Genya Ravan, Susan
Rogers, Jonell Polansky. What do these three women have in common? They are
sound engineers and/or music producers. In 2010, a writer Steve Haruch for
Tennessee’s Nashville Scene wrote
that less than five percent of music producers were women.
Luckily for many Old
Dominion University students, we have a future female producer among us:
Synique Stevens.
Most women in the music
industry start off as strictly singers, songwriters or backup performers. The
most famous women producers were only able to acquire that job because they
started as those other occupations first. They had to work their ways up to
being able to produce their own albums.
Although most people
would find these statistics intimidating, Synique remains confident in herself
and in her abilities as a music producer. She admits that she still needs work
crafting her ideas, but confidence more than 50 percent of the battle.
It’s not only her
confidence that keeps her looking positive about her future, but her belief in
God as well.
“I had a religious
conflict within myself for a little while. But then my belief in what God gave
me gave me confidence in myself. I feel worthy. I think anyone can do anything
they put their mind to.”
When I asked Synique
how she felt about being a woman in a male-dominated industry, she enlightened
me.
“I feel like I can
bring more emotion to the table. Someone can tell me what they want a track to
be about, and I can portray that emotion in it. And for me, there’s just
something about making music in the dark”.
Synique seems very
relaxed as she sits and talks to me about her future. Being a junior in Music
Production, the “future” we all put off isn’t that far away. Originally, she
wanted to drop out freshman year, but then she realized the value of her
education.
“I realized how much
you think you know, and how much you really don’t,” she commented, “I feel like
there’s always something more you can learn.”
So far, Synique has
written beats for an online musician in Florida and collaborated with other
student musician Darius Mines. She plans to move to a either NYC, Miami or
California after she graduates to start working towards her dreams.
For right now, she
interns with the ODU Wesley House, planning gigs and shows for them. She
explained that she wanted to create a place where ODU students could go
on-campus and listen to music from local students and performers.
Synique also plans to further her education by
learning entertainment law, an important skills needed in the music industry. Not
only will her internship and her education be an upper-hand in her favor, but
Synique’s drive and ambition will be the extra push to her becoming successful.
All in all, she holds
many talents and gives her readers a piece of wisdom before they go:
“I wanna be inspiring
while I’m aspiring. That’s the best way to describe it”.
Be sure to check out
Synique and her tracks on her music page, which is posted under “Artists”.
3/30/2012 09:45:00 AM
Jessica Scheck
