0:00:01.930,0:00:03.091 So often, 0:00:03.115,0:00:05.068 I'll take a fitness class, 0:00:05.092,0:00:07.924 or I'll go to a music venue, 0:00:07.948,0:00:11.283 or, really, anywhere that plays[br]music in the background, 0:00:11.307,0:00:14.336 and I'll find myself loving the rhythms 0:00:14.360,0:00:16.753 and the melodies and the beats ... 0:00:17.357,0:00:19.956 And then I take a second[br]to listen to the lyrics, 0:00:19.980,0:00:23.596 lyrics that, for example,[br]place us in a position of subservience 0:00:23.620,0:00:26.852 that we would never tolerate[br]in any other context. 0:00:26.876,0:00:31.153 And I'm aghast at the degree to which[br]we normalize sexism in our culture. 0:00:31.177,0:00:33.596 I listen to this music and I'm like, 0:00:33.620,0:00:36.747 I don't want to have to turn up[br]to the sound of my own oppression. 0:00:36.771,0:00:42.694 You know, music is one of the most[br]powerful forms of communication, 0:00:42.718,0:00:46.750 because it has the potential[br]to either uplift or oppress. 0:00:47.567,0:00:51.025 Music caters to the emotions.[br]Music caters to the soul. 0:00:51.049,0:00:52.765 Music opens up our soul. 0:00:52.789,0:00:55.145 It opens up our channels[br]to receive information 0:00:55.169,0:00:57.005 about somebody else's walk of life, 0:00:57.029,0:00:59.170 to inform our own roles. 0:00:59.194,0:01:03.355 And while I have no problem[br]with male fantasy, 0:01:03.379,0:01:05.506 what I do have a problem with 0:01:05.530,0:01:11.290 is that, according to a recent study,[br]only 2.6 percent of all music producers 0:01:11.314,0:01:12.786 identify as women. 0:01:12.810,0:01:17.003 That means an even smaller percentage[br]identify as trans or gender nonconforming. 0:01:17.669,0:01:19.497 And why does this matter? 0:01:19.521,0:01:22.930 Because, if we don't own[br]and control our own narrative, 0:01:22.954,0:01:26.121 somebody else will[br]tell our stories for us, 0:01:26.145,0:01:27.958 and they will get it wrong, 0:01:27.982,0:01:31.133 perpetuating the very myths[br]that hold us back. 0:01:31.565,0:01:35.174 And I'm not here to tell other people[br]how to make their music. 0:01:36.063,0:01:39.702 But I am here to provide[br]and design the alternative. 0:01:40.250,0:01:43.430 One strategy I take in my music 0:01:43.454,0:01:48.474 is making uplifting, energetic,[br]percussive global beats 0:01:48.498,0:01:50.237 and placing lyrics on top of them 0:01:50.261,0:01:53.813 that genuinely describe[br]my life's experiences 0:01:53.837,0:01:56.700 without contributing[br]to the oppression of anybody else. 0:01:57.152,0:01:59.410 It's funny, because it's the same reason 0:01:59.434,0:02:03.209 as to why we excuse[br]so many problematic lyrics; 0:02:03.233,0:02:05.994 it's because we love[br]how the beats make us feel. 0:02:07.144,0:02:11.202 An example of this is my song[br]"Top Knot Turn Up." 0:02:14.015,0:02:16.456 (Music: "Top Knot Turn Up") 0:02:31.075,0:02:35.010 (Sings) I turned off my phone's[br]notifications so I have more time / 0:02:35.034,0:02:38.638 No bubbles to trouble[br]my clear state of mind / 0:02:38.662,0:02:40.760 One thing to know, [br]I'm not here to please / 0:02:40.784,0:02:42.688 Hair tied up, I do it properly / 0:02:42.712,0:02:44.229 My time is not your property / 0:02:44.253,0:02:46.524 When I'm productive like my ovaries, [br]eyy! / 0:02:46.548,0:02:49.951 Give a grown girl room to breathe,[br]basic rights and her liberty / 0:02:49.975,0:02:53.537 Free from insecurity[br]that the world's projecting onto me / 0:02:53.561,0:02:55.607 Please do not trouble me[br]when I am focused / 0:02:55.621,0:02:57.668 The future is female[br]you already know this / 0:02:57.682,0:02:59.881 I'm fighting against[br]the corruption on SCOTUS / 0:02:59.905,0:03:02.744 Turned up in my top knot[br]since when I first wrote this / 0:03:03.789,0:03:07.273 It's a top knot turn up[br]It's a top knot turn up, turn up, turn up. 0:03:07.297,0:03:11.094 It's a top knot turn up[br]It's a top knot turn up, turn up, turn up. 0:03:11.118,0:03:14.597 It's a top knot turn up[br]It's a top knot turn up, eyyy. 0:03:14.621,0:03:16.321 It's a top knot turn up. 0:03:16.749,0:03:18.049 (Music ends) 0:03:18.178,0:03:22.438 I want us to keep making[br]sex-positive, beautiful music 0:03:22.462,0:03:24.625 about joy and freedom. 0:03:24.649,0:03:26.481 I want us to embrace our own pleasure 0:03:26.505,0:03:28.577 just as much as we embrace our own pain. 0:03:28.601,0:03:30.995 I want us to celebrate the authentic, 0:03:31.019,0:03:32.368 nuanced, 0:03:32.392,0:03:35.757 multidimensional aspects[br]of our human existence, 0:03:36.575,0:03:41.694 rather than perform false narratives[br]of degrading sexuality 0:03:41.718,0:03:44.269 in order to feel accepted or loved. 0:03:44.293,0:03:47.186 And another strategy[br]that I take in my music 0:03:47.210,0:03:50.126 to combat the misogyny[br]that exists on the airwaves 0:03:50.150,0:03:53.890 is to visually depict the very world[br]I wished we lived in. 0:03:53.914,0:03:56.474 In the music video[br]for my song "See Me Thru," 0:03:56.498,0:04:00.755 which is like a vibe-y,[br]queer electronic R and B song, 0:04:00.779,0:04:04.836 I cast two of my dear friends,[br]Ania and Dejha, 0:04:04.860,0:04:08.534 to play the role of the lovers,[br]because they're married in real life. 0:04:08.558,0:04:11.910 But what you don't know[br]is that they also are behind the camera 0:04:11.934,0:04:15.070 concepting and directing[br]the entire video. 0:04:16.206,0:04:24.137 (Video) Heyyyyy ohhhh[br]My emotions were tired 0:04:26.682,0:04:30.154 Music should be safe [br]and accessible for all to experience. 0:04:30.192,0:04:33.049 As you can see, it's not about[br]losing the sex appeal or swag 0:04:33.073,0:04:34.278 that music has, 0:04:34.302,0:04:38.049 it's about writing messages[br]that infuse tenderness and positivity 0:04:38.073,0:04:41.023 into music that motivates us[br]and challenges us. 0:04:41.706,0:04:45.178 And while we as musicians[br]absolutely have the responsibility 0:04:45.202,0:04:47.968 to make music that isn't disempowering, 0:04:47.992,0:04:50.408 the consumers can be[br]part of the change, too. 0:04:50.432,0:04:52.992 Firstly, we get to choose[br]which songs we want to mute 0:04:53.016,0:04:54.912 and which songs we want to turn louder. 0:04:54.936,0:04:58.839 We get to say, "I respect myself enough[br]to say I don't want to listen to this, 0:04:58.863,0:05:01.735 and I don't want this to be[br]in anybody else's space, either." 0:05:01.759,0:05:04.038 Secondly, we can simply ask ourselves: 0:05:04.062,0:05:06.090 "Does this music or this message 0:05:06.114,0:05:08.312 contribute to the oppression[br]of somebody else? 0:05:08.336,0:05:09.517 Why am I tolerating it?" 0:05:09.541,0:05:13.696 And finally, we can all be choosing[br]to make playlists or DJ-ing music 0:05:13.720,0:05:17.274 that provides the right vibe or mood[br]that we're looking for in that moment 0:05:17.298,0:05:19.216 without the problematic messaging. 0:05:19.683,0:05:20.896 Why does this matter? 0:05:20.920,0:05:24.354 Because it's teaching algorithms[br]in our streaming systems and our world 0:05:24.378,0:05:27.420 exactly what it is that[br]we do want to listen to, 0:05:28.444,0:05:31.335 creating long-term change[br]and a feedbacking mechanism 0:05:31.359,0:05:33.077 that impacts the entire industry. 0:05:33.966,0:05:35.615 This is not a message 0:05:36.482,0:05:38.499 for just a small group of people. 0:05:38.523,0:05:41.222 This is a message that affects everybody, 0:05:41.246,0:05:45.236 because when we protect and liberate[br]our most vulnerable genders, 0:05:45.260,0:05:46.976 we liberate everybody.