Give the girls a shout on Women's Day weekend

Richa Chadha

While for years live performances space has been dominated by male performers across genres, the upcoming Arré Siren aims to change all that. This Women's Day weekend, the initiative is set to kick-start a live music and entertainment space. While the programme will be held over two days, it is not a one-off thing. The show, along with its several segments, will be recorded for online consumption as well, in an episodic format.

Zila Khan

A brain-child of the Arré team and Sufi singer and actor Zila Khan, this is a two-day music and comedy festival headlined entirely by female artists, comprising musicians and stand up comics. The idea, says director Jaideep Singh, was to provide a mix of upcoming artists and names that are relatively new. So, from Richa Chadha to Sumukhi Suresh to Maati Bani, there is an interesting blend at play here.

Raja Kumari

"There has been a massive disparity in the representation of female artists at festivals across the globe. Even the most reputed festivals keep their headlining spots primarily for male acts. Just looking at the Grammy's alone, only a third of all individual credits were held by women in 2017. The voices of women are either missing from popular music or getting increasingly marginalised. The story is no different in India. I think it's time for women to take the centre stage to bring change. So, here, we have a fantastic lineup of 15 female-fronted bands," says Khan, festival curator.

Jaideep Singh

The festival aims to introduce sections, that can be taken across India, via the digital platform. A mentorship programme called the Siren Campus, is one among them. Singh, who has previously worked with MTV, explains, "We have nine mentors across categories, like Richa Chadha, Kaneez Surka, Lillete Dubey, Nirali Kartik and so on, who will share their wisdom and expertise with young, aspiring minds. This mentorship programme can reach over a 100 colleges across the country." The mentoring sessions will be streamed live too. He adds, "The key objective of Siren is to take it beyond the live venue, to a larger audience, so that the conversations that we are having in Mumbai today about inclusivity and so on, can happen in other cities too." Chadha, besides being a mentor, is also part of the performers lineup. "I'm going to do my first proper stand-up act, so I'm super excited. The fact that the festival is entirely headlined by women makes it so much more special."

When: March 10 to 11, 4 pm onwards
Where: Razzberry Rhinoceros, Juhu Tara Road, Juhu
Entry: Rs 500-Rs 1,000
Call: 7400402604

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