Roisin Murphy, a singer-songwriter, said that the music business “deserves” help because it “saved our lives during the pandemic.”
Murphy spoke to Sky News Daily podcast host Niall Paterson, who asked Murphy and a number of special guests about their “Three Wishes for 2023.”
Since the mid-90s, the singer has been releasing music, first with the duo Moloko. Later, she went on to have a successful solo career.
She shared her thoughts with the podcast: “In the music industry, we’ve had some really tough times, obviously, due to the pandemic. Music is always difficult to manage because once you go on the road, everyone has to be paid… You have all these expenses.
“Now, after the pandemic, the energy crisis, and the cost of living crisis, it’s even more expensive.”
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Murphy has recorded five solo albums. 2015’s Hairless Toys was nominated for Mercury Music Prize. Roisin Machine (2020), her most recent album, received critical acclaim. She made her acting debut last year in Netflix’s The Bastard Son and The Devil Himself.
Murphy spoke from her Ibiza home, saying that “glamour” has disappeared from most nightclubs and that government support is necessary to bring back the night-time music industry.
She said that “we deserve to be assisted in times of crisis.” “Music saved our lives during the pandemic. Although it may sound a little too dramatic, I believe it to be true.
“A generation without a shared sense of culture”
According to figures released by the Night Time Industries Association last year, 20% of nightclubs had closed since March 2020’s first lockdown.
Murphy stated that kids are so much healthier if they go out partying and see bands.
“I worry about the generation of young people who’ve lived three years without sharing that experience.”
Murphy also wanted to see children spend less time on their phones and computers. Mother of two, Murphy says she is concerned about their generation’s loss of a sense of culture.
“They speak a different language than me. It’s possible that we were interested in things our parents didn’t understand. This is a different level. We shared culture as children.
“It was about dancing together. I hope my children will dance with others and share this sense of universality.
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Producers: Alys Bowen and David Chipakupaku
Junior Producer: Jada-Kai Meosa John
Additional writing: Soila Apparicio
Editors: Philly Beaumont and Paul Stanworth
