As seen in Guitar Girl Magazine Issue 18 Winter 2021 – Women in the Music Industry
Entrepreneur and musician Shira Yevin has been active in the entertainment industry for over 15 years and is known for crashing the Vans Warped Tour in 2004, launching the first-ever stage for female-fronted bands called the Shiragirl Stage. Her entrepreneurial spirit expands far beyond music into the worlds of fashion and beauty, where she is involved in event production, social media management, product launches, and so much more.
Yevin’s Gritty in Pink live virtual shows empowering women in music can be seen on Instagram. Her latest venture, INPINK, is a new marketplace for freelancers that is currently in its beta stages.
Yevin fills us in on her background, her mission, INPINK, and offers some words of wisdom to aspiring entrepreneurs.
You have been promoting gender equality in the music industry for years, most notably with the Shiragirl stage on the Vans Warped Tour. Share with us a little about how that came about.
When I was on the Warped Tour back in the day, I noticed the absence of female musicians on stage… so I came back with my band in ‘04, and we crashed the tour in our pink RV! We then created the official Shiragirl Stage, which hosted over 300 artists and female-fronted bands, including the iconic Joan Jett and Paramore, on their first-ever tour.
Gritty in Pink is a project we’ve been proud to support. How/why did you start this project?
Thank you for your support! We wanted to continue pursuing the mission that we had started with the Shiragirl stage: to achieve gender equality in the music industry. The vision was always big—a tour, media, and online network! So, we started out building the platform as a monthly event in LA at The Satellite in January 2020. It was a magical night, and we started an organic community of incredible talent (including Eva Gardner, bassist for P!nk)—many said we were filling a void in the LA music scene.
We’re interested in hearing more about your project INPINK, which is currently in the development stage. What is INPINK, and what makes this project so special, and how can people get involved?
INPINK is a marketplace network for industry pros looking to hire diverse women working in all aspects of the business. The goal is to democratize access for women and girls entering the industry, and essentially, get women hired and paid!
We are currently seeking female freelancers working in all aspects of the music industry to join our beta group. We are working with strategic partners to source opportunities for women, female-identifying, non-binary, and gender-marginalized musicians, creators, and professionals. Find out more and sign up at INPINK.COM!
What are some of the traits it takes to be an entrepreneur?
Not taking no for an answer, and never giving up. Also, having thick skin and being able to shrug off negative feedback and actually grow from it.
What can fans do to help support and promote women musicians and entrepreneurs in the music business?
Fans can support women musicians and entrepreneurs by streaming their music and buying their products and services.
Any words of wisdom you would like to share with aspiring musicians and/or entrepreneurs?
Go for it! Believe in yourself! And once you start, just like Joan Jett told me, “Keep going. You’re doing a good thing.” 👏 🖤💖