Sonorous singer, Simi, has taken to her Twitter account to narrate to her 3.4 million followers how tough it is being a woman in the Nigerian music industry. In a series of tweets, she noted that in the industry, people try to pit women against themselves.
Simi tweeted, “To be honest, some of the things I’ve experienced – specifically as a woman – in this industry. They will try to pit you against other women; try to redefine your value, try to get in your head and remodel your self-esteem. And I have even had it easier than many.
“Ati executive oh. Ati audience oh. It comes from all sides. That’s why I am with any woman that is winning in this industry – because hurdle is much dear. Women can hardly get away with the kinds of things many men in the same industry get away with on a regular.”(sic)
The mother of one further stated that when a woman in the music industry complains about her experience, she gets compared to her other female colleagues.
“When a woman complains about what she’s experiencing, I see many people saying “what about so and so” does she have two heads. To me, that’s unfortunate, because everybody’s experience is different. Your truth cannot invalidate someone else’s.
“For every woman that is making it, there are tons of women that have been broken. If you stand up for yourself, ‘she’s difficult’. If you’re not a pushover, ‘she’s proud’. If you take time for yourself, ‘she’s lazy.’ If you ask for what you deserve, ‘she’s greedy’,” she said.
She seized the opportunity to advise her female colleagues to always think of themselves first regardless of the situation. “Ladies trying to get ahead in this industry – be careful because many don’t care about you as much as they care about using you; protect yourself. When it’s you versus the industry, put yourself first. Make sure your material is great and don’t ever stop standing up for yourself!” the singer advised.
