A curated Women in Music listening session celebrating female-led sound, stories and creative leadership

She Plays, We Listen is a curated Women in Music session celebrating female-led sound, stories and creative leadership. Developed as part of the Hidden Beach programme, the session brings together DJs, musicians and producers across genres, blending live performance with intentional listening and short reflections from each artist on the music that has shaped them.

Spanning jazz, soul, reggae, electronic and beyond, the session creates a shared listening environment where each contribution becomes a moment of connection. The focus is on presence rather than spectacle, inviting audiences to slow down, listen deeply and experience music as a collective act.

Rather than a traditional showcase or gig, She Plays, We Listen offers a gentle shift in how music is experienced — creating space for listening, context and connection, and placing the artist’s voice, story and intention alongside the sound itself.

The format is being developed for intimate, flexible spaces that support listening and reflection. De La Warr Pavilion is currently being explored as a potential location, alongside other cultural venues, café spaces and gallery-adjacent environments that support a calm, attentive atmosphere.

Artists currently being considered as collaborators include DJ and selector Kim Cosmik, pianist and composer Belinda Bragging, vocalist Hazel Iris, and percussionist Corrina Silvester, with the final line-up shaped in response to space, context and availability.

More than a performance event, She Plays, We Listen offers a supportive platform for women’s voices, experience and artistry — placing listening, respect and collective presence at the heart of the Hidden Beach programme.

Who it’s for

• People interested in music as a cultural, social and creative practice

• Audiences who value listening, reflection and intimate cultural experiences

• Those curious about women’s creative leadership and stories in music

• Anyone seeking a calmer, more relational way of experiencing live music

No prior musical knowledge is needed — this is a listening-led, presence-based experience.

Why this session matters

Women’s voices and creative leadership in music are often under-represented, under-recognised or marginalised within mainstream cultural spaces.

She Plays, We Listen creates space to centre those voices with care, attention and respect — not through spectacle or competition, but through listening, story and shared presence.

By bringing sound and context together, the session supports deeper understanding of artists’ journeys and creative processes, while also inviting audiences into a more attentive and relational way of engaging with music.

In doing so, it contributes to a cultural environment where listening is treated as an act of respect, and where creativity is experienced as something shared rather than consumed.

Dates & booking

One or more sessions in August 2026
Part of the Hidden Beach Summer of Culture programme

More details released March 2026