I’m not a Nepobaby!
( ) ...says Lola Lennox whose rock star mum happens to produce her new album
HER mother may be Eurythmics legend Annie Lennox but singer Lola Lennox has hit back at claims she only managed to carve out a music career because of her famous Scottish parent.
The 32-year-old says it is wrong to call her a ‘Nepobaby’ – the derogatory term for children who follow in the slipstream of their celebrity mums or dads. She has just released her debut EP Dreamer, which was partly produced by her Grammy award-winning mum.
Last month Kaya Stewart, daughter of Dave Stewart, who co-founded Eurythmics with Annie in 1980, also showcased her musical ability during an audition for TV show American Idol alongside her father – sparking claims that both singers were trading on their parents’ fame.
Addressing the Nepobaby tag, Lola told The James McMahon music podcast: ‘It’s a term in the zeitgeist and people have an issue with it as they think there’s a bypassing of hard work, and I don’t. I recognise I had certain privileges other artists didn’t have. You can maybe get a foot in the door, but there’s no way you can walk through the door if the music is not up to scratch.
‘I look at the last ten years of me making music and I’ve had so many ups and downs. If people knew the path I’ve been on, they wouldn’t think, “Oh, she’s just snapped her fingers and all the doors flew open for her”. It hasn’t been like that.’
Lola, who has often used sultry promo shots to help publicise her music, added: ‘I can understand why there’s certain frustrations with the Nepobaby thing but there is modelling as well, where you’re there as a face and you’re representing your brand.
‘But with music, I don’t think you can get away with it if the music itself doesn’t deserve to be heard and doesn’t have a certain quality.’
Recalling how she first told her 62-year-old mother she wanted to be a singer, she said: ‘I was scared because I felt like the bar was set high. I’m just a teenager who’s got a notebook full of embarrassing teenage songs.
‘Initially I think my mother’s protection was like, “You sure? This is a really hard industry”.’