Today we’d like to introduce you to Xylo Aria

Hi Xylo, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?

I started off as a singer-songwriter who was always reliant on others to produce her music. Unfortunately I had some not so great experiences working with other music producers and realised that the only way for me to continue was to start producing for myself. This journey was very lonely and I often felt like the odd person out in forums around music production as I didn’t see anyone in the room that looked like me. When I eventually started producing music and releasing my self produced music however, I was wondering where this skill had been all my life and wish I had started years earlier! At this point I started to reflect on my journey into music production and all of the things that would have helped me to start this journey earlier. This planted the seed for Music Mroduction for Women which has now been running for almost six years.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

I don’t believe anyone who runs a business would ever say that the journey is smooth. There are so many ups and downs even within the same day. I think the first year is the hardest where you are second guessing yourself all the time and at that point you don’t have any track record of success. At this stage you also likely have very few customers and it is hard to know if your proof of concept will ever come to fruition the way you imagine it will. Even as you grow though there are new challenges to overcome such as building a team and keeping everyone motivated. I would say the biggest challenges along the way are always mental, or they have been for me. As you are your own boss you need to make sure that you stay motivated and can overcome that voice in your head that will consistently tell you that perhaps you don’t deserve to attain the next level of success or what you’ve achieved so far has been a fluke etc.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

Music production for women is a unique music school where we aim to empower women in the area music production and technology. I’m so proud of the students that come back to us to tell us of the increased confidence, not only with technology but also within themselves. The core of what we do is a one year music production course that gives students all the knowledge they need to not only produce and mix music but also to understand the basics of the business around it. We also run a number of free events throughout the year to give people a taste of what having the knowledge to produce can do for their music.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?

I have always been fairly introverted growing up and haev a wide range of interests, largely to do with crafts and making things with my hands. Growing up I was always quite shy and risk-averse. I’m not quite sure where that changed along the way this relation to starting a business!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://musicproductionforwomen.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/musicproductionforwomen/
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/musicproductionforwomen
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs8bz2-3NahasZCJ5-60tRg
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/xyloaria

Image Credits

Thea Martre
Jula Boehm
Kevin Burnstein
John Joseph