Pop world braces for MeToo after X Factor star tells police of abuse
THE music world has been rocked by claims of bullying and abusive conduct towards women by powerful men at some of Britain’s top record labels.
Several women, including female artists and staff working in the industry, have come forward with allegations of harrowing abuse by top executives.
One well-respected senior female figure in the business suggested last week that inappropriate behaviour by men in senior positions in the music business was ‘endemic’.
Insiders close to one of the UK’s most influential music figures say crisis talks have already taken place to discuss how to handle the impact of a potential ‘MeToo’ scandal erupting within the industry.
The Mail on Sunday can reveal that Rebecca Ferguson, who found fame on the X Factor in 2010, went to the Metropolitan Police in London earlier this month to report allegations of harassment and coercive control against a senior male industry figure.
Ms Ferguson, 34, claims she was targeted while working to build her career after coming second on the ITV show. The singer, who has agreed the MoS can reveal the complaint she made to police, has also met UK Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden to discuss problems within the industry.
We can also reveal that Lily Allen will use her forthcoming album to turn the tables on those she says have abused her. The title of each track will be the first name of a man within the music industry who she claims mistreated her.
Friends say that the move by Ms Allen, 36, who wrote about an alleged sexual assault by an industry figure during a work trip to the Caribbean in 2016, is a way of dealing with her trauma and is designed to send a message to the men about their behaviour.
Meanwhile, multiple sources have cited an incident involving a married executive who is alleged to have aggressively approached and molested a junior member of his staff at a party after the Brit Awards ceremony in 2015, forcing her to flee in tears.
A senior female executive also claims that she was sacked after years of being bullied, undermined and manipulated by her powerful line manager, who then made her sign a non-disclosure agreement preventing her from speaking out.
Following scandals within the TV and film industries, the music industry is now braced for its MeToo reckoning.
‘This is a ticking time bomb,’ said a source. ‘The things that have been going on for years are quite unbelievable. It is all showbiz glamour to the general public but the way that powerful men are treating women is abhorrent, and that is not an understatement.
‘There are men who are very afraid of this coming out. It really is only a matter of time now.’
The claims come three years after the MeToo and Time’s Up movements exposed abuses in America, with film producer Harvey Weinstein revealed as a sexual predator and rapist. Yet the abuse continues with non-disclosure agreements often used to silence women. One insider said: ‘This is very, very scary stuff.
‘Someone I know talks about a very violent male rapist who is in the industry and working around women. Some of the stories are absolutely shocking.’
In the 2015 Brit Awards incident, witnesses were left feeling ‘extremely uncomfortable’ as they watched a man employed by one of the world’s most successful record labels ‘get far too close’ to a junior member of staff. She was distressed but fearful of losing her job.
‘There are men who are afraid of this coming out’