Here is a woman who to millions of global fans needs zero introduction. Skin is lead vocalist and songwriter of Skunk Anansie, solo artist, wife, mother and DJ, whose achievements are immeasurable. She was the first black woman to headline Glastonbury (1999) and throughout her 30-year career has inspired generations of ‘misfits’ with her trademark nonconformist attitude, gender-defying stage presence and staunch ‘be yourself’ approach to life. Our Editor, Samantha Harman was honoured to chat to her about female empowerment, the negative global LGBTQ+ rhetoric and of course, music.
You are the ultimate feminist who has inspired generations of women, but who inspired you when you were growing up?
I’m going to be honest, it was my mum. She had four kids under the age of five, my dad took any job he could which meant he wasn’t at home looking after us and he wasn’t sending much money home either. Mum had no support network and her husband was off partying or doing whatever he wanted to do. She treated us very equally, if I had to do the ironing so did my brothers. Mum did all the cooking because she loved it so much. She worked nights as a nurse and then took care of us and the house during the day. That was the first example I had of a working woman doing her stuff and getting on with it. I guess I didn’t really appreciate it until I grew up and realised all the lessons I took from her, which were independence and self reliance, no one is going to swoop in and do everything for you. She was in survival mode, so I learned quickly that I needed to get on and do stuff. She was my first example of a female who ran things.
You obviously grew up in a house of equality in terms of the roles you and your brothers carried out, did this put you in good stead for future living?
Yeah, we were four kids, we were all equal, we all dressed the same and we got told off the same. My brothers didn’t get any better treatment from my mum than I did. Being a Jamaican woman she was left alone to get on with things as are many women in society, having to hold the babies and do everything else. When I went to Jamaica as a kid I really saw that women ran everything, they didn’t get treated very well at all. I think you find the same thing with women in England, they have to keep everything together. My dad would not have coped without her, but there are dads who don’t have women to do everything who can cope because there’s no one there to do it for them!
Who were your early musical influences?
Reggae, dub, dancehall reggae. I was raised in a fully Jamaican environment. My brother was part of a dancehall system, so he used to come home and play dancehall tapes to me from the age of nine. Whereas my dad had much more open taste, he loved The Beatles, Sgt Pepper – actually he liked the Beatles and not much else. My mum also liked a lot of country and western music which is big in Jamaica. I remember one day, and she wouldn’t tell me what happened but she played Tammy Wynette ‘Stand by your Man’ maybe five, six times in a row, I’m guessing she was having a bad day! She also Loved Dolly Parton. I didn’t grow up listening to rock or Indie music. My little window to the world was Top of the Pops (for the uninitiated, this was a popular BBC music show) where I realised there was another world of music genres.
Those Tammy Wynette lyrics perhaps resonated with your mum, do you hope your fans have resonated with your lyrics in the same way?
That’s not my intention when I write them. I am dealing with how I want to express what happened to me on a personal note and I think the reason my songs resonate is that there are so many people out there who are just like me, with the same feelings and going through similar situations. I have never sat down to write a song for anybody, I just write and what comes out, comes out.
What is your song writing process?
Imagine there’s a ball in front of you containing everything you’ve ever learnt or come across, and everyone you’ve ever met and every situation that’s ever been is kind of floating in front of you in the ether. When I sit down to write, my brain mentally picks things out. Then I pick out the chords and the groove and suddenly I have a song. That’s the best way I can describe it, picking moments out of my ball of goodness.
Is there anyone who you’d like to collaborate with?
I never seek collaborations, they just happen and I like it that way. I’m a little bit shy artistically. Collabs happen because people ask me, or I bump into them and we just get chatting and decide to produce a song together. Sometimes I get an email about a collab and it depends on the song if it speaks to me or not.
How has the music industry changed you over the years?
I was walking down the road the other day and one of my neighbours shouted ‘Skin!’ at me, so I went over for a chat. There’s two guys who live over the road, do you remember the muppets? The two guys on the balcony? They look exactly the same as them and they are really funny, so I always chat. I realised that is something I would never have done when I was growing up. Being the lead singer of a band has really changed me, I’m much more able to deal with people and talk to them about anything. I like people and their stories and I didn’t when I was growing up, because I was scared of everything. Even now I’m much better on a one-to-one level or in small groups, I don’t enjoy talking to big crowds. I bluff it on stage. I also now understand the power of a good song and connecting to people. I am much more outgoing and sociable, that’s the biggest change.
Are there any stand out performances for you?
We did a gig on the last tour and I had some vocal problems and I walked on stage and within three songs my voice just went. I said to the audience, ‘You know what my voice is really going and I don’t know if I can carry on.’ The support I got from the crowd was just amazing, I got this feeling that they thought we are all in this together and they just wanted me to be on stage. I kept going and they sang the songs for me. It turned into a magical gig and I think I cried at the end, because it was one of the most beautiful experiences I’d ever had, the audience became part of the performance and were on my side.
New music?
We have a new song out called, ‘An Artist is an Artist’ there is an album to follow. It speaks about how it’s really difficult to be an artist in today’s society. There was a study I read recently that said humans prefer reading negative content. We are in this space now where somebody sees or hears something and their first negative thought is something they type on social media. The song is bold and about me reflecting on being an artist, it’s a bit aggressive and hopefully people will see it’s a quite tongue in cheek as well.
Have you got any advice for the LGBTQ+ community in the world who are feeling maginalised or struggling with their identity?
The most important thing I would say is don’t disappear. Take up your space and stay present. This is probably one of the worst times I have known for queer, gay and trans people, but also black people and women. Many straight white men are also seeing their brothers act in misogynistic ways. I would say what they (the powers that be) want you to do is not be there and not take up space, they want you to disappear. Don’t do it. Don’t stop saying what you have to say. In fact make it your mission to be as present and keep up that space as much as you can. Because if we all disappear then they’ve won. They aren’t going to win, they might be having a moment right now and the only way they’re going to keep that moment is if we obey their wishes and disappear. We are going to take up space, shout in their faces and protest, we are here and we are always going to be here. This is just the latest line of ignorance. Make sure you have keep that in your head. Don’t be who they want you to be, which is something other than yourself.
Are you a fan of Brighton?
I’ve been coming to Brighton since I was a little kid. My dad used to bring us to the beach. I think if I lived in London I may have possibly moved to Brighton and I have a lot of friends there.
What do you do for fun?
I DJ techno (Skin was sitting in her DJ studio when she spoke to me and proudly showed me her decks, she is clearly passionate) I’ve been DJing for 16-years and I adore it. During Covid times I built my studio. I love DIY, anything to do with fitness. I also love going for a walk and listening to a book, I consume books like you wouldn’t believe. One of the books I love is by Octavia Butler and is called ‘Parable of the Sower’. It’s dark and harrowing but also brilliant. I read mainly non-fiction, such as Victorian Britain, I love historical books and have downloaded 10 new books as I am away on tour soon. I think it’s important to fill your life with moments of euphoria, like dancing where you can forget everything and switch off from the world.
Skunk Anansie will perform at The Brighton Dome on April 15th.
