Rising from their third 12 months in Saudi Arabia, MDLBeast’s SoundStorm Music Festival has turn out to be a primary occasion of its variety within the nation and the self-described “loudest within the area.” With staggering 800,000 attendees it’s now the most important music pageant on the earth too, dwarfing world well-known occasions like Las Vegas’ Electrical Daisy Carnival and Belgium’s Tomorrowland by comparability. With greater attendance numbers and broader worldwide enchantment, the pageant is arguably extra essential to Saudi Arabia than Woodstock was for America within the ‘60s. Particularly for girls within the Center East, this is a vital second. For the primary time in centuries Arab girls are expressing themselves via dance, however that’s solely the start. They will additionally assist throw the celebration as a member of manufacturing or operations. They will even be a DJ headlining on one in all SoundStorm’s seven levels. For younger Arab ladies, this can be the primary time ever seeing such inspiring heroines and function fashions.
Talking with a number of such feminine powerhouses, Your EDM got down to be taught extra concerning the voice girls are discovering in Saudi Arabia via the pageant. We additionally wished to glean a bit about how that voice is being acquired each throughout the nation and on the worldwide stage.
What they needed to say rocked our notion of the Arab world and inspired us (within the West) to keep watch over the occasion because it continues to affect the tradition there. If the phrases from the ladies under are any indication, we could also be witnessing a really historic second for Saudis.
To listen to it in their very own phrases, learn on!
“I like how everybody was there attending for his or her favourite musician and that included many ladies like my associates Dorar, Kayan and Biirdperson and my private favourite Eli & Fur, our Saudi women received to showcase to the world that they will rock the group higher than anybody else they usually had women and men supporting them and cheering for them within the viewers.”
– Cosmicat, Headliner at SoundStorm
“In reality a majority of the business is led by males wherever you might be on the earth, nevertheless girls are more and more taking up management roles within the sector each internationally and regionally. I’ve personally seen unimaginable development and improvement of a really assured and bold native feminine workforce stepping up into essential positions.”
– Angela Selkirk, Director Core Planning; Occasion Management, Well being & Security and Safety
“The love and connection [young Arab women] share with us even post-festival is one thing lovely to expertise and to be part of… I really feel completely satisfied and lucky to witness such historic moments and to be a part of the collective celebration. [It’s like] every part I’ve ever dreamt of as an artist I can manifest at the moment.”
– KAYAN, Headliner at SoundStorm
“The music business within the Kingdom goes via a historic transformation, and ladies shall be on the forefront of this empowering evolution. The variety of girls I’m seeing coming into the Saudi music enterprise is one thing we’ve by no means witnessed earlier than – and that is just the start. It’s essential to notice that these alternatives don’t exist all over the place around the globe however they do exist right here and we as girls are totally embracing them. I can’t wait to see what the long run holds.”
– Nada al-Helabi, Technique Director at MDLBeast / Director of Programming at XP Music Function
