Bristol mothers aiming to make music industry more inclusive

Jenny Lindfors said juggling motherhood with her music career has been a "real challenge"

When Jenny Lindfors gave birth to her daughter people assumed her music career would "take a backseat". Yet the singer-songwriter from Bristol found herself more inspired than ever.

Through her writing, she began channelling the emotions, struggles and successes of motherhood into her profession. Along with a group of fellow mothers, who also work as musicians, she is now working to promote inclusivity in the industry and reframe what success looks like.

"It's not rocket science - we just need to change certain expected norms," Jenny Lindfors said.

"We've had enough breakup albums and albums about boyfriends and girlfriends now. We need more albums about motherhood."

The musician - who is known professionally as Sailing Stones - originally planned to embark on a tour in 2020 when her daughter turned six-months-old.

But when the pandemic began and the tour was subsequently cancelled and she felt a sense of relief.

"These experiences I was having, which ranged from transcendent joy, grief, anxiety, terror, sleep deprivation... these feelings are universal," she said.

To help her cope with the "emotionally intense experience" of motherhood, Ms Lindfors turned to art therapy.

Jenny Lindfors is known professionally as Sailing Stones

She said: "I was really struggling to find the words to describe motherhood and a lot of people say 'there are no words'.

"It felt like somebody showing me a new colour in the rainbow - it was this whole new dimension of experience and I wanted to write about it."

Ms Lindfors found that she was not alone in feeling this way, and joined Mothers in Music, a Bristol-based network of mothers who work as musicians.

Through bi-monthly meetings, the women come together to discuss the successes and heartbreaks of juggling motherhood and their careers.

The initiative was started by Alice Ballantine Dykes in 2018. After the former musician had children, she realised that there was little support for women when they became mothers.

Alice Ballantine Dykes became a coach after having children

Part of the group's ambition is to create more inclusive events so that women do not "drop off the radar" once they become parents.

"I think a lot of women, when they become mothers, are faced with a choice to either continue with their career or to become a parent," Ms Ballantine Dykes said.

She added that juggling the two aspects of life is "extremely difficult" due to the rapid pace, instability and long hours that come with a music career.

Working late hours and travelling can make finding childcare challenging, as well as the varying income as a result of being self-employed.

"It doesn't appear to be possible to have both. I'm not an advocate of 'you can have it all', but it should be possible to craft and design a version of success in your art, whilst also wanting to be able to parent," she added.

Ms Ballantine Dykes said there is “extraordinary solidarity” within the group

On 7 March, the group is hosting a daytime gig at The Mount Without in Bristol, which mothers are encouraged to attend with their children.

Ms Ballantine Dykes said the gig is designed to celebrate the women who have sustained their careers through the difficult journey of motherhood.

"We're encouraging organisations to think more critically about putting on a daytime program so that artists can access a stage and a platform for their art," she said.

"We just need to change certain expected norms in the system to make it possible, both for artists and audiences to enjoy art more easily."

Mothers in Music member, Rachael Dadd, is a Bristol-based musician and mother of two. She is participating in the upcoming event.

She said that around 11 years ago, her career took her internationally, and she divided most of her time between Japan and the UK where she wrote, recorded and performed her music.

Rachael Dadd said music gives her "a sense of belonging"

During that time, she had two children.

But she said: "The two worlds - motherhood and music - there's a lot of incompatibilities there."

During a gig in London she was told her baby could not remain on the premises, even throughout soundcheck and rehearsals. Instead, her sister had to take him elsewhere for three hours.

Although she travelled with her children for a while, she said it eventually got "too hard" to maintain the lifestyle.

Yet, Ms Dadd said that whilst she was in Japan, she felt "really accommodated" and had even performed on-stage with her baby strapped to her back.

She also noticed that children were often taken to cultural events which were hosted in the daytime, making them more accessible for families.

Ms Dadd said Mothers in Music is starting "really constructive conversations" and "new, innovative change" to break down different barriers which impact the women in their careers.

"It feels like therapy... It's a really wonderful thing that Alice has brought to us all," she added.