PRINCE’S female drummer has slammed pop stars as “vulgar” - backing a previous comment that female singers degrade themselves by treating their bodies like “a piece of meat”.

Hannah ‘Ford’ Welton is the drummer in all-girl band 3RDEYEGIRL, formed by Prince who steered their new album PlectrumElectrum.

The drummer, who goes by the name Hannah Ford, said modern pop stars are compensating for poor music by exposing more of their bodies.

“At the moment in the industry there’s so much vulgarity coming from men and women,” Ford said.

“Talking about things that little girls or little boys shouldn’t necessarily be singing about when they’re sitting on the school bus. Women aren’t dressing so ladylike. I’m all for women being beautiful and bold and powerful and sexy. But at the same time there’s a line between classy and sexy and then trashy and out-there.”

Ford told The Guardian: “If women are getting sick and tired of men talking about them in their music like they’re a piece of meat, they can’t then walk around treating their body like it’s a piece of meat.”

She stands by her comments when she spoke to News Corp Australia.

“I hear a lot of women complain about guys being disrespectful and talking about them in a certain way. But then those same women will walk outside wearing basically nothing and talk about other women in the same way they don’t want to be talked about. That’s hypocritical to me. I’m all for self expression and freedom of speech, but at the same time, I’m all about living a lifestyle that is admirable. You walk the walk and talk the talk.”

While Miley Cyrus’ near-nude performances, and recent rear-obsessed videos by Nicki Minaj, Jennifer Lopez and Iggy Azalea have created headlines, Ford does not want to name names.

“It is what it is. You don’t want to bash fellow artists. But at the same time you wouldn’t catch me walking out on a stage and spending my five minutes of performance time doing that.

“I’m all about encouraging people and motivating people and uplifting them in a positive light. Spreading joy and peace and happiness. I hear music that doesn’t necessarily do that, and I see artists that carry themselves in a way I wouldn’t like my future children to look up to.”

The religious drummer said she and Prince share similar views on the topic; Prince’s religious views have seen him cull sexually explicit songs and swear words in his old material from his latest live shows.

“Prince is a very spiritual man. We have conversations all the time about God and the deeper meaning to what we do, about making an impact on the world. Bringing light into peoples’ lives. This world is so dark, if I can be blunt. It’s up to the people that are inhabiting the world right now to bring the light. That’s our goal.”

Prince found Ford’s videos on You Tube and contacted her to join his new band.

PlectrumElectrum entered the ARIA Albums Chart at No. 33 this week, with Prince’s album Art Official Age at No. 15 — both were released on the same day.

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/drummer-hannah-ford-brands-female-pop-stars-vulgar-and-trashy/story-e6frfn09-1227083951957

bashraka said:

PRINCE’S female drummer has slammed pop stars as “vulgar” - backing a previous comment that female singers degrade themselves by treating their bodies like “a piece of meat”.

Hannah ‘Ford’ Welton is the drummer in all-girl band 3RDEYEGIRL, formed by Prince who steered their new album PlectrumElectrum.

The drummer, who goes by the name Hannah Ford, said modern pop stars are compensating for poor music by exposing more of their bodies.

“At the moment in the industry there’s so much vulgarity coming from men and women,” Ford said.

“Talking about things that little girls or little boys shouldn’t necessarily be singing about when they’re sitting on the school bus. Women aren’t dressing so ladylike. I’m all for women being beautiful and bold and powerful and sexy. But at the same time there’s a line between classy and sexy and then trashy and out-there.”

Ford told The Guardian: “If women are getting sick and tired of men talking about them in their music like they’re a piece of meat, they can’t then walk around treating their body like it’s a piece of meat.”

She stands by her comments when she spoke to News Corp Australia.

“I hear a lot of women complain about guys being disrespectful and talking about them in a certain way. But then those same women will walk outside wearing basically nothing and talk about other women in the same way they don’t want to be talked about. That’s hypocritical to me. I’m all for self expression and freedom of speech, but at the same time, I’m all about living a lifestyle that is admirable. You walk the walk and talk the talk.”

While Miley Cyrus’ near-nude performances, and recent rear-obsessed videos by Nicki Minaj, Jennifer Lopez and Iggy Azalea have created headlines, Ford does not want to name names.

“It is what it is. You don’t want to bash fellow artists. But at the same time you wouldn’t catch me walking out on a stage and spending my five minutes of performance time doing that.

“I’m all about encouraging people and motivating people and uplifting them in a positive light. Spreading joy and peace and happiness. I hear music that doesn’t necessarily do that, and I see artists that carry themselves in a way I wouldn’t like my future children to look up to.”

The religious drummer said she and Prince share similar views on the topic; Prince’s religious views have seen him cull sexually explicit songs and swear words in his old material from his latest live shows.

“Prince is a very spiritual man. We have conversations all the time about God and the deeper meaning to what we do, about making an impact on the world. Bringing light into peoples’ lives. This world is so dark, if I can be blunt. It’s up to the people that are inhabiting the world right now to bring the light. That’s our goal.”

Prince found Ford’s videos on You Tube and contacted her to join his new band.

PlectrumElectrum entered the ARIA Albums Chart at No. 33 this week, with Prince’s album Art Official Age at No. 15 — both were released on the same day.

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/drummer-hannah-ford-brands-female-pop-stars-vulgar-and-trashy/story-e6frfn09-1227083951957

If I could say something to Hannah it would be these two words: "Girl, bye!" Vulgar lyrics and half-dressed artists is something that has been going on since the beginning of time. Just because she plays in Prince's band for the moment and they have spiritual conversations changes nothing. She's still playing for Prince, the same person who is responsible for PMRC stickers on albums to this very day.

I don't know what kind of light they are spreading though...

excellent point! i hate the way things have changed and now female artists are all about the tits and ass, rather than the talent and skill. photoshopped image, photoshopped music. bleh

Bravo Hannah.

It's a good thing that she's too young to remember when her "boss" gave us proteges that went onstage dressed like this....

XxAxX said:

excellent point! i hate the way things have changed and now female artists are all about the tits and ass, rather than the talent and skill. photoshopped image, photoshopped music. bleh

I did see that show where J-Lo and 1 or two other female entertainers were really give up the ass. It was almost pornographic. And I'm very liberal when it comes to stage antics but even I was like, ok I think I saw that in a porn vid before

thesoulbrother said:

bashraka said:

PRINCE’S female drummer has slammed pop stars as “vulgar” - backing a previous comment that female singers degrade themselves by treating their bodies like “a piece of meat”.

Hannah ‘Ford’ Welton is the drummer in all-girl band 3RDEYEGIRL, formed by Prince who steered their new album PlectrumElectrum.

The drummer, who goes by the name Hannah Ford, said modern pop stars are compensating for poor music by exposing more of their bodies.

“At the moment in the industry there’s so much vulgarity coming from men and women,” Ford said.

“Talking about things that little girls or little boys shouldn’t necessarily be singing about when they’re sitting on the school bus. Women aren’t dressing so ladylike. I’m all for women being beautiful and bold and powerful and sexy. But at the same time there’s a line between classy and sexy and then trashy and out-there.”

Ford told The Guardian: “If women are getting sick and tired of men talking about them in their music like they’re a piece of meat, they can’t then walk around treating their body like it’s a piece of meat.”

She stands by her comments when she spoke to News Corp Australia.

“I hear a lot of women complain about guys being disrespectful and talking about them in a certain way. But then those same women will walk outside wearing basically nothing and talk about other women in the same way they don’t want to be talked about. That’s hypocritical to me. I’m all for self expression and freedom of speech, but at the same time, I’m all about living a lifestyle that is admirable. You walk the walk and talk the talk.”

While Miley Cyrus’ near-nude performances, and recent rear-obsessed videos by Nicki Minaj, Jennifer Lopez and Iggy Azalea have created headlines, Ford does not want to name names.

“It is what it is. You don’t want to bash fellow artists. But at the same time you wouldn’t catch me walking out on a stage and spending my five minutes of performance time doing that.

“I’m all about encouraging people and motivating people and uplifting them in a positive light. Spreading joy and peace and happiness. I hear music that doesn’t necessarily do that, and I see artists that carry themselves in a way I wouldn’t like my future children to look up to.”

The religious drummer said she and Prince share similar views on the topic; Prince’s religious views have seen him cull sexually explicit songs and swear words in his old material from his latest live shows.

“Prince is a very spiritual man. We have conversations all the time about God and the deeper meaning to what we do, about making an impact on the world. Bringing light into peoples’ lives. This world is so dark, if I can be blunt. It’s up to the people that are inhabiting the world right now to bring the light. That’s our goal.”

Prince found Ford’s videos on You Tube and contacted her to join his new band.

PlectrumElectrum entered the ARIA Albums Chart at No. 33 this week, with Prince’s album Art Official Age at No. 15 — both were released on the same day.

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/drummer-hannah-ford-brands-female-pop-stars-vulgar-and-trashy/story-e6frfn09-1227083951957

If I could say something to Hannah it would be these two words: "Girl, bye!" Vulgar lyrics and half-dressed artists is something that has been going on since the beginning of time. Just because she plays in Prince's band for the moment and they have spiritual conversations changes nothing. She's still playing for Prince, the same person who is responsible for PMRC stickers on albums to this very day.

Prince is not responsible for that. The responsible parties are a bunch of government-backed do-gooder hypocrites.

XxAxX said:

excellent point! i hate the way things have changed and now female artists are all about the tits and ass, rather than the talent and skill. photoshopped image, photoshopped music. bleh

But isn't Prince working with Rita Ora? And isn't she half-naked as well? Hell, I had never heard of her until the Prince talk!

SoulAlive said:

It's a good thing that she's too young to remember when her "boss" gave us proteges that went onstage dressed like this....

No shit. Not to mention she's only 24. Hannah doesn't know anything about Vanity 6, Apollonia 6, Carmen Electra, or Robin Power for that matter.

i'm so sorry this is just ignorant...if it was 25 years ago, (or any other band rt now) she'd be wearing her underwear on stage in prince's band doing what you she was told....sheila can drum circles around her, and there was nothing wrong with her being hot as fire, and wearing whatever underwear thing it was lololol. NOWWWWW its' all bad? um, just stop it. that hotness trajectory & shelf life can be a short one, so why opine on it?

there's a market for vulgar whether we like it or not, and so. what.? alot of what's going on today, is shocking but, really just how shocking is it? if we werent so scandalized over some booty and boobs, it wouldnt be a big deal...wearing skimpy stage costumes or being a total freak onstage doesn't =the right to disrespect women. a show is a show, thats all it is.

prince was trashy and vulgar in the beginning and it was quite frankly .....AWESOME. it got him noticed, quel suprise...just like it gets others noticed. shaming others for their choices isn't spreading 'light' either. it's negative. disappointingly negative.

prince used plenty of half-naked women to his advantage for years and years, and just because he's letting hannah keep her clohes on doesnt mean her road is higher than anyone elses. it's just different.

the second he decides it's time to wear pasties and a thong to keep the gig...thats what she'll do and if she doesn't its okay...another girl with drumsticks will take her place in 30 seconds. it's show buisness and other womens choices are their own, just like hers are her own. the more choices women have to exercise their choices the better.

/rant over. these kinds of things drive me nuts ...

PS. in my business there is the same half-naked porn pose type thing to get attention, clicks, page views etc etc...i have always chosen not to go that route. why? because i KNOW that my choices will yield me longevity, rather than a quick couple of years. those that choose differently dont effect me, and i'd never diss them because it lowers the vibrations of what I do. all you have to do to be an inspriration is BE an inspiration. the light will shine to those who are ready to see it.

[Edited 10/9/14 15:19pm]

[Edited 10/9/14 15:19pm]

[Edited 10/9/14 15:25pm]

terrig said:

i'm so sorry this is just ignorant...if it was 25 years ago, (or any other band rt now) she'd be wearing her underwear on stage in prince's band doing what you she was told....sheila can drum circles around her, and there was nothing wrong with her being hot as fire, and wearing whatever underwear thing it was lololol. NOWWWWW its' all bad? um, just stop it. that hotness trajectory & shelf life can be a short one, so why opine on it?

there's a market for vulgar whether we like it or not, and so. what.? alot of what's going on today, is shocking but, really just how shocking is it? if we werent so scandalized over some booty and boobs, it wouldnt be a big deal...wearing skimpy stage costumes or being a total freak onstage doesn't =the right to disrespect women. a show is a show, thats all it is.

prince was trashy and vulgar in the beginning and it was quite frankly .....AWESOME. it got him noticed, quel suprise...just like it gets others noticed. shaming others for their choices isn't spreading 'light' either. it's negative. disappointingly negative.

prince used plenty of half-naked women to his advantage for years and years, and just because he's letting hannah keep her clohes on doesnt mean her road is higher than anyone elses. it's just different.

the second he decides it's time to wear pasties and a thong to keep the gig...thats what she'll do and if she doesn't its okay...another girl with drumsticks will take her place in 30 seconds. it's show buisness and other womens choices are their own, just like hers are her own. the more choices women have to exercise their choices the better.

/rant over. these kinds of things drive me nuts ...

PS. in my business there is the same half-naked porn pose type thing to get attention, clicks, page views etc etc...i have always chosen not to go that route. why? because i KNOW that my choices will yield me longevity, rather than a quick couple of years. those that choose differently dont effect me, and i'd never diss them because it lowers the vibrations of what I do. all you have to do to be an inspriration is BE an inspiration. the light will shine to those who are ready to see it.

[Edited 10/9/14 15:19pm]

[Edited 10/9/14 15:19pm]

[Edited 10/9/14 15:25pm]

I enjoy this post, because you're right. I think she forgot Prince's early history of his career, and the artists/musicians that performed half-naked alongside with him.

she does have a point,though.Too many of today's female artists are OK with exploiting themselves and turning themselves into sex objects.There's no point,no message,no deeper meaning to it.They're just being "nasty" for the sake of being nasty....and to get attention.

true

terrig said:

..if it was 25 years ago, (or any other band rt now) she'd be wearing her underwear on stage in prince's band doing what you she was told....

terrig said:

i'm so sorry this is just ignorant...if it was 25 years ago, (or any other band rt now) she'd be wearing her underwear on stage in prince's band doing what you she was told....sheila can drum circles around her, and there was nothing wrong with her being hot as fire, and wearing whatever underwear thing it was lololol. NOWWWWW its' all bad? um, just stop it. that hotness trajectory & shelf life can be a short one, so why opine on it?

there's a market for vulgar whether we like it or not, and so. what.? alot of what's going on today, is shocking but, really just how shocking is it? if we werent so scandalized over some booty and boobs, it wouldnt be a big deal...wearing skimpy stage costumes or being a total freak onstage doesn't =the right to disrespect women. a show is a show, thats all it is.

prince was trashy and vulgar in the beginning and it was quite frankly .....AWESOME. it got him noticed, quel suprise...just like it gets others noticed. shaming others for their choices isn't spreading 'light' either. it's negative. disappointingly negative.

prince used plenty of half-naked women to his advantage for years and years, and just because he's letting hannah keep her clohes on doesnt mean her road is higher than anyone elses. it's just different.

the second he decides it's time to wear pasties and a thong to keep the gig...thats what she'll do and if she doesn't its okay...another girl with drumsticks will take her place in 30 seconds. it's show buisness and other womens choices are their own, just like hers are her own. the more choices women have to exercise their choices the better.

/rant over. these kinds of things drive me nuts ...

PS. in my business there is the same half-naked porn pose type thing to get attention, clicks, page views etc etc...i have always chosen not to go that route. why? because i KNOW that my choices will yield me longevity, rather than a quick couple of years. those that choose differently dont effect me, and i'd never diss them because it lowers the vibrations of what I do. all you have to do to be an inspriration is BE an inspiration. the light will shine to those who are ready to see it.

Also Prince didn't skimp himself with being half naked. Andre & Dez at time were too

SoulAlive said:

she does have a point,though.Too many of today's female artists are OK with exploiting themselves and turning themselves into sex objects.There's no point,no message,no deeper meaning to it.They're just being "nasty" for the sake of being nasty....and to get attention.

i agree with you, but that doesnt exclude cream rising to the top. look at janelle monae...there's room for everyone. there's alot of crap everywhere, and when someone transcends that - they have a voice, something to say, a point of view and talent...sometimes an artist trades on sexy to get themselves to the point where they can grow into all the other things. no one pops out of the box already cooked. it's a phase everyone grows out of eventually don't you think? if they can't move through the trashy phase, the career dies and thats that...

for example..nikki minaj, is no dummy and is a major business savvy bad ass. im not much of a fan but i can recognize the game and pffft she's playing it well.

jol's horrible booty song lololol--- i for one will never hate on jlo - who (cant sing worth a damn)......but she alone ushered in the era of booty acceptance, there's an upside people, look for the silver lining!

i find miley to be awkward and painfully not hot, but she CAN sing...but guess what she found a bazillion chicks that now feel culterally relevant=brilliant business strategy once you unclutch the pearls she knows exactly what shes doing, shes playing a role for now...when sales drop, boom new personae will emerge and everyone will talk about her 'clean-up'.

it's business, thats it

Also Prince didn't skimp himself with being half naked. Andre & Dez at time were too

BOOM. there it is. double standards, and fwiw, i'm not much of a fan of prince backing up off his prior lyrics and antics...imho god gave him all that to enable him to grow and evolve.. none of it was 'wrong' or bad....and its part of the human condition we all move through as we grow and explore life. in short in my view, it's common for us to explore the trashy and vulgar and grow out of it as we mature...the fingerwagging now at the past is a big ol wet blanket, but thank goodness theres tons of evidence of the fire of the past!

terrig said:

Also Prince didn't skimp himself with being half naked. Andre & Dez at time were too

BOOM. there it is. double standards, and fwiw, i'm not much of a fan of prince backing up off his prior lyrics and antics...imho god gave him all that to enable him to grow and evolve.. none of it was 'wrong' or bad....and its part of the human condition we all move through as we grow and explore life. in short in my view, it's common for us to explore the trashy and vulgar and grow out of it as we mature...the fingerwagging now at the past is a big ol wet blanket, but thank goodness theres tons of evidence of the fire of the past!

That's the part that gets to me the 'fingerwagging'

He comes across out being out of touch.

Like at that BET show where he was acknowledged and Alicia Keys got on the piano when playing Adore

He seemed ashamed of his past when he spoke to the crowd

I love how people wanna pretend that Prince somehow infused Hanna with his opinion and imply that she would get nekkid in a heartbeat if he commanded it. What is that opinion based on?

Here's a radical thought....perhaps they simply see eye to eye on some things.

What on earth does what Prince did a thousand years ago have to do with what Hannah thinks today?

this was a time when going onstage in your underwear was considered cool....LOL

SoulAlive said:

this was a time when going onstage in your underwear was considered cool....LOL

Like I said, what does this have to do with Hannah? It's 2014.

babynoz said:

SoulAlive said:

babynoz said:

Like I said, what does this have to do with Hannah? It's 2014.

I'm just having fun with this topic and the irony of it all

By reminding us that Prince's pubic hair resembles buckshot and bb's? I thought he looked like an idiot even back then,

Dalia11 said:

What this young woman is saying is true. However, everyone knows that sex sells in the music/entertainment business. She should be talking more about her talents and future plans as a female musician. I like that she is a musician. I do not like that she is being critical of others. She should focus on things she is doing and what the public does not already know.

So although what she says is true she should shut up because of what everybody else knows/does? Thank heavens for people who don't go along to get along.

I notice nowadays that for every one person who criticizes rachetness, there's about a thousand who attack the critic instead of the rachet behavior.

There have always been those who did over the top stuff but the issue in this era is that it's overkill, 24/7 bombardment with ratchetness in lieu of genuine talent.

Remember when people with real talent could actually get a record deal? One of the main reasons we have the crap that passes for entertainment today constantly shoved down our throats is exactly because whenever somebody criticizes it, everybody tells them to shut up.

babynoz said:

2elijah said:

babynoz said:

I love how people wanna pretend that Prince somehow infused Hanna with his opinion and imply that she would get nekkid in a heartbeat if he commanded it. What is that opinion based on?

Here's a radical thought....perhaps they simply see eye to eye on some things.

What on earth does what Prince did a thousand years ago have to do with what Hannah thinks today?

I see where you're comimg from Babynoz, and she's right about many female artists quick to strip to be relevant, and not saying Hannah did the same, but she did change her own appearance, as other members of Prince's band has, to conform to his taste. Sad though, that many female artists submit to stripping down.

Changing appearance isn't what was said though. The statement was that she would be wearing underwear on stage, doing what she's told. I haven't seen any evidence of that.

I don't think that Hannah or anybody else has an issue with changing appearance/costumes being part of performances for musicians, singers, dancers, actors, etc. but moreso the increasing trashiness to use her word. Especially now when it seems like we get a lot more trash than we do talent.

Back in the day when Prince did it I thought he looked like an idiot too, but by the same token, showing his na-nas wasnt his only claim to fame...if that was all he had I would have abandoned him long ago.

Hannah is entitled to her opinion. However, what bothers me is that Prince made an entire career of not only pushing the envelope, but pushing that damn thing off the table! Her point is pretty much like beating a dead horse because today's artists aren't doing anything different than what's been going on for years and years and years. The only difference today is with the Internet, there is more access to it and it's more in your face. Sex sells. And I agree with a previous poster that if it was twenty years ago, Hannah would be half-naked her damn self! Hell, they were all half-naked and running around onstage in g-strings but we didn't care; it was good music. I love Prince, Lord knows I do. I have been a die-hard admirer of Prince since I was a three-year-old singing along to "Soft and Wet." But I also know that as holier-than-thou as he wants us all to believe him to be, there's still that freak inside who would love to still hump the floor if not for bad hips!

[Edited 10/13/14 9:43am]