Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock has made a BBC Three documentary about racism in the music industry, reflecting on her experiences as a Black woman in pop.
"Being a Black girl in the pop industry I do feel like I have a responsibility to speak out," Pinnock begins in a video posted to YouTube by the studio, reflecting on why she chose to make the documentary. "I wanted to speak about my experiences and the way I felt in the band being the Black girl in the band [...] I really wanted to explore why I felt so overlooked, so overshadowed."
The documentary, Leigh Anne: Race, Pop, and Power, which also examines the role that colourism plays, features the perspectives of fellow Black female musicians and singer-songwriters including Sugababes star Keisha Buchanan, Alexandra Burke, NAO, and Raye.
In a clip from the documentary, we see Burke talking about the time she was told by record execs that she was "too dark to be in the industry" and "you need to bleach your skin because you won't sell any records."
"I feel like there are a lot of people out there that don't necessarily understand how deeply ingrained racism is and how it really does affect so many people of colour, so many Black people," Pinnock added.
Leigh Anne: Race, Pop, and Power is streaming now on BBC iPlayer.
Topics Racial Justice
