Over the past decade, I have truly loved working in the music industry, firstly, as a music journalist and more recently as a DJ and producer. I can't imagine working in any other. However, if there’s one thing I’d like to see change, it’s how imbalanced the space still is.
From agents and management teams to the obvious gender gaps in DJ line-ups, the entire space remains male dominated.
It's been a battle for as long as I can remember. While progress is happening, it's still slow. I see line-ups dropping on Instagram and TikTok every single day. In the UK, in Europe, globally, and too often that not, they're one hundred per cent male.
You look at the artwork and think, 'sick line-up, but where are the women?'.
I've lost count how many times I’ve seen a bill and instantly thought of multiple female artists who would fit perfectly. Instead, there's often one token woman out of ten names, which can feel more like a tick-box than real representation. But maybe real change is just around the corner?
For the first time in Ibiza's history, an all-female residency is taking over Sundays at Hï Ibiza. Across 19 dates, MESTIZA and Indira Paganotto will run the show. For moment that seemed so far out of reach, this move from Hï Ibiza matters.
What is International Women's Day and why is it important?
The timing ties in perfectly with International Women's Day on Sunday 8 March. A day that celebrates the social, cultural, economic and political achievements of women, while also pushing for faster progress toward gender equality.
It started out in the early 1900s with women fighting for better working conditions and the right to vote, and it’s grown into a global movement. What makes IWD powerful is that it’s not just about big speeches or corporate posts. It's about the everyday stuff too.
It’s about mentoring the next generation, challenging outdated attitudes, and in the case of the music industry, booking women in headline slots instead of warm-ups, and actually creating equal opportunities.
Yeah, it's about celebrating wins, but also recognising there’s still A LOT of work to do.
MESTIZA
On the island this summer, that work looks like action on Sunday nights at Hï Ibiza. After a standout run in The Theatre last season, MESTIZA step up as the first female act to lead a full summer residency in club's main room.
The Spanish duo blend flamenco roots with modern electronic music, layering handclaps, percussion, Latin grooves and serious Spanish attitude into their sets.
Formed in 2021 after years as solo artists, they’ve built a sound that feels both ancestral and futuristic at the same time. With major international festivals lined up and their second album Spanish Chica landing in April 2026, this full summer residency feels like the natural next step.
Indira Paganotto
Complementing them next door in the Club Room, Indira Paganotto brings a completely different but equally powerful energy.
Born in Madrid, she grew up surrounded by music thanks to her dad - a DJ in the '80s whose collection ranged from Disco and Jazz to Acid House and Goa. That mix still runs through her sets today.
Indira is capable of deftly gliding from '90s Disco into underground Techno without missing a beat, always keeping things energetic and unpredictable. Whether she’s playing hard or more melodic, there's a drive and joy behind what she does that’s unmistakably her.
She’s become one of Spain's most recognisable electronic artists for a reason.
Breaking the boys' club
Ibiza line-ups are still largely male-dominated, especially in headline slots and long-running residencies. Yes, there is a vocal desire for change, but the imbalance is still glaringly obvious. The same names circulate year after year, and often within the same networks. Which is fine, but it's too easy to remain passive and let that same cycle of predictability keep repeating itself.
Despite being one small island, Ibiza is one of the most influential clubbing ecosystems in the world. What happens here shapes trends globally.
Therefore, when a major player such as Hï Ibiza operator The Night League (TNL) backs an all-female residency across both main rooms, it sends a message that women aren't side acts or supporting names. They are and should be the main event, just as much as the men.
The women who started it all
It’s important to remember this didn't happen overnight.
Ibiza has had female trailblazers from the very beginning. DJs like Smokin' Jo, Jo Mills, Clara Da Costa, Vicky Devine and Sarah Main were holding it down in the '90s and early 2000s, playing the biggest clubs in a scene that was overwhelmingly male.
They proved women could headline, move crowds and build serious reputations on the island long before diversity became a buzzword. Now, MESTIZA and Indira Paganotto are building on that foundation and pushing it further.
Hopefully, it’s one that encourages more clubs on Ibiza and beyond to look at their line-ups properly and ask the same question many of us already are: if the talent is there, why aren't we booking it?
Moving forward
This is a real blueprint for change. It shows what’s possible when the decision makers in boardrooms stop thinking in terms of tradition and start thinking in terms of talent, creativity and representation.
The music industry still has a long way to go, but moments like this prove that progress isn't just an abstract concept, it is happening. If more clubs follow suit, we could finally start seeing line-ups that truly reflect the incredible diversity of the artists out there, giving women the visibility, respect and opportunities they’ve always deserved.
The talent is there. It always has been. It just needs the platform.
Experience change in action. Tickets for all dates of MESTIZA and Indira Paganotto's residency are on sale now and available to buy below.
