Women in Electronic Music: From Support to Spotlight

This is the latest edition of Downtown’s editorial series with the Association for Electronic Music (AFEM). You can read previous pieces on topics like fan engagement and platform strategy here. This two-part installment focuses on the evolving role of women in electronic music. In Part One, we look at how a new generation of women artists, producers, and DJs are moving from supporting roles to center stage.

In recent years, women have been a bigger and bigger part of commercial EDM’s mainstream success. But many are still being cast in secondary roles, appearing as featured vocalists rather than lead artists, or as secondary collaborators or remixers. These roles are frequently framed as opportunities, and they are. But they can also create ceilings.

Featured artists don’t always surface in algorithm-driven discovery tools like Spotify’s “Release Radar,” their tracks may not appear in the “New Releases” section of their profile, and their names can be buried in metadata. Ultimately, that can mean fewer streams, less visibility, and a smaller share of royalties.

On the other hand, many women are finding greater freedom and visibility in less commercial corners of electronic music. Subgenres like techno, trance, and experimental club are spaces that are less concerned with what works on the radio or in marketing campaigns. And so the underground scene tends to be more diverse, and open to experimentation. 

Unlike commercial dance, where women are often supporting acts, the underground scene creates space for more diverse voices to experiment and lead.  It’s very heavily led by culture. These women are grinding it out, touring clubs nearly every weekend, spending the time to actively cultivate their fan bases. Many are taking up residencies in their home markets or seasonally in Ibiza, building consistency and real connection with listeners.

Underground becomes mainstream because musical trends swing over time. The revival of Eurodance has surfaced some of these underground cultures into the mainstream space. It may feel like something new, but many of these women have been at it for a very long time. This can be seen with the rise of KI/KI, Sara Landry, and Miss Monique.

While none of these artists are sitting in the top 100 of the global airplay charts, they are all selling out 5,000-capacity rooms and building genuinely active fan bases instead of passive consumers. On the those same charts, the first track led by  a woman doesn’t appear until #43, with Hayla. RAYE is listed earlier, but it’s a David Guetta remix of her track.

Creative Compound Interest

As more women can test ideas, drop tracks, gather listeners, and build momentum, that representation compounds. When younger artists see someone who looks like them succeed, it lights the way forward and builds a stronger foundation for those coming next

That’s why visibility matters. The way artists are credited, discovered, and supported has long-term ripple effects. When women are boxed into supporting roles, they earn less, gain less visibility, and are less likely to be seen as a creative force in their own right. 

The solution isn’t a checklist. Real representation works more like compound interest: it builds slowly and pays out over generations. If there were a single fix, it would already exist. The fact that we’re still having this conversation shows how structural the issue is.

What does work is deliberate investment at every level in who gets signed, credited, mentored, platformed, and paid fairly. Not as a corrective gesture, but as an ongoing commitment. Because when artists can fully own their work, shape their narrative, and connect with fans directly, the entire ecosystem becomes more dynamic, more resilient, and more creatively interesting.

We’re already seeing what that looks like. Legendary artists like Amelie Lens, Honey Dijon, Charlotte de Witte, Avalon Emerson, and Nicole Moudaber have been working for decades at their craft and have shown that creative control and commercial success aren’t mutually exclusive. They’ve built careers on their own terms, headlining major festivals, staying true to their own sound, and creating platforms to elevate others through labels, events, and mentorship.

These women have created labels and brands where they get to dictate their creative direction and release strategies instead of fitting into someone else’s mold. In doing so, they’ve created spaces for other (women) artists to experiment,develop their sound, actualize as artists, and find success.