ANAHEIM, Calif. (KERO) — An upcoming award show highlights the contributions that women have made in the music industry.
The She Rocks Awards honors women from a variety areas in the field including performers, educators, manufacturers, label executives, engineers, media, and more.
The 10th annual awards are set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 2nd at The Ranch in Anaheim and will also be livestreamed.
Created in 2012 by the Women’s International Music Network (WIMN), She Rocks past honorees include Pat Benatar, Gloria Gaynor, Linda Perry, Esperanza Spalding, Suzi Quatro, Chaka Khan, and many more.
23ABC talked with Laura Whitmore, the founder of WIMN, to find out more about the She Rocks Awards and her organization.
"We've got a great lineup this year. The She Rocks Awards is a really inspiring event and not only honors performers and celebrities, but also women behind the scenes," said Whitmore.
"This year our co-hosts are Lzzy Hale from Halestorm and Katie Daryl from AXS TV who are going to be leading the charge. We're honoring an incredible roundup including Dionne Warwick, the legend; Meredith Brooks with the 25th anniversary of her iconic song 'Bitch,' that's kind of an anthem; plus some more fantastic indie artists like Yvette Young [from Covet], who is an incredible guitar player; MILCK, who is a California-based talent; Carmen Vandenberg, who is in the band BONES UK a many Grammy nominated artist.
"And from behind the scenes we have Lyndsey Parker, a journalist from Yahoo! Entertainment and SiriusXM; we've got Sherri Chung, who is an incredible, award-winning film and TV composer; Leslie Gaston-Bird, who is a mixing, audio engineer, and is also focused on women empowerment and getting more women into audio; Julie Robbins from EarthQuaker, which a guitar pedal company; EveAnna Manley, from Manley Labs which is a really cool audio manufacturer; and Kerry Fiero, who is a champion for women up in the Bay Area."
You can find out more about the She Rocks Awards nominees and past nominees on their website.
Whitmore didn't want to "ruin the surprise" about whether the legendary Dionne Warwick would be performing at the show but "there will be some really cool Dionne Warwick stuff and definitely tune in for that."
The organization that Whitmore, WIMN offers resources and creates a hub for women in the music and audio industry.
"So the Women’s International Music Network creates a hub for all kinds of information and events for women in music. It's a focal point to continue the conversation about continuing diversity and empowerment," explains Whitmore.
"We host workshops that are career development-type workshops. And also live showcases that we do with some streaming partners, so people can just sign up and have a chance to perform and get their stuff out there in the world. It's all free, we don't charge anything."
If you're interested in helping WIMN grow, you can donate and they're also looking for volunteers. If you'd like to volunteer, send an email to volunteers@thewimn.com.
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