In 2022, the Female* Producer Prize will be awarded for the second time. The award was launched last year and has set itself the task of ensuring more visibility for women in the music industry. The aim of the award is to bring more diversity to the male-dominated German music landscape.
The initiators of the award are Sony Music and Music Women* Germany, plus the umbrella organization of all women and non-binary people who identify as female, as well as their networks in the music industry in Germany.
The aim of the Female* Producer Prize is to reach female music producers “who are on the threshold of professionalisation and those who are already fully involved and want to get into the next league”. When making their selection, they take into account both the quality of the productions and the musical signature, as well as the diversity of the applicants.
The finalists will receive a support package, production grants, vouchers for music equipment, a workshop at Sony Music Circle Studios and an entry in the Female Producer Register of Sony Music and Neubau Music Management. Sony Publishing and the Female Producer Collective are new partners this year.
The winners of the Female* Producer Prize 2023 have been chosen
Female producers of all music genres could apply for the award until May 22nd. Over 156 applications were received this year. The new award winners were selected by a five-person expert jury. Due to the overwhelming quality of the applications, seven instead of five female producers will be awarded the prize this year. The award ceremony will take place on September 14 in Berlin.
The seven winners of the Female* Producer Prize 2023 are:
1. Mix up
Producer Aufmisch took her first steps into the music industry as a drummer. During her music studies she wrote contemporary compositions for classical ensembles and later devoted herself to pop music. From last year, her productions can be heard on the album by poetry artist Dshamilja Roshani and the EP by pop singer Pieke.
2. Evin
The German-Kurdish singer and producer Evîn is at home in alternative R&B. Her music combines elements from different genres like soul and hip-hop with her Kurdish roots. Their characteristic sound is shaped by emotions and experiences, but also themes such as flight, culture of remembrance and belonging. In her home studio in Berlin, she writes and produces her pieces, such as her last two EPs, which were released in 2022.
3. Kota No Uta
Kota No Uta is a singer-songwriter and producer working primarily with jazz, soul and neo soul. In October of last year she self-produced her song “Autumn Leaves”. The young artist is currently working on two releases with great partners and her own EP.
4. Sheyda Minia
The Iranian-born artist Sheyda Minia began playing the harp at the age of eight and became a young student at the music academy in Cologne at the age of 13. Three years later, with the first money she had earned, she bought an interface microphone and the music software Logic in order to be able to produce her own beats. At the end of 2021 she was discovered by Mehrzad Marashi, the managing director of Impulse-Records GmbH. Since then she has worked there as a producer.
5. Mona Yim
The Chinese-German music producer Mona Yim lives in Hamburg, where she has already made a name for herself as a singer and DJ. In her music she combines emotional vocal hooks with her own electronic productions. UK garage, house and electronica serve as inspiration as well as influences from her training as a classical violinist and performer. Her debut release was on the Rekids label in the summer of 2022. This was followed by further releases on labels such as Ninja Tune and Remixes.
6. Mimski
Mimski started producing in early 2022, first in Germany and then in England, where she was greeted with a kiss as a female producer. For a music competition, she submitted a beat that helped her break through. Their first track was played directly on the local radio shows. Mimski is currently working on her first album, which will be released on the Runtlife Records label.
7. Just Honest
Music has often saved young producer Just Honest, so she decided to bring her songs to life and produce them herself. With her productions she wants to touch the hearts of other people, heal and inspire them. Her debut single “Toxic Culture” has already reached over a million streams. Her debut album “No Love No Hate” is about to be released.
The Female* Producer Prize was supported by the Reeperbahn Festival (funded by BKM: Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media), and sponsored by Thomann, Ableton, Neubau, Female* Producer Collective, Sony Music and Sony Music Publishing.