Cheer Up Charlies was the place for a night of fun and #BlackGirlMagic last Thursday. On February 23, the up-and-coming startup Human Influence hosted a mini-concert series where they promoted female art and music under the name Raise Her Voice.

Human Influence, an art-collective company co-founded by UT Austin alum Chris Omenihu, hosted the Raise Her Voice event (RHV) in an attempt to provide a platform for creative minds to show their talents.

The performers came from all around Texas; Houston, Dallas outskirts, Katy, and of course here in Austin. These four ladies were all brought together by a desire to “encourage intersectionality” according to the first performer by the name of Upper Reality. The lead singer stated that this event did the job of “creating spaces facilitated by multicultural expressions, bringing marginalized female identities to the forefront”.  She opened the evening with steady vocals and woke lyrics, which was carried on throughout the night by the other three.

Shiela, the second singer for the night, currently has ties to UT but has roots all the way in Nicaragua. Her Latina heritage provides her with a lovely creativity and strong sense of self that was influenced by cultural giants like Selena, who “had to be brave and believe in herself” as a woman in the industry. Multicultural perspectives like this are respected and revered within Human Influence, which is exactly what cofounder Omenihu envisioned for the company.

The black girl magic reappeared as the third artist, Houston native Erva Carter, began her performance at Cheer Up Charlies. She astonished the crowd with her elegant vocals and equally refined all-pink aesthetic, and every song she had was a bop from start to finish. She continued the appeal for more women in power, especially “in a society where women are dominated by men.” Carter agreed with the sentiment of women supporting women, but also mentioned the often-ignored role of men to aid women in their fight for equality.

Cultural inclusivity is a standard for Human Influence, whose mission is to “help humans inspire humans.” This is done through the creativity and collaboration that is fostered across demographics, primarily by historically disenfranchised groups like people of color, queer people, and the largest minority of all: women. Raise Her Voice perfectly emphasizes the need for awareness and representation of these groups within society by creating this very necessary platform.

An event like Raise Her Voice is all-important in times like this, which is a sentiment shared by Human Influence coordinator Antonette Masando. She states the need to “empower women as an answer to gender inequality,” citing Hillary Clinton’s recent presidential loss as a reason to encourage women to persevere through the tough times in a male-dominated society.

After the fourth and final performance by the sultry-smooth artist Vonne, the female DJ took over the night and continued with the theme of the night by playing “music that women enjoy” instead of the usual popular male rappers and singers that are played at events like this. “It’s all about letting women know that your voices matter because it can be so difficult for female artists to showcase their talents,” continues Masando.

This year’s RHV was a major revamp from the one in 2016: instead of having its usual accompanying art installation, they replaced paintings with vendor booths where female crafters sold jewelry and other merchandise. This year they even included a handy tarot card reader to add a layer of mysticism to the already magical night.