Natasha O’Flynn

Rania Bouzekraoui (on right)

Women are chronically underrepresented in the sound and music technology fields – it is estimated that they make up just 5% of the music tech industry. Challenges facing them include lack of visibility, gender bias, discrimination and limited access to education and mentorship. Overall, recognising and supporting women’s contributions is essential for a more diverse and vibrant music technology industry.

One way that Sussex is working towards addressing this is through the Gazelle Twin Scholarship for Women in Music Technology. Originally established by the composer, producer and Sussex alumna, Elizabeth Bernholz aka Gazelle Twin (Music 2006), the Gazelle Twin Scholarship was created to encourage young female and non-binary students to pursue a career in this field, starting with a degree from Sussex. The Scholarship is co-funded by donations from University of Sussex Music Department alumni and friends.

Two recent Gazelle Twin scholars are Natasha O’Flynn and Rania Bouzekraoui. Here they talk about the impact that the Scholarship has had on them.

Natasha says:

“I don't yet know what exact career I want, but I do know that I want to focus on and remain in the music industry. While music has always been important to me, it's only been the last half a year or so that I've realised that I am able to pursue it as a career option, and this is largely to do with the band that I have joined and the experiences I've had from it.

“The support from the Gazelle Twin Scholarship for Women in Music Technology will enable me and my band to continue our time in the recording studio to finish recording our debut EP.

“I think this scholarship is amazing in that it encouraged me to apply due to the lack of representation of women and non-binary people that I am already seeing in the modern-day music industry, be it the artists themselves, in sound engineering or even in events management. This is something that is slowly changing, but we are still a long way off, and I want to be part of an industry that is representative of humans as an entirety.”

Rania Bouzekraoui is a Dutch-born singer and producer with interests in Pop, K-pop, RnB and Jazz. She says:

“I chose to come to Sussex because of its proximity to Brighton and London, which both have great music scenes. I was also intrigued by the varied course, including production, recording and even optional modules in live sound and robot opera. I want my time at university to be an opportunity to grow and learn things in vastly different areas than I have previously experienced. In the future, I aspire to be a singer-producer.

“I have recently been forming interests in popular Korean music and their maximalist production and would love to produce or top-line music similar to that.

“Music Technology can be hard to access for women, especially women of colour, and that is not even taking into account those who are less financially fortunate. Only around 0.5% of producers are women of colour, which means that we are missing out on so many potential voices in the music industry, which is important for a medium that relies so much on expression and different experiences.”

Given the transformational impact of the Gazelle Twin Scholarship, we look forward to sharing updates about its recipients over the coming months.

Scholarships change people’s lives for the better. Will you consider supporting one at Sussex?