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Today, 501(c)(3) non-profit Gender Amplified shares their first EP In Bloom, a dreamy, buoyant collaboration between up-and-coming artists and producers, out now via Warner Music Group's independent distribution arm, ADA. The three-track project is the result of community-driven songwriting and production camps, CTRL Room Series, that aim to get women and gender-expansive artists involved in music production. Through these camps, community events, live events, recording initiatives, and A&R, Gender Amplified's dynamic work boosts visibility and creates accessible opportunities in music for all, redefining the industry from the ground up.
To celebrate the EP, Gender Amplified will host an official listening party with DJ sets at Commune in Brooklyn on March 20. Tickets are available here.
In Bloom, the organization's first project, is proof of their efforts to platform and boost young talent and marginalized voices within the music industry. The EP spotlights eight artists who are pushing boundaries and creating space for themselves like never before. Each track was written and recorded throughout various CTRL Room Series events, a testament to the impact and merit of the one-of-a-kind program. Gender Amplified's Head of Community, Natalie Sears, says the project, "captures the vibrant energy that emerges when women and gender-expansive artists come together to create in spaces built by and for each other." In these spaces, artists can experiment, share and celebrate their diverse experiences and nurture each other's growth. Learn more about the project & mission via PAPER Magazine.
Sears adds, "'In Bloom' is the product of that spirit—a mix of joy, vulnerability, reflection, and nostalgia. It’s an honest reckoning with the struggle, growth, and transformation our community experiences as artists and as people navigating a world that doesn’t always make space for us. Powerful and raw, sensitive and playful, the EP reflects the complexities of our lives as women and gender-expansive folks in the music industry."
Alongside the full release, the organization shares the bubbly, glitchy anthem "Trick Mirror" featuring Caro♡ & dance arts center out now. After the original demo of the track vanished during a file transfer, Caro♡ and collaborator Nico were forced to start from scratch–proving to be a blessing in disguise. Caro♡ says, "Having to redo everything gave me the freedom to completely revamp the aesthetic vibe, whilst still keeping that melancholic/teenagy romantic core which was already present in the initial demo."
Recalling the day the track was born at a CTRL Room Series production camp, Nico reflects,"On the last day of the camp, mood set by rainy weather and exhaustion, Caro and I found ourselves in a studio with an Omnichord. We geeked out on it for a long time, and then the song just kind of started there and came together so naturally and furiously that we didn’t even listen back all the way through until the session was over. It felt very magical."
The two artists fed off of each other's creativity and with their own talents and perspectives, built a light, textured soundscape that embodies a range of emotions and ponders self-perception and connection with a hyper-pop flair. Caro♡ adds, "There's something very innocent in this song overall..the shoegaze aspect to me was a good fit for the content of the lyrics and the colours of the melodies. It all feels very sweet and sad at the same time, sort of resigned but there's also a promising and hopeful tone in this track."
The previously released smooth, sweet blend of alt-pop and R&B, "Future Number" captures the quiet power of growth. With airy, soulful vocals by Lyd Marie, virgogabrielle, and Olivia Reid, the track unfolds like a letter to one's younger self as it explores the passage of time and looks to relish in–not rush–the journey towards a better life.
Gender Amplified was founded in 2007 by celebrated producer, engineer and singer-songwriter Ebonie Smith as a student at Barnard College in New York City. In addition to leading Gender Amplified, Smith was most recently the senior audio engineer and producer at Atlantic Records, whose credits include the Broadway cast album of Hamilton, Janelle Monae's trailblazing Dirty Computer, and Cardi B's record-breaking Invasion Of Privacy. With today's release, Gender Amplified continues to elevate underrepresented voices and expand their work into releasing music that allows rising producers to get their music heard and build community. Smith and Gender Amplified have been praised by several leading publications including Forbes, The FADER, The Recording Academy and in 2019, Essence named Smith one of 13 Black women in music shaping the decade.
In Bloom, the ethereal, vibrant EP by Gender Amplified–a collective of rising artists and producers–is out everywhere now. The organization is committed to celebrating and empowering women and gender-expansive music producers, paving a path towards a more equitable music industry. Celebrate the EP with an official listening party later this month in Brooklyn at Commune on March 20. Tickets are here. Stay up-to-date with all things Gender Amplified via Instagram and genderamplified.org.
Listen: "Future Number" (ft. Lyd Marie, virgogabrielle, Olivia Reid)
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