We took the newly launched single “Underdog” by Alicia Keys, an infamous female artist, that had the perfect lyrics for women in the music industry--they’re underdogs. With only 2% of popular music produced by women, the song was adapted it for a strong 50 woman choir to illustrate the point and essentially created a music-video like film with female empowerment messaging. Created and produced itself by an almost 90% female team, the original single was still hot while this version made waves online, supporting the Recording Academy’s Women in Mix initiative while created on a shoestring budget of 100k.

The Recording Academy is fighting for the equal rights of women in music with #WomenIntheMix - an initiative that asks for women to be considered in the selection process every time a music producer or engineer is hired. To raise awareness for the platform, we looked to harness the power of the song itself, illustrating to women of all ages and races that a music career is never out of reach.

The sobering reality is that less than 2% of all mainstream music is produced by women. In a simple, stripped-down film, a fifty woman-strong, all-female choir performs an all-new choral arrangement of Alicia Keys’ single “Underdog” which had the perfect lyrics to go with our message. One by one the women sit down and stop singing until only one woman—(2% of the 50) remains. With this inspiring message and a creative and production team of almost all women - we knew we had the power to make a film that could bring recognition to this gap in professional inclusion.

While the main focus was women in general, the film purposefully featured women of mixed race, age, and body type to show that all are welcome and needed for representation in the industry.

Around 90% of the team was women. From the account director, agency producer, and client CMO to the purposeful choice of a female director, editor, music arranger, and female-owned music house who did the recording and mixing.

In a simple, stripped-down film, a fifty-woman-strong, all-female choir performs an all-new choral arrangement of Alicia Keys’ single “Underdog.” One by one they sit down and stop singing until only one woman—(2% of the 50) remains. With this inspiring message and a creative and production team of almost all women - we knew we had the power to make a film that could bring recognition to this gap in professional inclusion.

Alicia’s single had just come out at the time we were briefed. The idea was sold, a new choral arrangement created, and the entire thing was filmed edited and launched online in under 4 weeks and for less than 100k.

Multiple news outlets such as Billboard, Shots, and Women You Should Know recognized the messaging of the campaign as “the promo that powerfully portrays gender disparity around music Producers.”

When #WomenintheMix first launched, approximately 200 employers and creative decision-makers agreed to get on board, but after the debut of “2% Choir” in February 2020, 650+ employers joined the movement including producers, labels, artists, agencies, management companies, and other stakeholders showcasing their support.