Nat Dunn & Sophie McComish On APRA AMCOS's 'Absolutely Essential' 23% Program: 'That Validation Is Powerful'

Applications for this year’s 23% Mentorship Program, presented by APRA AMCOS, open today.

The program is for emerging and established women and gender diverse individuals within the music industry. Over a three-month period from June to August 2025, fourteen APRA AMCOS members will be mentored by a handpicked selection of music industry professionals.

Over six meetings—at least one in person—participants will be paired with their mentors based on their career stage, goal focus, and priorities rather than genre.

Each successful applicant will also receive $3,000 to cover work-related or travel expenses throughout the mentorship program.

To date, 84 participants have passed through the Mentorship Program, including Telenova’s Angeline Armstrong, Annie Hamilton, BVT, CLEWS, dameeeela, Eliza Hull, Issy Grist (GRID), Victoria Pham, and Sophie McComish, the singer and guitarist of the Sydney band Body Type, who participated in last year’s initiative.

McComish was mentored by Australian singer-songwriter Nat Dunn. To celebrate the launch of this year’s 23% Mentorship Program, The Music caught up with McComish and Dunn to discuss its impact on their lives and artistry.

“It was such a pleasure to meet Nat and learn about her experience building an incredible career for herself in music,” McComish tells The Music of what she took from the mentee experience.

“Drawing parallels between the work Nat does with large-scale, globally renowned pop artists and my own projects was really validating and made me think about ways of working/creating/collaborating that I hadn't really considered before. It was also cool to hear about how Nat has set up her business – she’s totally built an empire, very inspiring.”

Of her experience as a mentor, Dunn adds, “Sophie and I connected on such a grounded, human level, despite being in different roles, at different points in our careers, we quickly discovered how much common ground we shared, especially as women in music. 

“We talked openly about the challenges we’ve both faced, the subtle dynamics you navigate in creative spaces, and how important it is to back yourself.

“I was reminded that mentorship isn’t just about giving advice, it’s about listening, holding space, and learning from each other. Sophie’s energy and perspective were refreshing and insightful, and I walked away with just as much inspiration as I hope I offered.”

Dunn found the mentorship experience grounding and inspiring, outlining just how powerful it is that APRA AMCOS intentionally created a space for women to connect and share their experiences, “especially in an industry where gender disparity can unfortunately still at times feel isolating.”

She continues, “Mentorship gives you the opportunity to speak honestly, to validate each other’s experiences, and to offer practical support that comes from real-world insight. For me, it reinforced the importance of lifting each other up and continuing to build a culture where women can thrive, not just survive in music.”

For McComish, the overall experience was a “big yes.”

McComish explains, “It’s often hard to feel like the work you are doing is being noticed or having any kind of impact, so to be connected with another woman who is an industry expert to talk about my own trajectory - when our paths otherwise may never have crossed - makes me feel like less of a small fry, and gives me motivation to keep going.”

McComish’s mentorship with Dunn occurred just before she went to Los Angeles to record an album. The experience marked the first time Body Type had worked with a producer, and McComish describes Dunn’s wisdom on the artist-producer relationship as “invaluable.”

Thanks to the 23% Mentorship Program, McComish was more prepared for what to expect and how to get the most out of working with a producer. “I also loved spitballing on ways to get out of a creative rut,” she quips. “Also, Nat's incredible studio set up is now an ultimate personal life goal.”

What stayed with Dunn after the mentorship experience was how genuinely connected she felt to McComish, stating that the pair enjoyed “really open, honest conversations” that went beyond music: they discussed life, creativity, and navigating their careers as women.

“It reminded me how important that kind of connection and openness is,” Dunn says. “It felt less like a mentorship and more like a mutual exchange, and that stayed with me long after our sessions ended.”

In addition to the 23% mentorship program, APRA AMCOS also runs EQUALIZE, the free, one-day workshops for women and gender diverse musicians and producers. Dunn says programs like these are “absolutely essential.”

“We need more women and gender diverse people not just writing and performing music, but also producing it, engineering it, mixing it, being across all the technical and creative decisions that shape how a record sounds,” she tells. “Those roles have traditionally been gatekept, and it’s time to open them up.

“Programs like EQUALIZE are so important because they give people tools, confidence, and community. It’s not just about learning the gear, it’s about seeing yourself in that space and knowing you belong there. When we broaden who’s in those roles, we end up with a richer, more diverse music culture across the board.”

Dunn adds that the programs do “so much more” than offer guidance and technical skills; they also build confidence and foster connection and community.

“They create real-world access points that so many women and gender diverse musicians have historically been excluded from,” Dunn notes. “Whether it’s sitting in a studio learning how to produce your own music or having honest conversations with someone who’s walked a similar path, these programs help artists feel seen and supported.

“That kind of validation is powerful; it can be the thing that keeps someone going or pushes them to take the next big step in their career.”

McComish concurs, describing the programs as “vital.”

She explains, “I can only name a handful of women and gender diverse producers in Australia, and I can't wait for that to change because women on the tools rule. When my band played with Sleater-Kinney last year, their entire tour party was all-female, from the sound crew to the tour manager to the driver - I dream of the day when that's the norm. Keep doing the good work, APRA AMCOS.”

Applications for the 2025 23% program are now open via the APRA AMCOS website.