- World number 2 Alcaraz knocked out of Shanghai Masters by Machac
- Leaders of Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia meet amid regional tensions
- Klopp's Red Bull decision 'ruined life's work' say Dortmund fans
- Han Kang wins South Korea's first literature Nobel
- S. Korea's Nobel winner Han Kang a modest, thought-provoking writer
- Hurricane Milton tornadoes kill four in Florida amid rescue efforts
- The almost impossible job: Beating Rafael Nadal at the French Open
- New French government faces key test with budget plan
- Rescuers say Israeli strike on Gaza school kills 28
- Italy's ex-world champion gymnast Ferrari announces retirement
- Zelensky talks 'victory plan' in meeting with Starmer, Rutte
- South Korea's Han Kang wins literature Nobel
- Federer lauds retiring Nadal's 'incredible achievements'
- Ikea posts fall in annual sales after lowering prices
- Australia beat China 3-1 to resurrect World Cup campaign
- Stock markets diverge, oil gains after China rebounds
- Nadal defied injury woes in record-breaking career
- Nadal v Djokovic, French Open, 2006: Chapter One in epic rivalry
- World can't 'waste time' trading climate change blame: COP29 hosts
- Pakistan at 23-1 after Brook triple hundred takes England to 823-7
- Zelensky meets Starmer, Rutte on whirlwind tour of Europe
- South Korean same-sex couples make push for marriage equality
- Rafael Nadal calls time on epic tennis career
- Mumbai declares day of mourning for Indian industrialist Ratan Tata
- Philippines confronts China over South China Sea at ASEAN meet
- Kim Sei-young shoots 62 to take two-stroke lead at LPGA Shanghai
- The haircuts that help traumatised Ukrainian soldiers heal
- Sinner crushes Medvedev to set up potential Alcaraz Shanghai semi
- 7-Eleven owner restructures to fight takeover
- England's Harry Brook blasts triple century against Pakistan
- Chinese electric car companies cope with European tariffs
- Zelensky in London for whirlwind tour of Europe ahead of US vote
- Sri Lanka recovering faster than expected: World Bank
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally as most markets track Wall St record
- Record-breaking Root, Brook both pass 200 as England pile up 658-3
- Football mourns Greek defender George Baldock's shock death at 31
- Uniqlo owner reports record annual earnings
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally as markets track Wall St record
- Indonesia biomass drive threatens key forests: report
- Home is far away for Madagascar in AFCON qualifying
- Two months on, Donbas soldiers begin to question Kursk offensive
- Rugby Australia to counter-sue in dispute with Melbourne Rebels
- Mumbai mourns Indian industrialist Ratan Tata
- Philippines challenges China over South China Sea at ASEAN meet
- Mets advance on Lindor blast, Dodgers stay alive in MLB playoffs
- Injury-ravaged Krygios aiming to return at Australian Open
- Greek international Baldock, dead at 31: family
- EU talks deportation hubs to stem migration
- Deaths and repression sideline Suu Kyi's party ahead of Myanmar vote
- S. Africa offers a lesson on how not to shut down a coal plant
'Female-forward' US music festival lineup fosters women- and queer-friendly space
As pop star Maggie Rogers powered through her headliner set at this weekend's All Things Go festival she teared up, telling thousands of screaming fans it was a rare moment onstage in which she felt "seen."
"This is so... sick that there are so many people with uteruses that played on this stage today," the 29-year-old behind hits like "Alaska" said, adding an expletive for emphasis.
Rogers was an integral force behind what the All Things Go event has blossomed into today: an indie festival whose lineup is women-led and queer-friendly, and where the crowd is reflective of that focus.
All Things Go co-founders Stephen Vallimarescu and Will Suter told AFP that Rogers approached them several years ago and said the festivals she'd been playing were dominated by male artists.
They decided the ethos of All Things Go would start being more "female-forward in terms of the lineup curation."
It was a bold move in an industry where women remain chronically underrepresented, but it is paying off: for the first time All Things Go is spanning two days, and on both sold out the 20,000-person capacity at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.
The feminine energy wasn't lost on many of the artists, including Canadian rock duo Tegan and Sara, who told fans "we've been playing festivals since before most of you were born, and damn, this is what I wish it had looked like."
"This is how festivals should look."
- 'Much work to be done' -
Last year, just 30 percent of artists on Billboard's Hot Songs chart were women, according to a University of Southern California Annenberg study, which was funded by Spotify.
That is an improvement over 2021's 23.3 percent and a significant jump from the situation a decade ago -- but it's still far from equitable.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves -- there is still much work to be done before we can say that women have equal opportunity in the music industry," said Stacy Smith, a study co-author.
The gap in representation is clear on festival bills and charts, at awards shows and on streaming platforms.
Bel Aztiria is the founder of EQUAL, a program at Spotify whose aims include improving the discovery of women on the company's popular playlists.
She told AFP that the lack of opportunity for women is an issue that is much larger than music, but that "music and the music industry reflect this social problem."
Yet Aztiria said she found inspiration at events like this weekend's festival, not only because of the women-forward lineup but because "there are so many women in the audience."
Fans seeing more women and non-binary performers onstage can inspire more people to pursue careers industry-wide, she said.
- 'Unapologetically' yourself -
Sisters Chloe and Sianna Richards, 22 and 21 respectively, told AFP they had never felt more "comfortable" at a music festival.
"I was never worried about what I was wearing, or like how much I was showing," said Sianna.
All Things Go, which this year included headliners Rogers, Carly Rae Jepsen, boygenius and Lana Del Rey, does not specifically market itself as female- or queer-friendly.
But as the adage goes, if you build it, they will come.
Lexi Karaivanova, 20, called the weekend "one of the nicest crowds" they've encountered.
"I love how few men there are," the festival-goer who identifies as non-binary said, laughing, adding that for them, tamping down the masculinity meant the grounds became a space where harassment and objectification were less of a concern.
"It's nice that you can escape whatever you're going through and feel this freedom to be unapologetically queer, or trans, or a woman," Karaivanova said.
They were particularly excited to see Ethel Cain, a trans singer beloved for her ethereal alt-pop, and MUNA, an indie group whose anthems of queer joy have a growing global following.
All Things Go organizers told AFP they are not only booking women, non-binary and queer artists to make a statement.
"The talent takes us there," Suter said.
Throughout the weekend those stars had the masses belting ecstatic screams, with a crescendo Sunday night as Lana Del Rey, donning a black Victorian gown with sheer lace panels and bright red nails, led a rapt crowd through her oeuvre of dreamy baroque pop.
The career-spanning set that included a troupe of rhythmic gymnasts, candelabras, tarot and flower-wrapped swings ended with Del Rey carried off the stage wrapped in a sheet, after she delivered her final track: "hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have - but I have it."
"We get to be dramatic every day because of you. I hope you do too, as crazy as you wanna be," she said just prior, climbing atop the piano to thunderous cheers.
P.Stevenson--AMWN