Women That Rock is a music curation & discovery platform with a mission to spotlight & celebrate the best rising women in music.
Women That Rock
"... the indescribable, total-body & soul feeling I get when I discover a new song that I fall in love with. That love, combined with my love of women and femme-community, and my desire to make large-scale impact, is what motivates me. "
You in a word -
BRIGHT!
On you –
I was born in New York City! Manhattan, in fact, so I'm a true NYC native. I grew up between the city and Long Island, where I moved as a young teen. After living other places as a young adult (I started college in California), I found myself back in New York City, which feels like the center of the universe, and is the perfect place to be to pursue Women That Rock!
My most formative place is the beach out on the eastern tip of Long Island where I grew up (we spent summers out there throughout my whole childhood before moving out there full time in my teens). That beach was where I played with my parents as a baby, it's where my community theater group had our bonfire cast parties summer after summer, it's where we went and partied in high school, it's where I would go as a young adult every time I would visit home. It's a place I go to clear my head, breathe in clean air, process feelings or difficult life obstacles, to relax, to take a walk and remember how small I am relative to the entire ocean. It's my reset point.
On purpose and motivation –
Through Women That Rock, I support womxn artists across the country and around the world, helping to amplify their voices through this platform and providing a space that celebrates and honors them. What truly motivates me at my deepest core is my love of music - the indescribable, total-body & soul feeling I get when I discover a new song that I fall in love with. That love, combined with my love of women and femme-community, and my desire to make large-scale impact, is what motivates me.
On a moment of transformation –
I got my start in the music industry at just 8 years old, when my accidental career as a child voiceover artist/jingle singer kicked off. I had always just naturally liked to sing, I would do so all the time around the house, in the bathtub, humming almost all the time without realizing it (which has become a lifelong trait, I still do this often!). My father works in TV, so I had the occasion to visit a recording studio with him one day and hang out in the lounge while he, his client, and the production team worked on a jingle track. I was mostly focused on the toys and snacks around the lounge, but after the session wrapped and it was just my Dad and the studio owner in the room, I asked if I could go play and sing in one of the vocal booths. I got the green light, jumped inside and started singing (i.e. pretending that I was the professional vocalist!).
" Turns out, the studio owner had the 'talkback' button on in the control room - so he could hear everything I was singing! He turned to my father and told him that I could do this professionally."
Turns out, the studio owner had the 'talkback' button on in the control room - so he could hear everything I was singing! He turned to my father and told him that I could do this professionally. And in short order, I did! I got an agent, went out on voiceover/jingle auditions, sang commercial spots for a bunch of different companies & products, found myself in a strange and wonderful world of child professional singers. I think that the moment I had in the vocal booth was a pivotal moment that solidified the space I wanted to live in in the world and a sense of who I was and where I belonged.
On your mantra-
The only person you can change is yourself.
What are you most excited about in the next 12 months?
I'm currently most excited about Women That Rock's activations at SXSW! We can't wait to return to Austin and bring these super special projects to life and have an absolute blast with the womxn artists at the festival (and eat a lot of breakfast tacos at Veracruz!). Beyond that, I'm excited about a festival event we have in the works for spring in NYC, and also excited to take WTR on the road to some new cities/locations - stay tuned!
On life -
I started same-sex dating when I was 19 and identified as bisexual for a long time (until I discovered that a 'queer' identification was more appropriate for me and my attraction spectrum). For a long time, it was a major emotional struggle navigating my way between the straight community and the queer community, between my attraction to women and my attraction to men. And navigating the way the world treats you as a bisexual person (NOT VERY WELL!). Luckily, as I've gotten older, the weight of this emotional tension has alleviated and I feel okay with existing in the gray and more settled in my own nuanced identity!
On your favorite funny thing-
One of my closest friends calls me the 'GIF Queen.' I'm good at finding the perfectly-suited funny GIF for a situation or conversation.
On ARTICLE22-
My favorite thing about ARTICLE22 is the fact that they make something beautiful and positive out of something ugly and damaging. Their core story around transformation is super inspiring to me. I also LOVE the ladies who run ARTICLE22, and love that it's a women-led business!
My favorite of the classic bracelets is the arrow bangle - it reminds me to keep moving forward and keep active energy towards my goals and the things I want in life! And my favorite overall piece are the tribal dome earrings - I just think they're so cool!