Oakland’s Women in Music Festival

Here at Gender Amplified, we love to see events that center, celebrate, and uplift women’s voices in the music industry. We applaud the Women in Music Festival in Oakland for envisioning and creating a women-focused celebration this past weekend! The festival took place over the course of four days, each day offering different and dynamic events for those attending.

The first event, called “Behind the Decks,” was a DJ workshop in conjunction with Serato, a leading DJ and music software company. This workshop was spearheaded by three female DJ’s: DJ Red Corvette, DJ Umami, and Deeandroid. The three instructors taught those attending basic DJ’ing skills and tips, such as how to scratch and how to make seamless transitions.

Another inspiring and music-driven event was the “Women Breaking Ground in Music” panel, which highlighted six different women who each work in distinct sectors of the music industry. This year, the panel showcased Nastia Voynovskaya (Music Editor for KQED), Nicole Johnson (Industry Relations and Artist Marketing at Pandora), Gurj Bassi (Artist Relations at Pandora), Piper Payne (Mastering Engineer), Namasté Shawty (DJ, Music Curator, and Founder of Las Brujas Radio), and Ruth Gebreyesus (Writer and Producer).

Other events included a night at the Oakland Museum to see a new exhibit on Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom; a Waking up to Wellness program that offered yoga and meditation; a Women in Music concert featuring artists such as Tiffany Gouche, Raveena, B-Side Brujas, AH-Mer-AH-Su, LadyRyan, Sweetest Threat, and more; a Boss Brunch serving bottomless mimosas and conversations with three influential female bosses; and the weekend culminated in an Eat/Shop/Talk session, where female vendors served food and drinks.

Check out Women in Music Festival’s blog here to stay up to date!