Singer-songwriter Alexandra Burke won her season of “The X Factor” more than a decade ago and was offered several opportunities. However, the reality star had said behind the scenes she was met with racially charged requests, including suggestions to bleach her skin, and in a new interview this week she discussed what made her come forward last year to take on the topic.
During a lengthy Aug. 9 interview with The Guardian, the London-born star, who has several new projects in the works, described some of the microaggressions she faced in the entertainment industry, telling the outlet the reason “we’re talking about it openly now because we feel safer to speak out.” The 32-year-old added, “Otherwise, I’d be too scared.
In fact, Burke first found her courage last June after the murder of George Floyd, when she took to Instagram to record a video describing how the music industry has tried to white-wash throughout her career, including suggestions she bleach her skin.
Burke, whose mother, Melissa Bell, was a singer in the ’80s and ’90s, was well cautioned about some of the obstacles she may face as she, too, got her footing in the industry.
“She’d warned me that people would inevitably bring up color. When she was in Soul II Soul, she used to get certain comments: ‘If you were slimmer, or if you were white, you’d have a much bigger career.’ She was advised not to have kids because ‘women who are Black already struggle,’” she explained.
Although Burke encountered comments such as “you’re Black, you won’t get that far” and “because you’re Black, you need to work hard,” the star said in the video last year things got even worse following her big win in 2008. Burke claimed she was only 19 at the time when she was “asked to bleach my skin after X Factor.” While she wouldn’t name the person who made the comment, she said it was “a certain person on the creative side who was working with me.”
Still, it wouldn’t be the only time the “Hallelujah” singer was asked to alter her appearance, seemingly to appease fans. While preparing for a show at London Palladium, Burke was allegedly told by her label to redo her hair, which had been put in a bun with a few baby hairs — a style most associated with the Black community.
She continued, “Half an hour before I was due on stage, my hairstylist came up to me and said: ‘I’ve just been told you look quite aggressive with this hairstyle. We need to change it.’ I said: ‘What?’ He said: ‘Your record label’s just told me you look aggressive, so we have to change it.’ I said: ‘What part of me looks aggressive?’ He said it was the baby hairs stuck to my head.”
Burke appeared in other shows and faced more critics from management who routinely told her to “smile more” so that people would “warm up to her.” The singer subsequently let them go for that reason.
The singer said in this week’s interview that though some progress has been made in the industry, there’s still a lot more work left to be done. But, she added, “I’m hoping people are not just going to forget about it. I really pray that one day it changes completely – but it won’t be in our lifetime.”
