To coincide with their new monthly residency on the MDR airwaves, Where Are The Girl Bands? offer us a monthly glimpse into what they’ve been up to and what’s caught their attention over the past 30 days…
Big Condo Records are a Liverpool-based independent record label working with up-and-coming artists to create new and exciting music projects. With community at the core of their work, Big Condo support the voices of musicians and creatives across genres and experiences, using their facilities and knowledge to develop the practices of those they work with.
The organisation champions women in music through their management, listening to their experiences of gender-based challenges and ensuring to support them to overcome these barriers. When the Brit Awards released their nominations for 2023, revealing that no women had been nominated for best artist, Big Condo Records felt they needed to step up and show the support that is lacking within the industry as a whole. When you are a creative starting out, seeing people with identities and experiences that are similar to yours represented in your field is incredibly important. It shows there is a place for you, your art and that you will find a way to success. Big Condo Records recognised that for many women, this representation is lacking, and so created the Women in Music Showcase as a way to both introduce the Merseyside music scene to some incredible women in music and platform musicians.
Excitingly for us at Where are the Girlbands, Big Condo Records have decided to collaborate with us on this new project. Our current ambitions are to raise awareness of and combat the lack of representation of women in music through quarterly showcases in which local artists are invited to perform and share their thoughts on what can be done to diversify the industry from a grassroots to an industry level. The first live event took place at Meraki on 16th February. It was a night filled with music, community and celebration! We had the pleasure of chatting to some of the incredible artists who performed, and can’t wait to introduce them to you!
Cliomusic_ – @cliomusic_
Clio Music is a 21 year old Irish artist studying at LIPA. Identifying primarily as a pop artist, Clio is currently exploring genre through songwriting. Inspired by the likes of Adele and Billie Eillish, Clio aims to embrace vulnerability in her music, both through lyricism and production, believing that it is important to stay true to yourself and your creative vision throughout from visuals to melody. Recently signed to Big Condo Records, Clio is passionate about the support that the label has put into growing her as an artist and developing her music. She speaks about the ways in which she has been supported to try out new ideas, keep consistent and develop her persona as an artist without expectations of overworking. The Women in Music Showcase feels like a natural extension of this support and aligns with Clio’s own beliefs that there needs to be more done to create opportunities for women in music within an industry that doesn’t fairly represent across gender. Clio’s main goal as a musician for this year is to gig more, especially beyond the social sphere of LIPA, so if you are a promoter or a venue out there looking for a new artist to perform at your events, why not give Clio a message!
Olea Faith – @oleafaithmusic
Olea Faith is an aspiring Soul and Pop artist originally from Birmingham currently studying at LIPA. With a background in musical theatre, Olea Faith has recently found a passion for songwriting. Inspired by artists such as Amy Winehouse who use music as a way to navigate their circumstances in an honest and down-to-earth way, Olea Faith has embraced this quality of writing-from-life within her own practice. Having initially struggled with the barriers that come with starting out in a new music scene, being unsure who to talk to and how to get platformed, the Women in Music Showcase has been an important moment in Olea Faith’s career to take the stage and share her music with a supportive audience alongside an eclectic range of musicians. For the rest of the year, Olea Faith will be continuing to perform and develop her persona as an artist, so make sure to give her a follow now @oleafaithmusic to see all of these new ventures come to life!
Lexi – @lexi__cali
Lexi is a 19 year old singer/songwriter whose music combines diverse genres and influences from rock and pop ballads to jazz and folk with classical influences. Inspired by rock bands such as Queen as well as modern influences like Lana Del Rey, Lexi is always exploring sound, writing as much as possible and perfecting her skills to ensure that she can plan releases and performances that express her musical vision. Originally from Bucharest, Romania, Lexi is currently studying at LIPA and feels that events such as the Women in Music Showcase are important to help people get recognition for their work within the industry. When asked about what she would like to see more of within the local scene, Lexi notes that there seems to be pressure for people to stick to certain genres, rather than exploring a variety of sound. To keep up to date with Lexi as her musical practice evolves, follow @lexi__cali on Instagram.
Mogs – @mogmusic_official
Mogs is a 19 year old singer songwriter who sees music as a representation of herself and a way to express beyond what words can say. The root of her songwriting journey is in the positive impact that music has had on her life, and tries to do the same for others by exploring topics which people don’t necessarily have the confidence to talk about in day-to-day life within her songs. Her songs are influenced by her life, taking from traumatic events and finding a way to heal from them in a healthy way through music, hoping that in doing so her music can help others to feel that it is okay to express their emotions. Reflecting on her experience in the local music scene, Mogs notes the importance of events such as the Women in Music showcase to acknowledge people who need acknowledging, for their strength, for their power and for their ability to stand tall, stating that “women have just as much right to be here as anyone else does and we will scream if we have to to be noticed, women deserve to be heard!”. Mogs would love to see more independent artists being promoted, and notes the positive experience that she has had working with Big Condo Records, “They’ve organised gigs, I’ve been to the studios etc., and I have absolutely loved every single second of it and it’s not just because I got offered amazing opportunities, it’s because of how they treat you, they treat you like family! They only want what is best and they push you to achieve it!” This year, Mogs is aiming to record, release and perform her music, embracing vulnerability in sharing such as personal part of herself through her craft. To follow her on her journey, check out @mogmusic_official.
Natalie Abel – @kaktusnatalieabel
Natalie Abel is a musician working mainly in Soul alongside performing in a Rock band. Currently working on an EP to be released in the summer of 2023, Natalie Abel is inspired by musicians who delve outside of the limits of genre, working to create new and unique sounds. When asked about the Women in Music Showcase, Natalie reflected on her own experience growing up with a lack of representation of women in the industry she would grow up to be a part of, especially female producers and sound technicians. “There is a massive underrepresentation of women in the music industry, and it feels very important and very cool to be a part of the Women in Music Showcase. I’m hoping that we can make that change and have more women get credit.” After having lived in Liverpool for two years, something that’s become clear to Natalie is the lack of space for Soul artists in the local scene as it feels dominated by Rock and Indie genres. She notes that there are a fantastic array of Soul artists in Liverpool, but it feels challenging to know where to find space to perform (if you are reading this and know of spaces within the Merseyside region promoting Soul, give us a message @wherearethegirlbands or email us at wherearethegirlbands@gmail.com and we will spread the word!). Make sure to give Natalie Abel a follow via socials @kaktusnatalieabel to keep up to date with all the new releases coming this year, as well as live recordings of gigs and more!
Caitlin Adonis – @caitlinadonismusic
Caitlin Adonis is a singer-songwriter who writes music within the indie-pop and alt-pop genres. Originally from South Africa, she is currently studying Songwriting and Performance at university in Liverpool. Caitlin describes herself as being relatively new to the live music scene, and so was excited to be a part of the Women in Music Showcase as she aims to start performing more regularly. Caitlin also feels that it is important to spotlight underrepresented people in music, “having these opportunities is so great and definitely a step in the right direction to give anyone who otherwise might not have had the opportunity a chance to shine in a setting that they feel comfortable in!” Caitlin would like to see more events that allow underrepresented people a safe space to shine, try out new things and grow without judgement; “I started my uni degree having never studied music before and it was pretty terrifying because I felt like I was jumping tight in at the deep end. it caused a lot of self-doubt because everyone else had a lot more experience than I did.”, says Caitlin, “I’d love to see events specifically organised for musicians to experiment with new music and gain professional experience while getting some sort of feedback from professionals in the industry rather than just gauging audience response.”. Caitlin’s own musical experimentations are inspired by the likes of 80s and 90s rock, jazz and contemporary pop music. This year, Caitlin will be focussing on developing her craft and performing more. “I’ve always been a very shy person and I’m recently discovering this new confidence within me and coming out of my shell more.” If you want to keep in the loop with Caitlin Adonis and her live performances to come, give her a follow on instagram @caitlinadonismusic
ELIZ – @elizrfmusic
ELIZ is a Liverpool based musician taking inspiration from classical music and indie alternative music to produce a unique sound. Having recently released her single ‘Remember What You Did?” ELIZ is making her mark on the local scene. Performing at the Women in Music Showcase was important for ELIZ as she feels that in the music industry there is often pressure to change yourself to meet stereotyped expectations, and so finding spaces where you can go back to the roots of your music is liberating. “I would love to see more events like this, especially for women to have platforms where they can express their art without the restrictions about how we should be and perform.” If you would like to check out ELIZ’s latest release and more to come (with an EP possibly in the works!) then follow @elizrfmusic on instagram or check out her website elizrf.com
Kiera Marsland – @kieramarsland
Kiera Marsland is a singer-songwriter born and raised in Liverpool. Hoping to perform more this year, the Women in Music Showcase event was a fitting space for Keira who believes that creating spaces for women in the male-dominated industry is extremely important. “I believe art and talent shouldn’t be dependent on gender. Showcases like this allow us to perform in safe spaces and give us a sense of unity as artists and performers.” Kiera would also like to see more authenticity on the local music scene, often struggling to relate to other artists in an industry where it seems everyone is striving for numbers and popularity based success as opposed to connecting through music. Kiera’s music, often rooted in acoustic performance, channels life and art to create across genres. If you would like to check out Kiera’s music, you can find her on Instagram and TikTok @kieramarsland_
|| WHERE ARE THE GIRLBANDS? ||