Alexandra Burke has opened up about her experience as a Black woman in the
music industry in an emotional video she shared on Instagram.
The
Singer began the 15-minute clip by revealing that she was “nervous” before explaining that it was not a “negative video”.“Please forgive me, I’m a little bit nervous because I’ve been wanting to make this video for a long time,” she began.
“I’ve just been a bit scared to do it,” she said, before adding that she was “really frightened of speaking my truth.”
“This is not a video to bash anyone, this isn’t a negative video,” she insisted. “This is simply me speaking about what I have been through in the past 11 years and finally feeling like I am not ashamed to speak about it. And that is a strong point for me.” View this post on InstagramA post shared by Alexandra Burke (@alexandraburke) on Jun 19, 2020 at 4:22pm PDTThe 2008 X Factor winner went on to state that she is “proud of being a Black woman, my culture, my heritage. I am proud of what my family has done, what they have sacrificed for us,” before detailing her experience in the music industry.
“The music industry is such a funny little place. I love singing, I love what I do but if it wasn’t for the love that I have for music I definitely wouldn’t be in this industry,” she admitted.
“A few reasons are, when I won the X Factor I was told, ‘Right, because you are Black, you are going to have to work 10 times harder than a white artist, because of the colour of your skin. You can’t have braids, you can’t have an afro, you can’t have anything that basically is my identity, you have to have hair, for example, that appeals to white people so they can understand you better,’” she said, fighting back tears.
She added: “That was so hard to digest. I was told to bleach my skin, and that was something I refused to do.”
Alexandra does not reveal who made these requests of her.The 31-year-old also spoke of the microaggressions she has experienced throughout her career, including being told to “smile more on
Instagram because you come across aggressive”.
The star later broke down in tears as she recalled her mother’s death, which happened on the launch day of Strictly Come Dancing in 2017.
Alexandra, who finished runner-up on the
BBC dance show, detailed the tough three months she experienced after being targeted by trolls and certain sections of the tabloid press.
“How I got through it, now I look back and I have no idea, no idea,” she said. “I don’t even like thinking about that experience at all. But thankfully, my family and
Friends got me through it and the amazing fans that supported me.”
Fans were quick to show their support for the star after she shared the video...Listening to Misha B and Alexandra Burke talk about their experiences is so heartbreaking. To know that people can even be treated like that is beyond me. I can’t help but feel so frustrated 😓— Shamilla Chiraga (@simplysham) June 20, 2020Watching Alexandra Burke talk about the
racism she faced as an artist is so heartbreaking. From the age of 16 they were taking the absolute piss. Seeing her get upset about allowing it to happen is really sad she was only trying to survive, she was 19.— Chanté said ABOLISH THE
police 🦖🇩🇲🇯🇲 (@ChantayyJayy) June 20, 2020Leona Lewis, Misha B, Keisha Buchanan and now Alexandra Burke. If you still believe
Britain isn’t racist after these four
Women have come forward to talk about their experiences with racism and character assassination from the
British media and the public you’re a massive problem— Lewis (@ConfideInTay13) June 20, 2020Alexandra Burke was the last season I watched and loved all the way through, we were sending each other her songs via Bluetooth back in high school and I’m so sad to hear about this but so proud of her for speaking out. I love her so much and only want the best for her 💛— eliana vigo (@missanerys) June 20, 2020I swear the music industry is scum! Confidently with their chest telling Alexandra Burke to bleach her skin and change her hairstyles to suit the mainstream demographic. DISGUSTING— Laura Living Life (@living_laura) June 20, 2020Watch Alexandra Burke’s latest IG video where she talks about how the press unfairly portrayed as this aggressive diva on Strictly on the same day/time her mum just died...so awful. I’ve met her after one of her shows and can honestly say what a lovely, kind woman she truly is💞— George Newsome (@georgenewsome_) June 20, 2020We need a list of the songs Alexandra Burke will personally make the most money from, so we can stream it NOW. She is one of our most talented artists who's success was intentionally curtailed, she needs LOVE now that she's spoken out, don't leave her high and dry.— Daniel (@ItsVeryThatTees) June 20, 2020Alexandra Burke is SUCH a talent it's fucking awful what the industry did to her https://t.co/xUriGf58Rr— Theresa Green (@itsTheresaG) June 20, 2020Alexandra’s video comes just days after another former X Factor contestant, Misha B, shared her personal experiences of racism while competing on the show in 2011.
The singer opened up in an Instagram video about how she was left with suicidal thoughts and diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after being publicly accused of ‘bullying’ by then-judges Louis Walsh and Tulisa Contostavlos live on air.
Hollyoaks star Rachel Adedeji has also recently spoken out about the racism she experienced whilst working on the Channel 4 soap.
The
Actor – who has played Lisa Loveday since 2016 – shared her thoughts on the show’s response to Black Lives Matter, after it was announced Hollyoaks was going to be unveiling a new podcast about racial injustice.READ MORE: X Factor Star Misha B Details Experiences Of Racism While Competing On Show Tulisa Breaks Silence On Misha B’s Video About Her X Factor Experiences Hollyoaks Admits It Needs To Do More After Rachel Adedeji Shares Experiences Of Racism At C4 Soap