women in careers: florentina the musician
Florentina (right); vocals and drummer for Ride Into the Sun (pictured) and The Sunbirds
It’s a likely fact that more than half of you reading this have wanted to be a rock star at some point in your life, and perhaps you still do. If the rock star life isn’t your cup of tea, there are other music professions, such as producers and songwriters, which you can learn about through online classes.
Meet Florentina: she’s a singer, drummer and a woman that loves music all round. And unlike many others with the same skills and aspirations, she’s busy making her dreams come true. As you might guess, she has always enjoyed playing and listening to music, particularly playing the drums and singing.
There’s rarely a moment that I’m not listening to or playing music.’
Florentina made her way into the Adelaide music scene by perusing the internet and browsing local music stores for band opportunities. After two “auditions” she found online, one being a David Bowie cover band and the other a new band with original songs, she joined the latter of the two.
‘When we went our separate ways after being a band for about a year I was sought out [via facebook and friends of friends] by people in Adelaide bands. I initially said yes to all three offers but once I realised this was an impossible feat, I whittled it down to just two: Ride Into The Sun and The Sunbirds.’
Florentina says the pros to the industry include getting to do what you love, and being a part of writing music while hanging out with friends. There’s also the social aspect that comes with playing gigs. ‘You get to meet people you wouldn’t in ordinary circumstances,’ she says.
As for the cons, Florentina says there isn’t much she doesn’t like about being in music other than dragging her drum kit to and from gigs, although she does admit: ‘I’ve definitely received both positive and negative treatment for being a female that plays the drums.’
The negative treatment arises pre-performace, as most people assume that because I’m a woman that I won’t be very talented, few drummers have been patronising before shows (“do you know what a rim shot is?”…yes I am a proper drummer, but thanks for asking). I like to drum extra hard when faced with these judgmental people just to prove them extra wrong. [But] The majority of comments and reactions to me being a female drummer are positive and supportive ones.’
Florentina has a few exciting things in the pipeline for this coming year, including Ride Into The Sun’s upcoming performance at the Adelaide Big Day Out on February 3rd and the hope of some interstate shows to follow. She’s also planning to write and record a solo project with a little help from her family and friends.
For any possible rock stars out there, Florentina says to believe in yourself.
‘Be confident in your abilities and not take things too seriously (then again not too lightly either…so I suppose you need to find the right balance for you and your band mates). The main thing for me is to enjoy what I’m playing and who I’m playing music with.’
So do a little networking, online and in your local areas and see what’s out there! Check out Ride into the Sun and The Sunbirds on Facebook. You can also hear Ride into the Sun’s music on their bandcamp page!
Do you know of a man or woman in a non-traditional role? We’d love to hear from you! Please contact us at: [email protected]
