INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S RIGHTS DAY
In celebration of International Women’s Day, Clubbing TV has had the pleasure of speaking with some of the most talented female DJs in the industry. Last year we were talking to professionals from the industry about what they were the most proud of in their career. This year we asked DJs about their experiences as women in the male-dominated world of electronic music, their advice for women attending raves, and also asked them to shine a light on another talented female artist. From sharing their struggles to offering empowering words of wisdom, these DJs offer a unique perspective on what it means to be a woman in the world of electronic music. Let’s dive into the insightful and inspiring stories of these incredible artists.
Table of Contents
WHAT ARE YOUR TIPS FOR WOMEN ATTENDING RAVES ?
Best advice to a woman going raving is to charge your phone don’t be walking around with no way to contact anyone and have your mates number written down somewhere or memorised so if you loose your phone you can at least borrow someone’s to call your friends if there’s an emergency. Me and my mates use to do this at every festival once we had scoped the place out and it never failed us. Also, sort out a meeting point with your mates so if you lose your friends you can have a meeting point where you can always wait for one another.
I advise women who go to raves, festivals, clubs to always be accompanied, not to leave their drinks lying around, to be vigilant, to stay in a group with their friends.
I would always tell women to never leave their drinks alone. If they’re in an unsafe environment I would advise them to let security know.
I would always say to have friends with you / a partner in crime.
If you’ve taken too many substances or feel like you’re in a weird space, you should always be able to have someone there to help you through that.
Our advice to give to women attending events is to be their authentic self and to shine their light as bright as they can. Don’t let no one make you feel uncomfortable, everything related to music should be healing and celebrated to its fullest potential.
Enjoy dance events responsibly, always have a strong support system around you, friends should always have your back, wear comfortable shoes and always give space to those who are around you. Respect each other and spread love.
BE CAREFUL of your drinks always , even when you are the DJ yourself … I have been spiked myself and fortunately my friends saw it and made sure nothing happened to me but not everyone got this chance ! Be careful…
Don’t go alone, always go with friends- if you are drinking, make sure you always have someone sober to drive you home. If you’re alone, make sure you have a ride home and an exit plan.
Always be well surrounded, be careful with your drink, sometimes with people too, don’t hesitate to report strange or inappropriate behavior. Ask for help from security guards, staff, organization…
But don’t forget to have fun and party!
That’s not very original but as far as I’m concerned, I always make sure my phone is fully charged (or almost) before I go out. That’s the most important thing for me. Having a phone cord is great too. Also, I always wear trousers with pockets to keep my stuff with me, or I take a little “banana bag”. It seems like everyone is wearing one of these bags and I understand why: I think that’s the most practical thing I’ve ever seen hahaha! Being classy is important, but staying comfy is essential to me.
Je pense qu’il est important en tant que femme de faire attention de manière générale. On entend beaucoup d’histoires sordides de cachet dans le verre ou de seringue en vue d’abus, ce qui est lamentable et inacceptable. Il faut garder une certaine sobriété afin de rester un peu dans la lucidité et éviter de faire les mauvais choix, trainer avec les mauvaises personnes.
Mais, je pense qu’il faut quand même pouvoir rester soi-même, que ce soit en terme de personnalité ou de tenue vestimentaire et cela ne doit aucunement être jugé ou susciter des comportements déplacés.
I think it’s important as a woman to be careful in general. You have to keep a certain sobriety in order to stay a little lucid and avoid making the wrong choices, hanging out with the wrong people.
But, I think that you still have to be able to remain yourself, whether in terms of personality or clothing, and this should in no way be judged or lead to inappropriate behavior.
In the dance community everyone is about PLUR, so it’s very easy going out there on the dance floor but just as precaution be mindful of your surroundings and you will have an amazing time.
Apart from the regular «stay hydrated, stay suspicious, dress comfortably etc» I’d add to stay inside when there’s a full moon, and don’t let vinyl bro’s lie to you.
It is perhaps not the way forward to ask women what we can do to keep ourselves safe, as we spend our lives learning how to survive in a world that typically does not respect our body autonomy and that socializes us to be compliant and likeable for our own security. I think it is more useful to encourage the men in these spaces to educate themselves around different models of consent, and to help educate their masculine peers around what that looks like. Resources for this kind of education can be found at https://consentwizardry.com , and I’m happy to answer any questions about that kind of thing via DM.
There’s so many things to consider when safely raving as a female/gender minority and there’s a lot of great info online on this topic. It’s always great to have a solid group of friends who will look out for you and keep an eye out for anything sus when you’re out, but if I go out solo clubbing there’s a few more things to consider. My biggest tip and one that makes me feel most comfortable when solo clubbing is an exit strategy. Knowing your route home, having a charging pack for your phone, leaving slightly early before close so you’re not left standing outside alone once the security have finished up, or the signals really bad as everyone is trying to leave from a festival. Knowing how to get home at any point if I’m not feeling it for whatever reason. I’ve been in ropey situations at the end of events where I’ve struggled to get home so it’s now always been worth it for me to be extra prepared.
Enjoy responsible I should say. Gather yourself with people you can trust and just have a good time together😊
Generally speaking, I try to be more attentive at what’s going on around me and pay attention to my drinks.
When attending a rave as a women, it’s super important to be sourrounded by people you trust, people that makes you feel good and safe. Attending to raves alone, or meeting people you know directly at the rave, is fine also but it requires stronger attention.
Always be alert without looking you are. Fake to be strong, fearless and experienced until you make it.
Also always stay hydrated, water is your best friend, and keep an eye at your own drink at all times, hold it from above so that nothing can goes inside when you’re looking away, even 2 seconds.
I have a sort of “clubbing survival kit” : 1-2 tissues, ear plugs (very important!!!), 1-2 pills of paracetamol or ibuprofen (to take only if needed with soft drinks, of course), 1-2 period protection (for myself or anyone needing one), a hand sanitizer and a little power bank. I always have this in my bag.
The problem of sexual violence and sexism is publicly and massively raised. However, sexual assault and sexual harassment are not rightly perceived as violence. I would advise wxmen not to hesitate to share with a friend, the staff or anyone around when they don’t feel comfortable in a situation . It’s easy to say not that easy to apply, consent is perceived as vague. Trust your emotions, if you don’t feel comfortable try to share it, to send signals or try to find a way to make people understand, so you don’t have to stay in a bad position.
It’s difficult giving advice to anyone because ultimately we all have to learn from our own unique experiences but the underlying commonality is to always be mindful and confident especially when feeling pressured to do anything that isn’t right for you.
Raves are normally safe spaces for women – so have fun, but nonetheless always take care of you and your friends.
If I had to give an advice about safety in parties, I am not sure that it is judicious to give it to women but rather to men, in the risk to fall in a constant culpabilisation of women. It is not up to women to be careful but to men to learn how to behave. My only advice: have fun girls!!
I think we shouldn’t have to give advice for this matter of fact, and instead, invest MORE into safety mechanisms and incite events planners and promoters to take the safety of the attendees seriously. We shouldn’t be afraid to go out and have fun, we should be free in clubs and festivals. This is the first aim of gathering people around music and dance. The only advice is to be yourself and make sure the party you’re going to is made by people aware of the dangers and that they’re putting effort, time and money to avoid them. We need aware security teams by training them and making sure they know how to handle and prevent sexism and sexual discriminations (but also racism, fascism,…).
WOMEN SUPPORTING WOMEN
I would like to put the spotlight on Loryn. We briefly met a few years back when the two of us were not DJs yet. I discovered that she started DJing through Instagram and followed her journey as I was having my own at the same time. She impresses me a lot: she taught herself vinyl mixing in less than a year and started having small gigs. Now she is booked by qualitative french crews such as House of Underground and she learned how to produce (she has some releases to come on very good labels). Her sets are a beautiful mix of minimal, electro and housy tracks. She is definitely worth to folllow!
There are several women who inspire me in the DJ industry and profession, but I would like to highlight the figure of Deborah de Luca.
She is a strong, courageous, independent woman who keeps her values.
I’ve been following her for a long time, but I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know her a little more recently and she really seems to me to be a woman with a lot of personality and power.
I like the way she presents herself to the public, her reading of the dance floor and she has a clear objective for any of us; to entertain our audience and give them the best of ourselves.
Salo she is an incredible soulful vocalist and I love her style definitely someone to look out for!
Frenetic who is a wicked 4 deck dj! Who is known for her mental triple drops and mad tune chopping! She is definitely one of the technically one of the best drum and bass DJs out there in my opinion!
Katalyst she has some wicked tunes in the pipeline that is sounding sick jungle flavors with some grime elements and has some awesome vocalists that she has been working with! I’m so excited to see what she brings this year! And she’s a wicked dj too! Definitely someone to keep an eye out for!
Sweetpea One of the founders of EQ50 giving women and women of colour a platform where they can showcase their talent. She is a sick dj her selection and her range of music knowledge in the scene is in my appointing unmatched! She a wicked producer! She has her EP with Iris on sofasound make sure to check this out.
Tempa is someone who is one to watch out for! DJ and producer and now a label head for Up 4 It Recordings, where you can hear new emerging artists coming though!
Sheba Q. A wicked DJ, Vocalist and producer. Great selecta both Vinyl and digital and her mix of old school jungle flavours! She always manages to take you on a journey her Hör Stream she did last year was a great example of this. She’s just released a tune with no nation and Tim Reaper where she is singing on it and such vibes!
So much more women to shout out too!
Charlie Tee, Lens, Sabrina, Natty Lou, Kira, Mel, SIREN, Kara.
There’s so many more to mention, I love to see it! There is so many women smashing it at the moment! It’s just great to see!
Would like to highlight @gemaemoone she is a young talented ivorian DJ and designer, she runs an alternative day party called TRIBE and a very inspirational show “afrovoyagé” about afro electronics music.
Question difficile : je pense qu’il y a beaucoup de femmes qui ont du talent, après personnellement je suis fan des chanteuses de vrai Disco/Funk qui aujourd’hui sont samplées dans beaucoup de productions House, Dance… tels que Loleatta Holloway, Linda Clifford, Taste Of Honey, Gwen McCrae….
A recent artist that I recently discovered is from Spain, her name is Toccororo. She recently played at my party, Xtra. She really blew me away with her ability to mix so many different styles of music while also keeping the energy in the club so upbeat. The entire front row was in trance and you couldn’t stop dancing.
We celebrate, see and admire all the female artists from Amsterdam to Accra. Stepping in their calling and willing to dive deep into their journeys. As a special appreciation, we would like to give thanks to Sojuju. Thank you for being a part of our journey.
I can sit all day and talk to you about Beyonce, It’s the work ethics, dedication, strong power of will combined with superior talent and much hard work. Making her the most Grammy awarded musician ever.
I’d like to put the spotlight on MANDA MOOR!
Definitely, Melle Brown. Her music selection, smoothness & talent behind the decks, and production skills are ace. She’s a woman of color from the UK and is sure to take over the industry. I’m incredibly proud of how far she’s come.
The first female DJ I ever saw was Annie Mac at Glastonbury, I’d never really noticed any female DJs before so seeing Annie Mac up there on the decks got me thinking “oh women can do this too” I thought it was such a male dominated space and seeing a women up on the decks was very unusual at the time. Annie Mac helped inspire me to get into DJing I thought if she can do that then I can too! It’s great to see more women In this industry and also on line ups for festival’s. I’m now a DJ & Producer full time and I managed to pursue my dreams it’s definitely a more comfortable environment than how it was a few years ago
There are a lot of them! Right now I’ll say Maruwa, an artist based in Frankfurt, who just did a remix on my upcoming EP. A great DJ and producer, a must listen!
I’d like to give a shoutout to songwriters Aurélie Oziol (Trackamusic) and Agathe Genieys (Ultraromances), who I worked with on my track
“Je m’ecchymose“. They wrote the lyrics, I did the music production and the vocals. That was my first ever music collaboration and it’s been an amazing experience. Not to be pretentious here, but I think we did a great job. Such a beautiful artistic and human adventure.
I’d also like to mention french electronic music artist Tin (Tinforall). She’s as nice as talented and deserves to be known.
At a national level, Irène Drésel has just won Cesar for best original score and I think that’s a huge achievement and such an incredible inspiration for all of us.
Une artiste que j’aime beaucoup et qui mérite d’être davantage connue c’est : Rebecca Delle Piane.
If I may would love to shout out a friend of mine who works with artist behind the scenes and a lot of those people don’t really get that spotlight so I want to be able to give her, her flowers because she is a powerhouse behind the scenes in our community and deserves the recognition and so much more and that’s my good friend Tay Allen.
I would like to give major shout outs to all the girls at @miss_x_music and @brandy, love u 😍
I would love to spotlight La Fraicheur as I think she’s an absolute force of a DJ and a producer, and she is actively involved in so many spaces that involve community, creativity and integrity. Her label is called House of (S)punk and her instagram is @la_fraicheur_music .
I’d like to spotlight Jamz Supernova. I think her attitude to both championing diversity and up and coming artists is inspiring. Whether it’s through her label, her radio show and club nights. She has a super open ear and is also one of the nicest souls. It’s important to take an active stance on making change within the scene through doing what you’re good at, and I think she demonstrates that really well.
Charlotte de Witte is an example of a strong woman who stays close to here values and by doing so have become a leader within the electronic scene. Next to her, I have a lot of respect for Amber Broos, who is very skilled, experienced and mature despite she’s only 20 years old, really cool to see her authentic energy on and off stage!
I love the fact that there are more and more women taking over the dj-scene. In particular I think Charlotte de Witte has turned herself into one of the most popular Dj girls.
Nina Kraviz and tINI (Tini and The Gang)
Kashish! from kollision course , she hosted me during 2 parties in India.
Let me just share with you how hard this woman is working the techno scene there and
almost making everything with the push of love. Kollision’s Party organisator and herself Dj, i
think that she’s a complete artist & ve been extremely happy to play for such an amazing
organisation!
I would like to put forward the women DJ/Producer in the Hardcore scene and others. Also that we believe more in the capacity of women to compose in MAO without necessarily having to categorize the fact that because it is a woman she has necessarily a Ghost Producer.
Caterina Barbieri. Her music and overall presence is so special.
Kiki Solvej – a women with an amazing energy and lot’s of fun!
If there is one woman today who deserves all eyes on her, it is Suze Ijó. Well, she is not unknown for the connoisseurs either. But frankly, listen to her, her sets are excellent, her selections always sharp.
I’ve got to throw out love to HoneyLuv, Nostalgix, LP Giobbi, and Tsu Nami to name a few female Artists that are crushing! There’s something extra special about female energy especially in such a male dominated industry, and these women have such great spirit, music and hearts. I’m always so grateful to connect with amazing fellow females in music.
I would love to put Ojoo Gyal under the spotlights. Amazing DJ and also a good friend of mine. We met in 2015/2016 (when the dubstep thing was something!! haha) and I knew her back then as a visual artist since her father is a photographer and videast. We both were music journalists and made our way through expensive festivals by reporting and documenting them. Ojoo Gyal was born in Meknes (not far from my hometown in Morocco) and she is now based in Belgium and actually having a blast performing in clubs and festivals across Europe. We can catch her at Dekmantel Selectors 2023 in Croatia this summer (24 of august). As people like to call her “a swirling cauldron of rhythms”, she can navigate upon a whole spectrum of genres going from breaks and bassy stuff to dancehall, halftime & illbient. My favorite DJ set of hers is the one I saw her performing a few years ago (2019) in Marrakech where she marked for me a turning point and also inspired me to take more risks as a DJ & producer. At the time I wasn’t confident enough and I’m so glad we’re having artists as talented as her representing the Moroccan scene abroad. Speaking of inspiration, Mad Miran was also a big influence for me, of who I am today as a DJ. Back in 2016, she gave me the strength and the envy to start DJing and producing electronic music, and more specifically, bass music. I’m so thankful we can inspire each other as women and gender minorities. This is the spirit I’m seeking and spreading through my project VAGINA ROCKS which is a radio show but also a series of events promoting women and gender minorities. We can only be stronger together !
SHARE YOUR STORY
My story in the music industry has been a very fulfilling but unexpected road! I have always wanted to work in this industry but I never thought I could become a DJ, or create a successful all-women collective or build my own booking and event agency. I’ve had many experiences in the field but quickly had to decide to pursue another career because of the lack of jobs with a decent paycheck. And yet, a few years later, the Vénus Club (my collective) adventure happened leading me to be booked by many French venues and collectives and to create the Venus Agency.
However, even though I could not really have planned all this, my path shows that what helped me is the experience I built by working hard to stay connected to the industry and develop my address book. Before all this, I had a music blog that allowed me to document my music explorations and get in touch with amazing artists and collectives, I’ve been a volunteer for a few festivals, I got a six-month internship in a parisian venue, I wrote features for Mixmag France and later became editor-in-chief for a music and inclusion media. One way or another, I always tried to keep a foot in the industry and that is definitely what encouraged my luck!
The scene has changed so much from when I first started to now. Having this amount of women in the scene who are killing it at the moment and getting opportunities that would of never been the case a few years back. makes me hopeful for women in the future! I feel that there is still not enough black representation in the scene and I hope that we can inspire more women to come through!
The story I am most excited about right now is that I will be a mother in October 2022. Throughout my pregnancy, I have been lucky enough to feel well and have been able to attend to all my professional commitments. I have had the time of my life selecting music and performing. It has been very inspiring and I feel very proud of this 9 month journey, because I have felt music in a very special way. With a lot of sensitivity.
I have been moved several times during my performances and I think this situation has made me stronger and even a better artist.
You can be a dj and a mum. Now I’m going on as usual and nothing stops me from continuing to work. I still have a lot of help from my family, who take care of my baby when I travel.
I feel lucky and I hope it helps other women who might be afraid of being in my situation, because when you want to, you can.
You have to trust on you, do what you want and always fight for your goals. We only live once!
I learned that it was very very important to know your rights as an artist and not hesitate to train yourself in this field and ask for the expertise of lawyers or people you know who have more experience than you. We often forget this important part in our practices and we need to speak about more free.
Jai eu la chance d’être une des premieres DJette reconnue dans l’industrie musicale ce qui m’a permis d’être Importatrice pour tous les magasins Fnac ou j’ai importé des disques du monde entier House, Dance, Soul, Funk et devenir responsable artistique du prestigieux label Happy Music / Feel The Rhythm du à ma large connaissance musicale.
Something I would really like to share from my experience in the music industry is that I have had so many amazing mentors that really helped me along the way and I was also really excited to be a mentor myself, to help a brand get to a position they are in in the music industry and curate lineups that I really believe in.
The learning journey never ends, every time you think you know everything you better check yourself; trial and error are part of the growth process embrace that.
It s been a very long journey for me ! I started making music in 2000 , releases over 500 tracks under differents name and gender ( did 14 years of psytrance with many albums released at the time )
Thanks to this early stage until now ( 24 years of carrer i have been able to travel all over the world).
Being a woman in the music industry today can be an advantage or a disadvantage.
We have to prove ourselves all the time and we tend to be judged more than men.
A little advice for women who may be afraid to face criticism or legitimacy: Live your life for YOU, be proud of who you are and what you have accomplished. There will always be jealousy out there, but ask yourself what they have accomplished?
I don’t think I have any specific story to tell but I’d like to share my feelings:
To be honest, although I often feel like I have to work twice as hard to get recognition, I feel lucky enough to have met people that believed in me. I started deejaying when I was 17, started music production when I was 18 and it’s true that I’ve often felt “lonely”, as I often was the only girl around. This is something I got used to as I grew up doing martial arts, skateboarding and playing drums. I don’t like to say that word because to me it doesn’t make any sense but I’m not gonna lie: as cliché as it may sound, I was a perfect little “tomboy”. That’s why when I started playing gigs, entered music contests etc, these masculine atmospheres felt familiar. I met some men that paternalized me, telling me things I already knew, almost teaching me how to do my own job etc. Some of them are ass*****, let’s be honest!
But after spending years on my own writing, recording, rehearsing, deejaying, watching music production tutorials etc, I feel like I have learnt a lot artistically and technically speaking, even though I still have a long way to go.
I really felt like I had to, because I didn’t have any other choice. I sometimes felt like I had to build myself an armour to be respected. I guess this made me stronger.
I’m glad to be perceived as a singer, songwriter and music producer.
Since these past years I’ve seen people going hard, making sparks, but they finally stopped making music for some reason. Everyone has their own path, it’s important not to compare ourselves. As far as I’m concerned, I feel grateful to be able to say that I’m still making music, despite all the obstacles. It’s like a never ending process and I’m still excited about all of this.
In an acceptance speech during 2016 Billboard Music Awards, Madonna said that no matter how many scandals she’s been involved in, the most controversial thing she has ever done was to stick around. I think it’s important for us, women, to stick around, all together. “I’m glad to be perceived as a singer, songwriter, music producer and DJ.”
Je dois avouer que je n’ai, personnellement, jamais été confrontée à des situations embarrassantes en tant que DJ dans l’industrie.
J’ai toujours reçu beaucoup de respect et de bienveillance de la part des organisateurs et du public. Même en tant que productrice, je n’ai jamais été confrontée à des remarques sexistes qui sont de dire « ce n’est sûrement pas elle qui a fait ce track, ce doit être un homme derrière ou un ghost producteur ». Ce type de réflexion est assez courant lorsque l’on est une femme. Cela se retrouve également chez les hommes mais, de mon point de vue, c’est beaucoup plus récurrent chez les femmes.
I would like to highlight the fact that one time this dude in a Super Mario suit made fun of me for using a DJ controller, at one of my first gigs as a rookie DJ. Imagine being controller shamed by a guy dressed as Super Mario. (He was a vinyl bro. Watch out for those they’re everywhere).
This story happened to me last summer. Being a Ukrainian artist and DJ I was touring France to perform at the Family Piknik Festival. It was the most difficult tour I’ve ever had. I was traveling with my four-months-old baby. In conditions of war I had to go from Kyiv to Poland before to get 2 flights to Montpellier. The road was very hard and it took 3 days. Besides, we had to wait all night at the Polish border, because the queue was too long. You can’t even imagine how exhausted my baby and I were.
After a 10-hour wait at the border we spent the night and went to the airport. We took a transfer flight because direct flights were not available. It took much more time than I expected and of course it had a big influence on my baby. Finally we got to Montpellier late at night and I had to perform at the festival in the morning. I can say this tour was really the hardest experience in my life, because it took a lot of effort and nerves. I hope that my country Ukraine will win soon in this war then me and all Ukrainian artists will have safe and comfortable touring.
In terms of speaking about ‘my experience as a woman’ in the industry, I think I can only offer a glimmer of hope in saying that there has never been a time that it is so fantastic to be a ‘femme DJ’, that it feels like the world of nightlife is finally ready to (at least attempt to) book more diverse artists in clubs and festivals. I would also say that this is a current trend not only because of global pressure to become more inclusive, but more especially because as women, our voices, our experiences, our stories matter. For a long time there has been a pretty strong singular (cis, het, white, male) narrative in dance music, and we are starting to see the beginning of something that breaks that mold and uses the medium to speak to a different experience. I am so excited to hear what you are going to make.
I often read that women supposedly have a harder time than men to get
recognition and opportunities in the music industry. On my professional path as a musician and DJ (in the first years as a hobby, later as a full-time job) I never had the feeling of being invisible or not
respected. I rather had the feeling that as a woman – if you are good at what you do, if you are authentic, then you can definitely have good chances. And you stand out.
Of course, it also depends on the environment and this is often a very
important point. In my early days as a DJ, I was mainly active in
Hamburg and Berlin and to a large extent in political and feminist
circles. That’s obviously not the case everywhere. This circumstance and also the fact that everything I do and produce is my own work has given me a lot of self-confidence because I am respected as a musician and artist. My success is not based on my looks or a result of posting sexy photos and my success is not a result of someone else’s work
The beginning stages when I first started learning DJ’ing were particularly difficult. I had to really push through the early stages being the only female in the group learning to DJ, surrounded by lots of guys towering over me and just not being in a supportive environment. It’s amazing to see that since then, things are pretty different now with many organisations and collectives that create safe space for women and gender minorities to learn in a non judgemental and encouraging environment. If you’re interested in learning then it’s definitely worth having a look online to see if you can find these learning environments and communities.
Always follow your gut feeling and be brave. If you really follow your passion, nobody should distract you from it. If you can keep up doing this, you will find out you’re able to achieve everything you set your mind to.
When I started 8 years ago it was a lot harder to convince people that woman can be just as good as men in this business.
These days there are a lot more female Dj’s. So the first years my team and myself needed to prove ourself over and over again to convince bookers that woman could do it just as good as men.
Every show I played I proved them wrong and a long the way we started to see that they changed their perception of a woman as a DJ. It motivated me from day 1 and it still does.
After 4 years of Djing in Asia – two in France, Europe and Africa – I’ve finally assumed what I wanted to do in music : producing sound and image.
I’m releasing my first EP this month called ‘Matam Dream’ with a single track and a music video that I co-directed on March 7th. If I knew four years ago that I would do it, I would’nt have believe it. Working in the music industry as a women takes more time, patience and smart decisions. I’m so excited for the journey I just started !
I think it’s important to highlight the common fact that some promoters use feminist values in promotion campaigns for purely economic purposes. Gender washing describes activities regarding gender equality that are underpinned by economic rather than ethical motives and are based on the desire to improve an organization’s reputation.
I faced this several time and I think wxmen should be aware of it.
The anecdote I have in the music industry, even though there may be a misogynistic people, is the meeting of caring people who are there to support us and the solidarity between artists, organizers and labels that was very nice to see.
The world can be a difficult place and especially more for a woman, my one piece of guidance: remain persistent and uncompromising in the midst of it all.
As a female in the industry, you are automatically a minority. You have to work harder to get noticed, you have more to prove. Throw in being queer and black into the mix, then the odds are stacked against you.
You can look at this in two ways, as a positive or a negative, me I take it as a positive and use it to my advantage.
Being unique is a beautiful thing, it makes you stand out! That’s exactly what I want to do, I don’t want to be the same as everyone else, I want to shine my light, and not dim to fit in.
I am my own inspiration, and I want others to feel the same way. There is a space for us all, we just have to keep pushing the boundaries, i want others who come after me to say, if this woman can do it, then so can I!
To be a woman in music is to experience sisterhood and it’s a real chance, because it leads to beautiful connections. A lot of women get together as collectives because they’re fed up with 100% male line-ups, because they want girls to have confidence in themselves. With my collective Tout Feu Tout Femme it’s what we try to do in Lille, by putting the light on the women musicians of our region and by organizing workshops of initiation to the mix. This is the only way to change things and to reach more parity.
I’d like to share how I sometimes feel like a stand-in for parity in line-ups which is not even respected. I’m the only women/gender minority and the rest are only cis males. We need more women on stage but we also need promoters to do it well and be totally sincere about it. I don’t wanna be the only women or gender minority (I identify as a non-binary) in a lineup (the parity is 50/50 or 33/33/33 when we include gender minority and this is where we want to stand). I wanna see more of my sisters and why not only my sisters for quite some time (cis males had enough visibility I think). And for some of my sisters to stop hearing “who’s dick did you suck to make it through?” or having a sound engineer or another male artist coming to the booth and starting to touch the gear without even asking you. One day I had a DJ who was a part of the lineup who came to the booth and clicked on the CDJ buttons while I was performing to take the track ID he wanted without even asking. I don’t mind sharing my track IDs but please stop acting like you know it all and everything is permitted to do as a man. This is my work space when I’m DJing so I think people should respect that and at least ask before they act.
I always say I want “the music to speak for itself,” and when I get big for it to be a byproduct of my music not because of my gender. But as a female, unfortunately there are more aspects that get picked apart. There have been so many instances especially at live shows where people make assumptions and don’t take me seriously as an Artist/colleague. We’re like the underdog, constantly being doubted.
Being “myself” means balancing the business woman, the creator/workhorse, and the sexy/fun girl in me. Happily, this is where I’ve found my greatest comfort and strength..I hope to be an inspiration for other females and people of color in the industry!
We would like to thank all the artists that allowed us to share their stories and tips as we believe that this can make the scene a better & safer place for all!
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, it’s important to acknowledge the challenges women face in various industries, including the dance music industry.
Despite the progress made in recent years, women in the music industry still face significant barriers, including discrimination, sexism, and lack of representation. To shed light on these challenges and celebrate the voices of female DJs in the industry, we reached out to over 200 artists from all over the world, both big and small.
However, we noticed a disturbing trend: many of the big-name female artists we contacted did not respond to our requests. This phenomenon is not unique to our experience. As female artists become more famous, they often become more difficult to reach and less interested in doing press aside from major medias.
This can have a negative impact on gender equality in media, as it perpetuates the idea that women are not as important or worthy of attention as their male counterparts.
It’s important for us to recognize and challenge this trend, and for successful women in the industry to use their platform to support and elevate other women. As we work towards greater gender equality in the music industry, it’s crucial that we continue to amplify the voices of female artists at all stages of their careers.