Photo: Press
It goes across the board in music and art that men who create great art are great, they're geniuses, and they always have been - whereas women are mad or tortured. It's kind of belittling.
'Hysterical' is another word that's been used for so long to belittle women, and to take away any worth from what they're saying, any gravity to what they say - "It's just because they're hysterical, hormones running wild, they can't think straight!"
It's hidden better now, but I still think that attitude is there. What's really lovely, though, is that we're talking about it - I'm being asked so many more questions now about how I feel about being a woman in the music industry, and I think that's really good. Because you talk about it, and change starts to happen. The fact that question's still being asked means that we're nowhere near it yet.
I think it's a topic that should be open for discussion, because I personally have found things frustrating. I think women are much more easily pigeon-holed and kept in a safe box rather than being pioneers of new sounds. It seems like that's always reserved for men, and women aren't really allowed to push through in that way. That's certainly something that I'm desperately trying to do.
So yes, I think it is important to talk about it. I understand that it's a frustrating question, but the reason it's frustrating is because it needs to be asked - because we're not there yet.
Watch Marika Hackman perform 'Claude's Girl' in session for Gigwise below
Being dubbed a female singer-songwriter, though, is kind of irritating. It's not like we're doing athletics and there's a physical difference here where it makes sense that we're split - this is a creative, intellectual thing. I don't understand why I'm always dubbed a female singer-songwriter - I'm a singer-songwriter, my gender has nothing to do with that. I'm not afraid of being pitted up against the men! We've got a very long way to go. It's so frustrating.
I'm incredibly lucky though, because I don't seem to be in a world where that stuff's shoved in my face constantly. And I have a female sound engineer and tour managers, so it's nice when I'm on the road, it doesn't feel like a kind of lad-heavy environment. I've done tours with all males and it's a different world, it's just an entirely different world and it's quite a terrifying one.
As told to Alexandra Pollard
Marika Hackman's remaining tour dates are below.
Tuesday 14 April – Cambridge – Portland Arms
Wednesday 15 April – Southampton – Joiners
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