Groove Tube with Cian O’Connell

The Queenship Cypher is a unique form of artist residency in that its goal is the facilitation of other budding creatives, and they are inviting applications – specifically from young female musicians interested in broadening their understanding of hip hop and the wider music industry – ahead of their first workshop in Dublin on Thursday, September 21.

When singer, songwriter and rapper Alicia Raye, who spearheads to the programme alongside Daniella Doyle, was offered the opportunity to be artist in residence for this year’s Red Line Book Festival in South Dublin, she decided to use the platform to promote and build on the work of her artist management agency Alayex, a women-led business that primarily aims to help young female Irish creatives.

So came the Queenship Cypher, which will constitute a series of workshops across multiple artistic disciplines through the months of September and October. Geared towards hip hop acts, it is open to applications from women aged from 18 to 25, whose interests lie in songwriting, music production, set design and dance.

As Alicia explains, the key to the project is allowing young women to develop a broad range of skills that can help build the foundation for a career in music.

“The Queenship Cypher was set up by myself and my friend Daniella Doyle,” she recalls.

“She came to me with the idea of starting a platform for women – to empower them to do music but also to create a plan and turn their passion into profit. That’s how the idea of Queenship started and I told her I was happy to be involved.

Pictured: Alicia Raye…empowerment through music workshops.