Parenthood, a theme that several singers have taken up this end of the year, provides material for “beautiful songs” but often remains perceived as a “brake” for lesser-known artists, fearing being ostracized.
“You are my America, you are my cinema (…) Before you, I almost did not exist”, sings Clara Luciani in “Tout pour moi”, the flagship piece of her new opus “Mon sang”, which has as its common thread the birth of her first child.
Among new fathers too, the arrival of a toddler is reflected in their recent projects: Julien Doré laughs with his cover of the nursery rhyme “Ah les crocodiles”, Hatik appears in the middle of a nap with his infant on the cover of his album, “+1”.
More exposed in the era of social networks, sometimes a communication tool – like Rihanna displaying her +baby bump+ – parenthood has long been a source of inspiration. She gave cult ballads such as “Morgue de toi” by Renaud (1983).
More recently, Vianney (“Beau-papa, 2020) or Louane (“Secret”, 2022) have put their parental emotions to music.
“We talk about it as we would chronicle something else in our life,” said Clara Luciani during an interview with AFP in November, recalling having dedicated pieces to several of her loved ones.
Starting a family, “it’s an important theme and it often makes for beautiful songs,” says Hatik, whose wife, Leila AD, is herself a singer. The rapper, who has evolved into pop songs, also bluntly recognizes that “+1” is “only about that”.
– “Blacklistee” –
Beyond the texts, reconciling the life of parents and the fast-paced career of artists often turns into a headache. And these are again the women who struggle more with the issue, from pregnancy to motherhood.
“What’s hard in this job is the pace of promotion (…) except that I have three children, two daughters-in-law: it’s an organization. For a woman it’s even harder to do this job”, estimated the singer Vitaa at the end of November on Franceinfo.
“When we have more resources, we can ensure that the whole tour is organized, that there is the budget, that the tour bus is adapted. But for independent musicians, this is not at all the case “, notes Domitie de Lamberterie, artist (Mythie) who explores with her podcast “Sisters of sound” the place of women in the music industry.
For her latest episode, “Musician or Mom?”, she interviewed around twenty musicians and singers, whose testimonies reflect “the obstacles” or even “the discrimination” affecting artists with relative notoriety.
For those who wish to have a child, the project seems “incompatible” particularly if they are members of a group, and not a leader, she explains.
“It’s frowned upon. Sometimes it’s taken as a betrayal: we’re not professional enough. You’ve made the choice to have children, so you’re going to be ‘blacklisted’. You’re going to leave the industry” , deplores Mythie. “The taboo is putting personal life before professional life: in music, that’s not done!”
However, some groups are more understanding, just as fathers can be allies. But most often, “we take the risk of losing our intermittency because we will lose contracts that we will never recover,” she insists.
Through this podcast or workshops – like the one recently hosted by the association Les Femmes s’en mingent – the word is freed. Other initiatives need to be explored to move the lines, according to Mythie, such as offering childcare during a residency or developing childcare assistance.
For her part, at 41 years old and after numerous successes, Vitaa indicated on Franceinfo that she was considering a change of pace and taking a “step back” soon, favoring writing for others.
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