InStyle Magazine (01/20) Pulia, Shalayne

The Iceland Airwaves music festival in Reykjavík has gained a reputation as the world's most gender-equal festival, and for the second consecutive year has had a 50/50 male-female split in representation among performers. The event was the first in the world to reach this milestone in 2018 when organizers co-founded Keychange, a movement urging festivals to pledge gender-balanced lineups by 2022. Airwaves is renowned for appealing to both acts and fans interested in the music, which is central to Icelandic culture. "[Iceland] is a small place, which means it's also a spontaneous place," says native musician Jófríður Ákadóttir. "Things happen very organically, and people are supportive of each other. They enjoy creating together." Airwaves also has been attractive to female artists in particular. French-Canadian neoclassical composer and pianist Alexandra Stréliski says the festival's equal-gender representation is an encouraging sign. "Culturally we've been inclined to favor men, in many domains," she notes. "And I think now we just have an effort of consciousness to make. And I think it's great that this is happening in Iceland, because Iceland is also a country that seems to inspire a lot of people."

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