Chinese rock girls

 

One of the biggest surprises for 2015 for me is the rise of female musicians in China. When I started shooting music in China, there were not many female musicians in the scene, and those that were there tended to not be very good or were very raw. But steadily, the number of very skilled female musicians has been rising in China. This year saw many excellent musicians taking the stage and rocking their souls out on stage. I would say that, in general, the female rockers outperformed their male counterparts on stage this year—rocking harder, performing better, and drawing bigger crowds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Probably the best all female band this year was MustBeRED乐队 which is a Shanghai based band metal band. They have grow a very large fan base and are extrememly popular with the young university crowds right now.

 

 

This has not only been a strong year for female musicians, but also a strong year for female music fans. At each festival, there have been hundreds of hardcore female rock fans, rocking, moshing, and surfing their way through the festival. Rock is no longer just an all-boys club. I am interested in seeing what happens with all these new female musicians and fans emerging in China right now, and if things continue like they did this year, then next year, 2016, may very well be the year of the China rock girl.

Shaun