This session centres on the findings of the UK Parliament’s Misogyny in Music report – examining its relevance to Scotland’s music industry and what action can be taken at a national level despite the UK Government’s rejection of its recommendations.
Through keynote reflections and an in-depth panel discussion, this session explores personal experiences, intersectional challenges, and meaningful strategies for change. With a focus on inclusion, accountability and sector-wide responsibility, the discussion aims to build a clearer picture of how to dismantle structural barriers and promote equity across Scotland’s music sector.
This session was recorded as part of the SMIA Summit 2024 – a free, two-day online event exploring what’s next for Scotland’s music industry.
Topics include:
- The findings of the Misogyny in Music report and its relevance to Scotland
- Personal experiences and intersectional challenges
- Recommendations for tackling gender discrimination in the sector
- Development concerns for women and non-binary people
- Building inclusive frameworks and advocating for systemic change
Session Breakdown:
- 00:00 – Introduction by Robert Kilpatrick and Beth O’Connor (Scottish Music Industry Association)
- 01:50 – Keynote by Josephine Sillars (PopGirlz) and Rachel Alice Johnson (Kohla / PopGirlz)
- 17:49 – Panel discussion moderated by Beth O’Connor (Scottish Music Industry Association), featuring:
- Dr Diljeet Bhachu (Musicians’ Union)
- Jenn Nimmo-Smith (Electric Shores / Night Time Industries Association)
- Tamara Schlesinger (Hen Hoose / Tantrum Records)
- 50:27 – Audience Q&A
Accessibility:
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Explore more SMIA Summit 2024 sessions:
- A Sound Investment – What’s Scotland’s Music Industry Worth?
- Innovate or Stagnate – Tech’s Role in Scottish Music’s Future
- Beyond the Central Belt – Decentralising Scotland’s Music Industry
- Re-imagining Music Spaces – From Vision to Sector-wide Reality
- Achieving Fair Work in Scotland’s Music Industry
- An International Music Strategy – Building a Sustainable Global Presence
Session Speakers + Panellists
Josephine Sillars – Keynote Speaker
Speaker Biography
Hailing from the Scottish Highlands, but currently based between Glasgow and Leeds, Josephine Sillars is a pop musician inspired by art-pop and trip-hop. Her EP “Desperate Characters” was described as “compelling and expansive” (Tenement TV) and as “hands down one of the finest Scottish releases of 2021” (Small Music Scene), with lead single “Enemy” selected as Track of the Week for BBC Introducing in West Yorkshire and as 71 out of 100 Top Tunes in Scotland 2021 (The Herald). In 2023 Josephine released a collaborative EP with electro-folk act Loughlin, titled “Someone Else’s Break Up”, following one of their demos receiving over half a million views on TikTok and actor Michael Sheen sending in a voice note to sample on one of the tracks, “Stuck in Horror”. The EP was described as “frankly worthy of some of the best in the mainstream chart.” (Northern Exposure). Her third EP was released in 2024 with single “That Boy” described as “an EP standout” by The Skinny.
Rachel Alice Johnson – Keynote Speaker
Speaker Biography
Kohla is the project of Rachel Alice Johnson, a singer-songwriter, musician, fine artist, dancer, poet and producer with a classical background. Her internationally acclaimed debut album ‘Romance’ is a sonic hybrid of retro-tinged futuristic soul, inspired by legendary 60s artists Etta James and Nat King Cole, blended with the contemporary sheen of Frank Ocean and Lana Del Rey. ‘Romance’ has been hailed as ‘a stunning and emotionally powered masterpiece’ by Wonderland Magazine, alongside receiving glowing praise from the likes of Earmilk California, The Herald Newspaper, The Scotsman Newspaper, Tom Robinson on BBC 6music, Roddy Hart, Nicola Meighan, Janice Forsyth, Michelle McManus and Vic Galloway on BBC Radio Scotland, and Nick Roberts, Shakk and Emily Pilbeam on England’s BBC Introducing. Kohla is also the founder of Popgirlz Scotland, a support group for women, trans and non binary people in music, and lectures about feminism at international universities.
Popgirlz Scotland is a support group for female, non-binary and trans artists in the Scottish music scene. The collective has over 150 members, ranging from new and up-and-coming acts to established artists including Honeyblood, Be Charlotte and Siobhan Wilson. Rachel Johnson (Kohla) created the group in late 2019 with the idea of making a safe, motivating space for womxn artists. Cultivating a healthy music scene is of key importance to Popgirlz, with friendship building encouraged over traditional networking.
Beth O’Connor – Moderator
Scottish Music Industry Association
Speaker Biography
Beth joined the SMIA in 2023 as Equalities and Industry Development Officer. Beth’s role is to identify and respond to challenges being faced within Scotland’s music industry, as well as lay the foundations for meaningful, long-lasting change that will place equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility at the heart of all of the SMIA’s work.
Beth has worked across the creative industries in a range of roles, including policy development and implementation to address systemic barriers to participation for independent artists; managing complex stakeholder engagement between government and creative communities; and governance and public programming at artist run initiatives. Beth was born on Taungurung Country and has lived on Wurundjeri Country for the past 10 years before relocating to Glasgow in 2023.
Dr Diljeet Bhachu
Speaker Biography
Dr Diljeet Kaur Bhachu FHEA FRSA is an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the Musicians’ Union, the UK’s trade union for musicians. Diljeet was a long-standing activist with the MU before taking up this role. Her previous freelance portfolio has included researching inequalities and safeguarding issues, alongside working in the higher education sector as a lecturer and researcher.
Diljeet is also a musician, active in her own right as an improviser with flutes and electronics, as well as doing session work for other artists. In her current role, Diljeet is part of the team looking after the MU’s Safe Space reporting mechanism, and part of the core team working on the Musicians’ Census in partnership with Help Musicians.
SMIA Summit 2025
We’ll return this year with more vital conversations.