Quench were lucky enough to be invited along to Girls Pushing Buttons, a celebration of South Wales-based electronic pop artists – Honey B McKenna, Millie Blooms and Femmebug. As well as a night of fantastic music, we also got the chance to sit down and chat with Honey and Millie about community, their musical journeys, and what they liked about South Wales’ rich and diverse music scene.

Honey B McKenna

Talk to us about Girls Pushing Buttons; what were your ideas behind this, your intentions?

 Well, I initially thought I need to do more gigs. I will make music and then I will put it up online, but I haven’t really done a lot of performing. I started to this year, and then I was like “I wanna do some gigs”, particularly in Cardiff because I feel that that is the music scene I feel most closely connected to, ÔÇÿcos I’m Hereford based, but a lot of the things that I go to in Hereford aren’t electronic music focused. There’s one electronic open mic there, which has just started, and that’s amazing, but other than that its very acoustic open mic focused. Which is great, it’s just not my kind of music, that’s not the music I make, so I feel very much like I stick out in the wrong way when I go to those things. So I was like, let me put something on; I had gotten to know Millie [Millie Blooms] and Kate [Femmebug] online, and I just contacted them, like “do you wanna do a gig?”, contacted Porters, and they were like, “yeah, do you want this day?”. It was about a month ago, and it just kind of came  really nicely. 

 It’s just about showcasing the kind of music that we make, which is electronic pop, not necessarily instrumentalists but singer-producers, because I think there’s a bit of a misconception; if you turn up with a backing track, people might not realise the hours of work that go into making and producing your own music! I just wanted to showcase some original electropop music, and as well to focus it on women, and I’d like to open it up to other gender minorities, queer people, make it as diverse as possible. If you go to gigs, if you go to open mics, and you constantly feel like you’re the only person in the room who’s a woman, who’s a person of colour, who’s queer you might just stop going, because you’re just not gonna feel like ÔÇô not even that you’re being made to feel unwelcome, it’s just that you’re gonna start thinking , “I’m not like everyone else here, maybe I don’t belong”. And it’s a shame, because everyone makes music, everyone is capable of making great music. I’m hoping to do this gig again at some point soon, with different people, get some other Welsh names involved, I think that would be really nice.

So you’re quite community-oriented? Is collaboration with other artists quite an important thing for you?

 Yeah, I think so. That’s the thing, all my music stuff is basically on my own, but in doing so, in shutting myself in my room over lockdown and stuff and being kind of self-taught, it was like, once you start putting it out into the world, you’re actually nothing unless you’ve got people who get you, and having friends who are involved in the music scene, like I’ve got lots of friends in, like, Bristol and Bath area, who do music stuff, Katie, Femmebug, is Manchester-based at the minute, and so its like ÔÇô there is a Welsh scene, but there’s also a nice thing with Welshness, I think, where you take it with you as an identity, and anywhere else you go, if you know that someone else on a line-up’s Welsh, you might be like “oh, where are you from, have you played at such-and-such?”!

 We were saying, the three of us, after we sound-checked, that I actually feel excited, and I don’t actually feel like I’m putting as much pressure on myself, because it feels like, you know, this is the first time the three of us have met, but ÔÇÿcos we’ve gotten to know each other online, it’s kind of like catching up with friends. It doesn’t feel like ÔÇô there’s this misconception, I think, that women are catty, that if you put women in a group its gonna turn into a cat-fight ÔÇô I haven’t felt that at all, I’m just really excited to hear Femmebug’s new stuff, and Millie’s stuff live, because I haven’t heard any of it live. It’s really nice, you know, it feels like it’s a friendlier atmosphere than some of the other things I’ve been to. Not necessarily locally, but just, I don’t know. You’ve gotta have your people , you know, you’ve gotta find people, your allies, and the people who you can go to at an event, and I think it’s often the people who are nicest who do, you know, support each other like this. 

There’s a DJ local to me, Max Galactic, who I look up to not just in terms of how skilled he is, but how forthcoming he’s been when it comes to putting in a good word, to offering warm up slots, to being supportive in that behind-your-back way as well as in person. He’s successful and he’s generous in his successes, he wants the people around him to succeed too. That’s what I want to model and recreate.

I quite like that about this event, as well, you’ve all come and it feels very much like you’re supporting each other, musically.

 I think that’s the community thing. I was kind of starting to isolate myself a bit, and I thought that’s not gonna serve me in any way, I need to put myself out there, I need to be vulnerable enough to put my music in front of people, and then also support other artists. I try very hard to fight against ÔÇô if you listen to the voices, the demons, and they start telling you that you’re not good enough, then that kind of festers and turns into actually you start dragging other people down., putting other people down and comparing yourself. When you compare yourself to other people, and I’m really guilty of it, but you either put yourself above them, be like, indignantly “I’m just as good,” or “I’m better thanÔǪ,” or you just think, “oh, there’s no point in me trying, ÔÇÿcos they’re so much better than me,” ÔÇô I really try hard to fight against that, because it’s just not healthy, for anyone. You just become bitter.

How did you start making music? What was your musical journey?

 I’ve kind of always done instruments and stuff in school, and sung, you know, in school choir and that kind of thing. My mum’s a musician, she was in a band, my whole family is musical. And then I was doing musical theatre stuff for a while, that’s what I thought I was gonna go into, try and get into drama school, and I didn’t. I ended up going to Cardiff Uni, to do English, and got involved with the dance society there, and at that time I’d kind of stopped ÔÇô I was making little songs on Audacity, and sending them to BBC Introducing and stuff, just some weird little pop songs that I was writing on a guitar, and then I kind of lost my confidence. Went to Uni, joined a dance society, Slash Hip Hop Dance, shout out to them! And I really found my confidence again through being involved with them. That’s my favourite thing I took from uni, is being involved with Slash. I love them, and they’re still going as well! 

Did you enjoy your time at Cardiff Uni?

 I did, yeah. A lot of it was down to, I think the nightlife here is really good, or it was good when I was in uni, it felt very vibrant, and I saw so many artists play at the Great Hall, and stuff. It was amazing. You’d get tickets for twenty quid, I don’t know if that’s the case now, but I saw Ellie Goulding there, it was a really nice time, and I felt veryÔǪI started doing the DJing stuff when I was at uni, started putting the mixes  for Slash when we went to competitions and stuff, so I was starting to mix songs, and almost DJ there. And then, graduated, was doing photography stuff, and then started DJing professionally. Then the lockdown happened, and I had nothing to do! So I was like, well, I’ll try ÔÇô I bought Ableton a couple of years before that, and was like, now I’ve got a good time to sit down and play around, get to grips with it. Started producing stuff and put an EP out in 2021, I think. That was a little self-produced EP, and just sort of kept doing it, kept at it. 

What happened with musical theatre, then, for you?

 It’s such a weird ÔÇô I’d been feeling it for a while, but I was pretty much like, the idea of like a) constantly being rejected, which even if you’re amazing you are rejected, but if you’re not in that top percent, it’s just a lifetime of being rejected, and I was like, I don’t know if I’m strong enough for this. It really felt very up and down for me. I enjoyed the jobs that I did do, I did little tours and stuff, and found a lot of meaning and a lot of worth in what I was doing there. I was doing like the nursing home pantomimes, and stuff, those little tours, and enjoyed it, but then, like, lockdown happened, and once I realised that I could control what I was doing, my music was something was something I could control, and I could sing what I wanted to say, I’m not necessarily interpreting something by somebody else, it’s quite a nice feeling. I still love musical theatre stuff, I like going to open mics, and doing shows and stuff, but it feels ÔÇô it’s weird in a way, as well, because if you grow up doing am-dram you get to do shows every year, every couple of months, but when I went professional, I just auditioned for stuff. I never actually performed. You go to the open mics and stuff, but otherwise you’re just doing sixteen bars in a rehearsal room.

I guess you’ve got a lot more control now that you’re doing your own stuff.

 Yeah. Yeah, it feels kind ofÔǪnice, to do that. And your image, as well, and not fitting a type, not being typecast. I mean, everyone has a type, but it’s not so much how I’m perceived, or think I’m gonna be perceived, by a casting panel, you know? I can be a bit more authentic.

So, what have you got planned for the future?

 I want to put another EP out by the end of the year. I keep saying, “it’s gonna be in spring”, “it’s gonna be in summer”, and now I’m like, by the end of the year, I can probably manage that. There will be something that comes out. I’d love to do an album at some point, maybe next year. Just wanna do more live shows, Cardiff, Newport, Aber, Hereford, anywhere I can get really. And the DJing stuff I do is nice, but it’s almost like my “day job”. It’s nice to have separation between that, which is actually quite relaxing, whereas doing this feels a bit more vulnerable. It’s nice, though, and I think it’s worthwhile. So yeah, hopefully, maybe, an album next year. We’ll see. Hopefully some festivals next year, too, I’d really like to do.

Which festivals would you like to do if you could?

 Oh, Green Man is my favourite. I’d like to do Green Man Rising, it might be a pipe dream but it would be the ideal one; I’ve got connections to Crickhowell, and I’m from Abergavenny, so I’m like oh my god, please! I don’t know what else. There’s like, El Dorado; Nozstock is in Hereford, I’d quite like to do that; In It  would be quite cool as well, I think that’s quite a pop-y one, isn’t it, so that would be amazing; I’m trying to think of the other Welsh festivalsÔǪ

I know there’s S┼Án Fest, in Cardiff.

 Oh god, yeah, S┼Án! I think I’m a bit late to apply for that this year. More Pride ones, as well, yeah, Cardiff Pride would be amazing, S┼Án would be amazing. I did Hubfest last year, that was really cool, I like The Moon. They’re a great venue. And more stuff here, hopefully. I’d like to do Girls Pushing Buttons again, and bring some other people in. Might not even do it myself, just give it a name, organise it and Svengali whoever I want to see live! It’d be like, “I like you, I wanna see you do something!”. You know, there’s a couple of people who I’ve put feelers out to, I’ve earmarked some people, sort of said “you would go well with this person,” and would kind of mix it up and see what happens.

So the South Wales music scene ÔÇô do you feel like it’s got a lot to offer?

 I think so, yeah. I feel like there’s kinship there, it’s nice to do things with your fellow countrymen, especially because I’m very proud to be Welsh. It felt weird, growing up on the border, and I went to school in England, one of a few Welsh kids, but then I’d go out on the weekend with my friends in Newport and stuff. It feels like there is an excitement in the Welsh scene, and I hope that we won’t lose so many venues as to lose that completely. But, like Millie was saying to me earlier, it’s not that there’s a lack of talent, not even a lack of venues, but it’s a shame when venues are scared to take a chance on somebody unknown. They might be amazing.

You produce as well; who would be your dream person to produce for, or collaborate with?

 I am obsessed with the group Audiobooks. I love them so much. I think they’re playing here next month, at Tramshed. I’m desperate to go and see them, because the kind of music I really look up to is pop which is weird and quirky and different; I think that’s amazing. I’d love to do anything with them, remix or be remixed by them, they’re just one of my favourite groups ever. I really likeÔǪRosal├¡a’s a big influence at the minute, just the way she takes her traditional music and puts it through the filter of electronic stuff, I think that’s amazing. And mashing up genres ÔÇô I love her. Nile Rodgers would be a dream collab, the founder and guitarist of Chic, because I like disco stuff. I could see myself doing a Kylie disco album. I love disco and I love Chic, they’re like, one of my favourite bands. Jessie Ware, her last two albums have been perfection, I think. I don’t really like ballads very much, but I think pop is so amazing, and, like Caitie was saying, we were talking about Taylor Swift and Beyonce, pop is so important. That’s her quote, not mine. That video of Lady Gaga, where she’s performing in a club, the scenes thereÔǪShe’s got like her homemade disco stick, and it’s like ÔÇô she was doing this, gigs in smaller local venues, she was working!

You don’t really get that so much, with TikTok singers and that, it’s like, they sort of come from nowhere. That said, I’d love to see Addison Rae.

 Yes! Her new EP, and you can put me on record for this, Addison Rae’s latest EP is incredible! I don’t know who produced it, I think Charli XCX did a bit of it, but it’s just such a good record! Wasn’t she a dancer, Addison?

Yeah.

 Yeah, I respect that. I like Tate McRae too as a performer, she was also a dancer who went pop, you can tell she cares deeply about the music and her artistry. That song of hers she’s all I wanna be is amazing, the video too. 

 Oh my God, um, Self Esteem. She was at Green Man, and I missed it, and I was so gutted. I was DJing that night, and I was like, I can’t even think about it or I’ll start crying.

I saw her when she supported Blur, she was incredible. Such a good performer. It was a weird combination, Self Esteem, Jockstrap and Sleaford Mods, but cool.

 That’s really cool. I wonder if she’s gonna collaborate with Damon, in Gorillaz. I love Gorillaz. That’s another thing, where it’s like ÔÇô I love the curiosity that comes with it. That open collaboration thing, of getting this person, this person, its really cool. 

 Other people I’d love to collaborate with: Stromae. You know Stromae? I love that he retired, and then came back, I was like, pop music is saved! Stromae’s making music. Yeah, we need you, it was like Batman’s returned, you know? That album, racine carr├®e, is amazing. His first one’s pretty good, but that second one ÔÇô there are no skips. It is perfect from start to finish. And that thing of, like, he makes all of that himself, you know? He’s a one-man band. I really respect that. 

What venues in Cardiff do you like going to? Where would you enjoy performing?

 I’d like to do something at the Moon, I really like them, nice team there. I’d love to do more stuff here, at Porter’s. I’d like to get involved with the Student Union, too, at some point. That’s like my home, you know? I lived across the road from the SU, spent most of my time there ÔÇô I think I spent more time in the SU on the fourth floor, doing rehearsals, than I probably did in a lot of my lectures, to be honest. I saw Chvrches there, in 2014, that was awesome. They were really good. Saw Marina and the Diamonds there, in the Froot era. That was so good. It’d be such a nice full circle moment to come back and get involved with stuff at the SU. I’d literally be in tears.

Places have changed, now, though, I don’t know where else there is. Oh, Tramshed, I’d love to do something like that, but that’s likeÔǪI’ve been to a couple of things there, I think I went to see a drag thing there a few years ago, that was pretty cool. And the Globe; there’s actually a nice venue called the Globe at Hay, and I do stuff there sometimes, they’re really nice. I’d like to do something at Le Pub, as well. I know it’s in Newport, but I’d love to go there, do something there. I’ve had nights out in Newport, but the scene is very rock-heavy. So many bands come out of Newport. Oh, the castle! The Castle would be amazing to do, I’d love to do some open-air stuff. Alexandra Head, down the bay, they do quite big events there as well, but it’s a nice atmosphere, I really like that. There’s a few places in Cardiff Bay, but it’s been a couple of years since I’ve actually lived in Cardiff, and it’s kind of difficult to get here and get back sometimes. Where are the good places now, for like, new music?

Clwb Ifor Bach is like an institution. They’ve started doing Cinc raves, with local DJs, and they’ve gone from a few people to selling out in minutes. 

 Oh, yeah, of course. Ifor have been amazing, haven’t they? It’s such a landmark venue, I think, in Cardiff. It’s a shame Porter’s are moving, I don’t know where to, but I’m glad they’re surviving, because it’s such an important venue. It’s been here since I’ve been at uni. I guess there’s live music, and then there’s live original music, so I don’t know ÔÇô I’m trying to go through in my head where’s goodÔǪDistrict, there’s dance stuff going on there. I’ve heard it’s quite good. The Vulcan still exists, right?

Yeah, very much so. 

 I lived opposite the Woody, I was literally Woodville Road, and then Cogan Terrace ÔÇô I was proper Cathays. I wasn’t a BNOC, but my friends were, and there were a couple of guys in the dance society, we’d go on a night out and they’d be like “hi!”, “hi!”, “hi!”, they’d literally know everyone! 

Cardiff is a bit like that ÔÇô you can’t go anywhere without seeing someone you know!

 But I think that’s nice! People come to Cardiff, and like, I’m Welsh anyway, Cardiff was always where I came for day trips, with my friends, came to concerts and stuff here, so that was the nearest big city, and the most important city when I was growing up. But coming to uni here, you meet so many people who have moved here for uni and stayed. And I think that the music scene is quite a welcoming community here, you can become honourary Welsh if you live in Cardiff for a year! I miss it, especially the student life. Not to be, like, cue tiny violin, but it was so fun.

You’ve got exciting stuff coming up, though.

 Yeah, and it’s from coming back to Cardiff! Being based on the border as a Welsh person feels odd sometimes but I like my Welshness and our relationship to music as a country. I want to keep my connections here strong, I want to be part of the scene here and help to actually create opportunities and nights.

Millie Blooms

Talk to us about Girls Pushing Buttons: how did you get involved with this? 

Honey B McKenna and I got put in touch through a mutual contact and we  instantly connected through Instagram. She wanted to start a club night called  Girls Pushing Buttons, to create a space where female Pop artists/producers could  showcase their electronic based music and perform live; in essence to provide a  platform for those of us that perform without a live band. Like Honey, I’m also an  artist and producer that sits within the electronic music genre and although my  project is primarily rap/hip-hop based, my sound leans heavily into pop, so she asked if I wanted to jump on the line-up and it’s an exciting thing to be a part of! 

Is the community aspect of this quite important to you? 

Yeah, definitely, it’s really important. There’s not really a lot of women that work  in production, so to have other women that you can lean on and exchange  knowledge, ideas, opportunities and network with, is a lovely thing to have. I  think when you do what we do and you perform over essentially backing tracks in  a live capacity, it can be quite a lonely pursuit. There is a strong, growing hip-hop  scene here in Wales, which is supported by DJ’s spinning backing tracks, but  that’s got its own classic hip-hop sound identity, so it’s very cool to discover other  women creating their own signature sound like me.  

How did you get into making music? What’s your journey been like? 

I actually sang in the school choir and played flute for a couple of orchestra’s, but  I lost heart in taking that instrument forward because I didn’t realise I could do  anything cool with it at the time. Now you’ve got artists like Lizzo, dropping  woodwind riffs on Pop tracks and it’s got more appeal. From the age of sixteen I  got more serious about making music and got a job working in a recording studio  in Cardiff. It was called Ocean Records and it used to be on Albany Road, it’s no  longer there which is really sad, but I had some fantastic mentors there that  introduced me to engineering, songwriting and production. This opened up  opportunities for me to session sing for different bands that were coming into the  studio, as I would just be sat in the corner singing harmonies and sometimes  they’d be like, “do you wanna jump on the record?” – so I did! I went into  education from there and started learning different aspects of the business from  production, marketing, multi-media design and business; skills and experience I  now apply in my career, working on projects for both myself and other artists.  

You’ve done a lot of production workshops, right? Can you tell us a little bit  about that?

It’s something I’ve been doing for years independently with private clients and  organisations. In 2022 I started collaborating with a music development team that  run a project called Resonant in Cardiff. Resonant was set up by Yasmine Davies  & Beacons Cymru to support women, non-binary and queer artists to develop and  apply their skills in a safe space, where a broad spectrum of music industry  knowledge can be gained with both 1-2-1 and group support. It’s very much a  part of my value system, so when I was approached by Resonant and they asked  if I’d like to collaborate as a long-term project mentor, it was a no brainer for me.  Through this programme I get to work as part of a fantastic team of creatives and  have met really talented artists, some of which have gone on to become clients  and also friendsÔǪ you know, we’re a little family and together we create a scene! 

What have you got lined up? 

I’ve been doing a lot of different projects of late! Ive just finished co-producing  an album ÔÇÿThe Carnival‘ for Welsh country music artist Eleri, with my long term  production partner Dan Fry, which was co-written by an incredible team of global  songwriter’s and is being released on 14th October 2023. I’m also currently  working as a co-writer and producer with a very cool emerging Bionic-Pop artist  from County Durham called Tilly Lockey; which came about as I got contacted by  Eve Horne, who’s a songwriter/producer on the Board of Directors for the  Producer’s Guild, who came across my work and asked if I’d like to collaborate  as part of an artist development team for Tilly, whose releasing her debut single  ÔÇÿPorcelain‘ on 29th September 2023. You need to check her out; she recently  performed Porcelain on BBC TV and received radio play on BBC Introducing.  

In addition to this, I’m also co-writing and producing tracks with Liam J.  Edwards, who’s a fantastic Welsh queer Pop artist, which will be dropping next  yearÔǪ And then I’m working on my own artist project as well; Millie Blooms.  I’ve independently released a few tracks via all major streaming/download  platforms, which have received BBC Introducing radio play, been showcased on  ITV Backstage and performed live this year at In It Together Festival and now at  Girls Pushing Buttons. It’s been a really creative year and I’m excited to release  more of my own music in 2024.  

So collaboration is really important in your line of work? 

Yeah, definitely! I’m collaborating all the time, especially as a songwriter and a  producer, working with other artists to help them find their signature sound,  which is an incredibly collaborative experience. I’ve also started featuring on  records for other artists too, which allows me to tap into different genre’s,  concepts and writing styles. I’m working with a really cool Conscious Hip-hop 

artist at the moment called Multifaceted Monster from California, and we’re  cooking up some tracks together, where he’s featuring on my records and I’m  featuring on a couple of his, so that’s a pretty sweet little project that’s currently  in the mix. I love his 90’s vibe, vocal tone and lyrical concepts.  

You mentioned doing production for a country artist; so you do kind of  genre-bend and do a little bit of everything, then? 

YeahÔǪ you could say I’m musically fluid! I love it, it’s nice to explore something  different. As an artist I wouldn’t sit right on every record, yet I really enjoy  writing and producing across an eclectic mix of genres. I get a lot of satisfaction  from supporting other artist’s and helping them develop and bring their ideas to  life. I don’t always have to be the talent featured on the record. It’s a buzz to work  creatively with other’s and see the joy and pride they feel when they get to hear  their record for the first time.  

What’s been your experience of the South Wales music scene? Any good or  bad experiences, anything you’d like to see improved? 

YeahÔǪ there’s been a lot of good experiences, there’s some really fantastic  artists, promoters, industry professionals and music lovers here in Wales. There  are a couple of factors that feel like a limitation at times; for one, I’m Welsh but  I’m not a Welsh-speaker, and I find that some doors are closed because I don’t  speak Welsh. I’m an advocate for wanting the language to stay alive, it’s part of  my culture and heritage and I’ve even worked on a welsh heritage language  project for poet Alex Wharton, but I don’t think that talent should be overlooked  because we don’t speak our native tongue. I know this sentiment has been felt by  many artists here in Wales, as it commonly creeps into conversations, especially  those around applying for welsh music funding. However, I appreciate there’s a  time and a place for everything. It is important that that Welsh language artists are  supported, but I also think that there needs to be a bit more openness to Welsh  people who don’t speak the language; otherwise from what I’ve seenÔǪ the talent  leaves Wales, which is detrimental to both the welsh creative arts and economy.  

Also, we absolutely need more women represented in the industry. It needs to be  more balanced, less of a boys club! Globally, only something like 3% of  producers are women, 12.5% of songwriters are women, and I think it’s  something like 25% of signed artists are female, and I dread to think what % of  those stats are represented by trans women and women of colour. This is one of  the reasons why working with projects like Resonant is so important to me, it’s  going to take time to create this change in the industry, so it’s imperative we  support the next generations. When I started out getting work experience in  recording studios, I didn’t come across other women doing what I wanted to doÔǪ 

other than Amy Wadge; who is absolutely smashing her career. She’s very  inspiring. However, I am extremely grateful to all the wonderful men in the industry that have supported my journey and development.  

That must have been quite challenging. 

It was at times, because it was sometimes hard to relate, sometimes difficult to  learn and ask questions without feeling silly, sometimes a bit over sexualised.  Even in terms of my own attitude and the way I would behave, I would find  myself being flirtatious, and I’m not naturally that way, but you knew through  social conditioning that you’d get a better response if you were, you know, giggly  and accommodating. And then I’d go home and feel a bit icky, a bit silly and  embarrassed like “why did I do that to myself? Why did I behave like that?”, but  then you realise that that’s the role that you were being coerced into playing in the  room. Even just presenting in certain ways, aesthetically, because you know the  response will be better. Over the years I’ve worked on numerous projects under  various guises, and I’ve played around with both my aesthetic and moral values  to suit this expectation. Now I present my authentic self, I want to earn respect  and credibility for being a good person, musician, songwriter and producer. The  fact I’m female shouldn’t really come into the equation of my professional value.  I’m striving for equality, not more segregation. 

Do you feel like as a woman you’re pigeonholed sometimes? 

I try really hard to avoid the term “female producer” because I’m a producer. We  don’t see Mick Jagger described as “the male music artist”. Talking about  journalism and narrative, with female artists, there’s always a commentary on  what they look like, or what they’re wearing. “Oh, she looked beautiful in that  figure hugging black dress.” Well, they didn’t say that about Dizzee Rascal or  Stormzy or whoever, that would be a bit fucking weird, wouldn’t it? “Oh, his  cock looked great in those tight fitted jeans.” It’s uncomfortable! YetÔǪ I’m still in  the minority where there’s a need to be a part of groups, movements and events  that solely network, represent and promote females in the industry.  

Do you find the scene here quite rich, though? Do you think there are  enough opportunities for artists here? 

I think it’s getting better. One thing I would say is once you’re past twenty-five,  the opportunities become less openly offered. I speak to a lot of artists who are  twenty-five plus, making music, some of them have been making music for years,  some have just got into it later in life, and I think it’s harder the older you get,  which is one of the reasons why I’m so pro sharing my age. As a woman in the  music industry, you’re so often told that it’s detrimental to be honest about that. 

Music is an art form, an expression, it’s not age limited, and the industry needs to  stop conditioning people into thinking your creativity is dead in the water by the  age of twenty-five. There’s room and relevance for everyoneÔǪ I mean, there’s  teenagers going out performing to a stadium full of sixteen, seventeen year olds  who are relating to what they’ve got to say. Their feelings and experiences are  valid. I’m now in my 40’s, still making music that resonates with people.  

In terms of your collaborations, who would be your dream people to work  with? 

Oh, that is such a tough question! There is so much global talent! I would love to  work with Missy Elliot – amazing artist, banging songwriter, wicked producer. Or,  like, Timberland; I’m into the old-schoolers, I like the 90s classics. You can  probably tell by how I dress! But then I’d love to be in a studio session with  Kano, or Run The Jewels, or even someone more left field like Maynard James  Keenan (Tool), or Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), to create something more  quirky and angular. If the music touches my soul, I’m here for it!  

Awesome. Is there anything you wanted to add at the end there? 

Just, thank you for sharing your time and chatting to me about my music. I really  appreciate you. I love connecting with people, so if you’re vibrating on my  frequency, come find me online @iammillieblooms & @milliebloomsmusic. It  would be lovely to meet you! I’m a bit shit on social media, I’m not a regular  posterÔǪ too busy working on projects. I find joy in rooms with people, rather  than onlineÔǪ however, I do post occasionally, I always reply to messages and I  will be releasing more records next year, that I will let you all know about. In the  meantime, I would love you to check out my music on Spotify.  

Big LOVE, 

Millie Blooms Xx