Ever since I was young I wanted to be in the music industry. My love for music has always been across many genres but has continually become specialized in rap, hip hop, and EDM. I never really understood the typical gender, age, or socioeconomic inequalities between these genres and myself. I also have never had a particularly keen eye for the sexism within our society, not at least until I got to college. This changed the minute I entered the music industry with my particular stylistic taste as a potential professional.
It may seem naive to some, but I luckily grew up in a family where I was never put down for what I wanted to do, whereas many people scoffed at my desire to be in the music industry. My parents were always and continue to be unendingly supportive, and so I never had any clue, outside of the typical doubters, what it would be like coming into the music industry. I definitely had no idea the challenges I would face as a female.
I started college as a creative writing major. As such, I was surrounded by other young women. There were a few guys here and there but not really in any great number. The minute I got to the Music Industry program, that totally changed.
I consider myself one of the lucky few women who will have the chance to be a working professional in the business side of the music world. I've noticed through several of my classes that there are many women in the music school as a whole, but they usually make up popular music, performance, and vocal arts majors.
This world is full of men. Especially considering the fact that I will hopefully continue on to law school, my professional life will need to be driven by ambition, fearlessness, and an aptitude for what I know.
As a woman in this industry, especially one interested in the electronic, rap, hip hop, and other male-dominated genres, I will continually have to be more ambitious, have more credentials, and be fearless in my endeavors more than ever. Women are hardly taken seriously in many professional spheres, especially in ones that have been run by men for nearly all of history.
To me, it's a blessing that I am able to embrace the challenges of this business in a way that motivates me to work harder and stronger, and represent women who want to work in an industry dominated by the opposite gender in the best way I can.
