be in the right room with the right artist at the right time and that means that people need to create those spaces. Queen Latifah spoke a lot about how she was not given the same marketing money for her records as a lot of the men she was surrounded by so that was a thing. I think the great thing at the moment particularly with rap is that with the success that women like Cardi B and Megan have had, they’ve shown how much money there is in talented female rappers, and hopefully, that will mean the whole engine will start to acknowledge there’s huge commercial opportunity in this space as well, and that will mean these voices are increasingly heard, I think in rap specifically collaborations are really powerful, more collaborations, the better because again that allows cross-pollinating with fan bases, and I mean that cross-genre as well, cross genres are more interesting than collaborations in the same genre. I was also thinking, stripping away the things that are often pitted against women so like I call out specifically age, and image these are things that are put on women that are not put on men. This idea that you- for example 2 Chainz was like 40 plus doing some of his biggest records and often women, we don’t get the same space to be visible at age and I think there’s just an internal acknowledgment that we’ll need to make that its utter bullshit and to just not make space for an idea that women need to be a certain age or look a certain way or dress a certain way to again be a commercially successful artist cause its not actually true its just an idea that we have allowed to develop and Hot Girls is ultimately a space to educate artist on success and to educate people on how the music industry works, and how creativity can kind of flourish and thrive. You know I think learning also from the women who have done it and kind of standing behind what they achieved in the face of this is also really important. So for anyone who has the ambition to be an artist, knows exactly what they need to do and achieve success and get their voices heard
[UNPUBLISHED:] On some of your episodes for example Season 3 Episode 8 “ What Aretha Franklin taught me about power” how do you want your audience to gain from this when you’re saying what these musical icons taught you.
[LEX:] I always pull out something that I think the artist that I’m looking at really owned and was a huge part of their success and demonstrated really well. But I hope that- I think that whenever people listen to a story, what you take from it is super personal, so I try and make a point of the lessons I think are really important and really stood out to me and my experience as a DJ and in the music industry but I think that whenever people listen to a story. I try and make a point that really stood out to me as a DJ in the music industry. Different people take different things. And that really goes beyond necessarily being interested in music I think it’s really about women being able to achieve whatever they want in their lives. I think these lessons transcend industries.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Being a DJ, do you have any advice for young artists creating music or wanting to become a DJ?
[LEX:] Yes, I would say, be brave and be ambitious, it’s an industry that requires you to hustle and drive forward and go after what you want. And there might be times where you doubt yourself, there might be times where other people doubt you, go beyond that because the industry needs you
[UNPUBLISHED:] What is the initial way you wanted the tone of your podcast to be?
[LEX:] I wanted them to feel inspired, but I also wanted them to see the human in the icons. So I really wanted to strip away because I think sometimes when you look at someone who has achieved a lot. They have this sort of aura of grounder around them and it’s hard to see them as the little girl they once were or the kind of human- it’s quite hard to relate to them. So I wanted to make these icons relatable, and I think that also makes them super admirable because they’ve overcome all of the challenges that we all go through and they overcome the same things that we’re all facing every single day. So yeah that combination of both inspired but also no longer intimidated so as an individual you realize what you can do as well.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Have you always wanted to be a DJ? We’re there any other career paths you had before going on this one?
[LEX:] I was always interested in the entertainment industry, but actually, when I was younger I wanted to be an actress. Then I got into DJing just after I left school when I was about 20. But I actually worked in advertising as well and marketing and I put off DJing for a long time because I was scared of it. Which I think is probably part of why I am so interested in people having navigated their careers because it took me quite a bit of time to get the confidence to push forward in my own career and what I really wanted to do and I think there are loads of people who are in that same space. So because I’ve done that and I kind of proceed with plan B before I proceed my plan A, I understand that journey.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What are some skills that you believe are very helpful to become a good DJ?
[LEX:] I think a love of music is obviously number one, you have to just really love it. An openness to different genres and different sounds I think creates more interesting sets than kind of being more close-minded or like too tight in what you want to play, a willingness to listen to other people and sense the mood and the environment that you’re in again, I think is really important. It’s funny I think being a good communicator also helps in a way with being a DJ. I also think all DJs should experience or learn with production as well because it really helps, I’m doing it at the moment, it allows you to really take your art further and create sounds that are really specifically yours and it helps your understanding of where the music, how the music was made and therefore what it’s going to go with well. But the technical skills of DJing are quite simple, I mean they’re complex to learn but you pick them up. What I find really interesting is that actually a lot of the sort of Biggest DJs in the world, their mixing is quite simple, they tend to go for quite simple techniques. Old school DJs like DJ EZ even like a Jazzy Jeff where the actual mixing ability is quite advanced. I actually don’t think your skillset needs to be advanced, it’s more about the way your tracks are out there and the way you put it together, and the way you tell a story through your set, I think that’s what makes a good DJ.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What gave you the confidence to start being a DJ after feeling intimidated?
[LEX:] Honestly, I think it was conversations, the more I spoke to other people who had DJ’d, or the more kind of research I did into it, the more current I felt there was no difference between me or anyone else that wanted to go and do DJing. So really it was conversations, I actually also started I had my first lesson in Australia and Sydney, and I've moved there, And I think moving to a new place also kind of liberated me. I didn't feel like I think I was probably scared of judgment I was probably scared of being bad, which of course you are at the start. So yeah, I think I was liberated by being in a new place. And yes, then having more and more conversations with people and realizing they'd felt exactly the same way as me, and now I look to them and they were doing amazing things made me realize that, Oh, we're all the same.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you recall any interviews with some of the people who were featured on your podcast that have stood out to you and made you have a different perspective on the music industry?
[LEX:] Honestly, I've learned things from all of them. I would say to call some that specifically, the first episode of season two was with someone called Jasmine Dotiwala who used to be the head of MTV Base Europe, and she was also an MTV News presenter, and she's worked behind the scenes, a lot of big broadcasting stations in the UK. She was really fascinated about how they changed the music scene in the UK by bringing brands, basically getting together as media, using networks brands and record labels, and deciding they wanted to really elevate the profile of some UK black artists, and they literally changed the game by bringing those three components together, and they did it proactively, and I found that really interesting how few bring cross-functional industries together. You can create that change, and the fact that that was really deliberate it's really interesting hearing that behind the scenes, point of view so that was, yeah, season two episode two. The first guest episode of that season and I think all of the interviews that I've had with DJs and artists. For example this season we've got an artist called Alicai Harley and an artist called Bellah, who are both quite established in the UK and doing really brilliant music. It's interesting hearing that they still facing the same challenges and struggles with social media and confidence and working out their singles, as anyone else. I think sometimes from the outside you look at those people, and it feels like everything must be just being thrown at them they look like they love Instagram, they're having the best time on it. Like, it's all so easy for them. And so it's really nice speaking to those people are getting to pull that curtain back and be like, You know what we're all facing the same challenges, and sharing but also go you know, sharing those stories. I love the intimacy of those conversations. Think we’ve really created a safe space, for them to say, I find it hard and I still get screwed over by various people in the chain.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What is the next big step for your podcast? What do you want Hot Girls to achieve overall?
[LEX:] So we have two more seasons definitely confirmed for this year. So as a podcast we also have an MC series for DJs which works in the electronic space. So just on a fundamental level, we just want to keep growing and grow the visibility, but the overarching objective is really to be a part of change in the industry. The reason I think it's really important that the music industry is a good place is because it's such a, such a fundamental part of culture and everyone listens to music so everyone's influenced by music. And so, having diverse voices and having it as a positive space, I think is really, really important for society. On the whole, so, you know, racial prejudice, age, ageism concepts around what hot is, those are all things that we really want to challenge, just by having this space for open intimate, honest conversations and bringing people on who, who wants to flourish and thrive and wants to create spaces for that to happen. There's not what success doesn't look one way, And people don't look one way, and so we should create a music industry that creates space for that so that we can all listen to. Just brilliant, brilliant music that inspires us and uplifts us and have different voices in the space, and yeah, ultimately I suppose it's about diversity, but that I really believe that more diversity, just is more fun, there's more creativity in it, like, the more different voices you have on the table, the better the more delicious that table is going to be. So yeah, we want to be ultimately part of impacting that.
