By: Lea Walker
Hi friends! It's Lea here, back with another mini equality rant for your reading pleasure (hopefully). If you didn't read my last post on Females and Festivals, go check it out for some background information before you read this one! Despite the fact that some of the biggest mainstream artists- Adele, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, etc. - are women, festivals all over the world continue to overload their lineups with male dominated acts. More often than not, when you look at a festival lineup it will take some time for a woman's name to appear. For example, here is Lollapalooza's 2018 Lineup, which doesn't have a female artist until the fourth line!
It's 2018 and equality has come a long way, but we have got some work to do. Talent is talent and deserves recognition regardless of gender, race, sexuality etc. Slowly, but surely we are making a difference. An awesome festival that kicks off 2019 is Brandi Carlile's, Girls Just Wanna Weekend in Mexico. It has an entirely female lineup including the lovely Secret Sisters! Here's an awesome quote from Brandi with a rundown of some goals for this event.
"I was brought up by Lilith Fair to believe that men and women enjoy live music equally and that women can not only headline a festival—they can BE a festival. I’m proud to announce that our festival has an ALL female-fronted lineup,” Carlile said in a statement. “I would absolutely LOVE to see a ton of men there supporting women in rock and roll, I want to see mothers with children, single people, LGBTQ brothers and sisters letting it all go for a weekend together in harmony (with bottomless tequila on hand to assist)."
Tickets went on sale TODAY! Get them here before they're gone!
If you follow The Secret Sisters on Instagram, you may have recently witnessed their passion for equal representation, specifically, among women and people of color. Laura and Lydia were in the Nashville airport when they noticed a C.F. Martin & Co display that showcased a number of significant musicians playing a Martin guitar. However, every picture was of a white male... The music industry and a plethora of others are failing to keep equality and proper representation in mind even with something as simple as the photographs in the airport. On the other hand, The Secret Sisters are playing in another festival with a lineup that proves some people are aware of the problem. In September, the ladies will be playing at the sold out Moon River Music Festival in Chattanooga, TN that has quite the diverse lineup!
Hopefully, by now you are aware of the issue and will demand better! We need festivals to be conscious and deliberate about the artists they ask to perform. Of course, equality is an issue in a multitude of industries but, let this inspire you to support females in every facet of art and life! Support women by going to their incredible concerts, buying their photography prints, reading their books, and everything in between.