Words by BATTS
I’m writing this piece as a new mother with my 6-week-old daughter asleep on me. I’m actually completely rewriting this article after having already finished a previous draft.
Initially I explored how the industry has led me to believe I had to make a choice between a career in music and starting my own family. I always knew I didn’t want to make that choice. I believed I could do both and I’d seen many amazing women I looked up to do it before me. This conundrum is a common conversation among women. I’ve had this chat hundreds of times over the years with friends. How scared we are that starting a family would be the end of our careers, (this isn’t unique to a career in music) so we often delay it. We feel the need to continuously write, tour, post and release to be “successful” and stay relevant and having a family to care for makes that so much harder, near impossible.
Leading up to my latest album release, I had a meeting with a company to discuss releasing the record together and naturally I mentioned I was pregnant. We ended the meeting with everything confirmed and they said they would send the contract over on Monday. However, Monday came and went and I never heard from them again. I was completely ghosted. This happened with two further companies.
This infuriated me and reinforced the narrative of mothers being discarded in this industry. Rather than feeling supported, as all mothers should be, I felt that everything I’d ever feared was coming true. This sort of behaviour however, fueled my determination to persist with the release.
These pressures and my drive to prove myself made me believe I needed to release three albums before starting my own family. “That’s enough music to tide people over until I’m ready to create again,” I told myself. So, I made my third record, fell pregnant, and spent my entire pregnancy—during which I was incredibly sick—working on my upcoming album, set to release when she was eight weeks old.
I’m rewriting this article because someone commented on my Instagram post, saying, “Inspired to see you do both at the same time, I want to follow your lead,” and my first thought was, “I’m not an inspiration; I’m an idiot.”
If I had the choice again, I wouldn’t release an album now. You don’t realise just how precious the early moments of motherhood are until you’re in them. Yes, they can be challenging with the rollercoaster of hormones, lack of sleep, and potentially breastfeeding for over eight hours a day, but nothing brings me more joy than being my daughter’s mother. Given the chance, I’d prefer to spend all day just staring at her, without thinking about emails and album work.
I don’t want people to be inspired by me, but I hope they can learn from my experience. If you’re considering releasing a record with a newborn, take a moment to assess whether it’s something you truly want or feel you need to do. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone right now. The fans who matter will be there when you’re ready to create again.
If you really want to do this, my advice is to prepare as much as possible. I thought I was ready, but I definitely wasn’t. If you can, hire a team and have all your PR and assets in place before the baby arrives. You’ll want to keep your workload minimal to enjoy and navigate those early stages of motherhood.
Also, be selective about what you say yes to. Ask yourself: does this serve me right now? Will it truly help my album reach more people? Does it come at the expense of my mental health or family time? These questions have helped me a lot.
Oh, and most importantly build your village. This is a time to ask for help and support, no one expects you to do any of this alone.
I can’t turn back time and I do have a new album out called Just My Luck. I love it deeply and am very proud of it; I believe it’s some of my best work yet. Even though I wish I hadn’t released it at this moment in time, I’m still excited to share it. Creating an album is no small feat, and these songs, along with the incredible people who helped bring them to life, deserve to be heard and celebrated.
So have a listen, share it with a friend, and enjoy the journey! I’m going to take a little break and spend some time just getting used to and enjoying my new favourite role in life yet – Mum.
