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As the world of electronic music is dominated by men, equally talented women continue to get questioned about their musical talent and capabilities. While gender doesn’t define the innate ability to make mind-blowing music, many of these incredibly inspirational and successful women are STILL being asked about being able to “break into the music industry”.
The only way to change this gender bias is by doing what you love and ignoring the haters. If they can do it, there’s no reason you can’t too!
Photo: Facebook
Alison Wonderland
Alison Wonderland is a classically trained cellist from Australia turned DJ, producer and singer. She incorporates a multitude of styles into her music and has toured internationally. In an interview with Australian music blog Purple Sneakers, when asked about being a woman in the industry Wonderland replied, “A lot of girls use sex to get where they are. Now that it’s become cool to DJ, everyone’s at it, getting into it for the wrong reasons. I had to work really hard to get to where I am. When I started, DJing was a boy’s club.” Since she began, Alison Wonderland has really made a name for herself with her talent and being genuine. To find out more about Wonderland, you can check out her Soundcloud or for more information, you can visit her website.
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Maya Jane Coles aka Nocturnal Sunshine
Maya Jane Coles really does it all: writing, producing, engineering, arranging, mixing, performing, and even album art. She started producing at the young age of 14 years old. She went to college to study music technology and visual arts, but after being self-taught for so long, she ended up dropping out because she was too advanced for the classes. Her EDM alias is Nocturnal Sunshine, but she focuses on a wide range of genres: her first love was Hip-Hop. In an interview with Billboard, when asked experience as a woman Coles said, “I’ve probably experienced the same amount of discrimination being a woman as I have for being gay or Japanese or small.” Despite this, she continues to be groundbreaking. To find out more about Coles you can check out her Soundcloud or for more information, you can visit her website.
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Nina Kraviz
Nina Kraviz, a dentist, DJ and producer, began her musical journey when she moved to Moscow, Russia. She followed her passions as a music journalist, records collector, and ultimately a DJ. Studying music production at Red Bull Music Academy in Melbourne was a real “turning point” for her. After moving back to Moscow, Kraviz was juggling getting her advanced dentistry degree while “running parties at the legendary Propaganda club in Moscow,” (Fabric London, 2016). Then in 2014, she got her own record label, Trip (трип). Similarly, to her female companions, when asked about being a female in a male-dominated industry Kraviz said she just smiles and ignores the stupid questions or comments. (O2AcademyTV, 2014). To find out more about Kraviz and her music you can check out her Soundcloud.
Photo: Soundcloud
Ikonika
Ikonika grew up on punk, hardcore, metal, and R&B music. Her first tracks were made from samples that reminded her of when she used to play her Nintendo. She finished her most recent album, Distractions, described as “retro-futuristic” after a car accident. Instead of letting the accident defeat her, she could channel her negative emotions into a positively beautiful and experimental masterpiece. Originally, Ikonika wanted to be anonymous, but a friend convinced her by saying, “It’s good that a woman is making dubstep and [you] should put [your] name on it,” (Chal Ravens, personal communication, 05/22/2017). Recently Ikonika and a couple other producers helped teach girls how to use the popular digital audio workstation known as FL Studio, formerly known as FruityLoops. Now Ikonika says, “I’m just doing it for the girls because they deserve this space,” (Fader, 2017). To find out more about Ikonika and her music you can check out her Soundcloud.
Photo: Sensible Reason
ill-Esha
ill-Esha’s career began with drum & bass as one of two Drum & Bass female MCs in the country. But eventually, ill-Esha eventually got into what she really wanted to do: glitch-hop and future bass. ill-Esha is known for simultaneously singing and playing live instruments. When asked about women in the industry by online magazine Sensible Reason she said, “Women tend to learn more in relating to other people through metaphors and other things that haven’t even been explored yet.” ill-Esha wants her fans to know, “It’s time for women who approach me with the common proposition of ‘how can I do this, I wish I could do this’ to rephrase their language into ‘I can do this; I want to do this because this is who I am, and it’s beautiful because it’s me.’ That’s a scary thing to do and come to terms with, but if you feel it then do it.” To find out more about ill-Esha, you can check out her Soundcloud or for more information, you can visit her website.
These women have helped pave the road for every woman trying to break into the music industry. Stay positive, believe in your talents, and you can achieve greatness.