Introducing PopGirlz Scotland, a support group for womxn in
the Scottish music scene, this talk explores networking, activism, and streaming algorithms against the backdrop of contemporary sources such as Vick Bain’s Counting the Music Industry report and statistics from the ISM. PopGirlz Scotland was founded by Rachel Alice Johnson Josephine Sillars became a prominent member in 2020 when PopGirlz launched a campaign against the ‘Scotify’ Spotify playlist: a campaign highlighting the lack of diversity within the playlist and Spotify algorithms. The campaign created a radical change of diversity within the playlist (pre-campaign it was only 33% female, and amended to 49%). PopGirlz’s membership is growing: members range from new and upcoming artists to well-known acts such as Honeyblood, Siobhan Wilson, and BeCharlotte. PopGirlz Scotland is also partnered with organisations such as Hen Hoose, F-List, POWA, and Braw Girls In Music.
Rachel Alice Johnson (pseudonym, Kohla) is an interdisciplinary artist, singer, songwriter, producer, dancer, fine artist and multi-instrumentalist. A graduate of the Edinburgh College of Art, she is regularly featured on BBC Introducing and was nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2020 Scottish Alternative Music Awards. Her most recent single ‘Gorgeous’ was recently playlisted by BBC Radio 1. Kohla has been supported by Creative Scotland, Help Musicians and PRS Foundation, and is currently working on her debut album.
Josephine Sillars is a musician who writes “protest pop” music (BBC Radio Scotland). Over the past few years, she gained recognition performing with her band The Manic Pixie Dreams, but has since dropped her alter-egos and got personal and political with the release of her EP Desperate Characters (2021), funded by Help Musicians. Inspired by trip-hop and art-pop, her new releases have been likened to Björk and Fiona Apple. Her single ‘I’ll See You When I See You’ was released via Come Play With Me in 2021.
