Katie Black

Music has always been a large part of Katie’s life, but understanding it didn’t start till she started studying music at UWS and fully immersing herself within the Scottish music scene. “Music, to me, is the most powerful thing in the world alongside all art forms.”

However, Katie commented that there is a horrible truth with gender inequality, its woven into our history and left a stain on what we will have in the future. She also mentioned that we need to be thankful that the 21st century has opened so much more for women who might have not gotten looked at years ago.

In Katie’s words, “unfortunately, stereotyping comes with the job sometimes and it’s about being able to prove to yourself before trying to convince anybody else, that you’re worth the effort and space within this industry”. She mentioned that music is a big world and doesn’t think that being women has changed any ups or downs she has experienced in music. Having the safety net of her university or college will not match the reality of the industry. Katie said that it can be hard to find a place where she feels secure and comfortable being who she is especially in an industry dominated by men. “I sometimes think that the industry isn’t set up or prepared properly to take care of future female musicians.”

Advice from Katie:

“It’s difficult, it’s challenging and some days you may question what is going on! But it’s all so worth it, through the people you meet and the stories you’ll hear and the art you get to create, it’s all very worth the hard-work and effort.”