Musician Kate Nash has said an OnlyFans page she set up to help subsidise her tour is “making a point about agency” and the “massive problems” in the music industry which she does not have control over.
The Foundations singer, 37, announced she was starting the account, on the platform known for its adult content, on Thursday, ahead of a show in Glasgow.
Nash told the PA news agency that more musicians are having to fund themselves, in part due to the cost of presenting live music, and said “everything’s absolutely gone to hell” in the industry.
“I’m trying to raise cash so that I can reinvest in myself, reinvest in my creativity, and I’m not willing to, like, cut corners and do things dangerously or unethically or less of a high quality.
“I’m not going to compromise on that. So because of that, it’s harder for me to not lose money.”
She added: “I think it’s really important people are not sort of saying, like, ‘Oh, she needs to do this’, and, ‘It’s so sad, isn’t it?’.
“Well, it’s terrible what’s happening in the music industry, it’s absolutely terrible.
“Because what the music industry is saying, and what everyone’s allowed to happen, is the message that we don’t want diversity and culture, and there’s no space for working class people. That is terrible. That is really sad.
“What I’m doing is genius, because I’m using my bum to fund my music career and have agency.
“People want to see it, and I’m happy to sell it. I love my ass. I think it’s great, and it’s also really funny, and it’s a punk protest.”
Nash, also known for starring in hit Netflix series Glow, said she has friends who do sex work and she has “really learned a lot from other people in the industry”.
She continued: “This is just an idea that came to me last week, and I thought it could be quite a fun way to start the tour.
“I’ve been paid to be naked before, I was naked on Glow, and it’s really empowering actually when your body is, I don’t know, when you’re comfortable with yourself and you feel in control, I guess, of what you’re doing.
Nash claimed on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that her account had allowed her to add an extra crew member to her tour staff.
British singer Lily Allen revealed earlier this year that she had joined OnlyFans to sell photographs of her feet.
The Smile singer said she has “very strict guidelines” and is charging subscribers 10 dollars (£8) a month to view images of her feet.
Nash, who is touring England, Scotland and parts of Europe, released her debut chart-topping album, Made Of Bricks, in 2007, followed by My Best Friend Is You (2010), Girl Talk (2013), Yesterday Was Forever (2018), and 9 Sad Symphonies (2024).
Her best-known song, Foundations, peaked at number two in the UK singles chart.
