The Black Lives Matter movement, and the renewed focus on equality and social justice for black people that has come with it, has brought increasing attention to the issue of colourism. This form of prejudice privileges people of colour with lighter skin and discriminates against those with darker skin.
Prominent black public figures, including the British singers Alexandra Burke and Beverley Knight, have begun to share their experiences. In June 2020, Burke spoke of how people in the music industry had told her to bleach her skin in order to succeed. That same year, Knight told ITV News that the music industry is keen “to market people who are perhaps a little lighter than I am because it’s seen as being more mass accepted”.
