Following a successful online peer-to-peer we.grow mentoring programme in 2020 and 2021, 2022 saw shesaid.so and Keychange relaunch we.grow to offer industry-led mentorship to Keychange’s cohort of participants who were navigating their way through the global pandemic. We’re proud to announce that 2023 will see the we.grow collaboration continue to work alongside music industry professionals to offer one-to-one mentorship to Keychange’s latest cohort of artists and innovators from 12 countries.
The 2023 we.grow programme will run from March - September 2023, and, today shesaid.so and Keychange launch a call-out for senior music industry professionals and artists to volunteer as mentors for the Keychange participants. The mentors must have a minimum of 7 years experience in the music industry, and will be paired with one of the exceptional, hand-picked Keychange participants all chosen as the leaders of tomorrow by a panel of international industry experts.
If you would like to volunteer to be a we.grow mentor, apply here. We welcome applications from all genders, all backgrounds, and all countries.
The we.grow mentorship collaboration was launched in April 2020, when Keychange and shesaid.so united to develop a bespoke peer-to-peer mentoring programme for women and gender expansive artists and innovators. This collaboration endured throughout the pandemic, providing invaluable connections and professional support through difficult times, by bringing more than 100 mentoring pairs together for both peer-to-peer sessions, as well as providing participants with mentorship from music industry professionals from multiple sectors.
we.grow aims to address trends of growing concern in the music industry - women and gender expansive artists and innovators not showing the confidence they need in order to fulfill their career goals, and a lack of senior role models. This project seeks to explore some of the drivers of these trends and to equip participants to address any challenges they may face. A key part of this is ensuring that women and gender expansive professionals from all backgrounds have the opportunity to meet, learn and be motivated by positive role models.
About shesaid.so
shesaid.so is a global independent community of women and gender nonconforming people in the music industry. The shesaid.so community consists of women and gender nonconforming people from all sectors of the music industry: from record labels, artist management companies, and booking agencies, through to technology platforms, creative agencies, composers, artists and more. With headquarters in London and LA, shesaid.so has 18 global chapters around the world including France, Spain, and Sweden, to name a few. A majority of their members are decision-makers in their fields, and they are increasingly welcoming more and more young people to the network as well. Their mission is to connect and empower underrepresented communities towards a more equitable music industry for all, one woman or gender-nonconforming person at a time. shesaid.so organise interactive events for their members and extended network, as well as showcases that shed a light on talented artists and their representatives and work towards increasing the number of women/gender nonconforming people who progress in their careers with our mentoring program we.grow.
About Keychange
Keychange is a pioneering international initiative which transforms the future of music by encouraging festivals and music organisations to achieve at least 50% women and gender expansive artists and professionals in their programming, staffing and beyond. 74 emerging artists and innovators each year from across Europe and Canada will take part in international festivals, showcase events, collaborations and a programme of creative labs. Keychange aims to accelerate change and create a better, more inclusive music industry for present and future generations.
Keychange encourages all music organisations, festivals, venues, broadcasters, agencies and beyond to take the Keychange Pledge and to work towards a representative music industry. Join the Keychange Pledge at keychange.eu.
Keychange is led by Reeperbahn Festival, PRS Foundation and Musikcentrum Öst, supported by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, in partnership with Tallinn Music Week, Iceland Airwaves, BIME, Oslo World, Linecheck/Music Innovation Hub, Ireland Music Week, SACEM, Sound City, Way Out West, Different Sounds, MaMA Festival, MUTEK and Breakout West.
Keychange Ambassadors are Shirley Manson, Imogen Heap, Tony Visconti, Alexa Feser, Dermot O’Leary, Hinds, Emily Eavis, Nadine Shah, Paulette Long OBE, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, iskwē, Corinne Bailey Rae, Joy Denalane, Kate Nash, Sara Potente, Ave Tölpt, planningtorock, Jess Partridge, Carla Marie Williams, Claire Edwardes, Avtomat, Karolina Czarnecka, Darcy Proper, Tones and I, Tegan and Sara, Margherita Vicario, Claudia Pereira, Brisa Fenoy, Linnea Henriksson, Mari Boine, Samsaya, AURORA, First Lady of Iceland Eliza Reid, Anna Thorvaldsdóttir, Peaches, James Foley, LYDMOR, Flore Benguigui, Andreea Gleeson, Ätna, Suzie Kerstgens and Alice Phoebe Lou.