The Women of Soul
WOS Executive Director Chelsea Wilson
“Only 23% of APRA members are women, male directors dominate music boards, men are winning more awards and the ARIA Hall Of Fame has only 11 female artists among its 75 inductees”, with statistics like this it’s clear that Women are not being seen or represented enough in Australia’s music industry. The Women of Soul Collective is working hard to try and address these inconsistencies, We spoke to Chelsea Wilson, the Executive Director of the Women of Soul project about WOS’s new album ‘Feel Good’, the issues faced by women in the industry and ways we can try and change the narrative for the future.
Firstly, congratulations on the release of the first two singles from your Women of Soul project, how have the songs been received so far?
Thank you so much. The response has been great, so thrilled people are resonating with the songs and the project.
June 2nd sees the release of the full-length Women of Soul album. How are you preparing for the launch?
There is so much to do in the lead up to a release like this. From an event production point of view there is liaising with tech operators and the venue; from a Music Director point of view, I’m liaising with the artists on the set list, rehearsals, charts, and repertoire. In terms of the record, I’m coordinating physical production of the album (we are pressing both CD and vinyl) and managing distribution. Then there is the marketing side of the release, so managing advertising, publicity, and social media. The fun preparation is working out costumes haha!
“we managed to create something really special and make a positive statement demonstrating the talent of women in Australian music.”
You worked as the executive Producer on the album, were there any challenges in process of making the album?
Absolutely! Where do I start, ha! We started writing this album late 2020 just as we were emerging out of the first couple of lockdowns. We were all very excited to be getting together again and to have a project to collaborate on. Of course, no one knew that we would be heading back into lockdown for most of 2021! This impacted on the project in so many ways. Artists lost their gigs and had to find other employment which meant their schedules and ability to be involved was hindered. Personally, many of us were affected with mental health issues and there were births, deaths, illness, marriages, and unemployment to contend with. The recording had to be rescheduled twice due to lockdowns impacting on our ability to get together in the studio. Then one of our artists went on a major TV show and dropped out of recording on the album which was devastating. During the recording, multiple artists came down with COVID and we had to find replacement musicians and change the final track list last minute. In amongst all of this we still managed to deliver a season of shows at Malthouse Theatre which was highly stressful. We weren’t sure if the shows were going to happen or not depending on the state government announcement, and then we did get clearance to go ahead, but it all felt very rushed trying to get these new songs performance ready and some of us weren’t ready to be thrust back on stage already. It’s been a rough few years - but you know what? I really feel like we made lemonade here. Although our sector really struggled, and we all faced extremely challenging times in our personal lives, we managed to create something really special and make a positive statement demonstrating the talent of women in Australian music.
Women of Soul’s Feel Good Album Cover
Women of Soul is a completely female made project, from artists to writers to producers. What was the inspiration for wanting an all women crew?
Women are underrepresented in the music industry in behind the scenes and on-stage roles. Our mission with the record was to make an incredible album whilst creating opportunities for women and GNC artists and crew. Often women aren’t offered jobs or given opportunities, so our first point of call is always to try and find a woman for any work we need. Women need to be given a chance, they need to be supported and trusted even if they don’t have the resume or a discography as long or revered as their male counterparts. Sometimes it isn’t possible for us to hire women due to the lack of women in the sector – less than 2% of record producers are women and less than 5% of engineers are female for example. Some instrumentalists such as drummers can be hard to find also. But over the decade of managing the collective I have seen more and more women coming up in the industry which has finally made an album like this possible. What I would like to see is more studio spaces owned and run by women and entry level pathways for women to get into engineering.
“Radio plays less women artists, labels sign less women artists and there are less females working in behind the scenes roles.”
Events like the Wildflower, a female only lineup festival, have been staged in Australia. Do you think these types of events are important to to showcase our ever expanding pool of female talent in this country?
Personally, I love hearing from women artists. The majority of what I listen to is written by female acts from Bjork to Billie Holiday, Azaelia Banks, Princess Nokia, Madonna, Allysha Joy, Jazzmeia Horn and many more. So, I love the idea of a festival of female acts. Ideally though, festival bookers should book a mix of acts. Life is more interesting when things are varied. I want to hear music and stories from all kinds of people and all genders. There is a lot of heat thrown on festival bookers regarding inclusivity, which in many cases is fair. However, I will say, the problem is not just festivals. Radio plays less women artists, labels sign less women artists and there are less females working in behind the scenes roles. Diversity is a sector wide issue, and we need a multifaced approach to closing the gap. We need to zoom out and look at the big picture – it’s not just about festival line ups, but the bigger issue in the sector regarding genuine diversity and inclusion. It goes beyond gender – we need a commitment to re-working the current scene to create a sustainable industry that supports all creatives regardless of ethnicity, gender, appearance, economic privilege, and physical ability.
Should there be more celebrations of women in music like Wildflower and the Women in Soul project?
Marian Wright Edelman’s famous quote “You can’t be what you can’t see’ springs to mind with this question. So, my answer is yes. We need women of all ages to see other women having careers in this space, so they are inspired and supported to work in the sector. It is so hard to cut through mainstream media (and social media!) and reach audiences, so any event that brings attention to female artists is wonderful. There are so many incredible female and GNC artists in Australia that most people have sadly never heard of. The Australian Women in Music Awards is a wonderful annual event that is shining a light on women in the sector and other projects and events such as Wildflower are a wonderful contribution to increasing the visibility of women in music. So, I’m all for it!
“Programs like AIR’s Women in Music Mentorship, APRA’s Women in Music mentorship program, and organisations such as Girls Rock and YoWo are doing great work at grassroots level to close the gap”
Empire Touring’s General Manager, Isobel Lanesman has said “many festival lineups have an underrepresentation of women. It is a time to celebrate women in Australian music “. Do you believe there is equal opportunity within the industry?
Not yet unfortunately. The World Economic Forum predicts we are at least 136 years away from closing the gender pay gap. In 2022 women earned $0.82 for every dollar men made, regardless of the job industry, type or years of experience. So, across the board in all industries, we have a lot of work to do. In the music industry specifically, the conversation around inclusivity is getting louder and some great work has been started. We know some of the shocking statistics (although we need more data) – only 23% of APRA members are women, male directors dominate music boards, men are winning more awards and the ARIA Hall Of Fame has only 11 female artists among its 75 inductees. Programs like AIR’s Women in Music Mentorship, APRA’s Women in Music mentorship program, and organisations such as Girls Rock and YoWo are doing great work at grassroots level to close the gap. The Australian Women in Music Awards and independent festivals such as Melbourne International Women’s Jazz Fest continue to fight for visibility for female artists. But everyone can support change, don’t wait for the big organisations – buy records made by women and GNC artists, go to gigs with women on the line up, play women on the radio and do more housework. If women only did 50% domestic work, they would have more time to make music. FACT!
Will the Women of Soul collective be hitting the road to perform any live shows or a tour in the future?
The collective’s home is on stage, we have been a live show for more than a decade! So yes, we can’t wait to take the new tracks around the country. Follow our socials for future announcements.
“If I had access to more capital I would produce and release a lot more albums and I would do a lot more shows. ”
Chelsea, you’re a singer/songwriter in your own right, what obstacles have you faced personally trying to further your musical career?
For an independent artist, financing the production and promotion of records and underwriting shows is hugely expensive and I would say the biggest obstacle for me personally. As I am an independent artist and a solo act, I need to self-fund everything I do from live shows to recording. I’m from a working-class background and do not have any access to trust funds or any other sort of major capital which means I am limited in terms of being able to pay for large publicity campaigns and advertising spends to reach audiences. Major labels and big film companies spend millions of dollars getting the word out about their work and have existing relationships with the media. When you don’t have this kind of financial backing, it’s challenging to break through the algorithms and very difficult to get media to listen to your material. The artists that do break through via social media are one in a million Cinderella stories - they aren’t the norm. If I had access to more capital I would produce and release a lot more albums and I would do a lot more shows. But when I have a family to look after, I can’t take continuous financial risks and be in debt to pay my band and PR team. This means I can’t do as many shows or release as much material as I would like – and you need to do loads of gigs and continuously release music to build audiences and stay current. It's very challenging.
You have also been a broadcaster and program manager for radio stations such as PBS 106.7FM, is radio just as challenging for females to break into?Unfortunately, yes, it is. The study “The devil is in the level’: understanding inequality in Australia’s Film, TV and Radio industries, by Griffith University revealed that there is a 21.8% gender pay gap in the sector and 80% of radio presenters are male. Specifically, on the programming side of the radio, a very low proportion of women are employed in content production roles. I believe this also impacts the amount of female composed songs we hear on radio. Only 15% approximately per year of APRA songwriting royalties are paid to female writers which indicates that most songs broadcast in media are composed by men. We have some very strong role models and women in media and music (such as Oprah, Beyonce, Adele) that make it seem like the state of play is strong for women, but the statistics show otherwise. There is still a long way to go.
“I really loved working with all the artists on the WOS record”
If you could collaborate for a song with any artist from the Women of Soul line-up, who would it be and why?
I really loved working with all the artists on the WOS record to be honest so it’s impossible to choose!
How did you get your start in music?
I guess my start in music was my high school music teacher Mr Willow, who let me borrow a school guitar and the school’s four track recorder at age 14. I spent my time after school teaching myself guitar and how to record. I wrote and recorded a full-length solo album at home (recording vocals in the bathroom using stockings and a coat hanger as a popper stopper!). I used this recording as my audition demo for the contemporary music degree at QLD Conservatorium. Even though I was very rough and completely untrained, I think they saw how passionate I was. They offered me a place in the program before I had finished school which took the pressure off the year 12 exams, I can tell you! I’m grateful to Mr Willow for encouraging me to write my own songs and also Don Lebler and Gary Tamlyn for giving me a chance at the con.
LIFELINE Single
I Am Enough Single
Who do you credit as your musical influences?
I listen to A LOT of music and I like a lot of different sounds. Artists that really inspire me include: Stevie Wonder, Patrice Rushen, Kylie Minogue, Sarah Vaughan, Renee Geyer, Jill Scott and Paul Grabowsky.
Who in your crew or team deserves a shout out but never gets one? And what is they do that keeps your world turning?
Linda Catalano is our live show producer and is our unsung hero. She is 100% committed to supporting women and unrepresented people in the music industry and works tirelessly making opportunities and magic happen behind the scenes! I am so grateful for her belief in me and her support of this project.
Where to from here for the Women of Soul, what's next for the project and what's next for Chelsea Wilson?
I am currently writing my third solo album which I will start recording later this year. I’m deep in arranging and recording demos at the moment. Season three of my podcast Control will launch this winter. Women of Soul have a bunch of things in the pipeline – we have a show coming up soon for little ones 0-4 years old which is a completely different show for us and loads of fun to put together. We will also be appearing at Northside Records for a special instore. Plus, we are delivering a workshop series later this year. Follow us on our socials to keep up to date!
The Women of Soul Collective
Interview by Michelle Symes
May 2023