Nadia Rose felt pressure to sex up her image when she first started out as a musician.
The 25-year-old rapper – who shot to fame in 2017 with her debut album ‘Highly Flammable’ – has opened up about fighting the mantra that sex sells and running her career on her "own terms".
In an interview with the London Evening Standard newspaper, she admitted: "My challenge at the start was people trying to suggest that I should do it that way and me obviously opposing that and just saying, ‘This is about my voice and my lyrics and my flow.
"That’s what I want people to take from me. My look comes as a bonus. There are times I can be out there, but it’s on my own terms."
The Londoner acknowledges that sexism in the industry has caused many female artists to give into the pressure and alter their image as a means of becoming successful.
She shared: "It’s a male dominated scene and I think sometimes as a woman if you sex up a little bit, you get a push.
"It’s like you’ve passed that phase now because you’ve done the sexy thing and now everyone’s looking at you, so now you can put out some sort of music. I just didn’t want to do it that way."
One person’s opinion she does listen to though, is her famous cousin, fellow rapper Stormzy, who she says has supported her and given her "some good advice" to pass on to her peers.
She said: "When I’m a bit sceptical about things, I present it to him and he’ll let me know what he thinks and vice versa."
Meanwhile, Nadia previously expressed her excitement at grime artists finally being recognised for their talents – a process that she says was "long overdue".
She said: "Yeah, a million per cent, it’s been long overdue. I think the length of time is what’s made it so special, everyone has been pushing for something to happen.
"So, now that it’s happening, I think it makes sense – and it’s only going to get better."
Nadia Rose felt pressure to sex up image
