North-east singer Iona Fyfe has revealed she was offered help to get a festival gig by a man from a “well-known band” in exchange for sex.
The 23-year-old performer is now one of the biggest names in the Scottish traditional music scene after being named Scots Singer of the Year in 2018.
However, she has revealed that when she was 20 and trying to make her name on-stage, a man tried to take advantage of a “power balance”.
The Huntly singer has now warned women keen to make progress in the industry are still vulnerable to exploitation.
‘I really didn’t know what to do’
Ms Fyfe’s revelation of her ordeal comes after Sophie Ellis-Bextor revealed she was raped by an older musician when she was 17.
The traditional Scots singer told BBC Radio Scotland she has not spoken out about the incident before because she was so “creeped out” by it.
She said: “One man from a really well-known band came up to me and said if we’re good friends and you do good things what good friends do, then I could maybe look at getting you a slot at a festival.
“Now that in itself is not very nuanced. It was soliciting and taking advantage of the power balance.
“I was 20 at the time and I really didn’t know what to do. My friend saw this and we were all just leaving a venue, and we just left the group and walked home.
“It’s really concerning because this could happen to anyone but luckily I was in the position where I could laugh in his face and I left.”
‘Outlooks and opinions need to be changed’
Campaign group The Bit Collective has been formed to address equalities issues in the Scottish folk and traditional scene.
It has opened a confidential email contact line staffed by a team of three female volunteers.
The group aims to gauge the extent of misogyny and sexual abuse and exploitation in the scene while collating repeated allegations against perpetrators and trying to make the community safe and welcoming for everyone.
Ms Fyfe said: “It’s hard enough to be taken seriously as a young woman in the folk scene, let alone when this kind of stuff happens.
“I definitely find that when I’m introduced on stage, I’m introduced as beautiful but the boys are introduced as formidable musicians.
“Those sort of outlook and opinions, that needs to be changed to begin with… there’s a lot more to it than some men exploiting some women.”
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