Did you know only 2% of producers in the music industry are women? To help change the narrative, Bacardi rum has teamed up with GRAMMY Award-winning producer and songwriter Boi-1da to invest in the future of female music production. With the recent debut of their latest iteration of Music Liberates Music, the brand's ongoing program from Bacardí features three versatile empowering creative forces that bring uniqueness and varied elements and styles of production.
These women exemplify boldness, a visionary presence and serve as a reminder that a new wave of female dominance behind the keyboards is on the horizon. From Bambii, otherwise known as Kirsten Azan, one of Canada's most compelling Caribbean-inspired DJs, to Denise "Nyce" De'ion, a rising, Black female artist, who has been writing and singing for almost three decades, and PERFXN, or Aviane Vargas, a rising producer, and designer who originally hails from the Dominican Republic, these women were hand-selected to help shine a light on gender disparity in music.
By participating in in-studio sessions to further hone their skillsets with one of the most world-renowned producers, they created a final track released as a limited-edition NFT mixtape.
21Ninety received a behind-the-scenes look into making the third installment of Music Liberates Music and exclusive one-on-one time with each producer to discuss their creative process, breaking barriers in a male-dominated industry, women empowerment, and partnering with the iconic brand, Bacardi.
Dontaira Terrell: What advice do you have for women aspiring to break into the music industry as a producer?
Denise De'ion: It's about being confident in who you are, your capabilities and being super open to learning and soaking up information every single day. I'm always open to growing, and I'm still growing as a creative and an artist. Confidence is the key because I think with many women, we step into these male-dominated rooms, and we immediately shrivel up, or we hide back in our shells. It's important to know that you belong and really fight for your place there, be confident in who you are, and everything else will fall into place.
DT: Where do you draw your source of inspiration to keep on creating?
PERFXN: Honestly, I would say I get a lot of inspiration from the people around me. I love working with my friends. They inspire me because I'm a big fan of my friends and the people I work with musically. That truly keeps me inspired and is something that I've realized over the last couple of years. There are many times when I might not feel inspired to make music or feel insecure about the music I'm making. I might have producers block, but every time I come around my friends, it inspires me because we help each other. We help each other stay confident. We give each other new ideas, and I learn from my friends a lot. Also, life, in general, inspires me, such as enjoying nature, dancing, or just loving myself a little more to remove the pressures from society of trying to be the best.
DT: What's one of the biggest lessons you've learned working within a male-dominated industry?
Bambii: One of the biggest lessons I've learned is standing up for yourself. If you don't advocate for yourself, somebody else will. You have to teach people how to treat you, and that's especially important for women.
DT: Through the power of music, how do you utilize your platform to empower women, particularly women of color?
PERFXN: I collaborate with a lot of women. I've found so much excitement in collaborating with women and women of color. Some of my closest friends are women in music, and I feel so good having female energy in the room. One thing I want to do is always collaborate with women in every sense of the way, whether it be a female director or a female engineer. For me, it's really important to help give my peers a platform, especially women of color, because we're so underrepresented in the music industry. I think in entertainment as a whole sometimes. It's really about collaborating and partnering with those women, giving them space to do what they're good at, and just coming together and creating a great product.
DT: What do you want your legacy to say about you?
Bambii: I really like helping other people. Being able to do something that impacts somebody else and empowers them to do it themselves or believe that it's possible for themselves. I don't think people set out to do things if they don't see examples of it being specifically done, especially as a Black woman in electronic music. When I started DJing, there were barely any examples in Toronto. And I think existing as an example and having other young women come up to me and say, "I didn't know I could do this thing until I saw you," has probably been the most important thing for me. Those moments are key for me and pretty significant.
DT: When you hear that only 2% of producers in the music industry are women, what comes to mind? What's your first thought about that?
DD: I'm kind of done with being upset about it. I'm a person that is more interactive rather than keeps talking about it. We've come a long way, but we're not there yet. The only way for us to get there is to keep filling the gap, keep having brands like Bacardi, give us that shine and space so that people know we exist and we're out here in the world, and keep building the community. Back home, there are many different community organizations that I'm a part of, and I'm very much into that allyship.
When I go home, I have a production workshop that I'm doing, that I'm leading, on the weekend. Such things like that, that's me doing my part to ensure that 2% becomes 5% and then becomes 10% and it keeps growing. I don't want to keep crying over spilled milk. Let's do something about it.
DT: What was your breakthrough moment when you realized music is a liberating experience?
Bambii: I think that would definitely be as a DJ because I don't only DJ at other people's events, I also curate events. Creating space for communities that are not represented in nightlife and music has been the main reason I'm so passionate about music. I think it connects people. It teaches people. It can be a safe space for people. And I think witnessing its power and what it does is definitely a breakthrough moment for me and continues to be.
DT: What are you most excited about with this partnership with you and Bacardi?
PERFXN: Having a platform that helps me take my career to the next level and allows me to showcase my music to the world. Bacardi is a brand that definitely has given people platforms and mentorships to take their careers to the next level and help them succeed. That's so exciting for me to have such an influential and big brand to support me in my music, especially having someone like Boi-1da be a mentor. He's someone I've looked up to, and I have been inspired by for years because of what he's done, not only in the music industry but also in the producer community.
DT: Who would be your dream collaboration?
DD: That's a good question! I'm a huge fan of Kehlani; she's somebody that I would love to work with. Brandy is one of my favorite all-time vocalists, and I would love to work with her as well. She seems like she's a beautiful human. I think another dream collaboration that's starting to happen with this opportunity is Boi-1da because I've always been a fan of him as a producer. It was really good to connect with him, and I'm hoping that leads to something bigger.