Levelling the playing field with MALKA and Hen Hoose
"Accelerating action means ensuring that we are pushing forward and opening opportunities for women and non-binary artists by creating a fair equal landscape."
In celebration of International Women's Day and Women's History month, we spoke with acclaimed artist Tamara Schlesinger also known as MALKA, and founder of the songwriting collective Hen Hoose based in Glasgow, Scotland.
Tamara is a dynamic force in the music industry. With a career spanning over 18 years, including fronting as the lead singer and songwriter for the indie folk band 6 Day Riot, she has released eight albums, toured globally, and had her music featured in film and television. As director of Tantrum Records and a lecturer at SAE Institute, Schlesinger is committed to reshaping the industry’s landscape. We spoke with Tamara to learn more about her journey, the mission behind Hen Hoose, and how she’s driving real change toward a more inclusive music world.
Who is MALKA and what has your musical journey been like?
I’ve been making music for nearly 25 years, I started while studying fashion at St Martin’s College. I loved all forms of art and realized early on in my studies that music had my heart. I met various record producers over that time and worked mainly as a topliner - singing on dance tracks and session singing.
Gradually I started writing my own music. Initially, I was making acoustic/folk music and then I moved into producing electronic music. I’ve been working as a record producer and songwriter in the electronic world now for over 10 years. I write music for TV and film and release music as MALKA. I’ve been an independent artist throughout, and I feel pretty lucky to still be getting regular radio play and press coverage. I founded Hen Hoose in 2020.
What was the catalyst behind forming Hen Hoose? What kind of trajectory has the collective taken until now?
Hen Hoose began during the lockdown. It was very much a response to my frustrations at the landscape in the music industry. I was hugely conscious of the lack of women playing festival slots, signed to record labels and publishers. So the idea came about to create a collaborative songwriting project for women and non-binary artists that would enable us to write remotely together, collaborate together, and to look at other ways that we could make a living.
I also wanted to shine a light on the talent that we have, so the idea was for it to be written, recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered by women and non-binary people. It’s become so much more than that concept. The 12 songs that we wrote in lockdown ended up being shortlisted for the SAY award, The Scottish Album of the Year award. We were funded by Creative Scotland to continue developing the project. I noticed that there was a lack of confidence in production skills, so I created courses for the collective members initially. Then we became a full-blown organization with a board of directors, fully funded by Creative Scotland. Now we run workshops, panels, numerous educational events, mentoring, and more for artists across Scotland and we also continue the collaborative songwriting aspect for the core members. Overall, it’s been incredibly successful and hugely needed.
Before Hen Hoose, how did you create a space for yourself as a woman in such a predominantly male industry in your career as a solo artist, and performing as part of a band? Were there any initiatives, peers, or communities you found to help you grow or was it a more individual effort?
I have to be honest, I don’t think there were many initiatives at all when I was making music in the early days, that encouraged women to release their own music, or take on any other roles aside from singing or co-writing. There was definitely no drive to encourage women to upskill or develop their own knowledge to enable them the freedom to create the music they wanted. I was really lucky to work with a number of male record producers that encouraged me to move into the production side and gave me the confidence to make music the way I wanted to make it. That’s why Hen Hoose was born — because there wasn’t anything else (certainly in Scotland) that felt like it was opening doors for women to make music the way they needed to.
The theme for International Women’s Day this year is “Accelerate Action” — What does "Accelerate Action" mean to you, and how does the work you do with Hen Hoose embody this?
Accelerating action for me, means ensuring that we are pushing forward and opening opportunities for women and non-binary artists by creating a fair equal landscape. We not only need Hen Hoose and organizations like ours but for those in power to really want change. The work we do with Hen Hoose is all free, and so it’s accessible to all. It’s educational and it’s offering skills to enable women and non-binary artists to be able to forge their own careers. I think having the knowledge to do things yourself makes you quite powerful. There is no gatekeeping within our Organisation - it’s all about knowledge sharing. So I think the work we’re doing with Hen Hoose is really important for making real change.
How has the landscape for female and non-binary artists changed in the years since Hen Hoose’s formation and how has the gender imbalance in the industry shifted through the collective’s work?
Since Hen Hoose formed in 2020 there has been a real shift in the landscape for women and non-binary artists in the music industry. The shift is coming from grassroots organizations, but there does seem to be a real drive from certain companies to action change. I think even things such as seeing a more level 50-50 on some festival lineups and at awards ceremonies have made for a push towards a more equal landscape. But there’s so much more that needs to be done.
I would say that the work that we’ve been doing in Scotland has made a real impact. It has made people really think when they’re booking lineups, panels, and events about diversity as a whole, and we have a huge amount of support. We're pushing that further beyond Scotland and collaborating with other organizations to try and create more change across the UK.
What are the significant challenges that an organization like Hen Hoose faces today? What can be done to help?
The biggest challenge we have is funding. We’re reliant on funding because we want to make sure that everyone can access our opportunities, and to do that, we want to offer them all for free. Therefore we need to be funded. We are very lucky that we are currently funded by Creative Scotland, but we’re constantly looking for additional opportunities to access grants to offer more. When our funding runs out in 2026 we will not only be hoping that Creative Scotland will believe enough in our work to fund us again, but we will also be seeking alternative routes for grants.
What have been some of your favorite moments in your journey with Hen Hoose? What are the things that keep you motivated or inspired to continue doing the work you do?
Hen Hoose has been really lucky to have some incredible moments which definitely keep me motivated. We received recognition from the John Lennon Foundation for our gender-quality work, we were named as one of the 2023 Changemakers by the Big Issue and we received the shortlist for the SAY award for our debut album ‘Equaliser’. All of these moments make you realize how vital the work that we are doing is. But it’s also those moments of feedback from the individuals whose lives have changed through connecting with Hen Hoose that really make everything so worthwhile.
Aside from the work that initiatives and collectives like yours are doing, what more is needed to help address the gender imbalance in the music industry to allow greater access to creative opportunities for marginalized voices?
I firmly believe that change needs to come from the top, from the bigwigs - those that have the power to make a difference. Until those people (most often men) want to make a difference, nothing will really change in the industry. So the grassroots organisations can and will continue doing their work, but the real shift for change comes from the top down.
Collectives like Hen Hoose are integral to platforming marginalized voices in a historically male-dominated industry. What advice would you give to those also looking to start similar collectives to help amplify those voices?
I would say that it’s a lot of work, but it’s so rewarding when it goes right. I think it’s important to find out what other artists that you want to work with really need so that you can offer valuable opportunities. Listen to other people’s voices and do your best to create something that benefits everyone. It’s important to have clear goals and objectives as an organization. Build a support network and have lots of voices shouting about what you do because more people need to be pushing this agenda and there is space for everyone.
What advice would you give to aspiring female and non-binary artists, producers, and songwriters who are working to, or struggling to, find their path in the industry today? What was some golden advice you received that helped you in your own journey?
As an independent, self-taught musician, songwriter, and producer, I would say that the best advice I ever received was to believe in myself - and that I could release my own music and take control of my career. That advice was given to me by a lawyer called Ann Harrison in 2001, who mentored me in my early days and helped me to realize that I didn’t need a label or management company around me. She told me that if I gained the knowledge and skills myself, I could create my own career and maintain control.
The industry is tough. It’s hard out there, and it’s harder as a woman or non-binary artist. I think it’s important to educate yourself in terms of the music industry so that people can’t take advantage of you and you can get fair deals. Always learn, and soak up ideas, whether that’s from other people that you’re working with or from online tutorials. It’s so easy to access this information now. So go and gather it. And then just make the music which is true to you, that’s the most important part.
How do you hope to see Hen Hoose develop in the future? Are there any projects that we should look forward to?
We have some really exciting projects coming up this year, which I can’t really say too much about just yet. There will be a new Hen Hoose album released at the end of the year. We are offering new workshops, panels, and events as well. We’re discovering what our members really want and we are delivering as much as we can for them.
This year we have; live performance workshops, songwriting camps, audio production courses, mentoring, and live shows coming up. We also have a really exciting idea that we’re trying to get funding for, which would allow us to offer further development to artists. We hope that we can announce that later in the year.
Learn more about Hen Hoose and their work on their official website.
Listen to Hen Hoose's collaborative album 'Equaliser'on Bandcamp and Spotify.
