Popular singer Kate Nash has explained the sad reason she's been forced to turn to OnlyFans.
The 38-year-old no doubt thought she'd set the 'Foundations' for a successful career in the music industry when her debut album Made of Bricks charted at number one in the UK, but she recently made an honest admission in front of MPs about the direction she's had to go in.
Nash certainly isn't the only celebrity name to turn to the online subscription platform in recent years as an additional form of income.
Lily Allen famously joined the site in the wake of her much-documented split with Stranger Things actor David Harbour, while the likes of Denise Richards and Harry Potter actor Jessie Cave have also set up accounts.
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It's easy to see why from a financial perspective, given the staggering sums that the most successful users can earn on there, and Nash pointed towards her and other artist's financial struggles in the music industry right now during her recent appearance in parliament.
Speaking to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee this week, Nash explained that she has resorted to OnlyFans as a way of funding her touring career, as post-Brexit regulations which enforce new rules on performing arts tours within the EU continue to take their toll.
She said: “I was doing everything I could do to cut costs, which I really hate doing as an employer.
“We are at risk of losing our reputation and pride in our culture, which will have a knock-on effect on the UK economy. The more we limit artists, the more we limit UK culture on a global scale."
The ever-increasing cost of gigs is a hot topic right now, particularly with the backlash that Harry Styles is facing for the eye-watering prices he's charging for his upcoming tour, and Nash pointed out that live music is at risk of becoming an exclusive for the rich.
She added: “I think music should not be exclusive, it’s for all, and it becomes an issue of class, it becomes an issue of race, gender and sexuality and identity, because the doors are closing on who can choose to take that kind of risk."
However, prices may continue to only go in one direction because of the escalating travel and operational costs for artists.
The Horrible Histories actor also admitted that the 'only reason' she is now able to tour consistently is thanks to the additional income she gets from OnlyFans, after she lost £26,000 on her most recent European tour and a further £13,000 from her UK circuit.
She concluded: "Now the only reason it is possible for me to do it is because I sell pictures of my bum on the internet.
"I started an OnlyFans account during my last touring cycle to get some attention on the issue, which it did.
"Myself and a lot of artists are sick of screaming into the void on how difficult it is."
James Moorhouse