Artist News Awards Business News

Songwriter Carla Marie Williams announces Girls I Rate initiative

By Chris Cooke | Published on Wednesday 3 February 2016

Songwriter Carla Marie Williams has announced the launch of a new Gala Dinner event as part of a venture she has established called Girls I Rate, which she describes as “a major, new movement that nominates, celebrates and champions women to work together in the creative industries”.

At the Gala Dinner event, which takes place in London on 8 Mar, Williams will celebrate the careers of women working in the creative industries who she particularly ‘rates’. Those nominees will then get the chance in due course to nominate the creative women they ‘rate’, and so the process will continue, in a bid to encourage more gender and ethnic diversity in the creative industries.

Those set to be inducted into the Girls I Rate club next month include Jamelia, Ms Dynamite and VV Brown, plus Mobo chief Kanya King and JHPR founder Jessica Huie.

Says Williams, whose songwriting credits include hits from the likes of Kylie Minogue, Girls Aloud, The Saturdays and Naughty Boy: “To bring together all the women ‘I rate’ within my industry in one room will be such a gratifying experience. And Girls I Rate is not only about celebration of success, it is also about creating future platforms to empower, mentor and support the next generation of diverse GIR girls and young women coming through across the industry. There is a gender imbalance within the creative industries, and Girls I Rate aims to help smash that ‘glass ceiling'”.

In addition to the Gala Dinner, Williams plans to organise other events throughout the year to foster more diversity in the creative industries. More at www.girlsirate.com.