people who didn’t play instru-
ments. The sexism continued on
the radio where it was common
practice for many stations to avoid
playing songs by two female art-
ists in a row for fear of turning
male listeners off.
When Mas first started making
music she was conscious of having
people focus on her songs instead
of her looks. She often dressed
in an androgynous style, once
comparing it to a mime during an
interview. “You don’t think about
sex with a mime, you think about
the art.” So when she was often
compared in her early years to
Bruce Springsteen, it initially was
very flattering. It meant people
were listening to the music rather
than focusing on her gender.
“But after a while, it got out of
hand,” stated Mas. “It became
impossible to escape it. I had
never even seen him play at the
time and I wasn’t a fan then ei-
ther. When I finally did see him
play I was so afraid to tell people
because they’d say, ‘See, you’re
imitating him.’ It got so bad I re-
Watch Carolyne Mas perform “Come Together”
NJ STAGE - ISSUE 61
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