In 2023, British Council Spain has launched a new edition of its #WeAreEquals Music Academy – a programme for emerging musicians providing specialist training to help them boost their careers whilst defending gender balance in the sector.
With a new focus on classical/contemporary music for its 2023 edition, the project keeps the same essence and purpose for which it was created four years ago when electronic music took centre stage.
We talked to Two-Ex, a female DJ duo who won the 2019 edition, to learn about their experiences and the legacy of this programme.
‘This opportunity put us in contact with people from the music industry. We attended talks by influential gender equality collectives, such as MIM and She Said So and took part in sessions delivered by UK-renowned artists, who encouraged us to keep following our passion. Thanks to the astonishing Jamz Supernova, Afrodeutsche and Carly Wilford for this!
The #WeAreEquals Music Academy was also great for weaving together an excellent network among teachers, contributors and participants, which materialised in some musical collaborations and also some lasting friendships :).
For us, being allowed to play at one of the most iconic stages in the framework of the Madrid Pride celebrations was a boost on so many levels. It let us be known outside our usual circuit and brought new chances to play at different clubs, which, in turn, led us to play at even more clubs!
Thanks to initiatives like this, the representation of genders within the music industry is becoming more equal […]. However, getting equal female representation in the leading electronic music line-ups still has a long way to go.
Our best advice for any woman thinking of boosting their career is to have fun along the way, hang with friends to share music and practice, and never lose focus on the important thing to enjoy yourself. The rest comes with hard work and desire …’.