If there is one thing wrong with the music industry- it is the lack of female representation and presence in positions of power and creativity.
With only 2% of producers being women and only 20% of all signed musical artists being female, there is clearly a discrepancy between who is making music and who is consuming it. There is an even further lack of representation when it comes to women of color, who make up less than 1% of all producing roles– despite the fact that top two highest credited female songwriters from 2012-2019 are black women.
This information is not a secret either- and in recent years several online campaigns have brought attention to both the lack of female representation and the lack of artists of color included in major award ceremonies. But despite campaigns such as #GrammysSoWhite calling out the lack of diversity in nominations and public backlash after a former Recording Academy CEO told women to “step up” if they wanted to be honored- not much has changed on the larger industry stage.
And this is where indepentent efforts such as Los Angeles based Femme House come to play.
Created in 2019 by DJ/producer Leah Chisholm (LP Giobbi), artist manager/musician Lauren Spaulding (hermixalot), and songwriter/producer Lauren Kop (mini bear), Femme House is a collaborative platform dedicated to helping women and non-binary musicians break into the industry.
Through the use of in-person events (pre-COVID) as well as classes held on the organization’s website and YouTube videos, the non-profit allows aspiring musicians and industry workers to learn some of the ins and outs of creating and producing music. From teaching the basics of several high profile softwares to then offering mentorship and networking opportunities, Femme House encourages it’s community to finally see themselves in powerhouse roles and helps in giving them the tools to get there.
But this leaves the question- who are the powerhouse forces behind Femme House and how did they get to their current positions.
We had the opportunity to chat with LP Giobbi herself about her rise from music student to producing star, as well as why she believes Femme House will help change a corner of the industry.
You can read our full interview below, and be sure to check out Femme House as well as LP Giobbi thorugh the social media accounts linked at the bottom.
Second Society Report: First off, hello, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us! I hope that you have been doing well and been able to stay healthy over the past year.
LP Giobbi: It has been a really tough year emotionally and mentally but thankfully I’ve been able to stay virus free so far.
SSR: Can you first start off by giving me a bit of background on yourself? How did you get into music?
LP Giobbi: I started studying piano in second grade, where I got blessed with this amazing teacher. In middle school if I wanted to practice more I’d go to her house and play piano or play the bongos or dance, just play music- and then I went on to UC Berkeley to study jazz piano.
I would play jazz gigs at night in a jazz bar in San Francisco, and one night I was approached by Peter Franco- who was an engineer for Daft Punk- and he told me he wanted to create an all female electronic band. I had no experience with electronic gear, but he was looking for people who knew the more technical side of music. I spent next year in a garage learning sound design, Ableton, as well as getting comfortable with gear and electronic instrumentation.
SSR: How has that brought you to where you are now in your career working as a DJ and a producer?
LP Giobbi: I ended up at SnowGlobe Music Festival where Sofi Tukker were headlining and there was nobody at my set, except my mom who came to see me. I left and got a DM from Sofi Tukker asking if I wanted to go on tour with them, but I was like “I don’t know, I’m not a DJ,” and they said they liked what I did during my SnowGlobe set, so I went on tour with them. And basically learned how to DJ in front of people.
As for production- I remember one day I was sitting in a studio in LA working with some awesome producers- all of whom were male- and I heard that Grimes had produced her own record and that struck me. It hadn’t even occurred to me before that the role of producer was something I could be. It made me think about what else I thought I couldn’t do and I became hell bent on becoming what Grimes was for me to somebody else.
Going through that was when I decided I wanted to someday start something that would give a spade space for women to learn things.
SSR: I’m sure you’ve been asked this before but I have to ask, how did you get your DJ name?
LP Giobbi: LP was given to me forever ago, by my partner- who works in the music industry and he used to joke that I was going to steal all of his ideas and create my own company called Leah Presents. Then Giobbi is my mom’s maiden name. I chose it as a way of reclaiming the matriarchy. It was funny, I told her “I’m going to use your maiden name as my artist name,” and she was like “that’s horrible, nobody is going to know how to pronounce it,” and she was right (laughs).
SSR: How has the process of writing and recording new music changed for you if at all during the pandemic:
LP Giobbi: It allowed me to go back to my basics and gives me the confidence to meld my new school background more with electronic producing which is a newer thing for me.
My new music coming out is slightly more emotional and dives further into the chords and how the sounds make me feel- having longer and more emotional breakdowns and improvising on the piano.
Ironically, my career has gotten a big boost in the past year following my song “Meet Again,” which Little Boots and I wrote during the pandemic sending the parts back and forth via email. Most songs take about 6-10 months before they come out, but we pushed this release to be super super quick because I thought the pandemic would be ending soon (laughs).
It’s a weird- hard, difficult time, but that is the silver lining to it all. I’m grateful to find my voice and have the courage to write more melodically, intimate songs that have connected with people.
SSR: Obviously you have a huge career as a DJ/Producer, but in 2019 you co-founded Femme House, which we’ve written a bit about previously, but I’d love to hear from you on what the organization is and how it came to be?
LP Giobbi: Femme House started at MoogFest- which by the way, Moog is the best synthesizer company in the world, in my humble opinion- where I gave a workshop on different AI systems that help create music. A lot of people seemed interested in learning more, so since then Femme House has turned into free monthly workshops that are usually in person in LA, and also online courses that are more indepth versions of the workshops. If you like the free workshops we then can funnel you into the online courses to dig in deeper.
SSR: Are the workshops targeted at people looking to produce, or are they open for anyone who is looking to learn?
LP Giobbi: When I first moved to LA I met a lot of talented singer/songwriters and they were waiting for producers to pluck them out of obscurity, which creates a weird power imbalance. A lot of people who take our workshops are singers looking to learn more about the behind the scenes and production work.
SSR: I know you are an electronic artist, does Femme House work with different genres as well or stick to the more electronic side?
LP Giobbi: Any genre. Our classes are taught by mini bear (Lauren Kop) and the music she makes is definitely more on the pop side.
As for the software we teach, we use Ableton, which a lot of music producers use. We focus on teaching the basics and then the girls can make whatever they want. It’s mostly just understanding the gear and technology.
SSR: Why do you think FEMME HOUSE’s mission is important in today’s musical cultre?
LP Giobbi: Only 2% of producers are women, no women have ever won a Grammy for producing. The role of the producer is really a gatekeeper role, so it really became important to me for artists to learn the language of the studio, because that is their art and their creativity.
Our goal is to help give artists the tools to push themselves to become things they didn’t necessarily see themselves becoming, as well as expanding their concepts of themselves and how they see themselves in general. We are trying to level the playing field.
I also eventually really want to expand into covering other areas of the industry too, because so many jobs behind the scenes are all men- agents, promoters, production, sound engineers, technical rolles- it’s all a male dominated boys club.
SSR: I know you started the organization in 2019, and then just a year later the entire music industry shut down relatively overnight with the pandemic at the start of 2020. How has it been navigating FEMME HOUSE and your events/classes while also trying to navigate an unprecedented pandemic?
LP Giobbi: In December of 2019 we had started to produce courses, so we were planning to roll that out in 2020 anyway. But because I was touring all over the world and meeting people who were coming up to merch booths and asking if I’d be doing any workshops where they lived, I became determined to put stuff up online so people in any location could take them.
The workshops are really intros to all the different topics and obviously free so it’s been awesome to reach more people with the workshops that are consistent every month.
What I’m learning from this time is that yes, my career is taking off and Femme House is growing but what really feeds me the most is playing for a dance floor in real life and getting to meet these women and go to workshops. It’s been emotionally tough but when we get through this time the other side will be that much more joyous because we created this awesome crazy world in the meantime.
SSR: What are your hopes for the future with FEMME HOUSE? Do you have any goals for once it is safe to hold in person events again?
LP Giobbi: We do have some future goals and plans for this year. We are launching a mentorship program for women of color where we are putting together a gear package so that they will be able to have all the gear they need to produce, as well as offering mentorship within the industry. We also got some support from Coca Cola, which is awesome because they just saw what we were doing and became fans.
We also have some stage takeovers planned at some festivals to offer workshops and to book an entire stage of women. Hopefully they happen this year.
I also have an upcoming radio show on Diplo’s Revolution Radio.
SSR: Can you tell me more about the radio show?
I have a weekly slot where I’ll be interviewing different women either who work in the industry or other artists, and they are going to be making a mix of tracks for the show. It will be a good opportunity to support other awesome female artists.
That will happen every Saturday indefinitely, LP Giobbi Presents FEMME HOUSE Radio on Revolution Radio.
SSR: I know this may be difficult to answer since you are also in the midst of it, but do you have any words of wisdom or advice for aspiring musicians or industry workers who are feeling a little defeated right now as we are still trying to get the world back to normal?
LP Giobbi: I think the music community is a strong and vibrant community and I know we will get through this and continue to be there doubling down on our support for one another.
Try to take this time to spend some good, quality time with yourself and give yourself extra self love. Be okay with how you’re feeling emotionally and know that we are coming out on the other side- we are going to come out with unicorns and rainbows.
SSR: Do you have any worries about the industry not coming back in full force or people being afraid to attend shows once it is safe to do so?
LP Giobbi: I don’t think that’s going to be the case. I think people are going to run with abandonment to the nearest show. I think it’s human nature to want to share joy and be on the dance floor and have human interaction and hear music really loudly in the same space as other people.
People will always need music and will always need to gather and be a part of something greater than themselves. I feel really encouraged by knowing how important it is to be in a room with other people dancing. There will be another need for it, I think there will be a huge need for it.
You can read more about Femme House and their mission by checking out their website, linked below, and be sure to catch LP Giobbi streaming weekly on Twitch, Abracadabra, and Femme House Friday- as well as now Saturday’s on Diplo’s Revolution Radio.
You can read more about Femme House and their mission by checking out their website, linked below, and be sure to catch LP Giobbi streaming
LP Giobbi: Twitter / Instagram / Website / Twitch
Femme House: Twitter / Instagram / Website / YouTube / Twitch / Discord
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