Joy Nesbitt is a songwriter focused on releasing energy into the world that empowers emotional vulnerability. Her music is about Black feminine stories, leading by example for Black women to reinhabit their identities and live unapologetically in themselves. During the summer of 2020, Joy was a songwriting mentee in the She Is The Music Connect Together Mentorship Program. A current senior at Harvard University, Joy is a student of ground-breaking artists, Esperanza Spalding, Vijay Iyer, and Stew. She is inspired by musicians like Lauryn Hill, Moses Sumney, and Stevie Wonder. As a mentee participant in the inaugural She Is The Music Summer Mentorship Program in 2020, Joy was mentored by songwriter/producer Modesty Lycan and worked on creating her first album, Atlas Rising. The album garnered praise from both Alicia Keys and her engineer Ann Mincieli.
View Profile →
From Brooklyn, New York, Kadijat Salawudeen is a second-year graduate student studying International Communications at St. John's University (SJU) in Queens, New York. In May 2019, she graduated from SJU with a bachelor's in Psychology, Communication Arts, and Music. Through internships and freelance opportunities with Apple Music / TV+, Roc Nation, Tidal, Teen Vogue, and more, Kadijat has gained hands-on experience in public relations, brand partnerships, marketing, and social media. Currently, she works on the PR and Marketing teams at °1824, a vertical within Universal Music Group. She also freelances with She Is The Music on the communications committee.
View Profile →
Sophia is a serial entrepreneur with 5+ years of experience collaborating with artists, creatives, and executives across the music and entertainment industries. She currently works with the founders of h.wood media, a new media and entertainment company, alongside John Ehmann on A$AP Rocky’s management team as a day-to-day manager and label coordinator. She also A&Rs various projects, including singer-songwriter Emeryld, and manages Sedona, the dirty-pop girl band from Brooklyn. Sophia loves working closely with artists and their teams to bring creative visions to life, and is always looking for opportunities to connect with other passionate women to make the music industry safer and stronger together. Over the years, Sophia has developed a deep understanding of how to best serve artists and fans while working with managers, tour promoters and agents at Live Nation and WME, as well as artists, A&Rs and DSPs at Interscope Records. In 2019, she graduated as Summa Cum Laude from the University of Southern California with a B.A. in Public Relations and interdisciplinary minors in Media, Economics and Entrepreneurship from the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the Marshall School of Business. As a USC student, she acquired 10+ internships at companies including Interscope Records, Live Nation, WME, NBCUniversal and Warner Brothers, and also started her own creative agency called Creative Concepts. Sophia knows what it takes to develop a story or song, and how to build a strong team using impactful communication strategies.
View Profile →
Natalia recently finished her bachelor’s degree in Digital Sound and Acoustic Technology in Guatemala, which introduced her to what she loves, mixing and recording. Natalia was most recently chosen as a SITM Connect TogetHER Production/Engineering Mentee.
View Profile →
Born and raised in Guatemala, Los Angeles–based Gaby Moreno received a Latin Grammy for Best New Artist in 2013. Her album "Ilusión" produced by Gabe Roth from Daptone Records fame (2016), was nominated for a Grammy for "Best Latin Pop Album". She also co-wrote the theme song for NBC’s hit television show "Parks and Recreation". Moreno has toured around the world alongside artists like Tracy Chapman, Ani DiFranco, Hugh Laurie, Punch Brothers, Buena Vista Social Club, Calexico and David Gray. Armed with a warm, soulful horn-inflected sound, she creates music that offers an intoxicating invitation into her musical world for English and Spanish speakers alike. Her most recent album, "¡Spangled!", is a collaboration with legendary arranger and musician Van Dyke
View Profile →
Candace Newman is the Senior Tour Director of US Concerts and Touring at Live Nation Entertainment. For the last decade, Candace brought some of the world’s most celebrated artists closer to their fans by collaborating with live music venues all over the world to book, produce, and promote tours for a variety of talent from Rihanna, David Blaine, Backstreet Boys, Toni Braxton and a host of others. Candace is not only responsible for procuring talent and aligning them with the right venue at the right time, as one of the few women of color in the live music industry she is also at the helm of leadership and inclusion. In 2015 Candace spearheaded Live Nation’s EmpoWer Network, a safe space designed to inspire and motivate women at the company. She’s also shared her journey as an inspiration for other women speaking on Black excellence panels at LMU, The House of Blues Woman’s Forward panel and #CoolAssBlackWoman empowerment brunch, among others. Inspired by her own professional journey in the male-dominated space and fueled by her desire to open doors for more diverse faces in booking and touring, Candace launched Live Out L!ve in 2019. Her goal, to be at the forefront of change, creating a live entertainment culture of empowerment and inclusion by educating and encouraging marginalized groups to pursue careers in the industry. Born and raised in Los Angeles, the former model has enjoyed a seasoned career in the arts and events space. Candace launched her first event production company Social Butterfly Entertainment back in 2008, where she partnered with actor/comedians Tony Rock and Ron G to curate live events across the city. At the same time, Candace began working at Universal Music Group and dove deeper into the music industry. She eventually transitioned to Live Nation where she kicked off her career in live events and touring. Candace holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications & Entertainment from California State University, Fullerton, and a Masters of Arts in Communications from California State University, Los Angeles. She is a mom, a proud Los Angelean, and an advocate for diversity and inclusion.
View Profile →SITM is a nonprofit organization increasing the number of women working in music - songwriters, engineers, producers, artists and industry professionals.
We are an independent, global network that operates as a unifying organization for women from across the industry, creating strength and impact on a global scale. As an umbrella nonprofit, we also provide resources and support for female-focused initiatives that are working to create meaningful change - both through our own programs, as well as external efforts around the world.
Programs include an all-female songwriting series, industry database of women creators and mentorship program, with more to come. Our initiatives serve women in the industry today while fostering the development of future generations.
A first-of-its-kind collaboration spanning the music industry, SITM is powered by creators, publishers, record labels, talent agencies, industry groups, media companies, streaming services, and more.
Together, we are creating change for women and building an equal future for music.
The industry’s official, global database of women working across the music industry. A source for discovering, connecting and creating with women, the SITM Database - powered by Billboard -features vetted, verified creators spanning songwriters, engineers, producers, studio positions and live / touring professionals, with more positions to come.
Music’s all-female, global songwriting series to increase the number of women creators. With support from industrywide allies, SITM connects artists with songwriters and studio professionals for writing sessions around the world. Our partner organizations also work to amplify resulting songs.
The SITM Mentorship Program is designed to inspire and develop the next generation of women in music. The program empowers young women in the music industry; by bolstering their confidence and having them learn from women actively involved and employed within the industry, SITM’s mentees will not only feel secure in joining the music industry but also working toward leadership roles. Participants in the Mentorship Program will gain valuable, firsthand insight into all areas of the industry, including but not limited to touring, producing and songwriting.
