Rachel Chinouriri and Cat Burns' candid discussion on navigating the UK music industry as emerging black artists
Spotlighting "Even: In Conversation with Rachel Chinouriri and Cat Burns"
What a coincidence that, as I began my script research for our FKA Twigs episode that touches on misrepresentation and unfair disparities faced by black artists and people of colour in the music industry (among other things), it just so happened to be the same week that Rachel Chinouriri and Cat Burns released a podcast discussing… the misrepresentation and unfair disparities faced by black artists and people of colour in the music industry (among other things.)
First of all, I was so grateful that my research had turned into sitting and watching a podcast vs. digging through articles via an endless search engine (a big thanks to both of them for that) but more importantly, I’m just happy that this podcast exists.
Chinouriri and Burns’ stories contribute to a broader conversation about representation, identity, and the need for change in the music industry. I was taken by the similarities between theirs and FKA Twigs’ experiences and, as we come to discuss in episode 06 of Pop Waves, the experiences of the women of colour who worked in the industry before them.
A recurring theme in Chinouriri’s and Burns’ podcast is their struggle with being black artists in a predominantly white music genre. Chinouriri recounts a disheartening experience with a music executive who labelled her as the "next R&B soul princess," disregarding her indie music style. This encounter prompted her to publicly address the misrepresentation of black artists, an issue she feels is rooted in industry biases that pigeonhole black musicians into specific genres. In parallel, FKA Twigs strongly rejects being labelled as “alternative R&B” and considers it a form of racial segregation within the industry.
"It's just because I'm mixed race. When I first released music and no one knew what I looked like, I would read comments like: 'I've never heard anything like this before, it's not in a genre.' And then my picture came out six months later, now she's an R&B singer."
Burns and Chinouriri discuss the broader challenges faced by black creatives, particularly in gaining recognition within genres not typically associated with black artists. They talk about the hurdles in achieving visibility and how their experiences are reflective of the systemic barriers within the industry.
Listening to the podcast, I’m particularly drawn to their call for the industry and their audience to recognise the full spectrum of black experiences and the need for black artists to be seen as relatable and mainstream, not as niche or secondary to their white counterparts. As a white person listening to them, FKA Twigs, and other musicians of colour, it’s on me to internalise the message!
Watch the full discussion and the rest of the episodes here and stream ‘Even’, not only for the message, but because it’s a gorge song as well.
Jason