We’re thrilled to have with us special guest and She Rocks Awards founder Laura Whitmore; welcome to Vents, Laura! Before we begin kicking the proverbial tin can down the dusty road, how has your 2022 been treating you?
Wow, it’s been more of a roller coaster than I expected! We originally thought we would be doing the Awards in January, but with the pandemic things got moved to June – it’s a lot like starting over!
Congratulations on ten brilliant years of the celebrated She Rocks Awards! Looking back over the last decade, do you find it difficult to believe how quickly the time has gone?
Oh yes, it’s mind blowing. I could never have imagined when this started that I’d be looking back ten years later. As a matter of fact, I remember our 5th anniversary and now it’s 5 years after that, which blows my mind even more!
For those that might be late to the party, can you talk about the genesis of the She Rocks Awards? How did this come into being?
Yes, I was writing a blog for GuitarWorld.com called Guitar Girl’d. I interviewed many female guitarists and women in the industry. As I talked to them, I heard common stories (and complaints) about being a woman in music. I thought, these women should know each other, and they should know they are not alone! I decided to put together an event to bring women in the industry together and the She Rocks Awards were born!
How entwined are the She Rocks Awards with the Women International Music Network which you originated? Without the former do you have the latter?
Well, when the concept of the She Rocks Awards came into being I thought, “This can be the only thing. Just an event once a year.” So, the Women’s International Music Network (the WiMN) was born at the same time as a home for the awards, plus loads of other initiatives we do throughout the year including panels, workshops, showcases and many interviews with women in music.
Starting out, it was difficult to get people onboard for the She Rocks Awardsor do you feel that the industry was awaiting such an event?
Oh yes, it was quite difficult. As a matter of fact, getting the first honoree to say yes was the hardest! I’m so glad the amazing songwriter/producer Holly Knight said the first yes, and the rest went forward from there. It did take us a few years to build industry support – it wasn’t a thing at the beginning to support the idea of diversity in the music industry.
Did sponsors react positively to the She Rocks Awards? Was this the type of event that they understood and wanted to be a part of?
At first, we had very few sponsors. I had actually never produced a sponsored event like this before. So, it took a minute for sponsors to see the value and for me to be able to convey that value to them. A lot of time and hustle! But sentiment has definitely shifted and that has helped support for the event tremendously.
How has the She Rocks Awards changed over the years? How has it stayed the same?
Well, it started out as a breakfast for about 125 people. We had 6 or 7 awards and Orianthi was the first artist to be honored and to play – at 8:30 in the morning! I think she said she had never played a gig that early before! There are some folks who have come every single year from the very beginning. We’ve grown tremendously to a full-blown evening awards and performance gala with full dinner, amazing production and a truly inspirational packed evening. It’s pro!
What sort of challenges has She Rocks had to overcome during its decade of existence?
It’s always a challenge to work around people’s touring and work schedules to be able to bring in a variety of interesting and inspiring people. Plus, talk about a complicated event. There are so many elements and moving parts. It continues to sometimes be challenging to meet the budgets needed to produce the event (which of course keep going up!), and finally, I like to make it a bit different each year, so there are surprises. My goal is always to energize and delight everyone who attends.
Looking back over the last ten years, what are you most proud of when it comes to, She Rocks?
It’s a bit surreal actually. I’m very proud of how it’s grown, and it’s also just inspiring to me to meet and honor these incredible women. The fact that we’ve been able to sustain it for 10 years – who knew?!
What can you tell us about this year’s She Rocks Awards? What can fans and viewers look forward to?
Yes! First of all, our co-hosts are Lzzy Hale of Halestorm and Katie Daryl from AXS TV, so you know the evening will rock! We are honoring some incredible performers including the legendary Dionne Warwick, Meredith Brooks – who is celebrating the 25th Anniversary of “Bitch”, mind-blowing guitarist Yvette Young, Carmen Vandenberg of Bones UK, the innovative and empowering artist MILCK, film composer Sherri Chung and more. Plus, amazing behind the scenes heroes like EveAnna Manley of Manley Labs, journalist Lyndsey Parker, Julie Robbins of Earthquaker Devices, engineer Leslie Gaston-Bird and advocate Kerry Fiero. Our opening act is the amazing country artist Tenille Arts, and Universal Records artists Command Sisters are leading our house band! There will be loads of music, inspiring speeches, a gourmet dinner and of course, surprises!
Do you feel that the She Rocks Awards are accessible to everyone, regardless of gender?
Oh yes! Folks of all genders join us for the evening, and we’ve even honored a couple of men over the years who have been super helpful in making our event happen. We don’t exclude anyone – we encourage all to come and be inspired.
Looking forward to the next ten years of the She Rocks Awards, what sort of shape do you hope that it ultimately takes? Do you have a series of goals and ambitions for this industry staple?
I am always hoping for the audience of the event to grow and for the production to get easier (hahaha). We always have big dreams to make it more fabulous, be able to fly in artists from other parts of the world, really share the diversity of female role models in the industry.
Who in the music industry today that might be considered up and coming excites you?
Well, our honoree MILCK this year is really incredible and just an inspiring human being. I also love the Command Sisters and am excited to have them as the house band this year. Aside from that I love hearing innovative new music. Kat Cunning comes to mind, who is super talented.
On the 364 days of the year when She Rocks doesn’t host an awards ceremony, what does it function as?
We like to think of ourselves as a hub for news, interviews, info, and events all across the spectrum of what’s happening with women in music. We share items from other organization that support diversity. In addition, we host many small events both virtually and in person and consult for companies that are looking to diversify their audiences, or their employee base. Our aim is to spearhead conversations about diversity, empower others to do the same, and to create progress!
I’d like to encourage readers to join our mailing list at www.thewimn.com to find out about all our initiatives.
The She Rocks Awards are open to the public. You can find out more and get tickets at www.sherocksawards.com.