Jyoty, HAAi and Jaguar sign open letter calling for gender equality in club and festival line-ups

Jyoty, HAAi, and Jaguar are among artists who have signed an open letter from campaign group and collective Not Bad For A Girl, highlighting gender disparity in UK festival and club line-ups.

Published last week (February 5), the open letter highlights "two major UK festivals" which will take place in 2026, one of which has an 80% male line-up. Not Bad For A Girl also point to a recently announced London club night featuring a "100% male line-up".

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"When did underrepresented artists stop getting booked on line-ups?" the open letter asks. "While female artists prove their worth time and time again - engaging huge fanbases, dominating awards shows and contributing to billion-pound live revenues in the UK, why is line-up diversity getting worse?"

Saint Ludo, Naina, Jyoty, HAAi, Jaguar, Saoirse, Jamz Supernova, and HE.SHE.THEY. founder Steven Braines are among artists and music industry figures to have signed the letter so far, which calls on promoters, bookers, fans, artists and "everyone else" to even the playing field.

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"We’ve chosen not to name names because the market is hard enough, and we don’t believe that finger-pointing is a useful tool for positive change," they continue. "We believe in constructive conversations always over scrappy insults in comment sections, and that the best way to bring someone onside is to engage with them respectfully and openly.

"Dance music has always been built on community, and now more than ever we need to work together to build a better future for everyone."

You can sign Not Bad For A Girl's open letter here, and read the collective's statement below.

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow her on X