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'Her Sound, Her Story' Celebrates The Woman Reshaping Australia's Music Scene

9 November 2016 | 10:44 am | Maxim Boon

Gender inequality is alive and well in the Australian music industry, but in their film, 'Her Sound, Her Story', Michelle Grace Hunder and Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore are celebrating the women coming out on top. They share their stories with Maxim Boon.

The way women are treated and respected has been a hot button topic of late, focused by Donald Trump's infamous P-bomb and the ensuing reports of sexual and emotional abuse at his hands. The eye-watering misogyny of the President hopeful may have grabbed headlines, but for photographer Michelle Grace Hunder and filmmaker Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore, the issue of gender inequality isn't just a passing fad. "This is the reality of our lives as women. We live this every day," Hunder says. "People can claim it's no longer a big issue, but that's because, past a certain point, you've just got to get on with it. It doesn't mean we're not aware of the problems. It just means we're motivated to overcome them."

This irrepressible sprit, in the face of an entrenched bias, is celebrated in the duo's film Her Sound, Her Story. Featuring more than 45 leading female musicians, Her Sound, Her Story offers an inspirational survey of the women reshaping Australia's music scene. Hunder began the project after a photo documentary she was creating revealed a glaring disparity. "I spent a couple of years shooting hip hop artists, and of the 182 people I photographed, only 10 were women," Hunder explains. 

Partnering with Sangiorgi Dalimore, the pair set out not only to capture images of Australia's best female talent, but also the stories behind their success, first creating an exhibition as part of Melbourne Music Week in 2016. "We wanted to give these women a voice, and talk to them about their experiences in the Australian music industry. We didn't go into it with any specific agenda or goal in mind, we just wanted to hear them out and let them lead the conversation."

"Some of the women we approached were like, 'Do we still have to be having this conversation?' In fact, some were quite hesitant to be involved at first, because they are just so sick of this discussion."

As the project developed and more high profile artists added their names to the impressive roll call of subjects – including Kate Ceberano, Tina Arena, Montaigne, Vera Blue and Missy Higgins – Hunder and Sangiorgi Dalimore made a conscious decision that the eventual exhibition, then film, should be an uplifting tribute to female accomplishment, rather than an act of protest. "The project was never about saying, 'Poor us'. We wanted to talk to the women who had broken through and for the work to say, 'These are the women who are making music, and this is how they achieved that.' We wanted it to be inspirational, so younger generations could look at these trailblazers and learn how to be more confident and proud of who they are," Hunder reveals.

Making the galvanising theme of the show a point of pride, rather than anger or frustration, was key to attracting Australia's biggest female acts, Sangiorgi Dalimore believes. "Some of the women we approached were like, 'Do we still have to be having this conversation?' In fact, some were quite hesitant to be involved at first, because they are just so sick of this discussion," she shares. "So rather than talking about gender specifically, we asked, 'What are your stories? What are you doing as individuals, as artists, that has allowed you to be successful?' This show is about celebrating the achievements of these women, rather than going into the reasons why it's harder for women to make it. We want it to inspire other people to come through."

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During the exhibition's – then film's – development, the pair were struck by how candid some of the interviews were. "I think sometimes they surprised themselves with the things they said, but I think that's because they felt really comfortable with us and able to talk to us. Their responses were really raw," Sangiorgi Dalimore observes. "You so often hear in the music industry that you have to look a certain way, and style yourself in a certain way, but what I found talking to these women was kind of the opposite. They are so secure in themselves and their identities as musicians and as people, which goes to show that allowing the honesty of your identity to shine through is more important than trying to fit a cookie cutter look. They know themselves, what they want creatively and where they are headed professionally."


This article was updated for the Her Sound, Her Story film in 2019.

Her Sound, Her Story is available online HERE