I remember reading a piece in the New Yorker about Jack Antonoff’s prominence within the pop girlie sphere and why practically every up and coming female pop singer-songwriter ends up working with him at some point within their career trajectory. Its almost like they’re working towards that as a creative milestone. And it was mainly about how he is so beloved among young female singer songwriters because he listens. People tend to forget how rare it is for male producers to not put their foot down creatively, especially when the music is so emotionally vulnerable.
I think about this too - I’ve heard a woman artist say they had no idea they were already producing until someone told them they should get extra credit for it. It seems intimidating. But how liberating would it be to be able to produce our own work without some dude. If someone started a “women producing pop music song club” I would join.
It was incredibly refreshing to read these sentiments broken down more logically than stewing in the all-familiar lamentations of being a girl who doesn’t know how to press the buttons. As one of these girls myself, it was really nice to be reminded of the value of emotional production and to hear earnest frustrations of our own genre. Yay brat!
V relevant for theatre + film too, never had a female set designer and very few lighting designers and things are often lost in translation even w fabulous teams 💕🌷🤍
as a woman dj this makes me think of conversations i've had with many women and nb friends who believe that women mix differently (better) than men because when you think about it djing in response to crowd energy is just being an empath
This is something I think about so much. Florence Welch has recently talked about how it’s only been on her last two albums that she’s felt she’s been able to label herself as a producer of her own work. I’m excited that more women are starting to produce their own music but I wish it was a bigger percentage and I want to *hear* what female producers sound like on the radio.
"because I choose to work with people who listen well in all situations, and usually those people are women" one hundred percent. unfortunately i know way too many woman artists who have had their voices ignored and overridden by men who think they know better.
i really rock with this piece but i had a totally different experience listening to brat - i hear the man aaalllllll over that record! i am a big ag cook listener so my brain is wired to hear it, but his hand is loud and clear on these songs and not in the back seat by any stretch. and when i hear those signature beeps and boops i do picture him physically in the room, playing on his computer, like you described. but like... in a good way... feel me... iirc charli sought out ag cook bc his sound spoke to her, and now after ~8 years of working together they're melded, one mind, twins... geniuses jointly slaying... brat is undeniably a charli album and undeniably an ag cook album. charli shines on these songs and is her raw honest full self and that's not in spite of the collab with her male producer but like, because of it, you know??? your thoughts about communication and language across gender lines really resonate with me and i just think there's so much more than can be said about the miracle that is charli + ag's collaboration (and in general the magic/synergy that happens when an artist + producer can communicate with each other, like what another commenter remarked about jack antonoff. [not to toot the men's horns too hard though. god knows they don't need it]).
The realm of logic and rationality is supposed to bring structure to the realm of feeling. For the purpose of increasing enjoyment. If our pursuit of logic strangles the ability to feel what good is the pursuit at all?
I screamed at the ending!!!
Also, Caroline Polachek very much in the room on this essay.
yess exactly what i thought
yes!! more music criticism please i loved this 🙏
I remember reading a piece in the New Yorker about Jack Antonoff’s prominence within the pop girlie sphere and why practically every up and coming female pop singer-songwriter ends up working with him at some point within their career trajectory. Its almost like they’re working towards that as a creative milestone. And it was mainly about how he is so beloved among young female singer songwriters because he listens. People tend to forget how rare it is for male producers to not put their foot down creatively, especially when the music is so emotionally vulnerable.
I think about this too - I’ve heard a woman artist say they had no idea they were already producing until someone told them they should get extra credit for it. It seems intimidating. But how liberating would it be to be able to produce our own work without some dude. If someone started a “women producing pop music song club” I would join.
Marina posted a great video about this on her Instagram !
It was incredibly refreshing to read these sentiments broken down more logically than stewing in the all-familiar lamentations of being a girl who doesn’t know how to press the buttons. As one of these girls myself, it was really nice to be reminded of the value of emotional production and to hear earnest frustrations of our own genre. Yay brat!
V relevant for theatre + film too, never had a female set designer and very few lighting designers and things are often lost in translation even w fabulous teams 💕🌷🤍
as a woman dj this makes me think of conversations i've had with many women and nb friends who believe that women mix differently (better) than men because when you think about it djing in response to crowd energy is just being an empath
100% AGREE!!
Wow I love this comment! It really is a tuning in of energy!
the "sometimes bad" link to ur own piece is so real let women believe many things at once!!
I feel the exact same about male photographers
this is the charli x eliza crossover i didn’t know i needed
This is something I think about so much. Florence Welch has recently talked about how it’s only been on her last two albums that she’s felt she’s been able to label herself as a producer of her own work. I’m excited that more women are starting to produce their own music but I wish it was a bigger percentage and I want to *hear* what female producers sound like on the radio.
"because I choose to work with people who listen well in all situations, and usually those people are women" one hundred percent. unfortunately i know way too many woman artists who have had their voices ignored and overridden by men who think they know better.
i really rock with this piece but i had a totally different experience listening to brat - i hear the man aaalllllll over that record! i am a big ag cook listener so my brain is wired to hear it, but his hand is loud and clear on these songs and not in the back seat by any stretch. and when i hear those signature beeps and boops i do picture him physically in the room, playing on his computer, like you described. but like... in a good way... feel me... iirc charli sought out ag cook bc his sound spoke to her, and now after ~8 years of working together they're melded, one mind, twins... geniuses jointly slaying... brat is undeniably a charli album and undeniably an ag cook album. charli shines on these songs and is her raw honest full self and that's not in spite of the collab with her male producer but like, because of it, you know??? your thoughts about communication and language across gender lines really resonate with me and i just think there's so much more than can be said about the miracle that is charli + ag's collaboration (and in general the magic/synergy that happens when an artist + producer can communicate with each other, like what another commenter remarked about jack antonoff. [not to toot the men's horns too hard though. god knows they don't need it]).
The realm of logic and rationality is supposed to bring structure to the realm of feeling. For the purpose of increasing enjoyment. If our pursuit of logic strangles the ability to feel what good is the pursuit at all?
Freakin loved this and love BRAT
Yessss! To all of this! More women in the room! All rooms!