She Creates: In Conversation

It’s your first year at Mostly Jazz with She Creates! How are you feeling about it?

We’re so excited! Mostly Jazz is one of our favourite festivals, so being invited to curate a space feels really special!

We wanted the takeover to feel like a true She Creates event; female and gender expansive performances in multidisciplinary art forms, with opportunities for people to get creative themselves. That’s why we’ve included a poetry writing corner alongside the live performances and DJs. Supporting grassroots talent is central to our work, so we’re thrilled to showcase some incredible local female R&B and soul artists.

Even though it’s your first year as She Creates, you’ve both been involved with the festival before. Tell us about the work you do for Birmingham’s independent music scene. What would you like to achieve in the city?

Music has been a huge part of both our lives. Toni runs Variations and Charlie runs Love Affair, so between us we’ve spent years promoting underground club nights and supporting local artists.

She Creates grew from conversations about creating more opportunities for women and gender-expansive creatives and helping make the scene feel more connected and inclusive. Through our events, we bring artists and audiences together, creating spaces to perform, collaborate and grow.

We’d love to see Birmingham remain a city where grassroots culture is valued and creative people can build careers.

The lineup you have in store for your takeover is impressive! How did you put that together? What were you hoping to showcase?

Thank you! We wanted to shine a light on artists making brilliant music locally and also create a chilled, alternative space.

The lineup brings together amazing women working across soul, R&B and alternative sounds, alongside our resident DJs playing jazzy grooves, downtempo disco and Balearic-inspired selections. We wanted people to discover something new and leave inspired.

Looking to the future: what are your plans for She Creates? Is there anything we should watch out for?

It feels like we’re only just getting started. We’ve been blown away by the response and have lots planned.

We’ve recently received support from the John Feeney Charitable Trust, which will help us deliver a new programme of events later this year. We’re focused on creating more opportunities for women and gender-expansive creatives while growing the community around She Creates. Keep an eye on our socials, there’s plenty more to come!

Make sure you catch the She Creates takeover at Mostly Jazz on Sunday the 12th of July 2026.