The head of hot to trot British indie label XL Recordings, Richard Russell, has hit out at what he perceives to be an entrenched ‘faux porn’ culture amongst the representation of female artists in the music industry. The label boss, who has had runaway success with British and Australian chartstopper Adele, says “The whole message with [Adele] is that it’s just music, it’s just really good music,” he reckons.

“There is nothing else. There are no gimmicks, no selling of sexuality. I think in the American market, particularly, they have come to the conclusion that is what you have to do.” He also added that Adele’s record breaking run at the top of the charts was “almost political and sort of radical” in that it did not kow-tow to raunch culture.

He slammed a recent MTV special on top 10 female artists, saying that he had been shocked that each video used “faux porn” imagery. “I felt a bit queasy,” he said. “But now you see that Adele is No 1. What a great thing, how amazing. Not only are young girls going to see that, but [also] the business people who are behind all those videos. It’s going to make them rethink what they should be doing.”

He also dismissed accusations that Adele was too mainstream, saying that it was “unbelievable” for a female artist who didn’t use sexualised imagery to top the charts. “At the level it is at now, it is radical,” he said. “It is clearly about the music and the talent and the things it is meant to be about. I think there has been a certain amount of confusion, and it’s resulting in garbage being sold and marketing with little real value to it … Adele is a good thing to be happening.”

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