Neneh Cherry felt "very conscious of ageism" at one point in her career.
Neneh Cherry felt conscious of ageism
The 57-year-old singer believes older female artists are held to a "different" standard than their male counterparts - but Neneh's outlook changed once she found herself on the "other side" of menopause.
She explained: "I was on a battleship for a while when I felt - not insignificant but very conscious of ageism, in particular when I was in the middle of menopause.
"Now I’m on the other side and I feel a quite deep sense of freedom. It’s about the quality of the work. It’s not so much about keeping up with what’s ultra cool, but feeling still that it can be cool without being strapped down by trends.
"It is different for a woman. A guy literally can turn up with a beer belly."
The 'Buffalo Stance' hitmaker - who has kids Naima, 39, Tyson, 33, and Mabel, 26 - admits her outlook on life and her own career has evolved over time.
Speaking to the Guardian newspaper, she shared: "While as a woman, I felt conscious of this sell-by-date issue. [Now] I can engage in my own time in a different way than I did before.
"I’m loved and of course my kids need me but they don’t need me on a daily basis in the same way. It was a bit daunting in the beginning but now I’m starting to feel very at ease with it. I can coexist in a different way."
Neneh is currently in the process of writing a memoir. But the music star insists it's not about "spilling the beans".
She added: "It’s more about needing to pay homage to the awesomeness of the journey and also to figure out how the f*** I got here!"
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