To start the year off, I attended Rolling Stone’s Future of Music showcase at SXSW in March 2023. Coco and Clair Clair got the crowd hopping with their viral hit, “Crushcrushcrush”. The song has been used in over 35k posts on Tiktok. Photo taken by Brianna Chavez 
Coco Jones may be familiar to some from her Radio Disney’s Next Big Thing national singing contest or from her appearance in various TV shows, but she has claimed the ACL Moody Theatre stage her own at SXSW. Fun fact: Her family was in attendance and were cheering her on from the side of the stage. Photo taken by Brianna Chavez 
Chloe Bailey brought the energy and the moves to SXSW with her background dancers and fire vocals. Chloe Bailey also got her start on Radio Disney’s Next Big Thing with her sister, Halle Bailey. Photo taken by Brianna Chavez 
Koffee is a Jamaican songwriter and singer who brought reggae and soul to the showcase. My favorite song of hers is “Pull Up”, where the music video, like many of her music videos, highlight her life in Spanish Town, Jamaiaca. Photo taken by Brianna Chavez 
I was fortunate enough to have received last minute tickets to see Caroline Polachek at the ACL Moody Theatre in April 2023. This artist has been a favorite of mine ever since she was with her former band, Chairlift. Now, she performs solo, singing alternative pop hits like “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings”. Photo take by Brianna Chavez. 
The Aces are passionate about being an all-girl rock band. The band formed in their hometown Provo, Utah when they were in high school. Photo taken by Brianna Chavez. 
Alisa Ramirez at Emo’s in Austin, Texas, September 29, 2023. Photo taken by Brianna Chavez. 
Before The Aces took the stage, two other all-women bands opened the show. First up: The Beaches. The Beaches have opened for Allstar Weekend, Passion Pit and even Rolling Stones (yes THE Rolling Stones). Photo taken by Brianna Chavez. 
Sawyer, the musical duo of Kel Taylor and Emma Harvey, went on right after The Beaches. The indie pop duo came together after writing songs together during their separate heartbreaks. Photo taken by Brianna Chavez 
I was ecstatic to finally get to hear Maddie and The Deadnames live at Private Park in San Marcos, Texas, on November 4, 2023. She delivered grunge vocals and melodic licks on her guitar as she and The Deadnames performed at EmpressFest. Photo taken by Brianna Chavez. 
I was (again) fortunate to win tickets to see two-time Grammy award-winning jazz artist Samara Joy at Bass Concert Hall, Austin, Texas, on December 3, 2023. She is on a Christmas tour with her musical family, The McLendons. Here she sings a jazz classic “Guess Who I Saw Today”. Photo taken by Brianna Chavez 
As the year wraps up, on December 21, 2023, I will be seeing Pentatonix at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. This will be my sixth time seeing them live, but my first time hearing all five voices sing Christmas songs live. Here is an accidental selfie of their mezzo-soprano star Kirstin Maldonado backstage at the Circuit of the Americas during their summer 2018 tour in Austin, Texas. Photo taken by Kirstin Maldonado.
Year in Review 2023: Women in Music
