Following the COVID pandemic, individualistic culture has risen considerably in popularity. As humans, we crave interaction, and it’s important to rekindle old connections and form new ones to combat this toxic culture. More specifically, in music, where emotion is the focus point of our craft, the human element is slowly fading as our focus is being shifted towards digital forms of interactions - such as, likes, shares, comments, and direct messages. We are constantly being reminded how important engagement and streams are, even though these are merely units of data on a screen, and what matters more is the people behind those units.
Nothing can beat face-to-face interaction. Likes and comments on Instagram can be bought, but pure human connection is built through mutual respect and support. Our network as musicians is so crucial to our art form. The people in our network will be the first to show their support for our work; they’ll be the most honest when it comes to constructive criticism and the most generous when opening new doors for us. However, it’s not only about receiving support from your network, but also giving. Building friendships in this industry is a two-way street. How much ever support we receive for a new release or a live gig, should always be reciprocated.
Before the pandemic, this was the norm - going out to events and meeting new people constantly. Communities were thriving on in-person interaction alone. But now it’s ten times harder. It seems we’ve forgotten how to socialise in those two years of lockdown. And now, with the convenience of online meeting platforms like Zoom and Google Meet, no one wants to leave their house to socialise anymore. It’s like social media and digital platforms have replaced socialisation now. Although they can be powerful tools for staying connected, they need to be used alongside regular human interaction to ensure we don’t end up isolating ourselves.
Our network at Amplify Her has brought together so many talented women in the industry who have all had a part to play in building this platform. While women are still widely underrepresented in our industry, we have made big changes in the way that women can connect and collaborate with each other. And from our intimate events - open mic nights, coffee meetings and more - we have worked our way up to be a very important platform for women in music. We understand the value of community and that’s why we’ve become a safe space to showcase people’s talents. Our community boasts hundreds of members, all passionate, hard-working trans women, non-binary people and women.
Written by Ayushi Nathwani
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