ABOUT GIRLSfGRIME

‘It’s Not Just Music, It’s Our Culture’

GIRLSofGRIME is an independent female-led grassroots organisation steering change towards gender balance within the music industry. We are a Talent Development organisation on a mission to level the playing field and bring more diversity to the industry by giving women in music the support they need to take their careers to the next level.

We offer programmes for artists, DJs, and producers to improve their skills; create opportunities for live performances both nationally & internationally and provide career progression pathways for our next generation of women in music, across all roles. Our ultimate goal is to create safe spaces for our future females to be able to fulfil their maximum potential.

A WORD FROM OUR FOUNDER - SHAKIRA WALTERS

In 2017, as a passionate music enthusiast, I couldn't help but feel disappointed when I looked around the thriving UK music scene and noticed a significant lack of female representation across the industry, from artists to platforms. Determined to make a change and support as many women as possible on my journey, I founded GIRLSofGRIME with a clear focus on female leadership and empowerment.

Raised between Newham, East London and Barking & Dagenham inEssex, I grew up through a time where Grime as a genre was just emerging and I witnessed how the birth of what I believe is the first entirely Black British music genre left its imprint on the world. Grime's disruptive nature demanded that real stories be heard. Championed by a movement of young people from the ‘ends’, with little more than a passion for the underground sound, pirate radio, Channel U & infra-red mobile phone devices. Not only had the music been the soundtrack to my life, the culture had nurtured me into becoming a GIRL of GRIME and the woman I stand before anyone as today. The nostalgic era embodied resilience in the face of a hostile mainstream music industry & live event space, and fostered a do-it-yourself culture that encouraged self-sufficiency & resourcefulness — core values at the heart of GIRLSofGRIME.

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Experiencing my adolescent years during that period, and coming from a large and tightly-knit Jamaican family it was essential for GIRLSofGRIME to prioritise a strong connection to our heritage and community. This means celebrating all Black music genres , creating projects that engage the global diaspora, and across generations. Our GIRLSofGRIME strap line reads ‘It’s not Just Music, It’s Our Culture’ as it's always been bigger than just the music. GIRLSofGRIME represents the unheard voices of the next generation of young women, who like myself, may have not necessarily had the most privileged upbringing or any idea about how to get into the music industry. Our goal is to empower our future females & encourage them to take the lead in shaping the society they envision. Therefore, we infuse all our projects with the spirit of Grime’s philosophy while encouraging the young people we work with to guide initiatives so that they align with their contemporary culture.

In 2019, I took a leap of faith, quit my job in Buying & Merchandising to pursue a career in music full-time. I was fortunate to be headhunted for a role as an A&R at Warner Music, something I never thought was possible growing up. The pandemic of 2020 then led to a shift for GIRLSofGRIME, as we refined our cultural & developmental purpose and also led to a new career direction for myself into Programme Management in the creative industries and subsequently into my latest challenge of teaching as the Lead Tutor of Live Events with Big Creative Education. Through GIRLSofGRIME and my other projects, I will continue to advocate for more equitable action in support of women in music, and continue to strive for a better gender balance across the industry.

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