By: Mohnish Singh
Jameela Jamil has responded to criticism she received after being credited on partner James Blake’s latest album, Friends That Break Your Heart. Blake’s fifth studio album, which was released on Friday October 8, credits The Good Place (2016) actor and activist as a producer on nine of the 12 tracks.
Jamil took to Twitter and lashed out at those who did not believe she was actually involved in the album’s production, something she considered to be “misogyny.”
“A lot of mostly women insisting I could not possibly have actually worked on my boyfriend’s music, and that he must have just credited me to be nice. I was a DJ for 8 years, and studied music for 6 years before that,” she wrote. “You are part of the problem of why women don’t pursue producing.”
“Man. James had to fight me to take credit on this album because I was so Pre-emptively sick of the internet,” she wrote further. “An additional hilarious side to this misogyny is that they only don’t believe in my musical input when they love the songs. If they don’t like a song then suddenly, I can produce and it’s all my fault, and I produced the whole thing alone!”
Jamil continued: “I hope you are taking credit for your work wherever you are in the world right now. I hope you know that if you are not being believed over your achievements… that it is not a reflection of you… it is a reflection of people who are so underachieving, cowardly and insecure that they cannot fathom that you could be impressive.
“It happens at every level in every industry. Even to me. Even when I don’t credit myself, my boyfriend just quietly credited me. We are in this shit together. Representation matters. It is not our responsibility to be believed, liked, understood or approved of.”
Jameela Jamil next stars in the much-awaited Disney+ series She-Hulk, which is one of several Marvel Cinematic Universe shows at the platform.
