Cam Refuses to Be Silent About Lack of Women at Country Radio

Cam is continuing to speak out about the lack of women at country radio, especially the difficulty she is having getting her current single, “Diane,” to receive airplay. The 33-year-old says men have tried explaining the reason why they get more time on the radio than female artists, but she’s undeterred.

“They’ll tell me that women actually to like to listen to men sing because we like to believe that they’re our boyfriend,” Cam tells Sounds Like Nashville. “I don’t think that anyone is an evil super villain. I think in our entire culture, across all of these different industries, there are subliminal ways that we keep reminding women that they’re less valuable: their stories are less valuable, their time is less valuable, that they shouldn’t get paid as much. It’s all hidden and I think we need to open our minds a little bit more to be able to recognize it. I think women feel it but don’t even know how to name it.”

“Diane,” which says, “Lyin’ right there in my bed / While he was lying to you / Believing the words that he said / How could we be such fools? / And all those nights that he’s given to me / I wish that I could give them back to you,” is about a woman who finds out the man she has been dating is already married.

“I had multiple people who have had this kind of thing happen hear it, and they are like, ‘It means so much to get an apology that I didn’t get in real life,’” Cam confesses. “It’s so funny because I get told often that women don’t like to be reminded that they have been cheated on and that’s why men feel uncomfortable playing the song. The main people that respond to me are women who had this happen and they feel not alone to hear this kind of song come out. That’s really nice to have happen. I think it’s true in the personal sense, and in the public broader sense, to have people coming forward saying thanks.”

“Diane” brings to the forefront an issue that most people prefer to keep out of the spotlight, but Cam, thankfully, isn’t afraid to shed light on touchy issues, in her music or in real life.

“Women are told, or subconsciously told, in our culture that we need to process things silently and it all needs to happen inside,” says Cam. “It’s too hard to process in general without speaking out about it and getting support and figuring out where you’re supposed to go. So, I think, music is one of those few places that the rules bend and you can talk about things you’re wouldn’t normally be able to say in conversation so it opens a door a little bit for people to have a moment of the correct processing.”

While the country music industry has a long way to go in giving women the same opportunities as men, at least the issue is finally getting more and more attention.

“It’s really nice that a conversation is coming out and starting to get addressed,” Cam notes. “Where are the women? Why are there only 22 percent of musicians that are women? Why are there only two percent of producers that are women? Why are there only 12 percent songwriters?

“How are we raising young women when they can’t hear themselves?” she continues. “How are they supposed to hear their own stories and how are they supposed to grow better than us if they can’t even hear where we are at right now? I’m glad that it’s starting.”

“Diane” is from an upcoming new album. Download the song on iTunes.

Photo Credit: Instagram/camcountry