“I passionately believe in supporting young female talent in the early stages of their careers as well as seeking advice from more established women in the industry. I want to be part of changing the climate for women in music so that everyone can get on with the most important part: making the music.”
Ciara Haidar
Ciara Haidar is a classically trained pianist, singer and songwriter. After leaving Guildhall she found herself right in the middle of the exploding Indie scene in London at the time which led her to touring with a variety of bands around the UK and the world before dipping her toe in being an artist herself.
Eventually she focused on writing and signed her first publishing deal with Ninja Tune's Just Isn't Music, a deal which gained her a wealth of experience writing with established and emerging artists, as well as synch. It's here that she realised how important it was to support female talent and still strives to work with young female artists, giving the advice and assistance she felt was woefully lacking when she was coming up in the industry.
As well as writing, composing and arranging she is also a seasoned performer and holds residencies at venues across London with several projects as well as taking the role as musical director and vocal coach.
5 Tips For Young Women:
1. Collaboration: finding people you feel comfortable and confident working with is the most significant thing one can do for their creativity. The idea of the "I do it all" is something women have often felt they need to embody to prove themselves but collaboration, in my experience, is where the true magic happens.
2. Gaining Experience: If you're a live musician, try and do as many shows as you can to build your confidence in performing to an audience. Ideally, learn your craft off the beaten track so that by the time you start to perform in a more high-profile setting, you feel right at home.
3. Gaining Confidence in the Studio: Like getting more experience in a live setting, being in lots of sessions and studio environments is really helpful in making you feel you belong there. They can be intimidating spaces, especially for young women and they're often dominated by men. Spending time in these spaces is really key to getting rid of some of the stigma that women don't belong in the studio.
4. Seek Out Female Creators: In whatever form, finding a network of like-minded female creatives, either online or in meet ups/gigs is a great way to support each other and share your experiences. You'll realise you're not alone. Online groups like SheWrites and creative spaces like Tileyard in London are great at putting together events like this.
5. Self-Belief: This industry is a tough one for creatives but especially female ones. If you know what you're doing is good and you just need to find the right support, just keep going. Frustratingly, music is still based on 'the break' and not necessarily on talent but if you're up for the challenge and you love what you do, stay with it. Because when it's good, it's really, really good.