Featured image: Alice Baxley

Kate Nash is a name we all know and love – her breakout hit ‘Foundations’ is an eternal karaoke hit, and a great source of inspiration to wind up partners by claiming their “mates are much fitter”. (And let’s face it, if you don’t adopt her London accent, you’re not singing it correctly). Now 18 years into her career, Nash has just released 9 Sad Symphonies, her first album in 12 years backed by a label. We sat down to discuss her creative projects, the challenges facing the music industry, and her new OnlyFans ‘BUTTS 4 Tour Buses.’

‘Foundations’ is a song that holds a significant position in Nash’s career, but fame and radio play aren’t what fuels her songwriting progress: “I continue to make music depending on what I am inspired by, and how I am feeling.” Having been open about her struggles with mental health – including OCD, anxiety and overthinking – Nash sees songwriting as cathartic. “Writing songs is a release and a way to express myself,” she says. “It is a way to say something you don’t always have the words for. It’s hard to express and know exactly how you feel.”

Her music doesn’t just help her navigate her own challenges – it also connects her with her audience in profound ways. Nash describes how career highlights for her include the intergenerational relationships formed through her music and live shows. “The fact music has brought together families, and inspired stories is incredible,” says Nash, expressing how emotional this aspect of music is. She writes this music to overcome her own struggles, and in the process, help others. Nash says the beauty of live music is that “you will never be in the same room, at the same time, with the same people”.

Nash’s love for live music is tempered by deep frustration with the current state of the industry. Rising costs for venues and tours are pushing many smaller artists into debt – herself included. “Do we value music at all?” she asks. At the end of her current tour, Nash predicts she’ll be in the red but refuses to cut costs when it comes to her band and crew. “For most music artists that you see on tour, including myself, we’re not profiting from doing shows.” She feels her team nor fans should face the repercussions of this: “I don’t think that’s ethical.”

Nash adds, “We have billionaire musicians, something we haven’t always had. Everyone in the music industry needs to be doing something or talking about the issue at hand.”

Nash highlights Katy Perry and Coldplay, who are donating £1 from every ticket sold to the Music Venue Trust as examples of what’s possible. “I’m angry. I’m definitely angry… We are in a dire situation,” says Nash discussing the current state of the music industry. But the Music Venue Trust is providing hope.

To battle these issues, Nash is taking matters into her own hands. She has launched an OnlyFans account with a tongue-in-cheek name: BUTTS 4 Tour Buses. The platform, she says, is both a political statement and a way to fund her tour while paying her team fairly. She says: “Where is the space for working class people that don’t have nepotism?” Nash says we need to not only protect these spaces, but ensure wages are paid fairly. She doesn’t want to see more working class people struggle, and is using her OnlyFans platform to make this statement.

On social media, Nash has embraced the project, sharing updates with fans on its impact and encouraging fans to rally behind the cause. She wants to use her platforms to raise awareness of the importance of community and the small indie venues under threat which are at the heart of the working class communities. She asks: “Why are we not fighting for people who are less fucking privileged?

“We can’t give up, but we need to get off our phones and have a real community.”

In true Kate Nash style, she leaves our call with a dose of humour: “Subscribe to my OnlyFans… I’ve got a banging arse!”

9 Sad Symphonies by Kate Nash is out now.