March/April 2008

Creative exodus to America

By Joy Francis, Words of Colour Co-founder

Back in the 80s and 90s we were awash with exciting and original black singer-songwriters from Mica Paris, Loose Ends, Jaki Graham and David Grant to Roachford, Black Twang, Moni Love and Eternal. Very recently in the Guardian, R&B singer-songwriter Estelle said: ‘I’m wondering - how the hell is there not a single black person in the press singing soul?’

The woman read my frustrated mind. Since Christmas I have been bewildered by the lack of media analysis on the absence of British-based black and Asian artists on the mainstream music scene. I have never remembered a time during my life when it was so, well, white.

It feels that all the music executives are hell bent on saturating the market with the Great White Hope: Duffy, Scouting for Girls, Mark Ronson, Adele, Amy Whitehouse, Kate (my God she grates on me) Nash, the Foals ... I could go on, really. They are being churned out at an alarming rate with an immense amount of industry goodwill, Amy Whitehouse being an obvious case in point.

Fantastically original artists like M.I.A are consigned to the ‘edgy fringes’ while Bloc Party’s electric lead singer Kele Okereke appears to be the reluctant black token on the ‘skinny white boy with guitars’ indie music scene. As for Dizzee Rascal, like Okereke he reflects that persistent English tacit but practised adage: only one black British artist in each musical genre at any time. Just ask Jamelia who has been reduced to being a glamorous clothes horse and charity spokesperson rather than a musician.

In 2006 Dizzee disappeared for a while because he sussed out the ‘hands-off’ approach to marketing black British artists in the UK. He smartly kept his cachet high by touring Europe and making US connections with celebrity fans such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

In Estelle’s case, she was forced to take the route many of our exciting and talented actors have forged (such as Idris Elba, Marianne Jean Baptiste, Lennie James, Parminder Nagra and Adrian Lester) – to the US of A. Despite winning MOBO’s Best Newcomer award back in 2004 and mainstream critical acclaim, rumours abound that Estelle was dropped by her label due to not hitting sales targets.

Yet two of America’s most talented and successful black artists – John Legend and Kanye West – fell in love with her Brit-life infused lyrics and nurtured her. The result is her current British No.1 American Boy which has knocked Adele off the top spot. All of a sudden Estelle is hot property again generated under her own steam.

The irony is that in the 80s and 90s, black and white ‘soul’ artists coexisted from Southern Freeze to – dare I say it – Phil Fearon. We, the discerning consumer, had a wider choice. That musical coexistence appears to be absent from the new breed of music executive who appear to be influenced by the Simon Cowell ‘bland, inoffensive and populist’ approach to music, courtesy of Pop Idol.

But even winning Pop Idol as a black or mixed race person isn’t a direct line to full UK music industry acceptance. Take Hackney-born Leona Lewis, who won in 2006. Her immense talent and sky high record sales didn’t, as anticipated, get her a Brit Award. Actually no black British artist picked up an award at last year’s shambolic and uninspiring ceremony. So Ms Lewis must be laughing her head off at being the first ‘British’ woman to have scored an American No.1 in 21 years with Bleeding Love. Once again, the Americans have cottoned on to and are celebrating our talented black artists without much arm twisting.

Which calls into question the value of the MOBOs in the 21st century. How many of their British winners, including Fola (1997) and Sway (2005) have really made it? If it wasn’t for Jools Holland’s eclectic music show on BBC2, which featured a gorgeous and musically matured Estelle late last year, we would be even more bereft.

On any given day of the week you can drop into a live music event from Kindred Spirit to Afterglow blu and hear some outstanding black British, mixed race and Asian talent singing their brand of soul to appreciative multi racial audiences.

So just who really isn’t listening?

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