Victoria Canal on misogyny in the music industry: ‘People will take advantage’

“I've looked back and realised how much of what I [went through] was due to a lack of awareness and education,” Spanish-American singer-songwriter Victoria Canal says, reflecting on her early experiences in the music industry. “It really matters to me to raise awareness and be vocal about the fact that young people in particular are vulnerable. It’s pretty easy to bite your tongue and not complain, to feel lucky to be an artist… but if you grin and bear it, a lot of people will take advantage of that.”

Canal, 27, spoke with The Independent in the wake of findings published in December last year by Youth Music, the UK’s leading charity supporting young people in the industry, which exposed widespread unsafe environments, low or zero pay, and a culture of discrimination and silencing – particularly of women, LGBTQ+ people, disabled and working-class creatives.

It found that 72 per cent of those polled had felt unsafe in a working environment within the music industry, 90 per cent had been paid unfairly for their work, and 75 per cent had considered giving up on their ambitions due to unsafe or unfair conditions.

Last year, Canal posted a detailed account to social media of what she described as a years-long abusive relationship with a much older and “powerful” figure in the music industry, who had helped launch her career after discovering her when she was 19.

While she did not name the person who allegedly abused her, musician Michael Franti of the band Michael Franti & Spearhead issued a statement admitting to infidelity in his marriage while denying allegations of sexual abuse and grooming. He insisted that his relationship with Canal was consensual but said he took “full accountability for not better recognising the power imbalance, as she was younger than me, and I was the headliner on tour.”

Canal claims that “everyone else” on the tour were aware of the position she was in, but had signed NDAs and were afraid of losing their jobs. She had no one else to turn to: “When you don't have any family or friends in the industry, nobody knows what the standard is,” she says. “So then everyone's just like, ‘It's amazing you have a job in music. Maybe you should just try to keep your head down and keep your job.’”

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Canal echoes an earlier report in 2024 that compared the music industry to “the wild west”, pointing to the lack of any industry procedure when it comes to complaints about fair pay, sexual harassment or discrimination. “There’s no infrastructure whatsoever,” she says. “You're just jumping in a van or a bus and hoping for the best. It’s a social experiment that lasts months on end, 24 hours a day with people that you might not really know at all.”

She’d had “amazing” tour experiences, she adds. “But there’s a lack of professionalism – everything’s made up as you go along.”

Carol Reid, interim co-CEO Youth Music, says that Canal’s experiences mirror what the organisation has heard from young people nationwide for its “Just the Way It Is?” report. “Too often, exploitation and inequality are commonplace for young people trying to break into music, and marginalised young people are suffering the biggest impact,” she says. “We’re seeing what we’re calling ‘The RAYE Effect’, where an increasing number of young people and artists alike are speaking out following in the footsteps of established artists like RAYE.”

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RAYE made headlines in 2021 when she accused her record label, Polydor, of refusing to release her debut album. She and the label then parted ways, allowing RAYE to release her Brit Award-winning album My 21st Century Blues. The pop star, born Rachel Keen, has used her own experiences to campaign on behalf of better rights for musicians and songwriters.

“It's vital that the industry listens to this,” Reid says. “Real change will come from the whole music community working together and moving from a place of quiet acceptance toward a culture of shared responsibility. We hope this report gives people the confidence, clarity and practical steps they need to help create safer, fairer working environments for young creatives.”

Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)