Social Media, Scandal & Selling Records

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Transvision Vamp was one of the most popular alternative bands in the UK, with a number one album and five top 20 singles. No stranger to controversy, lead singer Wendy James was renowned for her rebellious and straight-talking attitude as well as her sexually-charged performances.

Thirty years on and Wendy has now recorded six solo albums, the most recent of which, Queen High Straight, was released during lockdown. I caught up with her to talk about how digital has impacted recording and releasing music, and about what social media would have done for Transvision Vamp, given her provocative nature, had it been around at the time.

In this special episode of the Digital Download podcast, I chat to Wendy about how, as an independent artist, social media is now an important promotional vehicle for her, about maintaining relationships with her fans, and about releasing a record during lockdown. We also cover some of her more controversial moments and her musical inspiration, and veer off into politics and sexual equality.

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