Just when the country is searching for its first female music producer, a rumour mill has been grinding lies that musician Blackamoor is trading as a producer in South Africa.
Born Erica Eunice Maliketi, Blackamoor dismissed such rumours, saying she has been “overrated and misrepresented”.
Blackamoor, well known for her collaboration with Vic Marley in Traffic Police, told The Nation following a tip-off that Blackamoor is trading as a producer in the Rainbow Nation.
This was after publishing the story No Female Producers on Friday.
“I have been given too much credit on the producer thing. I only know basics; arranging instruments in a song, composing and vocalising it. I am still pushing on the field of balancing equipment in the studio.
“I am currently working in an Internet cafe, but sometimes I sell lyrics to some up-and-coming artists. To say I am a producer at some studio is a misrepresentation,” she said through WhatsApp.
Giving her views why there are no female music producers on the local music scene, Blackamoor said women get discouraged, undermined and discredited by some male music gate-keepers with sinister motives in a male-dominated industry.
She said this is more especially when the male managers are denied sexual favours by the ladies.
“A lot of women want to excel, own bands as well as studios, but the music industry itself being a male dominant, they are faced with a lot of challenges.
“Some are thought to be in the industry in search of men and are asked to get into sex affairs in return for any help they may need to boost their music career,” said Blackamoor also known for her album Mzimire released in 2005.
She said those who refuse are frustrated and made to believe that their role is to support male artists.
“Morally upright ladies in the music industry are few. They work so hard. They refuse to be used hoping to rise on merit. But they are frustrated when they refuse sexual affairs with music managers.
“As a result, they give up; stop dreaming big. I know a handful of female artists who thought having affairs with other well-known male artists, and radio, television or newspaper personalities, then their career will boom! But alas! They discovered later that that’s not the way to go,” she said.
Most estimates indicate that women make up less than five percent of producers and engineers industry-wide.
