According to the latest CNN poll Hillary now trumps Trump with a lead of 52% to his 43%. That means she is the front-runner by 9 points. When Hillary is elected, it will be a triumph for women everywhere, especially in the USA. Almost every other nation in the world has had a female leader except for us. Women in the USA must join Hilary to fight for our equal rights everywhere.
I am doing my best to further the empowerment of individual women in the music business and have done so since I began my journey as a young wide-eyed Jersey Girl, labeling myself, a singer/songwriter and producer. Only 4-5% of women singers or songwriters produce their own music. That’s a tiny amount and I have had to stand up for that right many times and walk away from deals that insisted I do the work but not get the credit.
My first recording, Lucky Stars, is a perfect example. My name was nowhere on the single and hundreds of fans in the UK wrote angry letters to Dean Friedman and his label scolding them about their not including my name on the single. The DJ’s announced “and here’s Dean Friedman’s Lucky Stars.” Eventually Dean agreed to include my name and so did the label so all future vinyl pressings had my name n the record. Now my name is announced each time the song is played. After years of insisting, I finally started making royalties for the famous duet, in 2008. That’s another other blog!
I have always felt the power of being a woman. My songs deal with issues many females can identify with, including the sharing of one’s good spirit. Women are generous by nature. I am currently immersed in my one-woman musical show “The Pass,” my own personal odyssey thus far. The show will be vignettes of incidents that have shaped me with songs woven in and out to express the sign of the times. It will shine on self identity, relationships, challenges with money, family and how to reinvent yourself using your moral compass in an industry not known for high moral conduct. Yes all the cliches are true, in many ways: sex, drugs and rock and roll. Through it all, I have kept my child-like attitude to help me navigate the road blocks and walls. Persistence and tenacity; I want my blanket!
I plan to debut the first reading of “The Pass” in December of this year. I have much work ahead and this is my greatest challenge to date. I thought recording SELF on my own and starting my label was tough, no comparisons, please. This project is helping me to face my life in a profound way. I am seeing how Karma plays such a big role in how one makes decisions and how to look at life. I have overcome many challenges in my career such as sexism, harassment and male dominant figures looking to control my work and/or disagree with how I wanted to represent myself image wise. In order to stay on track I have used my sense of humor and wit to get me through the toughest of times. Looking back with laughter and knowing, one can stand firm in one’s conviction and that is the win.
To see a woman president in my lifetime is one of the most amazing triumphs for our gender. We must all stand tall.
I hope you will enjoy this track STEADY which will be included in “The Pass”
Here’s an article about women producers you may find interesting: http://www.thefader.com/2014/10/30/why-arent-more-women-becoming-music-producers
DENISE MARSA 