FEATURE:
Dance Queens
IN THIS PHOTO: Eliza Rose
With Women Dominating This Genre, Is 2024 a Year When This Spreads to Others?
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ONE of the most pleasing…
IN THIS PHOTO: Charlotte Plank
aspects of this year so far is how various genres are starting to become less of a boys’ club. In fact, Pop has very much turned in favour of female artists. Dominating charts and producing the best the genre has to offer. The most exciting and worthy new artists emerging too. A welcomed shift. I think other genres might take longer to turn. There is still inequality when it comes to club bills and booking female D.J.s. As I have written before, polls declaring the best D.J.s still tend to be male-heavy. Fewer opportunities for women it seems. They work much harder to get the same exposure as men. That should change very soon I hope. Looking at a recent article from The Guardian, it seems like Dance music is seeing a bit of a turnaround. Even in recent years, there has been a case of female Dance producers and artists not being played. Maybe as part of a collaboration. Rather than the industry and labels encouraging solo female Dance acts, they are often seen as featured artist or pushed aside. That was the way it was decades ago. I remember growing up listening to Dance music where women were either vocalists or featured artists. It was normally a male act that was using a female vocalist. The sort of power and excellent of those vocals defined the tracks, yet they didn’t get the dues they deserve. I think we do not talk enough about those queens who voiced some of the biggest Dance tracks ever.
Now, with new artists coming through producing their own tracks and not necessarily having to sign to big labels to get noticed, there is this wave of female Dance artists and producers who are turning the tide. It is becoming a more balanced landscape. It made me think about other genres that are traditionally male-heavy and whether that balance can shift in the next year or so. With the past being littered with misogyny, casual sexism and low expectations of women in Dance, things are getting better in that respect – yet women still face discrimination and have obstacles to overcome. It is amazing that platforms like TikTok do allow this forum for Dance’s queens to highlight their music and find an audience:
“Last year, Kenya Grace began documenting her music production on TikTok. Her pairing of pop songwriting with dance instrumentals, performed from her bedroom with a simple mic and Midi-controller setup, soon attracted thousands of followers, and the comment sections were inundated with requests for covers, collaborations and official releases.
But some – generally male – viewers were unconvinced, littering her posts with variously sexist, patronising and mansplaining comments. “I’ve had people ask if someone else made the tracks for me,” she says, sighing. “I’m like: you can see me doing it.” It’s just one in a collection of microaggressions Grace can recall from her relatively new career, from paternalistic peers in early studio sessions to passive aggressive comments at live shows. “There’s a lot of stigma that women can’t produce.”
As well as being named in the BBC’s success-predicting Sound of 2024 poll, the ultimate accolade came in October when the self-taught producer, singer and songwriter spent three weeks at No 1 with her incredibly catchy drum’n’bass song Strangers, which spent a subsequent month in the Top 10. This career-changing moment still feels like a dream, she says. “There’s no way this would have happened 20 years ago.”
IN THIS PHOTO: Kenya Grace/PHOTO CREDIT: Bella Howard for MusicTech
Electronic music has a long history of sidelining women. Credits on dance tracks have been dominated by male producers, while women have too often been confined to providing faceless and nameless vocals. A 2022 report by the Jaguar Foundation found that less than 1% of the dance music played on UK radio was made by a female solo artist or all-female band; Grace is only the second woman to top the UK chart with a track she wrote, produced and performed herself – and the only one making dance music – after Kate Bush’s resurgent Running Up That Hill reached the top in 2022.
But a new vanguard of female producers is beginning to redefine what dance music looks and sounds like. With their snappy, pop-informed takes on drum’n’bass, garage and EDM, Grace, PinkPantheress and Becky Hill are all chart mainstays; Ireland’s Jazzy reached No 3 and spent 31 weeks in the chart with Giving Me, a euphoric but steely house track she co-wrote; Scotland’s Hannah Laing is getting tens of millions of streams for her self-produced, old-school-leaning rave tracks. Pursuing dance music – and crucially, on their own terms – is now a viable career path.
Piri has also faced sexist questions on her understanding of dance music and comments on what she wears, but overall she says her experience in the industry has been positive. “I feel I’m kinda lucky to be in a duo with [Tommy] because having a man there has probably sheltered me from a lot of treatment that women doing it on their own get. It’s lucky for me, but it shouldn’t have to be that way.”
As representation grows on stage and on the airwaves, Piri is also pushing for more diversity behind the scenes, hiring a crew made up exclusively of women, non-binary and LGBTQ+ people, and urging other artists to do the same. “It’s a boys club. The reason more men get these jobs is because a man has the opportunity to hire people and then will just automatically pick their friends. So we’ve gotta push outwards. You are the artist, you [have] the power to choose who’s on your team – make the most of that.”
Aside from visibility, the changing demographics in dance music are down to the wider availability of resources democratising production, from YouTube and TikTok tutorials to cheaper software, and grants such as the PRS Foundation Women Make Music fund. Collectives such as Loud LDN use group chats and events to build support networks for early-career women and gender-nonconforming artists. Among its members are Piri, Venbee and fellow pop-dance rising stars Issey Cross and Charlotte Plank. “It can be intimidating having to go and ask men for help,” says Piri. “It’s nice to know that you as a community of marginalised people can just figure it out together and accomplish your goals.”
Manchester-based producer Anz says the recent shift in mainstream music culture has its roots in the underground. When she started releasing music online in 2015, she kept her identity hidden for fear of not being taken seriously; she had to rely on male friends to vouch for her to play at house parties. But over the past decade, many local underground scenes have developed their own ecosystems to support women and marginalised genders through mentorship and training, such as Bristol’s Saffron Music, or All Hands on Deck in Manchester. “I’d be hard pressed to find a fellow female producer who hasn’t led a workshop or taught in some way,” Anz says. “You hold your hand out to whoever’s coming next. There’s no pulling the ladder up behind you.”
Within these grassroots settings, many producers and vocalists – such as Anz, Sherelle and another UK chart-topper, Eliza Rose – have been encouraged to flourish regardless of their gender. Anz says it is now a case of the major labels finally “picking up on the fact that there has been this wave of female producers, women who are just doing everything and making things happen for themselves”, albeit on a time lag. “It’s really, really delayed compared with how long the underground has been doing it. People have been working overtime to put right wrongs and those at the top are like: ‘Yeah, it’ll get here when it gets here”.
IN THIS PHOTO: PinkPantheress/PHOTO CREDIT: Lia Clay Miller for Billboard
Artists like Charlotte Plant, Venbee, Nia Archives, and piri are striking out and showing that women are adding their voices to Dance. Standing out and really shaking up what was once a scene and genre dominated by male artists. Few women given spotlight or really taken seriously. Seen more as vocalists rather than the artist or producer. Things have not completely changed, yet it is wonderful that there is this shift happening. There are other genres I think are starting to balance but are still skewed in terms of gender. Rock, Alternative and Hip-Hop are still areas of music where men get more opportunities and focus. One cannot ignore the women coming through in these genres that are delivering incredible music. I feel there is still a lot of sexism that exists, that sadly means there is a bias against women. I was reading this article about how feminism was nurtured in Rock music in the 1990s. I look around Rock, Alternative and genres like Rap and, whilst women are clearly vital and pushing against decades-long sexism, maybe the industry needs to do more to ensure that we do not need to keep having these discussions. Attitudes that still pervade about women’s worth in these genres. That said, there are signs of change. The more we seer Pop and Dance being taken over by women and that tide changing, the more that will have a knock-on effect. The lists that are being published about new acts to watch are female-heavy. At least the ones I am seeing. It does mean this weight of female talent will come into the scene and help create balance and greater attention.
PHOTO CREDIT: Pixabay/Pexels
One day it would be nice to feel that every genre and area of the industry is equal and the sexism and misogyny we have had to see for so long is eradicated. Every article and bit of news that shows how women are taking control and kicking through barriers, the more heart and cheer it gives. It is a pity that the industry has taken so long to respond and not done a whole lot to effectively tackle gender inequality! This year is going to be a big one. The more we talk about work that needs doing and issues that still exist, the more pressure that puts on the industry. Highlighting incredible women coming through and making change. All steps towards creating a landscape that is fairer and more representative of the value that women provide. Dance music has modern legends like PinkPantheress and Kenya Grace. Maybe it is social media and various platforms that have helped create this shift. Circumvent radio stations and other channels that should be showcasing these artists. The power and influence of TikTok and other sites should not be underestimated. Though that is not the whole story. Not to slight the guys – as I love the music they put out! -, but I think female artists are genuinely more oriignal and striking at the moment. Music that is hitting harder and resonating with more people. The industry needs to realise that and ensure that it is rewarded in terms of festival spaces, record deals, financial support and platforming their work. Let’s hope that this then builds momentum and we see change and improvement…
YEAR on year.