Aussie indie pop star Eves Karydas almost quit music after given ‘sex sells’ advice

Indie pop star Eves Karydas reveals why she almost quit music after being sucked into the timeworn “sex sells” strategy.

Indie pop star Eves Karydas isn’t the first female singer songwriter given the sexist advice to “be someone all the girls want to be and all the guys want to f**k!”

What is shocking is she was compelled to call out the timeworn “sex sells” strategy in 2022, with an explosive essay about the intense pressure exerted on female artists to post “hot girl” content on social media to sell their music.

Karydas went offline earlier this year, telling her followers: “I need time away from pretending like everything is awesome for the purposes of social media.”

It was a big risk to take for a young artist whose fanbase was building thanks to her 2020 indie hit Complicated which launched her into the Triple J universe, landing at No. 22 on the Hottest 100.

When she returned to social media, her posts were fewer and music-focused. Then last month she shared why in a carefully-crafted and candid Instagram essay.

“I’ve posted thirst traps, marketed myself as a ‘hot girl’, obsessively checked likes, read comments, puked at the gross misogyny it incites but also secretly craved the attention,” she wrote.

“And for what? All because I was told that was how to get ahead in this industry? Because I was constantly told I’d have to readjust my expectations of success if I did any differently?”

Karydas wrote she reached the point where she was spending more hours per week taking hundreds of photos for social media posts than writing music and had “been pushed to believe my best asset is my body.”

“Nothing gets the algorithm going like tits and ass,” she wrote.

Eves Karydas almost quit music after being obsessed with public opinion on social media. Picture: Luke Marsden.

The Australian musician joins a chorus of artists including Halsey, Florence and the Machine, Ed Sheeran and Charlie XCX who have hit out this year at the music industry’s obsession with going viral on social media, particularly TikTok, to promote new music.

Her post received hundreds of mostly positive comments, with Australian peers including May-a, Kita Alexander, Jack River, Kira Puru, Cxloe, Odette, Cub Sport, Yorke, Gretta Ray, Fanny Lumsden, Cyrus and Jaguar Jonze supporting her stand.

Karydas said she almost quit her music career.

Eves Karydas attends the 2022 ARIA Awards. Picture: Getty Images

“At the end of last year I was at the lowest point in terms of my mental health, and my self-esteem was in tatters and there was a lot that contributed to that,” she says.

“I felt I needed to quit and just do something else, so I shelved music for a bit. I went and did a woodworking course.”

Switching her brain and talents to another creative outlet unlocked her love for music again.

She is appreciative of the loyalty of her fans – Karydas’ songs have reached platinum and gold status in Australia, generating more than 60 million streams – but said her comeback has reinforced her desire to make the music she wants to rather than chase pop radio or social media likes.

Eves Karydas at the 2021 Queensland Music Awards. Photographer: Liam Kidston.

As Karydas kicks off her new chapter with the release of her Wide Eyed EP this week, introduced by the singles Last Night When We Were Young and Be With You, she is emboldened by taking the reins of her career, assisted by those who stood by her as she made her stand.

“I want (speaking out) to feel positive because I do have heaps of energy now and I’m writing and I’m happy with the music that’s coming out and I haven’t felt like that in a couple of years,” she said.

“And I’m working on an album, which is wild to me, because my headspace is completely opposite to what it was a year ago.”

The Wide Eyed EP is out now. For future Eves Karydas tour dates, https://www.eveskarydas.com/tour

Originally published as Aussie indie pop star Eves Karydas almost quit music after given ‘sex sells’ advice