Pink says she was told her career would be ‘over’ if she had children

Pink has spoken out about life in the spotlight and revealed that people told her that her career would be “over” if she had children.

The 43-year-old singer reflected on the conversations she’s had with people in her industry during an upcoming interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. Pink confessed that at the start of her career, some of her peers encouraged her not to start a family.

“Everyone told me, ‘If you have children right now, your career’s over,’” she said in the interview, via People. However, the remark didn’t affect her. She went on to have her now 11-year-old daughter, Willow, and six-year-old son, Jameson, whom she shares with husband Carey Hart.

Pink told Lowe that people only know her “for her singles,” which are songs released separately from an album, and think she’s “a snarly, man eating, angry, she-man”.

Although she said that she’s “much more complex” than what people perceive, she acknowledged how that perception changed after she had children.

“When I had a child, I think it softened me to the world, the part that didn’t understand me, and I think that’s when my career began, really,” Pink explained. “I mean, I did a lot of stuff before that, but really, truly, I think it’s when I started to really understand myself and understand the world and my place in it.”

The “Try” singer said her own childhood and the difficult dynamic she had with her family ultimately encouraged her to have children.

“Having a family was really important to me because my family life was screwed as a kid, and I’m super affectionate and cuddly and goofy. Just doing music wasn’t enough for me,” she said, as reported by People. “I was lonely. I was so lonely. It’s a very lonely business.”

She then shared how passionate she is about both her personal life and her career.

“I love writing songs. I love singing songs. I love performing. Sitting with a guitar is one of my favourite things I’ll ever do,” Pink added. “But cuddling with my babies and taking them camping and being dirty for three days is also one of the coolest things I’ll ever do, and making wine also happens to be pretty cool.”

This isn’t the first time that Pink has shared her thoughts about motherhood. During an interview with Today’s Carson Daly in February 2022, Pink shared some of the rules that she’s set for her children.

“There’s a light side and a shadow side to technology in general for adults, as well,” she said, at the time. “For kids, I’m not there yet. I have a 10-year-old who does not have a phone, although she pointed out to me yesterday, ‘You know most of the kids in my class, fifth grade, have a phone.’ That doesn’t move my needle. I don’t care.”

She acknowledged how technology has become a big part of everyday life for children, adding: “We can’t be dinosaurs ourselves as parents, we have to sort of embrace it and go with it.”