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Alicia Keys’ She Is The Music Is The Nonprofit Helping Women Enter The ‘Boys Club’ Of Music

The artist’s nonprofit is working to increase diversity and inclusion efforts in the music industry so that women can get hired. …

In January 2019, the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative concluded that two years earlier, the music industry saw a six-year low for female creatives. The contributions of women remain underrepresented in virtually every corner of the field — from singers and songwriters to A&R professionals and marketing mavens. Because of these findings, She Is The Music is a necessary network for women in music to facilitate meaningful change in order to diminish the “boys club” industry mentality, which is why we wanted to showcase them in this debut episode of our new The Show Up series.

Founded by Alicia Keys in 2018, She Is The Music is a non-profit organization aiming to amplify underrepresented individuals in the music industry through networking, resources, and impactful initiatives. In the above video, Michelle Arkuski, executive director of the organization, says that the “overarching” goal of the organization is to “[harness] inclusivity, opportunity and visibility to increase the number of women working in music.”

She Is The Music fosters connections between its members and music industry giants in order to provide support and advice. Like-minded individuals can link up through the organization’s global online database of 7,000 she/her-identifying music industry members. She Is The Music also features programs unifying its members, like their all-female songwriting camp, their partnership with Step Up empowering female high school students, and their newly-implemented virtual mentorship program, Connect TogetHER, whose members launched their own music team after the program ended to help an alumna release her debut album.

Through instilling confidence in established and prospective industry personnel, She Is The Music provides a look into how limitless the field could be for women. “When people put gender into a title, it knocks you down a few steps,” She Is The Music’s songwriting committee co-chair and L.A. chapter head Hannah Babitt notes. “We need all genders involved to push a change and shift the numbers.”

Check out the video above to learn more about the group.

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Elevator Operator Urges Us to Tune Inward with Soulful New Single “Listen”

Elevator Operator

“Listen” (Elevator Operator) is a refreshing and much-needed pause in the new album by Elevator Operator. The song is now available to stream on Spotify and is a delicately wrought meditation on the fact that sometimes the only voice that truly matters is the one inside our own heads.

“Listen’s” descriptions are simply chill, practically weightless, with softly layered textures, light instrumentation, and an instant calm that feels like a gentle breeze. Don’t get too comfortable; Elevator Operator has also ensured this track will evolve. As the song climbs, it takes flight with an uplifting, soaring, cathartic, invigorating chorus. The dynamic surprises you to the best extent, inviting a no-holds-barred emotional response.

The episode’s core is an inward journey; “Listen” is about looking in. It’s a musical nudge to slow down, filter out the external static, and reacquaint ourselves with that easily ignored inner voice. Elevator Operator doesn’t scream its message at you; it leads you to it gently, laying along the way through lyrics and a performance that feels profoundly intimate, even while being profoundly of the world.

The power is subtle in how the song builds musically and emotionally. The verses fall like murmuring reveries, while the chorus explodes into the kind of epiphany you never knew you were looking for. This feeling of being an elevator operator masterfully mediates the sound as though needing to have the listener hear, feel, and be empowered.

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Production-wise, “Listen” also has a crisp and natural sound. Earley meticulously places each layer, from the mellow opening notes to the whirling chorus, making this a soundscape that feels immersive without ever being enveloping. It’s clear that Elevator Operator has a keen ear for dynamics, allowing every instant to breathe precisely the way that it needs to.

At a time when external distractions may be louder than ever, “Listen” comes as balm, and a call to action. More than just a great song, Elevator Operator has just given us an experience, one that stays with you well past the last notes.

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ANSW333R Turns Pain into Poetry on New Single “Atrophy”

ANSW333R

New single “Atrophy” simmers in all the right places. With “Atrophy,” ANSW333R brings listeners into a raw place where pain is embraced. From its first haunting notes, the track blooms like a wound, beckoning you into a place that’s as personal as it is universal. ANSW333R provides no easy answers, just an opening for vulnerability, a space to have the hurt and let it become ugly and beautiful.

The song progresses with a kind of slow burn, every beat feeling deliberate and laden with intention. It’s apparent that the feelings behind “Atrophy” are not only layered within the lyrics but interwoven within the sound of the music. Every second of the track sounds like a confession, a relinquishing of pain’s truths without rushing to resolution or cliche uplift.

What makes “Atrophy” especially resonant is how wide-eyed ANSW333R captures pain rather than drowning in it. The song observes. It takes up its position amid heartbreak and implosion and allows the silence between the lines to get some of the talking done. The rest of the production follows suit, stripped back just enough to let ANSW333R’s fragile voice take the lead, opening the door to a territory most of us work so hard to skirt around: the gentle, soft collapse within.

There are no easy answers in “Atrophy” by ANSWER333R, just honesty. And sometimes, that’s the only answer we need. “Atrophy” reminds us that pain is not something to get over but something to move through, try to understand, and make art out of. Currently, ANSW333R is granting us permission to sit with ours.

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