Ammonite, a punk band on the lineup at This Might Go Growth! {Photograph} courtesy roXplosion.
Crys Matthews let loose a deep snigger when requested whether or not being a lady has hindered her success within the music trade. “I’m thrice marginalized. I’m a lady, I’m Black, I’m additionally a lesbian,” says the the previous DC singer/songwriter, who now lives in Nashville and who wears glasses with a thick rainbow body.
Whereas the music trade has gotten considerably extra inclusive, a USC Annenberg research discovered that final 12 months, 38% of artists on the Billboard Sizzling 100 12 months-Finish Chart have been ladies, and so few have been gender non-binary that they didn’t get a class. The ratio is worse for behind-the-scenes music jobs: In 2024, 19% of songwriters on the top-100 chart have been ladies, and .2% have been non-binary. Ladies have been solely 5.9% of producers. (This research didn’t say who it classifies as feminine.)
The skewed gender breakdown displays the truth that non-male artists have a tough time discovering mentors who share their id. In addition they usually face obstacles to success, together with harassment and managers and venues that doubt their abilities. However subsequent Saturday, July 26, the all-day music competition This Might Go Growth! will characteristic solely artists whose genders are underrepresented within the music trade—together with feminine, nonbinary, and transgender folks.
Bladensburg Waterfront Park in Prince George’s County will host the principle stage, a 20-minute stroll from the satellite tv for pc venues. The 27-artist lineup will replicate DC’s numerous music scene, with performances together with Matthews’ mix of nation and blues, Grammy-nominated Elena La Fulana’s Latin folks, and riot grrrl-style units from the native band Mac N’ Toss.
This Might Go Growth! is a nonprofit based by 5 feminine/non-binary musicians in 2018. They helped gender-diverse artists get a foothold in methods together with by funding their albums and round 350 paid performances. (The entire competition’s scheduled performers will probably be compensated.) One satellite tv for pc stage will characteristic musicians who’re dad and mom. The group’s title represents how sharing particular person tales can create “explosive” adjustments, says co-founder Erin Frisby.
Frisby says there’s a “notably invigorating feeling” about outside exhibits the place the gang is a part of the power, particularly across the nation’s capital. “We’re so near political energy that the response is near the hearth,” they are saying.
Even amongst much less progressive audiences, Matthews has discovered that her music could make political matters extra digestible. After Tennessee banned drag performances, she wrote the track “Swimsuit and Tie,” wherein she sings: “I’d look good in a gown / however I really feel higher in a swimsuit and tie.”
Within the week main as much as This Might Go Growth!’s inaugural competition, the volunteer-run group will host 5 occasions: an open mic night time, youth programming (together with an instrument “petting zoo”), performances impressed by a e-book with a trans protagonist, a punk present, and queer feminist poetry readings. The Maryland Heritage Areas Authority is the competition’s major funding supply, together with donations and grants. The competition is free to attend.
Frisby encourages attendees to discover merchandise, albums, and an interactive portray. For meals, they’ll picnic or patronize meals vans together with Cocineros, Invoice’s Yard BBQ, and Bay’s Mushy Ice Cream.
This occasion isn’t “an anomaly,” Frisby says. “There’s an ongoing historical past of sturdy and outspoken voices on this space in music, and so we wish to carry that ahead.”
