Texas star Sharleen Spiteri claims she was ordered to “change her look” for success.
The frontwoman has revealed she was challenged to alter her appearance and clothing choices as soon as the iconic Glasgow band was signed.
However, she says this has given her ‘the b**** and the guts to say no’ as she stayed true to herself.
The 56-year-old was interviewed by Chris Difford, founder of the band Squeeze, for the latest episode in the fourth series of the I Never Thought It Would Happen podcast from the charity Help Musicians.
In the episode, Sharleen confirmed she’s "never had a great relationship with the music industry" as she believes that comments telling her to change still happen, but now are "completely camouflaged" and "hidden really well".
Sharleen also spoke about how she "absolutely loved" Glastonbury, with the crowd singing along from the first minute of the set, exclaiming "I didn’t think they were going to act the way they did".
She revealed how the festival changed things for the band, with the likes of Fred Again playing their songs - leading to her daughter saying, for the first time, that she thought her mum was "actually quite cool".
READ MORE: Glasgow band Texas tease new UK tour on Instagram
While reflecting on her career, Sharleen shares that she feels "privileged to still be relevant", particularly as a woman in music.
She loves being on stage, but also reveals that touring can be difficult - particularly becoming "a schlep" after Covid and Brexit, relating how "long and laborious" the travelling has become.
Discussing the band’s approach to wellbeing, Sharleen touches on their past experiences with drugs and alcohol, stating "members of the band have had their run-ins with drugs and alcohol…we’ve had moments where somebody has fallen off the stage".
However the band have now changed their mindset to be "conscious that there is a job to do" and they need to be healthy to work the next day.
Help Musicians is a charity that supports musicians across the UK in times of crisis and opportunity - ensuring musicians across the UK can achieve their creative potential and sustain a career in music.
Sister charity Music Minds Matter puts mental wellbeing centre stage in music by providing everybody who works in music with the early support, knowledge and tools they need, at exactly the time they need them.
Find out more about Help Musicians’ services, or to make a donation to support its work, on the website www.helpmusicians.org.uk
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here