I currently am running a project called Grrls to the Front where I interview girls of all sorts in bands. I ask them the real questions, the questions they don’t get asked in normal interviews. I ask them about their songwriting process, their life on the road, who their heroes are, what empowers and inspires them. I refuse to ask about the clothes they wear onstage, their relationships, the way they look, the way they speak. I do not degrade these women in that way. Those girls are so powerful, so inspiring. Trans girls, gay girls, girls of color, any and every girl, they all deserve so so much more than the ridiculous, transparent questions they get in every other interview. So I ask the real questions.
Why is what I am doing important? Many people ask me this, bringing up major music magazines and how they interview girls in bands. Yes, they do, but it isn’t as common as I would like, and I know for sure I’m not the only one who feels that way. I know for a fact that girls don’t get asked the same questions in interviews as guys do. That just isn’t right. Girls have just as much to say as guys do, so why is there a change in the questions? The underlying reason is sexism, of course, but god forbid that’s mentioned in music, especially in smaller scenes where it isn’t as accepted.
Grrls to the Front is important. I’m trying to change the game. I want girls in bands to get just as much attention as guys in bands do. I want them to get the same questions, I want them to get the same opportunities, the same love, the same everything. They deserve it. They work just as hard, if not harder, to get places with their music. They’re there for the same reasons the boys are.
I am so tired of having to search for bands with girls in them because they don’t get the publicity and attention they need. And I’m sure other young women are struggling with this to. There’s a quote somewhere that says ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’ and if girls can’t see other girls in bands and playing music, how are they supposed to become them? Young girls aspiring to be musicians need role models. They need to see other girls getting somewhere. It gives them the hope and the drive that they need to make strides and chase their dreams. I’m currently in the Music-Business Technology program at Millersville University. There are less than ten girls in our freshman MBT class compared to four times as many guys. To be in any music program here at Millersville, you must play an instrument of some sort, whether it be singing, playing guitar, or whatever. So that’s less than ten girl musicians in my program. Don’t you see the problem here? I’m trying to fix that. I want to see more girls in music, doing what they love and playing their hearts out.
This isn’t an article begging for attention. I am merely telling a small amount of background story and hoping others will open their eyes and realize the problem with the inequity between girls and guys in bands and what we need to do to fix it. I want change. Do you?
If you’re a girl in a band, or just a girl making music on your own, keep going. I believe in you and other people do too. Push forward. Punch, kick, scream, do what you have to until you get to where you want to be. You and your music is valid. Someone out there in the world needs that music, just as much as you do. You could inspire the next generation of girls to play music. When people tell you you can’t do it, ignore them. You can. If you ever need any support, come to Grrls to the Front. Send us a message, we’ll help you to the best of our abilities. We’re cheering for you. We’re in your corner, so keep up the fight.
Interested in Grrls to the Front? Check us out on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and WordPress.