A LINWOOD teenager has launched a website to help women in the music industry take centre stage.
Jordan Stewart, 19, also hopes the site – Braw Gals in Music – will encourage more girls in Renfrewshire to pursue their musical ambitions.
She told The Gazette: “It’s had a really positive reception, which I’m so happy about.
“Women are still overlooked in our local music industry and I wanted to highlight the amazing work they are doing.
“I started the project to create a space for people looking for female musicians, producers or collaborators, so there is a place to go and find them.”
Jordan’s blog features a number of interviews with women who are currently working in the Scottish music industry, such as Paisley-based songwriter Linzi Clark.
The project’s Instagram page, which recently hit 500 followers, also has a Woman of the Day section, which has been showcasing a different female musician each day.
As well as studying commercial music at the University of the West of Scotland, Jordan is a singer-songwriter herself and has drawn inspiration for her music from singers such as Joni Mitchell and Carole King.
Jordan performed original songs alongside well-known musicians James Grant and Michael Cassidy as part of a songwriting workshop facilitated by Create Paisley and, in 2019, she released her debut single and music video X-Ray Vision, with the help of Erskine Music and Media Studio.
She now hopes to continue interviewing more women for Braw Gals in Music and is considering launching a podcast for the project in the future.
Jordan, a former Linwood High pupil, said: “I think it’s important to showcase women in order to create a more diverse music scene.
“For a number of years, it has been male dominated and I think, in order to change this, we have to get women involved and listen to their opinions on how to make a difference.
“I hope this project will also inspire other young girls and non-binary people to get involved and help open up the conversation of why women are still fighting for greater representation in 2021.”
To learn more about Jordan’s project, visit www.brawgalsinmusic.com.
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