As Alicia Keys accepted the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award at the 2025 GRAMMYs, she made a poignant point about being a woman in music. "I always had to fight for a certain level of respect as a songwriter, a composer, and especially a producer," she said. "It's strange that we don't think of women as producers like Quincy [Jones] or [Dr.] Dre or Swizz [Beatz], but female producers have always powered the industry."
It's a conversation that continually resurfaces, sparked by the noticeable lack of women in studio credits and the dominance of male producer tags. As Keys alluded, though, female producers have long helped shape the sounds of some of the most iconic artists and cultural moments. Keys herself has enlisted the help of a woman behind the boards (sound engineer Ann Mincieli; more on her later), along with co-producing all nine of her albums. And she's far from the only female artist who does both: Alison Brown, Missy Elliott, Talia Goddess, Kito, Syd, Tokimonsta, and Alison Wonderland have all balanced careers as artists and producers for both themselves and others.
But there's plenty of women solely dedicated to producing our favorite singles and albums, along with songwriting, mixing and engineering — from legends like Susan Rogers, who helped craft Prince's signature sound, to the hit-making duo NOVA WAV, whose work you've heard on hits by Beyoncé and Rihanna. And they're starting to earn more recognition: At the 2025 GRAMMYs, Amy Allen became the first woman to win Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical (a Category dominated by women), and Alissia became the 10th woman in history to earn a nomination for Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical.
In honor of Women's History Month, get to know 15 producers, veteran and rising, who have made waves behind the scenes — and are helping women in music continue to move to the forefront.
Alissia
@grammys Women can do it all. 🌟 🎶 From advice she'd give to her younger self to advice she'd give to anyone pursuing a career in the music industry, music producer @Alissia is amplifying various notes with her empowering words this WomensHistoryMonth. 📣 Together as advocates and allies, we encourage the music industry to unite in uplifting, supporting, and creating more opportunities for women. #MoreWomen 🎥: @plant.prophet
Born in Switzerland and raised in Italy, Alissia Benveniste fell in love with funk music at an early age. Her passion for the likes of James Brown, Motown, Parliament Funkadelic, and Prince led the producer, writer and multi-instrumentalist to Berklee College of Music — and soon, a booming career in funk and beyond.
Alissia's work earned acclaim from some of her idols — including Prince, Quincy Jones and Bootsy Collins, the latter of whom recruited her to executive produce his 2017 album, World Wide Funk — early on. Her credits with BJ The Chicago Kid, Rae Khalil, LION BABE, and Jamila Woods helped Alissia earn a Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical at the 2025 GRAMMYs, but that's just a small part of her stacked resume. She's worked with Mary J. Blige, Daniel Caesar, EarthGang, Calvin Harris, Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Nile Rodgers, Mark Ronson, and many more.
After years of producing for others and playing her own DJ sets, Alissia will soon make her artist debut; as she teased to Billboard, her first album is "coming out really soon."
María Elisa Ayerbe
If you're tuned into the Latin scene, then you likely know the work of Maria Elisa Ayerbe, but her impact doesn't stop there. With over 13 years of experience in audio engineering, production and mixing, Ayerbe has contributed to the success of global icons like Mary J. Blige, Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, and Marc Anthony; her work on the latter's Ancestras earned her a Latin GRAMMY in 2021.
Ayerbe's reach even extends beyond the music world. She's also brought her expertise to TV, working on high-profile projects like "Protagonistas de Nuestra Tele" and "Los Caballeros Las Prefieren Brutas."
A passionate educator, Ayerbe has taught audio and music courses across Colombia, the U.S., Mexico, Chile, and Spain since 2007. In 2016, Ayerbe founded the independent label South Mountain Music, offering a platform for emerging Latin American talent — helping the next generation of talent while continuing to make waves in both music and television.
Read More: 10 Women Artists Leading A Latin Pop Revolution: Kenia Os, Belinda & More
Calina
Colombian vocal producer, engineer, singer, and songwriter Calina has also made a name for herself in Latin music. Perhaps her biggest achievement thus far is winning a Latin GRAMMY for her work on Carlos Vives' Cumbiana II, which won Best Contemporary Tropical Album in 2022. But her ever-growing roster of collaborators includes top artists and rising stars alike.
Along with producing several of Vives' songs, Calina has worked on collaborations by María Beccera and Gloria Trevi, Luis Fonsi and Laura Pausini, Nelly Furtado and Juanes, and Vives' team-up with Carín León and Chimbala. She also has credits with Danna Paola, Aitana and RBD, among others; she's even credited as an artist on Latin GRAMMY-winning producer Sunamy's 2020 single "Patience."
Like Ayerbe, Calina has expanded her reach beyond music. She's crafted sound for hit TV shows like "Pálpito" and "Fake Profile" and films like Look Both Ways, further establishing herself as a burgeoning producer on the Latin music scene.
CC On The Track
CC On The Track, also known as Lil CC or Cydney Christine, first caught attention when Drake shouted her out on "Money in the Grave" with the line, "Lil CC let it slap with the bass." The song, which she co-produced, became a smash hit following Drake's release of the single (alongside "Omertà") to celebrate the Toronto Raptors' NBA Finals victory in 2019.
Though Christine was first known for her modeling career, she began testing her behind-the-board skills as a high school sophomore. Her ambitions as a producer took off after a chance encounter with Drake at a GRAMMYs party, opening the door to her career in the music industry. Since she first linked up to produce for Drake, Christine has worked with several rap hitmakers, including Roddy Ricch, Freddie Gibbs and That Girl Lay Lay. More recently, she produced two tracks on Kid Cudi's 2024 INSANO album.
Shani Gandhi
If you're a fan of Sierra Hull, Old Crow Medicine Show, or other Americana and bluegrass artists, then you've likely heard Shani Gandhi's work. From her upbringing in Australia to making her mark in Nashville, Gandhi has built a reputation as a sought-after producer, engineer and mixer.
She landed her first major project with Sarah Jarosz's 2016 release, Undercurrent, which earned Gandhi a GRAMMY for Best Folk Album and a nomination for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical in 2017. Since then, she's worked with both rising stars and legacy acts, lending her expertise to albums by Jarosz, Hull, Alison Krauss & Union Station, George Jones and the Smoky Mountain Boys, Kelsea Ballerini, and Parker Millsap.
Beyond the studio, Gandhi is dedicated to lifting up the next generation of engineers and producers. She is a mentor for the nonprofit organization We Are Moving The Needle and serves on the Nashville Chapter Board of The Recording Academy.
Read More: 5 Female Artists Creating The Future Of Country Music: Jaime Wyatt, Miko Marks & More
Alex Hope
Meet Alex Hope, the Australian producer and songwriter responsible for helping launch Troye Sivan's now GRAMMY-nominated career. Hope, who identifies as nonbinary, worked as both a producer and writer on Sivan's 2015 debut, Blue Neighbourhood, with a standout vocal contribution to the track "BLUE." The album's breakout hit, "Youth," went on to win Song of the Year at the 2016 ARIA Awards, where Hope was also nominated for Producer of the Year and Engineer of the Year for their work on the album.
Often both producing and co-writing their work, Hope has several other notable credits across genres. Along with their work with Sivan, Hope has worked on songs for Alec Benjamin, Chlöe, Kelly Clarkson, Fletcher, Alanis Morissette, Ben Platt, Tegan & Sara, Tomorrow x Together, and Tove Lo.
Alex Kline
A songwriter and producer in Nashville's current country music scene, Alex Kline has already made history. In 2021, she became the first solo female producer to have a No. 1 single on country radio with Tenille Arts' "Somebody Like That," which she co-wrote with Arts and Allison Cruz. But the feat was the product of many years put in.
Kline's journey began at Berklee College of Music, where she honed her skills before moving to Nashville in 2008. She played in several country bands, including The Fireman's Daughter and The Lunabelles, the latter of which secured a label deal with Sony. A multi-instrumentalist, she mastered lead guitar, banjo, dobro, mandolin, bass, lap steel, and piano — but it was in the studio, rather than on the road, where she found her true calling.
In addition to her work with Arts, Kline's writing and producing credits include songs recorded by Reba McEntire, Mitchell Tenpenny, Ronnie Dunn, Tigirlily Gold, and Gary Allan. She still incorporates her artist background, too, recently offering background vocals to Tyler Chambers' "Rest Of My Raisin'" and guitar on Karley Scott Collins' "American Boy."
Sylvia Massy
Sylvia Massy's resume is as impressive as it is extensive. Born in Flint, Michigan, she moved to California in the early '80s and went on to work with a diverse range of artists, including Aerosmith, Babyface, Big Daddy Kane, Bobby Brown, and Prince.
While working at Larrabee Sound in West Hollywood, she connected with producer Rick Rubin, leading to collaborations on several other big-name projects, including work with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Slayer, Donovan, and Geto Boys. As an engineer and mixer, she played a key role in multiple projects for Rubin's American Recordings label, including Johnny Cash's Unchained, which won a GRAMMY for Best Country Album in 1997.
Like many of her fellow producers, Massy has dedicated herself to mentoring the next generation of producers and engineers. From 2001 to 2012, she owned and operated RadioStar Studios out of the Weed Palace Theater in California, transforming it into a creative hub for recording artists. Her passion for education led her to serve as a visiting professor at Berklee College of Music in 2015 and 2018, teach a workshop at the Abbey Road Institute in London, and lecture at SAE Institute's audio engineering schools in London and Munich.
Ann Mincieli
Ann Mincieli is primarily known for her engineering work; she has also made her mark as a producer on notable projects, including the 2023 re-release of Alicia Keys' The Diary Of Alicia Keys, which won her a GRAMMY for Best Immersive Audio Album in 2024. With four GRAMMY wins to her name — all earned through her work with Keys — Mincieli has been a key figure in the singer's career from the beginning.
She played a crucial role in defining Keys' sound, serving as an assistant engineer, engineer, and mixer on the groundbreaking 2001 debut, Songs in A Minor. Their partnership has now spanned over two decades, with Mincieli becoming Keys' go-to engineer and collaborator. Their creative bond led to the co-founding of Jungle City Studios, one of New York's premiere recording spaces, as well as She Is The Music (SITM), a nonprofit dedicated to increasing the number of women in the music industry through songwriting camps, mentorship and a global database.
Beyond her work with Keys, Mincieli has helped shape the sound of some of the biggest names in music, including Jay-Z, Drake, Usher, Jennifer Hudson, and Whitney Houston. One of her earliest production credits was as an assistant engineer on Mariah Carey's Honey, setting the stage for a decades-long journey dedicated to crafting iconic records.
NOVA WAV
NOVA WAV, the four-time GRAMMY-winning songwriting and production duo of Brittany "Chi" Coney and Denisia "Blu June" Andrews, have come a long way since they first met in 2009. Back then, Chi was juggling a music engineering internship at Grand Hustle while studying marketing at Georgia State, and Blu had just graduated with a degree in sports management from the University of North Florida.
Their breakout moment came in 2012 with Rihanna's "Loveeeeeee Song," marking the beginning of a career that would continue to spawn hits. They've since written and produced for some of the biggest names in the industry, including Beyoncé, DJ Khaled, Ariana Grande, Jay-Z, Saweetie, Nicki Minaj, Teyana Taylor, and Kehlani.
Their long-running collaboration with Beyoncé has been especially defining. They contributed to Everything Is Love, Bey's joint album with Jay-Z as The Carters, and worked on Black Is King in 2020. But their most celebrated moment yet came with 2023's RENAISSANCE, where they had a hand in co-writing eight tracks, including the instant classic (and GRAMMY-winning) "CUFF IT."
Sonia Pottinger
Some may argue that the most important Jamaican woman in the music business is Sonia Pottinger, a pioneering Jamaican reggae record producer. An icon in the industry, Pottinger was the first female Jamaican record producer, working from the mid-1960s until the mid-1980s.
In 1965, she opened Tip Top Records Shop and began recording musicians in 1966. Her first single, "Every Night" by Joe White & Chuck, marked the beginning of her prolific career. During the rock steady and early reggae eras, she produced hits for artists like The Ethiopians ("The Whip"), Delano Stewart, The Melodians ("Swing and Dine"), Ken Boothe, Alton Ellis, and Toots & the Maytals.
Pottinger entered the music business in the early 1960s alongside her husband Lindon after running several small businesses. Together, they opened Jamaica's first black-owned recording studio, launched labels like Gaydisc and SEP (her initials), and operated one of the first pressing plants in Jamaica. Although the couple split, Pottinger was resolute in continuing her work in music.
In 2004, she was honored with the Order of Distinction for her significant contributions to the Jamaican music industry. Sonia Pottinger passed away at her home in Kingston on Nov. 3, 2010, after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease, leaving behind a legacy that reshaped the reggae landscape.
Read More: The Women Essential To Reggae And Dancehall
Susan Rogers
Not only is Susan Rogers a record producer, engineer, mixer, and audio electronics technician, but she also holds a doctorate in psychology, specializing in music cognition and psychoacoustics, from McGill University. These days, she's passing on her wisdom as an associate professor in the Music Production and Engineering and Liberal Arts departments at Berklee College of Music.
Rogers' career might have had humble beginnings, but that didn't stop her from making a major impact. Starting as a receptionist at the University of Sound Arts, she dove into electronics, acoustics and magnetism, eventually landing a gig at Audio Industries in 1978. By 1981, she was a maintenance tech at Rudy Records, getting her first real taste of engineering. In 1983, Rogers moved to Minneapolis to work with Prince, and the rest is history. Her first job with him? Recording the iconic guitar solo for "Let's Go Crazy" on his GRAMMY-winning opus Purple Rain.
From there, she engineered for Prince on albums like Around the World in a Day, Parade, Sign o' the Times, and The Black Album, becoming a staple in Prince's clique of creative women alongside singer Sheila E., guitarist Wendy Melvoin and pianist Lisa Coleman. In a 2017 interview with The Guardian, Rogers credited Prince for giving women in a male-dominated industry "a lot of power and responsibility."
Suzy Shinn
Wichita, Kansas native Suzy Shinn has carved out a name for herself as a powerhouse pop/rock producer — and it all began on an iMac in her bedroom. She picked up the guitar and started singing at just 7 years old, and after a two-year stint at Berklee College of Music, Shinn moved to L.A. to pursue her dreams.
Since landing her first big credit in 2014 (as an engineer on a remix of Katy Perry's "This Is How We Do" featuring Riff Raff), Shinn has served as a writer, producer, engineer, and background vocalist on songs by Panic! At the Disco, Weezer, Fall Out Boy, 5 Seconds of Summer, Dua Lipa, Sia, and Alicia Keys, among others. While the big names have helped Shinn earn multiple GRAMMY and ARIA nominations, she's now more focused on helping the next generation, including rising alt-pop acts like Carlie Hanson, EKKSTACY and TikTok-trending Frances Forever.
TRAKGIRL
Music producer and songwriter Shakari "TRAKGIRL" L. has worked with a roster of artists shaping the modern hip-hop and R&B sound, including Jhené Aiko, Omarion, Vic Mensa, Luke James, and Andra Day. Born into a musical family, the Virginia-raised producer was deeply influenced by legends like Missy Elliott and Timbaland, leading her to study music production and save up for her first piece of equipment, the Akai MPD 16.
As she's continued her career as a producer, TRAKGIRL's work has also largely been dedicated to opening doors for women in the music business. In 2022, she teamed up with Danish audio company AIAIAI to launch Future of Sound, a mentorship program aimed at amplifying underrepresented producers. She's also the founder of PAY US TODAY, a movement born from stories she heard from producer friends about not being compensated or credited for their work. Originally an apparel movement, PAY US TODAY is evolving into an educational platform and collective that advocates for creatives across all industries.
Read More: Women In Hip-Hop: 7 Trailblazers Whose Behind-The-Scenes Efforts Define The Culture
WondaGurl
Some know her as Ebony Naomi Oshunrinde, but behind the board, she's WondaGurl. Beginning her journey at age 9 in her hometown of Brampton, Ontario, Oshunrinde competed in a Battle of The Beat Makers competition as a teen, meeting fellow Ontarian Boi-1da — who would not only become her mentor, but granted her the WondaGurl moniker.
WondaGurl soon became a teenage prodigy. In 2013 — when she was just 16 years old — she landed co-writer and/or co-producer credits on Jay-Z's 12th album, Magna Carta Holy Grail ("Crown"); Travis Scott's debut mixtape, Owl Pharaoh ("Uptown" feat. A$AP Ferg); and one of SZA's earliest singles, "Teen Spirit."
Before she even turned 20, WondaGurl also helped co-write and co-produce Rihanna's "Bitch Better Have My Money" and Travis Scott's "Antidote," along with tracks by Drake, Lil Uzi Vert, Young Thug, and Lil Yachty. And she hasn't slowed down since: Now 28, WondaGurl's credits include songs by Big Sean, Mariah Carey, 2 Chainz, Pop Smoke, Kid Cudi, and Kali Uchis, with her most recent cuts coming on Nelly Furtado's 7 ("Showstopper") and Lil Uzi Vert's Eternal Atake 2 ("We Good") in 2024.