Portland-born organization #WomxnCrush Music has seen a lot of growth since its founding in 2016, moving beyond the confines of Portland to launch chapters across the country. But just like every other piece of the music industry, Covid-19 took a major toll on their work.
“As an organization that based our programming on in-person, local community-building, and connection-focused experiences such as ongoing showcases, educational workshops, and networking events we had to very quickly pivot (as many others had to) to running everything online,” said founder Ashley Kervabon-Stoyanov.
Starting in March, the organization began hosting their artist showcases on Instagram, as well as partnering with brands such as CD Baby for hosting educational webinars online. But while these new online-style #WomxnCrush events generated a lot of community engagement, the organization felt that the focus on local chapters was being lost.
“This is what sparked the idea of the tour,” said Kervabon-Stoyanov. “We felt it was the best way to be able to support our artists, connect the local music industry to artists, as well as support the local venues and organizations that make the music scene so special in every city.”
Launching August 31 with the Portland and Seattle chapters, the #WomxnCrush virtual tour will aim to highlight local womxn songwriters as well as partner with local womxn-led venues to donate proceeds from the showcase. Along with every digital showcase there will also be an industry webinar to help connect local artists to their music communities.
The first showcase will be streaming September 3 and will feature Portland artists Kingsley and Letty Isabel, and Seattle artists A Strange Bird and Shaina Shepherd. The following webinar will occur on September 8 and feature a panel of speakers, including Portland artist Laryssa Birdseye, covering the topic of Music and Mental Health. All proceeds of the Portland and Seattle event will benefit The Old Church.
