Sammy Andrews

Sammy is the Founder & CEO, Deviate Digital · Columnist, MBW · Trustee Music Minds Matter & Music Venue Trust

A moment in your career when you really backed yourself.

“I spent my teens in the care system and had my own flat at 15.

I’ve run my own company for 10 years, so I back myself every day.

But it started the week before launch. I was at the BRITs, getting texts from a major label in the room asking me to pull my company announcement with Music Week and work for them instead, for over £200k a year. I was 30.

I turned down the financial security and career path, recommended someone brilliant for the job instead, and rolled the dice on myself.

Best decision I ever made.”

One thing you’re proud of in your career.

“In 2017, when a live music awards ceremony failed to nominate a single woman, I took out full-page ads in every UK music trade magazine naming the women who could have been on that list and rallied the industry behind it.

Alongside that, I built Let’s Be The Change, a female speaker database, and placed 800+ women on panels and at conferences in my spare time.

I’ve rarely seen an all-male music industry panel since.

Women across the UK, US and Europe still message me about it.

I’m proud we actually changed something.”

Name another woman in music who inspires you, and why.

“I’m cheating and naming a few.

Sarah Slater, Emma Greengrass, Sharon Riley, Sara Lord and Vanessa Bakewell showed me you can have a child and absolutely smash your career, however real the juggle is.

That mattered when most successful women I knew in music hadn’t had children.

Although I think we can all agree the 3:20pm school pick-up is a patriarchal hangover that MUST be abolished.

And, of course, Annie Lennox, my friend and client for over 20 years, who inspires me every day and taught me that having a platform means something if you’re prepared to use it.”