Why Only Few Women In Sound Engineering?

Over the years, females have dominated the music scene gracefully.

From the generations of Paulina Oduro, Akosua Agyapong, our gospel divas, Bernice Offei, Cindy Thompson, Mary Ghansah, down to the Becca’s, Efya’s, MzVee’s and a host of other talented female artistes.

When the technicalities of music production are mentioned, however, we barely hear any female names; dominance seems to end at the forefront.

Clearly, the belief “behind every successful man is a woman” seems to have taken an opposite turn as far as this industry is concerned, as music production; beat making, sound engineering seemingly have become a male-dominated field.

Akosua Agyapong
Renowned music producer and sound engineer Appiah Dankwa, popularly known as 'Appietus' agrees that in his field of work, not many women represent.

‘It’s a male-dominated industry”, he confirms. Though he can’t point a finger at exactly what is the reason why females find it difficult to venture into the area, he is hopeful that “they will try”.

Legendary producer Fred Kyei Mensah; 'Fredyma' is also of the opinion that not many women venture into the field due to its challenging nature.

Bernice Ofei
He believes that the problem is partly because most ladies do not play musical instruments. As it is, playing musical instruments is pivotal to music production.

For him, another factor may be the perception that they may be branded as “tomboys’ should they begin to break into the field.

Wife of RnB singer Nana King, Nana Queen thinks it’s a challenge because of the perception that it’s a reserve for the men, nevertheless, she is hopeful the narrative would change soon.

But how easy would it be for a female sound engineer or beat maker if she should launch a career in the industry?

MzVee
Appietus thinks that the industry’s acceptance of any female in the field would depend on “what she is bringing on board”. She ought to be able to prove herself with hard work and diligence.

I am on a personal journey to fish out ladies taking up a challenge in the field, defying all odds; so their stories can inspire others.

Hopefully in a few years to come, when the technical brains behind the music are mentioned some proud female names will come up.

If you do have dreams, the sky is just the beginning.