Does the UK have a Private School to Pop Star problem?
Exploring the way class systems and private schools are dominating the music and creative industries
In this article, I will interchangeably use the terms ‘public’ and ‘private’ when referring to schools that are independent and require fees to attend. When mentioning comprehensive schools I will refer to them as ‘state schools’.
The idea to write this piece was sparked by several conversations that have been dominating social media this week. Firstly an article by The Tab listing some of last night’s Brits nominees who were all privately educated and their eye-watering school fees.
Secondly, the conversation around the ‘punk band’ The Last Dinner Party and an article by The Times written recently about them. I will focus more on them later on but conversations were sparked when a quote was given, seemingly by a band member that, "People don’t want to listen to post-punk and hear about the cost-of-living crisis anymore." Despite the band refuting this quote saying it was given by a manager and was not regarding the recent article, it quickly took flight on social media. Abigail Morris, lead singer of the band, went to a school where fees were £43,000 a year. This was pointed out by the writer Will Hodgkinson, who has now apologised for the way this has all been painted.
However, it has opened up an interesting conversation with bands and singers in the industry who were privately educated. How many of these singers were shoe-ins for their success due to famous relatives, connections in the industry and overall privilege due to their financial status?
It is hard to not recognise a pattern when artists suddenly ‘pop up out of nowhere’, having overnight success, and happen to have an uncle, a grandmother, or a friend who has connections in the music industry.
A few of Britain’s biggest names in the music industry are all from wealthy public schools, Fred Again Marlborough College, Charlie XCX Bishop’s Stortford College, Jessie Ware James Allen’s Girls School Dulwich, Florence and the Machine Thomas’s London Day School and Allleyn’s School, Dua Lipa Sylvia Young Theatre School, Lily Allen Millfield School, MPW College, Hill House School, Chris Martin of Coldplay Sherborne School and Exeter Cathedral School, Ed Sheeran Rishworth School.
As if breaking into the music industry wasn’t hard enough, you are likely to be alongside people who went to the most expensive schools in Britain or some who are following in the footsteps of their ancestors (Eliza Doolittle granddaughter of the Sylvia Young.)
Okay, it is important to mention these people are all wildly talented and that of course is largely why they are successful in the music industry. Often the argument made by ex-public school alums, is that their education had no impact on their life. They were on their own at 18, they had to work just like the regular ‘normies’. I recognise this, but I can come back with a rebuttal.
The argument made by people who went to state schools and may not come from a wealthy family that has connections is that there is actually more to it than that. Privilege is a web that has been woven through the British class system for centuries. For example, someone who went to a London state school has more of a leg up in the industry than someone who went to a state school in Haworth, Yorkshire. London is the capital, the beating heart of the creative industries, therefore it grants people easier access than someone in Haworth.
Circling back to The Last Dinner Party, the group have been accused of being industry plants. By definition, “a pejorative used to describe musicians who ostensibly become popular through nepotism, inheritance, wealth, or their connections in the music industry rather than on their own merits.” They disagreed with this and said whilst speaking with Variety the closest they had to the industry was that “We all had friends who were in bands in that scene in London — I feel like they are the only connections we had." Abigail Morris followed up by saying, “I think it’s so funny. It is kind of old-fashioned, which is why I think people were like, ‘Something must be going on!’ No, that’s literally how the music industry works.”
As previously mentioned, there is more to privilege than just going to a public school. Whilst Abigail Morris did, she is also proving the points of critics here. She, and her fellow bandmates and friends, are able to be a band living in London. During a time of intense struggle for many, due to the Cost Of Living Crisis, it isn’t that common that people can live in the capital and afford the lifestyle they live. Some working actors, singers, and performers have to work multiple jobs to fund the life of a ‘wannabe’ singer or performer.
The Last Dinner Party also compared themselves to another band that rose to fame and grew quickly, Oasis. In conversation with Variety, Abigail Morris said, “I watched the Oasis documentary last night, and I was like, ‘Oh my god,’ because it’s a year after their first gig and they’re releasing their debut album. They weren’t industry plants, and neither are we.” It is true, Oasis were spotted by Alan McGee at a Glasgow show in 1993 and were signed instantly, subsequently releasing their number 1 album the following year.
Abigail’s comparison was fairly harmless here but I’m not sure Noel and Liam, who were raised on a housing estate in Manchester by their single mother, would agree that they are that comparable.
Despite her intentions not being malicious, as she cleared it up on the ‘Last Dinner Party’ X account, there seems to be an air of privilege that a lot of these ex-public school or ‘nepo-babies’ won’t admit to.
This isn’t a new problem/discussion. In 2018 Cerys Matthews, a Radio 6 DJ, spoke about not playing music created by anyone who went to private school. She felt that they were given a ‘leg up’ and were saturating the music industry, blocking out working-class singers.
When speaking to Music Week she said, “You must take into account who’s had the leg ups. Because if you’ve been through the public school system, you’ve had so many leg ups,” She spoke of her ideal music mix for Radio 6 and it being, “more females but also more people from working-class backgrounds, and more people from all walks of life.”
Whilst you cannot tarnish all public school alums with the same brush, I will use my own experiences to form an opinion here. I have a substantial amount of public school kids in and around my life, their ages ranging from 3-18, and they are still normal people like myself. Whilst I am not privately educated and some of my friends are, we can still coexist and share experiences of our differing upbringings. Sometimes it is more obvious than not, a friend was once baffled that not everyone’s parents will be paying for their university fees. She’ll never know the excitement of the SFE text informing you of your incoming loan payment.
However, just as it is hard for me to completely understand a life I have never lived (Saturday school, Latin and Mandarin lessons, Skiing Holidays and Lacrosse) it is equally difficult for people of a wealthier background to completely understand a working-class existence. Lived experiences are hard to replicate, which a lot of the music and film industries are severely lacking.
Per the Gov.uk website, “Amongst the wealthiest members of the TV, film and music industries, a substantial number - 38% - attended independent schools with our best selling popstars at 30% and top actors at 44%.” The Sutton Trust also found that 67% of British Oscar winners were privately educated and 42% of Bafta Winners. They noted that only 7% of students in the whole of the UK are privately educated, so clearly this number isn’t reflected in the entertainment industry.
These figures go hand in hand with my next point. There is more to a public school than Latin and Ski Holidays, they also have huge budgets. Their budgets allow for better facilities, often in creative spaces. In my own state school, we were constantly reminded by our teachers that we had no money for new pens, glue sticks and whiteboards. I can’t imagine this is the case at Eton.
Therefore, it makes sense why the industry is full of budding singers who come from the best schools. Creativity is born out of access. Access to instruments, school trips to The Globe or The National Theatre, new paints and easels. A survey found that the yearly budgets for music departments in maintained schools were £1,865, £2,152 in academies and free schools and £9,917 in independent schools. The gap between a public and state school in music alone is glaringly obvious.
Overall, looking at the evidence I can confidently say that yes, there is a private school-to-pop star pipeline. It has been a pattern for years and won’t be going away anytime soon. However, it is important to continue speaking about the gap between the working class-middle-upper class, as they get further and further apart.
I have witnessed so many young people who haven’t had the opportunity to get into certain rooms and spaces because of the cards life drew for them. There is an endless supply of ‘wannabe’ singers who won’t be able to get there, so it is even more important to uplift the singers and creatives who are self-made and have relied solely on hard work to get into the industry.
so awesome