Tamara Schlesinger has spent more than two decades working across the music industry as an artist, producer, and label director. From fronting pop-folk band 6 Day Riot to releasing solo music as MALKA, her work has also reached global audiences through film and television.
She is also the founder and CEO of Hen Hoose Collective, a Scotland-based initiative supporting women and non-binary artists through workshops, mentoring, and collaborative projects designed to address gender imbalance in the industry. In this interview, Tamara shares insight into her career and the work driving change in music today.
"Many artists have to juggle multiple jobs or wear multiple hats within the industry just to survive."
Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Tamara Schlesinger. I am an artist, record producer, label director, and the Founder and CEO of Hen Hoose Collective — a collective for women and non- binary artists in Scotland. I have worked in the music industry for over 25 years, beginning as the frontwoman of pop-folk band 6 Day Riot and later as a solo artist under the name MALKA. Alongside my artist career, I have built extensive experience in sync, with my music featured in Hollywood films and Netflix series, and I continue to write to brief.
I am also the Sync Representative for Peer Music in Scotland, supporting songwriters and composers in developing opportunities for film, television, and media placements. At the same time, I continue to develop my own creative projects, writing to brief as well as creating and releasing my own music through my record label, Tantrum Records.
Currently, my primary focus is leading Hen Hoose Collective, overseeing daily operations, strategic development, and the delivery of workshops, mentoring programmes, and industry opportunities designed to address gender imbalance within Scotland’s music industry. My role combines creative direction, partnership building, and programme delivery to create sustainable pathways for women and non-binary artists and producers.
I was also one of the writers on our recent collaborative album, The Twelve, created during a six-day residency at Black Bay Studios. The album was engineered and produced by collective members and mixed and mastered by Susan Bear, and has been released to critical acclaim.
Through both my personal creative practice and my leadership of Hen Hoose Collective, I remain committed to building inclusive, empowering structures within the music industry.
Why do you feel your role is important?
My role at Hen Hoose is to identify and create meaningful opportunities for women and non-binary artists in Scotland through workshops, panels, live events, mentoring programmes, and collaborative songwriting camps. What began as a project during lockdown has grown into a vital, purpose-driven collective responding directly to the stark gender imbalance within the music industry.
The statistics around representation of women and non-binary people in production, songwriting, and technical roles remain deeply concerning. I see my role as actively contributing to structural change — not just by talking about inequality, but by building practical, accessible pathways for artists to develop skills, confidence, networks, and professional outcomes.
Through partnerships with PRS for Music and funding from Creative Scotland, we have been able to offer free and affordable opportunities, increase visibility, and create career progression for participants. Our programmes are designed to remove barriers, foster collaboration, and equip artists with the tools to sustain long-term careers in music.
I believe this work is essential because meaningful change requires action.
If we don’t build these spaces ourselves, they simply don’t exist.
Currently, there is no other organisation in Scotland delivering this scale of targeted, practical support specifically for women and non-binary artists in this way. Hen Hoose Collective exists to shift the balance — and to ensure that the next generation of producers, writers, and industry leaders reflects the diversity of talent that already exists.
What’s one thing about your industry most outsiders get wrong?
I think the main misconception about the music industry is how difficult it is to sustain a living. The way artists project success on social media often doesn’t reflect reality. Many artists have to juggle multiple jobs or wear multiple hats within the industry just to survive. People often underestimate the time it takes to write, record, release, and promote a record – especially when doing it independently—and they don’t realise how expensive it can be.
What’s a lesson you learned the hard way?
You can find me in a variety of places online.
Follow me on Instagram at @tamara.schlesinger on Facebook as @MALKAmakesmusic, and you can find Hen Hoose Collective on Instagram as @hen_hoose. You can also join the Hen Hoose mailing list via our website: henhoose.com
