Andrea Dee has worked in the industry for more than 15 years, touring the world but always craving a place of community where she could go for guidance and growth or where she could celebrate a good day and get support on the harder ones. She wanted a space where women could come together to laugh, cry, work and dream together.

Amplify Her is a safe space where creativity can bloom. Andrea created this space for women in the music industry - where professionals and newbies could support, promote and connect through face-to-face live music events, cocktail nights, coffee meetings and mentoring programmes.

During our conversation, Andrea and I talked about Amplify Her and our dream of one day living in a world without misogyny.

MR: Please tell our readers about Amplify Her and what inspired you to create this space.

AD: I have worked in the music industry for a long time as a singer and songwriter and I needed a space to go to talk about my experiences and I felt like there wasn’t a space for me to do that. I knew others like myself also needed a place, so I created that space for myself and others. Amplify Her is an organisation that supports women in the music industry through live events. I wanted to create a community where women could get together, help each other, push each other to the next level in our careers, have conversations about the industry, share what's happening - the ups, and the downs, and push each other to the next level.

It started with a live music event. While doing the live music event, I felt like, as a community, as artists, we didn't have time to talk to each other because we were just, you know, on and off stage. So that's why we created the coffee mornings, the cocktail meetings, and all that: to have those moments, to have those conversations.

MR: That segues perfectly to my next question. You offer your members an array of events ranging from networking, promotional tools and songwriting camps. How do you ensure that these events cater to the diverse needs and interests of your members? Do you gather feedback regularly to improve and tailor your offerings?

AD: Um, so, as an artist myself talking to other artists, having those conversations and asking what else, what would you need? What do you need for your career to move forward? How can I help? These conversations help me understand what they need and how I can implement them to help them.

Also, last year we had a suggestion box and we asked guests to write down what events they wanted to go to or things that they wanted to happen within the community. And from that came the songwriting camp and the open mic nights, we were able to find out what was needed, and then we could start figuring out how to make it happen. And it's through conversation, really, and having people say, I need this, and then making it happen. Same thing with the virtual meetings. The virtual meetings are more educational as we have professionals join us to talk about the industry and what working in it is really like. So it's really conversational and about asking the community what they need and how I can help them.

MR: So you gather a lot of feedback to sort of help improve these events.

AD: Yeah. Most of the feedback I receive is from just talking to people who come to our events - that's where I receive the most feedback.

MR: You also run mentorship programs. Can you tell me a little bit about what that entails and what the application process is?

AD: Yeah, the mentorship program is there to help bring your career to the next level and the application process for it is really simple. You will contact me and then I will send you a form to fill out where you can set goals for yourself to achieve and then we can work together to achieve them. And it's really setting goals that are achievable for you to do. And like, I know most people want to be big stars or want to be famous and want to tour, but with that comes other things that you may not know about. I never discourage people from going down that road, I just say let's start, let's do it, let's see what happens and then we just take it a step at a time. So our most popular course is a 10-session course that results in the release of an album or an event or something that marks the next step to the career.

MR: Yeah, that sounds wonderful. So is that like an additional fee, or is that included in the packages that you offer?

AD: Yeah. So the one-on-one 10-session mentor course does have an additional fee. However, if you become a VIP member you get monthly 20-minute coaching sessions where we set new goals for the month ahead.

MR: Amazing. I bet you have really good connections to a lot of recording studios.

AD: This is still a work in progress, to be honest. We are going to start promoting female creatives on our website. It's going to be a new feature on our website. So, we're basically in the process of building a directory with everyone that we work with. So let's say, you're looking for writers to collaborate with or music producers, you could just search our directory and connect with them.

MR: That sounds wonderful. Yeah, I think that'd be really helpful to artists to sort of make it more streamlined and easier for them.

AD: Yeah it’s something I wish I had.

MR: How was your open mic night? You recently hosted one in Soho.

AD: Yeah, it was great. Sold out. It was packed with amazing talent. I think we had the best talents performing at that open mic, I was blown away. I was like, Whoa, we're taking our open mic to a different level - it was so good! We have a rule at our events and it's if you come for the first artist, you have to stay until the last.

MR: Yeah, I love that.

AD: Yeah, We announce it at the beginning and I'm always like I will remember you if you leave, I do always remember when. Haha

MR: I can imagine it being quite daunting for someone on stage to then see people leave, even though they're not doing it in a mean way, but it can be nerve-wracking.

AD: Also, if you're the last one going and there are five people performing, that's not fair because you want to perform to a big crowd. It’s also great to meet and talk to new people at our open mics. That's actually one of our rules, talk to somebody you don't know. Our open mics are usually three hours long and we want them to be an experience, we want to take our audience on a journey.

MR: How do you curate your list of performers for each show?

AD: Yeah, so we have two shows, the open mic and our showcase. The open mic is different from our showcase. So with the open mic, we usually announce it on our social media with a secret word. So if you email us with that secret word and you're one of the first eight to get in touch, then you’ll definitely get to perform at the next open mic. However, if you are a member, you get priority. So we do ask our members before we post. But our members can only perform once every two open mics. They can't perform at every open mic so other people get a shot. So it's a great mix of different artists.

MR: Awesome. So when you were starting out in the industry, who would you have wanted as a mentor?

AD: You know I was thinking about this question this morning. She's no longer with us, but I would choose Tina Turner. I always looked up to her, from her stage presence and the way she broke barriers. You know, starting at 40, doing rock and roll. So I would have liked her to mentor me because I'm sure she had such a well of knowledge. I like people that work so hard to make it like it didn't just happen overnight. So yeah, so I think she would have been a great mentor. Just to have a conversation with her, I mean I've had a conversation in my head with her, but that's different. Haha

MR: Yeah, no, she was legendary, very cool.

What should artists look out for when signing a deal?

AD: They have to look into what they want, like, what are they looking for? Why are they signing the deal? And usually, artists tend to want to because they want to take their career to the next level. But what does that entail? And there's always a give and take in anything you do. So I think first of all, get a lawyer, a lawyer that can read the contract with you. Get a few people to look over the contract, because even if you think you got it, it's always good to get opinions about who you're working with.

You also have to think about whether you trust that team? Do you trust the label? Do you like what they've done with other artists? Have you talked to the other artists that are in the label? Can you have a coffee with them and see, like, are they happy with them? A lot of artists are assigned to labels and they're not really happy. I'm assigned to a label, but more on the independent side and I wouldn't say they're the best label ever, but I do trust them.

It's very hard to be an indie artist. You have to do everything and you have to keep going - you will have ups and downs but you have to keep putting out new music and investing in yourself. But I think if there's a deal, they have to bring you to the next level. But you have to know what that is for you, you know, is it if it's performing at Glastonbury? Okay, cool, but what's the give? What are they taking from it? Are they taking a percentage? Okay, fair, it's a business, but do they want you to change your image in exchange or do they want you to change your sound? I think having really good honest conversations and really trusting who you're working with is important. I think that's one of the biggest things you should look into a deal.

MR: This year, The Women Musicians Insight Report found that gender inequality was still prominent in the music industry making it harder for women to work. Why are women still facing such significant barriers in an industry that prides itself on creativity and innovation? What steps can be taken to address and rectify this ongoing disparity?

AD: Yeah, you know the word is innovation, music is supposed to be, like art it’s supposed to show, like the future. Women work so hard and we tend to always have to prove ourselves. There's this thing of proving yourself constantly and that makes it hard when you're at the start of your career and the only woman - I created this community because I believe if we work together and we have each other's backs we become bigger and we have a voice.

Creating a community that supports each other, will make a difference.

MR: I agree, amplifying our voices and working together makes a difference. Helping women in whatever industry you work in, I think it's important to sort of share experiences, share stories because then I feel like that gives women, I guess, the power to then understand what's what you know - what's right and what's wrong within the industry. I feel like there are a lot of misconceptions about pretty much most industries, about what's necessary, what the culture is and it's about putting up with things that you really don't necessarily need to put up with.

AD: Exactly and when you have those conversations and you actually realise you're and it’s not normal. Women are still being taken advantage of in this business and my goal is to change that because I want my daughter to not worry about the possibility of being taken advantage of if she chooses to go into this industry. I want that sort of treatment to be a thing of the past by the time she's my age.

I think if we work together and we keep pushing, we're powerful. We're powerful together and I think that's what men have done. I think men collaborate and work together and help each other, and you know, which is why there are a lot of “men’s clubs” in different industries. Whereas women have had to continue to prove themselves and show their value in a way men don’t have to worry about.

MR: I think that’s why women are pitted against each other and made to feel like we have to compete - men know how powerful we are when we work together. A lot of that has to do with the patriarchy and I feel like women are realising that if we work together we can achieve so much, we could do so much.

AD: Yeah exactly, women working together is magic.

MR: Absolutely! We still have a way to go but in the past few years, the music industry has seen an increase in female artists taking ownership, setting boundaries, and being open about the realities of working in it. How has this shift impacted the way the industry operates and the opportunities available to upcoming female artists? Are record labels and management teams becoming more supportive and open to change?

AD: I think, yeah, there's a definite switch. You know, I listen to the radio and I hear female artist after female artist, after female artist. I have never seen so many female artists dominate the music industry like this and it’s so cool. We are on the verge of making a difference but I think we still need to be careful because this always happens - things look like they’re going to change for the better and then for some reason we revert back and nothing changes. So I think we have to find a way to continue this trajectory of change and keep these conversations going. I think spaces like Amplify Her are important, places where you have your community, and where you can work together.

I think the fact that we're there makes a difference. You know, the fact that we get together makes a difference.

I’ve also noticed that a lot of women have been promoted to prominent roles, which is great, and I'm very happy about it. However, I'm also aware that they will be watched like crazy and have to prove themselves in a way a man wouldn't.

MR: I totally agree, we make a change for the better and things start improving like they're not perfect, but you sort of feel hopeful, like okay, we're making moves, things are changing, and then all of a sudden the rug is pulled from under us and we revert or take 10 steps back. It's frustrating and some days it's hard to keep fighting when we keep reverting to default settings but as you said, we have to keep working together and supporting each other.

AD: Yeah, exactly, although we still have a long way to go.

MR: Do you think record labels and management teams are becoming more supportive and open to change, or do you think they're still sort of we're still a work in progress?

AD: I think we're still a work in progress. I've been to conferences where women will know about Amplify Her, which is really nice, or you know, I'll go networking and say, yeah, this is what I do, and men have no idea. But the funny part is that they're looking at me like, oh, this is cute, and I'm like, okay, so there's still work to be done. There's still that misogynistic mindset that needs to change, which will happen. I'm confident it will happen, but it's not there yet. We're not there yet.

MR: I really hope we do get there soon for our daughter's sake and all future daughters to come.

AD: I'm telling you, our daughters will look back and be like I don't get it. Like that type of behaviour will be so foreign to them. That's the goal.

MR: You have been working in the music industry for over 15 years, have you seen a change for the better within that time?

AD: Yes, I think artists or women in the music industry, men as well, are more aware of the inequality, aware of what's right and wrong or what's threatening or non-consensual behaviour. They're more aware now compared to when I started. That sort of behaviour was so normalised back then.

MR: I think we're way more aware of what's right and what's wrong.

I really make it a point to instil that in my daughter even now. I make sure she understands that it's her body and that her “no’s” or “stops” matter. I feel like everybody should be doing the same - we need to teach our children the importance of consent as well as emotional intelligence. This stuff really should be taught at schools from preschool all the way up to college because some people are lacking.

AD: They really don't but they should. I totally agree.

If you would like to know more about Amplify Her and how you can get involved you can follow them on Instagram and TikTok.

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Mary Raftopoulos is 32 and started This is Impt during lockdown as a way to help highlight the racism we face every day in the UK. She wanted to continue the conversation that the Black Lives Matter movement started and the discussion about racism in the UK. She collects stories from black women and men for publication because she believes the more we talk about racism and share our stories the more people will realise the severity of it. Speaking up and being vulnerable is something she has always shied away from on social media but she hopes these conversations help people understand the Black British experience. Mary is also an Editor at The C Word Magazine.

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