Mica Paris voices support for musicians of color

Mica Paris, who found fame with her album, So Good in 1988, made powerful statement about the British music industry.

During a recent confessional with The Standard, the singing sensation called for stronger support for emerging musicians of color.

She said that Black talent in the UK is being exploited, “It’s hard for Black artists here.”

Suggesting potential solutions to this unfair allotment of resources, she pointed out, “We need to have more radio stations in the UK that cater to black music. Right now, we have to be squeezed into pop. There’s only one avenue, which is Radio One.”

For those unversed, Mica has maintained her position as a powerful voice in favouring diversity and combatting racism.

She went on to claim about many UK communities that “when you walk in any suburban area like Lewisham or Stoke Newington you’re going to find that there is a community. Everyone just gets on.”

“But you don’t see it reflected in radio. That’s a problem,” she added.

She even drew comparison with the American music industry saying, “In the States, they have R&B, they have a jazz chart, they have a pop chart, they have a rock chart. And every one of those are pushed. Here, it’s only Radio One, One Extra. And then you’ve got all the other ones that just play repeat music.”

“What we want is more support for music of black origin here. It needs to have more support in the commercial sense. That’s really all we need. And we shouldn’t have to wash it down and try and make it more a certain way for it to be played,” she continued.

“By support I mean when they get all of the brands, the labels backing. It’s the whole thing. It needs to be not niche. You’ve got to take it out of that niche. It needs to be given that same push,” the British singer remarked in conclusion.