By Addie Jones

Black-owned.  Women-led.  Culture-devoted.  Proudly queer.  People-experienced.  Mission-driven.

These phrases are the foundation that Her Set Her Sound established upon in 2021. More than an organization, Her Set Her Sound is a movement intended to revolutionize live music and entertainment by producing experiences that liberate Her on and off the stage. Through amplifying voices, the program works to increase visibility and vitality of gender and culturally diverse DJs, performers and creatives.

Robyn Jordan leads the helm as a multifaceted producer, curator, booking agent and promoter. With a journalism and advertising/public relations degree from the University of Arkansas, Jordan’s passion for this project began as a student.

“I’m a former dancer and performing arts enthusiast,” Jordan said. “I love to party, I love to connect with people, I love to dance, I love to be outside, and so I was noticing at the time that there were a lot of events happening but the DJs would be the same.”

At this time, Jordan knew several gender-diverse DJs she believed were not receiving the opportunities or exposure they deserved. To illuminate this issue, she worked with a professor who was the founder of Arkansas Soul, a digital media platform geared toward BIPOC in Arkansas, and pitched a story to connect and interview seven DJs that all identified as Black or brown and as women or non-binary people.

“It was kind of divine and honestly seamless to create this atmosphere for them to connect,” Jordan said. “I also saw the opportunity for them to be more developed as entrepreneurs or business and wanted to provide some tools for them to elevate their presence in Northwest Arkansas.” 

After seeking the artists’ truths, hearing their perspectives and crafting an article, Jordan turned her words into a tangible creation, Her Set Her Sound, which originated as a single festival in 2021. This event positioned them to then begin booking talent and coordinating music programming for outside events.

To date, Her Set Her Sound has hosted three festivals, activated 27 venues, represented more than 30 acts, and worked with over 40 local women and gender-diverse-owned vendors. Their booked talent includes DJ Dribblz, Dominique Blake, Pura Coco, Yuni Wa and King Honey / Dazz & Brie.

DJ Dribblz (Dominique Washington) is a self-taught DJ and former Lady Razorback hooper whose basketball experience inspired her stage name and love for music.

“I was born into the world of music to be honest,” Washington said. “Music has always been a part of who I am as a person.”

Washington affirmed that sports and music are parallel, so when playing basketball in college, she was always immersed in making playlists for games and practice. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she found the free time to explore the possibility of becoming a DJ.

Jordan and Washington are partners, and Washington said the couple has been able to build the brand from its roots while bringing awareness to each other’s initiatives. Her favorite events include Walmart UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championships and Arkansas’ largest LGBTQ+ pride celebration. However, her most cherished memory was playing at Her Set Her Sound’s first festival. This monumental day was also Washington’s first time playing in front of a crowd, allowing her an opportunity to step out of her comfort zone and begin believing in herself due to the support of her family and friends.

To support artists, Jordan said she assists with photoshoots, video shoots, campaigns and radio station or interview connections while bridging the gap between talent and agents. The talent within Her Set Her Sound represents an array of music and sounds.

“From hip-hop to Afrofusion to electronic house, we represent music,” Jordan said. “It’s not just one genre that we promote.” 

Her Set Her Sound is still in its grassroots stages; the organization faces barriers in receiving the support necessary to be sustainable in an area with few Black-owned businesses, let alone Black-women-owned businesses. 

Washington has had experiences where she walks into a room, and people are shocked she is the DJ. Queer, POC, and women in creative industries often face discrimination and deprivation, despite their work and talent. However, Her Set Her Sound has given her the confidence to make her feel like she belongs and challenge the stigma that she has to look or carry herself a certain way.

“When you look at the industry as a whole, it’s run by men,” Washington said. “When I think about that and the platform that Her Set Her Sound has built, it does allow those marginalized communities to have a voice and a stage to be represented, to be recognized and to feel included.”

In the future, Her Set Her Sound hopes to have a headquarters or venue one day, but for now, they are looking forward to several community-oriented events. Washington recently hosted a Lovers and Friends brunch on Feb. 25, and the next program is early March. Follow Her Set Her Sound on Instagram for more information on upcoming events and ways to support this revolutionary movement.