Keke Palmer calls for MeToo movement in music
Keke Palmer has called for a MeToo movement in the music industry, after suffering sexual harassment.
Keke Palmer has called for a MeToo movement in the music industry.
The 29-year-old actress and singer - who signed to Atlantic Records at age 12 and released her first record 'So Uncool' in 2007, before setting up her own Big Bosses Entertainment label in 2018 - has revealed that she suffered sexual harassment in the industry.
Speaking to PEOPLE about her new album 'Big Boss', which details some of the issues she has faced, Keke said: "I think everybody's going through something similar in whatever their respective job is, or even those of us that are actually also working in the music industry — not even just artists, but producers, writers or whatever. We all know what it's like to be in a space where we're dealing with tons of misogyny and then trying to get people to just see you and your value and then ultimately see that you go where you are valued and that you don't need to actually force anything.
"If they see it, great. If they don't, you've got to move on and create a space that is more conducive for your mental wellbeing and creative flow. I just wanted to share that I've gone through it. I experienced my own hardships, and 'Hey, this is how I dealt with it, and this is how I moved on.' This is my testimony in so many ways.
"As far as being in an uncomfortable situation as a woman, where I'm either being sexually harassed, intimidated or just being made uncomfortable in a space that's dominated mostly by men, those are very real people, and that's a very real, accurate situation. And there are countless others."
Speaking about the need for a MeToo movement in music, she added: "It hasn't happened in music, and it should. Bad s*** happens in all industries, obviously, but specifically entertainment. We know bad things happen in all of them, but it's almost like the acting world represents a union and the music industry represents non-union. It's happening in the actor world but eventually, it's going to come to a halt. Somebody's going to get called out. Something's going to happen. At some point, we're going to come to some kind of understanding. With music, it's like everybody is being paid, and everybody's a crooked cop. So, it seems like nothing will ever really come to a head."
