Portrait of an Artist: Sharon Van Etten

Last Saturday, singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten performed at the Harvard Student Organization Center at Hilles (SOCH) for the kickoff event honoring Harvard’s Dating Violence Awareness month. Her concert and the following discussion—focused on sexual violence and abusive relationships—was sponsored by The Radcliffe Union of Students (RUS) and the Office of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (OSAPR). Van Etten recently signed with the label “Jagjaguwar” and will be releasing a new album early next year.

The Harvard Crimson: What inspired you to take part in this kickoff event and offer a free concert?

Sharon Van Etten: I think there is a lack of an open dialogue about [dating violence] and it is important that [this dialogue] does not come from a professional. If it comes from a person that is more of a professional than [women in abusive relationships], they may not relate to it as well as someone who is closer to their age.

THC: What is the take-away message that you hope to give your listeners with your Saturday performance?

SVE: Really know yourself and trust that if [your relationship] does not feel right to you—or if you are not being treated well—you are right. It is really hard to be strong when you fall in love with somebody but [I think] being true to yourself is the most important message that I could ever tell anybody.

THC: The last song on your most recent album “Because I Was In Love” describes an abusive relationship. What inspired these lyrics?

SVE: I wrote it about a serious relationship that I was in with someone who wasn’t nurturing at all … It was teetering on the edge of being abusive and I had to walk away. It was because I had really strong female friends that I was able to walk away. It really helps to have support at the end of your relationship. You can do it yourself but [friends] are the people who see that you may be in an unhealthy relationship.

THC: How is your songwriting motivated by your experiences?

SVE: My writing is a sort of therapy for me … I record myself and then I go back and look through the memos that I record and I edit in hindsight. I try to adjust what it was I was going through [to the point] where the music is not overly personal because it is really important that people are able to relate to it. It is quite an exercise.

THC: Do you see a role for musicians as social commentators?

SVE: I think certain writers do [incorporate social commentary] but I think it is also important to have different forms of music, some that are just fun. [Music] is also a way to get new perspectives on things and to write about different media, whether it be social or political or religious. Songs don’t have to be about anything serious either.

THC: There have recently been several songs about abusive relationships released by well-recognized artists—one being the Eminem and Rihanna collaboration “Love the Way You Lie.” Do you think popular musicians are more openly acknowledging abusive relationships?

SVE: Though I feel that there are many stronger women coming into the forefront of the music world with their stories, I still feel like there remains a disconnect [between these advances] and the treatment of women in the media. Seeing singers like Beyoncé—who is one of the strongest feminist figures in that mainstream world—is an indicator that things are starting to change, but I still feel like a lot of things need to improve.