INDEPENDENT, grassroots collectives offer women musicians an alternative to the fiercely competitive demands of the traditional music industry, according to singer-songwriter Meron T.

Meron Tilahun, better known by her stage name Meron T, spoke to the New Journal this week ahead of her International Women’s Day performance at Cafe KOKO yesterday (Wednesday).

“I think community is really important – you can try and go it alone but having fellow peers that encourage you is super important,” she said.

“When I see [my peers] doing well release-wise, it’s motivating for me and we share ideas.” Ms Tilahun, who is “independent and self-managed”, has witnessed changes in her industry since she began “taking music seriously” in 2018.

“I feel like there’s a lot of grassroots groups and collectives now, which is beautiful to see, in the DJ world, in the music space, I’m seeing loads of female collectives emerge.”

“I think it seems like there’s a lot of opportunity now. [To overcome] lack of opportunities it seems like there’s been a lot of grassroots mobilisation.

“A lot of us are coming together and creating the platforms that maybe beforehand weren’t there for us. I feel like it’s a good time to be a woman in music now.”

“It’s a lot more independent DIY [work], relying on each other, getting advice from each other, supporting each other and giving each other opportunities and learning as we go,” she added.

“It’s no longer: ‘this is me and my space, and you’re competition.’ It feels more like: let’s help each other.”

“I think it’s a global shift, where we’re going from the ‘lack mentality’ to an ‘abundance mindset’: we’re all talented in our own right, we all have our own unique artistry, we don’t need to see each other as competition. There’s room for all of us.”

“We don’t need to fight over this number one spot. It’s no longer the ‘Britney versus Christina’ era, where a label only really wants to uphold one artist at a time therefore creating this kind of competition. Because it’s more independent and DIY, we’re not fighting for that top role in the label anymore. We’re all kind of doing it in our own way.”

As a self-managed artist, Ms Tilahun said: “I feel like I’ve learned a lot because you just kind of have to get stuck in and handle all areas… It not always been easy, it’s been tough, but I’m really happy with the groundwork I’ve done up until this point.”

“Obviously there’s a side of it where it can be tricky in terms of funding, and having a team or bigger backing would help in many ways, but there is also that creative freedom and responsibility which makes it more fulfilling, makes it feel more like I’m in charge of my own destiny.”