Alternative Power 100 Music List 2021
The moment we've been waiting for is here!
Find out who made it in this year’s Alternative Power 100 Music list 2021 partnership with Patreon.
We want to say a huge thank you for all your nominations, celebrations and kind words about others, it's been so inspiring to read them all. Congratulations to everyone on the list, and everyone who received a nomination! With the challenges we've all faced this year it's important to take time to celebrate the things we've achieved and the people who inspired us.
From those architecting new ways of owning work to people building a new creative economy where the independent community can fully thrive, across 10 categories, our list is full of inspirational change makers and future thinkers from across the world. From Artist Managers to Sound Creators and forward thinking business minds we're so excited to see where you all go next!
With love, from the shesaid.so team
Ariana and the Rose: Singer, songwriter and content creator
“Independent electro pop artist Ariana launched her Tiktok back in March 2021 and has since found her lane amassing over 62k followers and 12milion likes with messages of female empowerment and commentary on life, dating, body issues and more while sat at the piano. Those videos have seen her re-shared by everyone from the Female Lead to Phenomenal to Betches, and even better, they've resulted in other artists and women using her sounds to create their own messages of empowerment, spreading more positivity and feelings of community in the process.” - Alena Joyiens
Beatie Wolfe: Artist
Since Beatie Wolfe started her career, this musical visionary has blazed alternative paths with everything she does, pioneering new formats for music (and art) in the digital age and working across fields and disciplines usually siloed. Wind forward to 2021 alone and the artist: addressed the Nobel Prize Summit, the New York Times, TED Women, and the UN's COP26 about her groundbreaking music and climate work, alongside holding exhibitions of her work at the London Design Biennale and the Rauschenberg Gallery and releasing new music with Calm.
DBN Gogo: DJ, Producer, Curator
“Currently setting the pace as the only female producer in South Africa’s Amapiano scene and well known for her flawless presence in studio and on stage, DBN GOGO has made her name from performing at Afropunk to Tshwanefontein and ULTRA. Her debut album 'Thokoza Café', created in tandem with DJ and producer Dinho, features some heavy hitting basslines with carefully crafted tracks (one of which is the first ever Francophone amapiano track, 'French Kiss'). Even thought she comes from an affluent background, she's made it her modus to work for every second of success she's had.” - Shiba Mazaza
DJ Ohso: Artist
“Ohso’s a hardworking veteran with scratch/mixing, super connected with her followers and community and always sharing hope, she can execute clean artistry in any creative pursuit with tenacity and precision. Ohso’s love for music and art radiates through her work exuberantly and someone with her drive would be a perfect fit for the new creative economy.” - Ayan H
FFSYTHO: Artist
“FFSYTHO is a homegrown talent who constantly proves herself again and again. She has no team behind her and is a one man band and still manages to break new ground. FFSYTHO is a hometown hero and is the perfect mixture between modern and old school grime artist. She is The New Creative Economy.” - Bobbie Stone
Ionnalee: Artist, Musician, Film Maker
“After her world tour got cancelled at the start of the pandemic, ionnalee went on to self-produce a mixtape to celebrate the past decade of her audiovisual work, as well as orchestrate a pioneering digital installation 'KONSERT', streamed live from a remote island in Sweden for over 100,000 fans. Guest friends Zola Jesus, TR/ST, Imogen Heap, and Vander Von Odd, also dialled in for distant duets whilst in quarantine. Jonna's relentless determination to adapt to the recent hardships facing the entire independent music scene has been, and continues to be, an inspiration to others alike.
Founded in 2010, her own label 'To whom it may concern.' has become a powerhouse for her own artistic and economic freedom during the pandemic, and has also existed as a creative platform for her close collaborators.” - Jacob Hulmston
Website: ionnalee.com
Lakuti: DJ and Founder Bring Down the Walls
“Lakuti is a community organizer and artist who's creative and political work is a crucial asset to our community in Berlin, and also very influential to the queer and POC creative communities in London, South Africa, the US and more. Her working vision and her rare musical skills and, the events and projects she curates and collaborates on draw light and focus on themes of heritage, femme, queer and black history, progressive political discourse and contentful artistic operations across disciplines, while reaching to an audience diverse across age, race and sexual orientation.
We would love to be able to see and experience more from Lakuti with her getting the resources needed to keep on giving back to the cultural and ethical education of fellow music and culture lovers and creatives.” - Itay Cohen
Milck: Singer/songwriter, artist, producer, advocate
"MILCK has been an impactful voice in the advancement of human rights, gaining momentum since her 2017 viral performance of ""Quiet"" during the Women's March.
MILCK is a singer-songwriter, producer and advocate who creates music with a purpose. Proceeds from her latest single "Steady As We Go" (and all of MILCK's singles/projects) go to her Somebody’s Beloved Fund which supports racial and social justice. She's truly turning the tides for the music industry: MILCK was signed to Atlantic Records for 4 years, and now is doing it all independently to effectively change the system and ensure that artists are properly compensated for their work, while simultaneously raising funds for proactive causes.”
Suzi Analogue: DJ/ Producer / Promoter / Label Owner
Suzi Analogue is a prolific Producer, Songwriter, Composer, Member Of The Recording Academy /Grammys & Creator Of Never Normal Records based in Miami, FL. She is energetically pioneering the new wave of women producers in electronic music & beyond.
Gaining worldwide recognition for her own diverse electronic productions, her music has found homes on Billboard charts, New York Fashion Week runways, Networks like Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, Boiler Room and worldwide radio including BBC.
Her music process includes electronic experimentation with cutting edge music technology and synthesizers. Her global performances have been witnessed worldwide spanning continents including Africa, Asia, Europe and USA.
