Kate Nash has hit back at Lottery Winners after they claimed she didn’t represent “the working class musician” because she went to the BRIT School.
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Their exchange followed Nash making headlines after launching her Butts for Tour Buses campaign, which saw her join OnlyFans to protest the ongoing financial pressures facing the music industry and help raise money for her ongoing UK and European tour.
She also took her “bum on the back of a fire truck” protest to the London offices of Live Nation and Spotify as well as the Houses of Parliament to highlight the challenges facing artists and those working in the touring industry.
In a statement to NME, Nash maintained that the value of recorded music is “extremely low” and the “cost of presenting live music has gone up by 30.3 per cent over the past two years” with 125 venues closing last year in the UK — echoing concerns raised by the Music Venue Trust last month.
The ‘Foundations’ singer went on to say: “The industry is in crisis, the music industry has failed artists, and is completely unsustainable, and my arse is shining a light on that. And none would be listening if my bum wasn’t involved.
“This is a conversation about agency. And selling pictures of my bum is giving me the agency to reinvest in my creative economy. The music industry does not give me that agency.”
Lottery Winners then criticised Nash, accusing her of attempting to represent “the ‘working class musician” despite going to the BRIT School – the only non-fee-paying performing arts school in the UK with alumni including Adele, Amy Winehouse, FKA Twigs, Loyle Carner and Tom Holland.
Taking to X/Twitter last week (November 29), the band wrote: “I don’t mind if you went to private school and Brit School, that’s cool, I’m happy for you. But when did you become the spokesperson for the ‘working class musician’. No thanks mate,” adding: “If you want to talk about how ‘broken’ the music industry is, should we address that 8/10 best artist nominees at the Brit Awards last year went to YOUR SCHOOL.”
Nash also won British Female Solo Artist of The Year at the 2008 BRIT Awards following the release of her 2007 debut album ‘Made Of Bricks’. However, of the 10 nominees for Artist Of The Year in 2024 only two, Olivia Dean and Raye, attended the BRIT School. Previous to that, in 2023 five artists were nominated: Harry Styles, Central Cee, Fred Again.., George Ezra and Stormzy – none of whom attended the school.
On Saturday (November 30), the band apologised for the mistake in their earlier posts and shared that they’ve reached out to Nash privately. “Alright, I’ve mouthed off, made it into an NME article (which must mean I’m getting pretty famous) and got my facts wrong,” they wrote on X/Twitter.
“I’m sorry about that. I do want to say that I’m not pointing the finger at anybody, and that tweet wasn’t about one person, like the article would lead you to believe. I was having a particularly bad morning after having a conversation with somebody about my band and kicked out.”
They clarified their comment about BRIT award winners, writing: “To correct my point, more than half of the nominees for last year’s Best Artists at the Brits were educated in schools that require fees to attend. Yet only 5.9% of the population attend those schools. An anomaly!”
Alright, I’ve mouthed off, made it into an NME article (which must mean I’m getting pretty famous) and got my facts wrong.
I’m sorry about that. I do want to say that I’m not pointing the finger at anybody, and that tweet wasn’t about one person, like the article would lead you…
— Lottery Winners (@LotteryWinners) November 30, 2024
Research earlier this year that showed only 16 per cent of the music and performing arts workforce come from working class communities, as opposed to almost 65 per cent from middle or upper class backgrounds.
They concluded the post by saying they had “no problem with people that are privately educated” and were in “no way meaning to start a beef with anybody”.
Nash has now responded with a series of posts on her Instagram stories today (December 3). Over top of images from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, she wrote: “Apparently bands are arguing on twitter about me “not being workin class” because I went to The Brit school.
“A completely free to attend performing arts school in south london…slightly confused about your argument but I will say, free performing arts in education is one of the most important things in the world to me. Access for all! The Brit school is amazing.”
In her second post, she wrote: “Also ummm, kinda trying to destroy the hellmouth here! can you like make urself useful & pick up a stake & kill a vampire w me instead of discussing my ex boyfriends & where I went to school that was free.”
Elsewhere, Nash is set head to the Netherlands on December 5, 2024 before wrapping up her tour dates at the Dublin Academy on December 18. Find more details here.
