“Belonging is a very human need,” said the Grammy-winning musician on the Better podcast from Great Place To Work.
Multi-Grammy award winner Brittany Howard kicks of season three of the Better podcast.
Howard, who has shattered stereotypes both as a solo artist and lead singer of The Alabama Shakes, continues to push for gender parity in the entertainment industry.
In this episode, Howard — musical guest during Great Place To Work’s For All™ Summit, Oct. 11-13, 2022 — talks about the importance of being seen in the world, why she’s thankful for having so many jobs before being famous, the power of friendships at work, and what she would tell other women who want to do what she does.
On gender parity in music—and her role model:
It’s good to see more women in my workplace, such as on the road, doing different types of jobs. We’re going in the right direction, but I still need to see more women producers and engineers being celebrated. It happens—they’re there, but I need more.
When you see the thing that you want to be, especially as a little girl, then you say, “Oh, she did it. I can do it.” For me, it was Missy Elliott, hands down. I saw that she was different. She looked different. Her flow was different, her clothes were different, the way she showed up in the world was different. I said, “Oh, I can do that. There’s a place for me.” Having these women celebrated in these roles, where we can all see them — more of that, please.
On the value of working so many jobs:
I really value the experiences I’ve had, of having so many different types of jobs. I value the people that I worked with. I understand what it’s like to work hard, to be underpaid, underappreciated, and never really being able to get over the hump. I’ve lived most of my life below middle class, and it taught me to be resourceful, to connect with people, to never judge people. All of those things came from those experiences. Now that I get to be the boss lady, I know how to treat people. I know how to treat people who work with me with respect, and honor them because I can't do what I what I do without them.
On why joining a band provided a sense of belonging:
Belonging is a very human thing. When I was younger, I wanted to have something that was my own. Something that couldn’t be controlled. No one was really allowed to have an opinion on it. Once I realized I could create, that’s all I want to do. And being in a band put me in a position of, “now someone's going to hear me and someone’s going to experience what I experience.” Even when I was younger, I didn't notice what I was doing, but being “seen” — as difficult as it can be even until this day — was empowering to me
On being “self-made”:
It looks that way, but I don’t think anybody’s self-made. It’s a thing we like to say, especially in America, because we love individualism. But it’s not true. There’s people around you all along the way that are lifting you up, or guiding you. And to anyone who wants to lead their own band: I say go for it, but 1,000%, know why you’re doing it. Do you want to express yourself? Do you want connection? Or do you want to be rich and famous?
On the meaning of songs from her Grammy-winning solo debut album, “Jamie:”
My overall message is that of acceptance, of trying to love all the different parts of myself, trying to understand people and where they’re coming from. It gives me more compassion towards myself when I understand people. All I want to do is tell my story a little bit, and there were some things that I wanted to talk about and that tends to be how I make music. Everybody is born with a gift, and I think that my purpose in life is to use that gift to bring some brightness to the world.
Listen to the full episode of Better, available wherever you get your podcasts.
