It’s no secret that women often don’t get enough credit for their work behind the scenes in the music industry other than for writing lyrics, singing and perhaps other roles such as dance choreography. If you were to ask a random person on the street if they can name some male music producer and/or mix engineers I’m sure most people would be able to mention names such as Quincy Jones, Dr. Dre, Babyface and other high profile names such as Pharrell Williams and David Guetta. However, if you were to ask them to name female producers/mix engineers chances are most people wouldn’t be able to come up with a single name.
That obviously brings up the question of whether there are indeed females in the industry who work on the technical side of things. This is a question that I recently came across and the answer is yes there are female producers and mix engineers though most are not as widely-known as their male counterparts. In an effort to bust the myth that there are no females who’ve done anything of note in the technical side of the music industry I’ve written this article which lists down several notable names.
WondaGurl
This is quite possibly the most famous name on this list. WondaGurl has produced for a number of very high profile names in hip hop. She produced Jay-Z’s Crown on his most recent album Magna Carta Holy Grail. She has also produced for artists such as Drake and Rihanna (BBHMM) but her most notable work is probably Travis Scott’s mega hit Antidote from his debut studio album Rodeo.
TOKiMONSTA
TOKiMONSTA signed with Flying Lotus’ label, Brainfeeder. When you get a co-sign from a producer of Lotus’ caliber you know that you’re legit. She has produced quite a number of records, none as big as WondaGurl’s but still very good records in their own right. One of her most notable works is the EP she did with Gavin Turek titled You’re Invited. She has also worked with the likes of Kool Keith and Anderson Paak.
Marcella Araica aka Ms Lago
Ms Lago has done a boat-load of work as a mix engineer over the years. She has worked on mixes for the likes of Mariah Carey, The Pussycat Dolls, Nelly Furtado, Missy Elliot, Britney Spears, Keri Hilson and most notably Timbaland. She’s one of few very well known female mix engineers in the industry and her most famous work is probably Timbaland’s smash hit The Way I Are taken from his album Shock Value. She also worked on other tracks on that same album, which was a critical and commercial success.
Crystal Caines
Crystal Caines might not be the most accomplished producer on this list but if she continues to consistently put in good work she has a long and fruitful career ahead of her. She’s also a rapper and has released several tracks, but her most notable work as a producer has been on A$AP Ferg’s earlier songs such as A Hundred Million Roses and Lord.
Grimes
No one else on this list has a greater command of variety of musical instruments than Grimes. This 28 year Canadian producer plays drums, the keyboard, violin, guitar and bass. She writes songs, sings, produces and even directs music videos. Talk about an all-rounder. A lot of her music is experimental for lack of a better word, ranging from pop to electronica and everything in between. Her most notable track is Flesh Without Blood.
