<strong>NUVO: You gave an interview to Men's Health about sexuality and music that I found fascinating. ... You really got into sex appeal and sex in the industry, the connection between sex and music. In that interview, you said, "I think it's fascinating that with a woman [ramping up her sexual image on stage or in a photo shoot] that's something that everyone notices. But if Mick Jagger, Steven Tyler, Robert Plant or Rod Stewart decide to amp up their look for the night, it's not like they'll get an inbox full of complaints." (Men's Health, June 14, 2012) Can you tell me a few times you've felt sexism in your career?</strong>

Potter: My main thing about sexism in the industry is when people say, "You're my favorite chick rocker!" or "You're one of the best female musicians out there." To me, what is with the discrepancy? Why are there "female" and "male" musicians? Why is "female" a category all on its own? What have we done to define ourselves from just being musicians? [We] live in a culture where people don't even think twice about saying that. "You're my favorite chick rocker; you're one of the best chick rockers since..." and then they list off every other woman who's ever had blonde, long hair and yelled a little louder than normal. It's a weird thing.

As frustrating as it is, I see why people do that. Humans have a deep need to categorize, put things in their place and make things make sense to them. And females in music - I gather what people really absorb from a woman performing versus a man is that vulnerability and sometimes lyrics that cut right to the heart of the matter a bit more. But I've never done that. So I get what people mean, because there are certain female musicians who are iconic as women and have chosen to really identify themselves through being women. The fact that they are women makes them who they are [as musicians]. But in my case, I literally never try and sound like another female singer-songwriter. 

<a href="http://www.nuvo.net/MusicBlog/archives/2013/01/09/spend-the-evening-with-grace-potter">Nuvo Interview</a>