British Pop Star Kate Nash Starts a YouTube Channel for Girl Power
British pop star Kate Nash wants you to join her Girl Gang (Photo: Instagram)
English singer-songwriter and grunge beauty icon Kate Nash has a platinum bestselling album, “Made of Bricks,” and a BRIT award (the UK equivalent of a Grammy award) for Best Female Artist, but she’s aiming to take her influence into new territory. Welcome to the Girl Gang, an aspirational movement where young women from LA to London share ideas, support each other, and plot how to take over the world. It involves Girl Gang TV, a new YouTube channel for girls and by girls who want to make a difference. Recently the 27-year-old star began setting up meetings in her LA garage inviting girls to talk about issues they care about and educate each other. “It’s a school of life. LA is a lonely city, and the community is what I miss about England and want to bring over,” says Nash. “That’s why I started Girl Gang TV—because it’s a global invitation to our world, and I can’t have everyone in my garage.”
Singer Kate Nash poses for MTV News with blond locks, red lips and a velvet dress (Photo: Instagram)
Nash realized the need for Girl Gang TV when she tweeted a reminder to vote in the UK, and her fans responded that they didn’t even know registering to vote was necessary for voting. “I used to be apathetic about politics, too,” she admits. “But I want to get out there, and I want other people to get out there and take action, too.”
Nash met her two editors and videographers, 17-year-old Kelsey Hart and 21-year-old Sophia Muller, through working on smaller filming projects with them and realizing that the two young women had a lot of talent that could be shared beyond the Los Angeles grunge rock community. This is central to Nash’s vision for Girl Gang TV, to produce content made for young women who have a voice and want to learn how to grow it. Nash is working on featuring experts like activists, musicians and writers, who want to educate the hungry young audience on a spectrum of issues. Girl Gang TV is currently publishing one episode every week, from an introductory guitar lesson taught by guitarist Linda Buratto to a feature on dog adoption set at the North Central Animal Shelter in Los Angeles, where Nash adopted her pitbull pup, Stella. Upcoming stories on the site include pieces on creating a sustainable vegetable garden, confronting racism in comedy, and surviving an apocalyptic situation.
Nash in a disco look with wide pink glasses and red lipstick (Photo: Instagram)
Nash is the epitome of the Girl Gang girl. She’s smart, savvy about empowering other girls, and is all about projecting confidence. For a role in the 2012 film Greetings from Tim Buckley, Nash dyed her hair black, and proceeded to keep the color for the rest of her tour. She says that changing her hair, makeup, and style made her feel more empowered. “Wearing dark hair and dark makeup gives you a tough attitude, which is so fun to wear. I was sort of fragile when I got black hair. I didn’t actually feel tough, but projecting this external image helped me.”
Nash loves to use hair and makeup to project a badass persona on stage. “You suit up to go up there. I probably feel more comfortable onstage than offstage,” she says. Nash’s signature lip color is MAC Ruby Woo ($16). She also prefers “really intense gel eyeliner” to get her cat eyes. “The right image can make you feel better about yourself—and hopefully give you the confidence to take action, which is what I want to do with Girl Gang TV.”
Glamorous photo shoot with Nash with matching nails and lips (Photo: Instagram)
For more information on how to throw your own Girl Gang meetings, Nash has provided a handy instruction sheet here:
Related:
Men and Women: Demand Better Media This Year
Rad American Women A-Z: The New Alphabet You’ll Want to Learn
