Emerging from their third yr in Saudi Arabia, MDLBeast’s SoundStorm Music Festival has grow to be a first occasion of its type within the nation and the self-described “loudest in the region.” With staggering 800,000 attendees it’s now the most important music pageant on the earth too, dwarfing world well-known occasions like Las Vegas’ Electric Daisy Carnival and Belgium’s Tomorrowland by comparability. With greater attendance numbers and broader worldwide attraction, the pageant is arguably extra necessary to Saudi Arabia than Woodstock was for America within the ‘60s. Specifically for women in the Middle East, this is an important moment. For the first time in centuries Arab women are expressing themselves through dance, but that’s solely the start. They can even assist throw the get together as a member of manufacturing or operations. They may even be a DJ headlining on one in every of SoundStorm’s seven phases. For younger Arab women, this can be the primary time ever seeing such inspiring heroines and position fashions.
Speaking with a number of such feminine powerhouses, Your EDM got down to study extra in regards to the voice girls are discovering in Saudi Arabia by the pageant. We additionally needed to glean a bit about how that voice is being acquired each inside the nation and on the worldwide stage.
What they needed to say rocked our notion of the Arab world and inspired us (within the West) to regulate the occasion because it continues to influence the tradition there. If the phrases from the ladies beneath are any indication, we could also be witnessing a actually historic second for Saudis.
To hear it in their very own phrases, learn on!
“I love how everyone was there attending for their favorite musician and that included many women like my friends Dorar, Kayan and Biirdperson and my personal favorite Eli & Fur, our Saudi ladies got to showcase to the world that they can rock the crowd better than anyone else and they had men and women supporting them and cheering for them in the audience.”
– Cosmicat, Headliner at SoundStorm
“In truth a majority of the industry is led by men wherever you are in the world, however women are increasingly taking on leadership roles in the sector both internationally and regionally. I’ve personally seen incredible growth and development of a very confident and ambitious local female workforce stepping up into critical positions.”
– Angela Selkirk, Director Core Planning; Event Control, Health & Safety and Security
“The love and connection [young Arab women] share with us even post-festival is something beautiful to experience and to be a part of… I feel happy and fortunate to witness such historical moments and to be part of the collective celebration. [It’s like] everything I’ve ever dreamt of as an artist I can manifest today.”
– KAYAN, Headliner at SoundStorm
“The music industry in the Kingdom is going through a historic transformation, and women will be at the forefront of this empowering evolution. The number of women I am seeing entering the Saudi music business is something we’ve never witnessed before – and this is just the beginning. It’s important to note that these opportunities don’t exist everywhere around the world but they do exist here and we as women are fully embracing them. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
– Nada al-Helabi, Strategy Director at MDLBeast / Director of Programming at XP Music Feature
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