![Celeste Waite poses on BRIT Awards 2020 red carpet. She wears white shirt with black stripes](https://usercontent.one/wp/newsgroove.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Brit-winner-Celeste-was-‘too-scared-to-report-person-she.jpg?media=1734934250)
Celeste Waite was afraid to report someone who she believed posed a threat to her life in case it wasn’t dealt with to the appropriate ‘level of severity’.
The Strange singer revealed her fears while speaking at a Parliamentary session on misogyny in the music industry.
Celeste, who won the Brit Award for Rising Star in 2020, said that women ‘need to feel safe’ in being able to share their experiences of violence or sexism.
‘Something that I experienced, completely separate and outside of the music industry, I wanted to report something so that it didn’t happen to other women,’ the 30-year-old singer shared.
‘But I was really afraid to report it in case it wasn’t dealt with a level of severity that was due, and then I could experience some behaviours from this person who I could already deem to be a danger to my life, that then, they could come after me.
![Celeste Waite performs on stage](https://usercontent.one/wp/newsgroove.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1738175168_992_Brit-winner-Celeste-was-‘too-scared-to-report-person-she.jpg?media=1734934250)
![The BRIT Awards 2020 - Winners Room](https://usercontent.one/wp/newsgroove.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1738175168_268_Brit-winner-Celeste-was-‘too-scared-to-report-person-she.jpg?media=1734934250)
‘And I feel that a lot of women within the music industry that experience these kinds of things and are very afraid, and they’re not necessarily protected once they bring something to people’s awareness, they do not have the trust that it will be dealt with appropriately.’
Celeste rose to prominence in 2019 with EP Lately which landed on the iTunes chart and received support from Annie Mac, Elton John, and more.
That same year she supported Michael Kiwanuka on tour and won the BBC Music Introducing artist of the year award.
Her debut album Not Your Muse received multiple Brit Award nods in 2021 and was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize, although she lost out to Arlo Parks.
![All Points East Festival 2021](https://usercontent.one/wp/newsgroove.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1738175168_647_Brit-winner-Celeste-was-‘too-scared-to-report-person-she.jpg?media=1734934250)
Celeste’s evidence, given to the Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) on Tuesday, was part of a push for the Labour government to enact recommendations from an inquiry.
Charisse Beaumont, chief executive of Black Lives in Music (BLiM), also gave evidence for the investigation into misogyny in music.
The WEC report, released almost a year ago, found that sexual harassment and abuse were common, and the non-reporting of such incidents was high.
This Is Not Right
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On November 25, 2024 Metro launched This Is Not Right, a year-long campaign to address the relentless epidemic of violence against women.
Throughout the year we will be bringing you stories that shine a light on the sheer scale of the epidemic.
With the help of our partners at Women’s Aid, This Is Not Right aims to engage and empower our readers on the issue of violence against women.
You can find more articles here, and if you want to share your story with us, you can send us an email at vaw@metro.co.uk.
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It asked ministers to bring into force section 14 of the Equality Act to improve protections for people facing intersectional inequality and said the music industry and Government should increase investment in diverse talent.
Charisse presented responses to BLiM’s anonymous survey YourSafetyYourSay, which has collected examples of bullying and harassment in the UK music industry.
She revealed: ‘We have hundreds of stories from women of being harassed, including sexually assaulted by male artists, as well as promoters, people assaulting women in music education, participating in almost-naked casting videos, young women pressured to drink and take drugs, who are then assaulted, male producers grooming young female vocalists.’
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