Maïa Davies has a musical resume that deserves to be stunning. Not only has she recorded and toured with the group Ladies of the Canyon, but the Montreal artist has also composed dozens of radio hits and collaborated with artists such as Serena Ryder, Jill Barber, Mother Mother and Gus van Go. Despite everything, someone who works when a director encounters a music industry that remains very closed to the female presence in the studio.
“I would say that 90% of the time I am the only woman in the studio on teams of five to fifteen people. And then it brings challenges,” says Davies. The director’s case is far from unique, as she discovered through meetings with colleagues thanks to the creation of the Global Network of Women Music Producers, an initiative of the National Arts Center (NAC).
This association currently brings together 33 female directors from seven countries, including Argentina, Estonia, Mexico, Sweden and Wales, in Montreal and Toronto. Nine Canadian directors, including Maïa Davies and Caracol, are taking part.
The network, which is reserved for women and non-binary people, is an initiative of Heather Gibson, general producer of the popular music and variety department at the NAC. COVID-19 forced videoconference meetings in the first few months of the group, which was founded in December 2020. In August 2022, 25 music producers met in Stockholm, Sweden to exchange ideas, build relationships and take part in studio training.
It was the statistics that motivated Ms. Gibson to set up the network. According to an analysis by the organization The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, women made up about 2.3% of female producers in 2018, based on a sample of 400 songs from Billboard. A relatively stable rate between 2012 and 2018.
“Female directors in particular told us that they couldn’t get contracts without contacts and experience,” explains Heather Gibson. But to have experience you need contracts, as the vicious circle dictates. Therefore, it was necessary to take the means to break this disastrous cycle, “which is historical and reinforced by structural problems,” notes the producer of CNA, who emphasizes that for a long time women were not welcome in the studio Singer or choir singer.
This marginalization leaves its mark, creates insecurities and even injuries, assures Maïa Davies, who has been there from the beginning. “When Heather Gibson called me to ask me to be part of the group, I said, ‘This is great. How do I apply?’ But she told me no, we chose you! It was like a metaphor for what it’s like to be a female director in the industry, because I keep thinking that I have more work to do and that I’m not accepted yet. »
Maïa Davies doesn’t want women to be given preferential treatment in music, she just wants them to have a voice, not to be sidelined or discredited because of their gender. What she experienced several times in the studio, including once from a famous rock group who told her, without looking at her, that women didn’t know how to write real rock songs.
“I replied that I lived the rock life, probably more than them, that I have a great admiration for rock music and that I deserved to be there and that they didn’t want to give me five minutes to see it. “If I had the talent to be here it would be a shame,” says Davies. There was silence and after five minutes of composing one of the guys said, “Wow, but you’re really good.” Yes, but you could have started with that assumption. »
Support and advice
Beyond events like those running through September 10th, the Producer Network is a safe space for its members. Heather Gibson explains that women communicate constantly to give each other advice and find solutions based on each other’s experiences. “In the studio, men tend to quickly judge whether a woman has doubts or doesn’t have an answer. She often has to prove herself more. And the group helps women. »
For Maïa Davies, whenever an artist or record label is looking for endorsements, her industry has to question itself. “Women need to be on the lists,” she said. We want to have the same opportunities to prove ourselves, show our talent and participate equally in cultural heritage. »
Could the group include male allies? “I think directors first need to feel more stable and strong among themselves,” notes Heather Gibson. But in the long run, absolutely. »