Just over a month ago, 23 powerful women from all different backgrounds gathered in Nashville to stand together against the inequality women face in the music industry by releasing their groundbreaking single and video, “Time’s Up”. The video’s impact quickly became the talk of the local industry, and was even featured in major publications like Billboard and Grammy. The 23 captivating voices behind the song are members are the Song Suffragettes, a Nashville songwriting collective that has made it their mission to raise awareness and alter the imbalance of gender inequality in country music.

For the past 7 years, there has been a lack of opportunity for women in country music as they struggled to get airplay. From 2008-2015 only 32% of female artists received a Top 20 single compared with 57% of their male counterparts. Even worse in the past 8 years, 75% of male country artists scored a follow up hit, when only two total were able to do the same. With a coined #LetTheGirlsPlay motto, the Song Suffragettes are fighting to promote young female singers and songwriters to provide various opportunities to women aspiring to change the imbalance in a male-dominated industry. Since its kickoff, the weekly showcase (featuring an all-female lineup of rising stars like Kalie Shorr, Lacy Green, Lena Stone, and more) has seen more than 200 women come through the program to show their support. For three years, the Song Suffragettes have been promoting female empowerment through their music, and now they have joined forces again to add their voices to #TimesUp movement.

Vydia had the opportunity to interview “Time’s Up” co-writer and Song Suffragette regular, Kalie Shorr, to learn more about their inspiration behind the video and what the future for female empowerment in the music industry looks like:

What inspired you to write this impactful song at such a critical time for women? Was it a specific event like the Golden Globes where Time’s Up was the theme of the night?

Yes! I was over Kim Paige’s house (one of the vocalists featured on Time’s Up) for a Golden Globes watch party. It was all girls who work in the music industry and we all decided to wear black to stand in solidarity with the women of Hollywood. We mostly wanted to see the red carpet interviews and hear the speeches, and we were all so struck by how powerful the whole show was. Oprah’s speech was incredible and I left Kim’s house that night feeling inspired and motivated. I wrote with Lacy Green (another Song Suffragette) on Tuesday and we decided to tackle this idea. It honestly just fell out because it was on our hearts so much. I’m so inspired by this movement and wanted to use songwriting to convey that.

“Time’s Up” features the voices of 23 different creators from all over the U.S. and Canada, what was it like working with such a variety of influential women from the Country music industry?

Sometimes in Nashville people will say that “all girls sound the same”, but hearing all these amazing women I know and am a fan of made me realize how much that isn’t true. Every single line, I knew exactly who was singing each one. They are all so distinct and different and we all shot the video at the same time which is really rare. We had such a great day shooting and I’m so inspired by all of them.

What was the turnaround time for creating the “Time’s Up” video and what was the biggest challenge you faced?

We wrote the song, built the track, recorded the vocals, and shot and edited the video within seven days. So many people from our producer to our Song Suffragettes team to all 23 girls featured cleared their schedule to be a part of it and make it happen. They all made it so easy or else that kind of deadline would be impossible.

How does it feel knowing “Time’s Up” has already made an impact and been embraced by iTunes and Apple Music with it being added to their top playlist: A-list Country?

Ken Tucker at Apple Music is one of the biggest champions of women and all of his playlists have such amazing representation that you rarely find elsewhere in country music. I am so, so thankful for him embracing this song and Song Suffragettes the way he has.

How did you come to the decision to donate all proceeds of the video to the Time’s Up organization? Was the song created specifically for that purpose?

We didn’t even have to think about it, it just felt so obvious. We want to do everything we can to help women overcome and heal from sexual misconduct and I’m so thankful for all the work Time’s Up is doing to help women who are less privileged than those in the entertainment industry have the funds to make sure their abusers are held accountable.

With music videos like “Female” and “Time’s Up”, the Song Suffragettes are visible leaders in the female empowerment movement. What do you think is next?

Both songs and videos showed us what we were capable of and now that we know, we will definitely do it again. The biggest thing I think we all want to see come from Song Suffragettes is obviously more opportunities for women but also: we would love to tour! I think an all girls Song Suffragettes tour would be amazing.

Can you tell us about the #LetTheGirlsPay movement and how it has inspired you to create such female forward content?

I just believe in it so much. I want to do everything I can to not just create opportunities for myself but to help leave that door open for other women. I love the idea of not just giving one girl a chance to shine but 23 girls. It’s hard to not be inspired hanging out with so many motivated and talented women, it really pushes you to work hard and fight for all of us to be heard.

What does it mean to be a role model and what do you want to express to younger generations?

I personally believe that being a “role model” isn’t about never drinking tequila and acting perfect all the time. It’s about being true to who you are and never compromising. It’s about not letting anyone push you around. It’s about respecting the people around you and treating everyone equally. That’s the kind of role model I hope my future daughters have and that’s the kind of person I strive to be.

What drew you to use Vydia to publish “Time’s Up” and how was your experience?

Vydia has been so supportive of my music and Song Suffragettes and always gone above and beyond to help. Being independent, it is amazing to find a service who does all the hard work for you and also will be a champion. We love Vydia!

The Song Suffragettes are just starting to make waves in the industry with their #LetTheGirlsPlay motto and we can’t wait to see what they do next. Make sure you follow them on Instagram and check out their inspirational video, “Time’s Up”. Proceeds from the song will benefit the Time’s Up organization and legal defense fund started by women in entertainment to end harassment and abuse of women everywhere.