NINE MUSES FESTIVAL 2019 - THANK YOU

The inaugural Nine Muses Festival took place in March 2019.

Gemma Cairney made a special visit to Sweden hosting the festival with her endless energy and sincerity, and introducing us to an array of speakers.

We were treated to an incredibly inspirational talk from Cristina Stenbeck, an insightful delve into women's history with Dr Fern Riddell, followed by an awe-inspiring interview with Dr Ahmad Sarmast.

Then it was time for Women's Showcase Hour, where 5 impressive ladies from the world of media gave lightning talks about their personal career journeys and their best tips - wow! 

And it didn't stop there. We were welcomed back from a delicious lunch with a jaw-dropping performance from Japanese Breakfast, following which, Michelle (aka Japanese Breakfast) joined a panel with top female executives from the music industry for a thoughtful discussion on the situation for women in the music industry across the world.

Later that afternoon we all got more comfortable with sharing. Guided by the amazing team at The Moth, we learned to craft our own stories and the unbeatable power of sharing that story to empower ourselves and inspire others. We really saw how powerful this was when several volunteers found the courage to share their stories with all of us. 

Later that evening we headed over to Berwaldhallen for a show by the 2018 Polar Music Prize laureates: Zohra, Afghanistan's Women's Orchestra. 

What a day and what an experience! 

The planning team at Spotify could not have hoped for a better event - and for that we owe all of you a massive thank you.

Thank you to all our speakers, panelists and performers: Gemma Cairney, Cristina Stenbeck, Dr Fern Riddell, Dr Ahmad Sarmast and the entire Zohra orchestra, Gry Forssell, Rebecca Broni, Cilla Benkö, Stina Schedwin, Eva Fors, Japanese Breakfast, Michelle Kadir, Jenny Hermanson and Grace Ladoja.

Thank you to our story-telling facilitators: Kate Tellers, Kirsty Bennett, Micaela Blei, Margaret Ferrill, Florence Levison, and Stephen Ruddy - you really got us to own our own truths in a very powerful way!

And let's not forget a huge thank you to all our co-founders and sponsors for showing faith and supporting the first event, and working with us to create a moment that will go down in history. We salute you Spotify, Discovery, Kinnevik, MTG, Google and Polar Music Prize. 

A few more: Ciceron, Studio Louise,  and the Spotify Px and Student Relations teams . The ones who shed blood, sweat and tears over helping us to make this event perfect. The long hours and many thankless tasks were worth it - thank you!

Katarina, Nine Muses Festival's very own muse - thank you, thank you, thank you from all of us, without you this event would not have been born at all!

And lastly but most definitely not least - to all of you - the wonderful women and our allies who attended. You were the best. 

See you all again in 2020.