James Bay prides himself on having nearly an equal amount of female and male crew members on the road with him.
The ‘Pink Lemonade’ singer is an advocate for equality in the music business, and says the fact he has a touring guitar technician who is a woman is a rare thing as they are few and far between because there aren’t many poster girls for the job.
James, 27, said: "Women make up nearly half of my touring entourage – seven out of 15 on the road.
"I have a female guitar technician and there are very few around because there aren’t that many role models – it’s a male-dominated field.
"There’s still an assumption that women want to stay home and have kids instead of being on the road."
Many female stars have inspired the ‘Hold Back The River’ hitmaker, including New Zealand megastar Lorde who he has hung out with.
On his admiration for the ‘Green Light’ singer, James gushed: "I spent time with Lorde last December in Sydney.
"She’s a huge inspiration – an arena-scale Grammy Award-winner who is a total pro. She makes you feel like you’re hanging with an old mate, which is a talent in itself and a great skill to possess."
James also hails Taylor Swift – who gave him one of his first support slots on her 2015 ‘1989 World Tour’ – as a "mighty force" in the industry.
He told The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper:: "She is a mighty force and has such amazing star power. She is also a really nice person."
The British hunk recently revealed that his latest album, ‘Electric Light’, was influenced by another powerful female artist, Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine.
The ‘Us’ singer studied his pal and her band’s headline performance on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury last year – and subsequently learned how to make his new tunes appeal to a "bigger audience".
Talking about the ‘Dog Days Are Over’ group stepping in for Foo Fighters at the world famous festival in South West England, after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg, James said: "Playing the main stage at Glastonbury in 2015 in front of 70,000 people was something I will never forget.
"Then being there for the rest of the weekend, I could appreciate the impact of the big hit songs and how they influence people.
"Like watching Florence and the Machine headline.
"When Dave Grohl (of the Foo Fighters) broke his leg and couldn’t play and Florence stepped up, she was amazing.
"I’m a big fan and I like Florence — we always chat when we see each other.
"It was wicked to see her get up there and absolutely nail it.
"Her Glastonbury performance was a lesson."
James Bay strives for equality with touring crew
