This much I know: Kate Nash

Photograph by Alice Baxley

Commercial success is no longer important to me. Being dropped by my first label was difficult, but I decided not to be dominated by what others think. People become paralysed by their need for validation; it was healthy for me to let go and create my own world.

At 17, I was diagnosed with a heart condition that required surgery. The risks included death, which I didn’t know how to handle. The day before the operation, instead of ticking things off my bucket list I ate Ben & Jerry’s and watched TV.

Transphobia isn’t feminism. I’m angry at the hate towards trans people in the UK. Using two or three negative stories to set a paradigm for an entire group is juvenile. We need to have creative, nuanced conversations and make the next wave of feminism more progressive.

I’m outspoken and political, but I’m not sure that makes me an activist. I’m wary of people on social media who use that label just because they have opinions. Real activism is under-appreciated. It involves months of boring graft to move an issue forward.

The music industry doesn’t care about working-class people like me. Myspace shot me to fame quickly, leading to a deal on a major label and a number one record, but it’s much harder for artists to get to that point without financial support from their family now.

My ex-manager doesn’t deserve forgiveness for misappropriating my money. Going through that trauma gave me perspective. I’m even more grateful for what I love: friends, family, dogs, music. Now, for the first time in my career, everyone on my team makes me feel safe.

I joined OnlyFans to pay off my touring debts. I get 80% of the money, which is more than from my music. To me, it’s an extension of entertainment: the photo shoots; using my body in performance; connecting with my audience. We have so much repression and shame around sex.

LA reveres artists and embraces success in a way that’s made fun of in the UK. It’s my second home. I moved there because I needed to escape the chip on my shoulder that being a public person in London gave me. It worked.

Training to wrestle [for Netflix’s Glow] was the best time of my life. Physically, I never thought I’d be able to do it, but once you’ve learned to suplex it unlocks something mentally: now what else can I do?

Not being drunk makes you better at your job. I stopped drinking because I was scared of being hungover while I was wrestling. Nine years later, I don’t miss it. I smoke weed and do mushrooms now and again, but alcohol isn’t worth it.

Heartbreak takes over everything in my life. When I was wallowing, my cousin told me I wouldn’t feel the same in a year. You don’t have to define what will change, but knowing that there’s always forward motion was a massive comfort.

Ageing gives you a greater depth. Realising that we are not going to be here forever is the scary part, yes, but I’m also more confident, more present, more connected than ever to my relationships and my work.

Kate Nash’s latest single, GERM, is out now. She headlines the Left Field stage at Glastonbury this weekend