Self care in the music business: reflections from Frankie of Discwoman

We talk a lot about survival tips for the music industry, but rarely does that get into the personal. So the moment is right for Discwoman’s Frankie Decaiza Hutchinson to tackle music’s greatest obstacle: ourselves.
Frankie is the co-founder of Discwoman, with Emma Burgess-Olson (aka techno producer UMFANG) and Christine McCharen-Tran, as well as the booker for Bossa Nova Civic Club. Each of those projects has become influential, as Bossa has become a fulcrum for the new Brooklyn scene and a highlight of post-Bloomberg/Giuliani New York, and Discwoman a template for building a collective and booking business around women and non-binary artists.
Frankie is not a DJ or producer (“thank God,” she tells me), but I think it’s then even more relevant that she’s taken on a new role for Crack Magazine – advice columnist. (She’s taken on the role “Agony Aunt.”)
For instance, in the latest installment, she answers a Berlin (huh) writer who worries about comparisons and self-doubt. (Frankie even concedes she can struggle: “It’s completely irrational and I often feel like I’m falling apart but there’s very little space for me to fall apart as there are so many people dependent on my work so it’s a lot of pressure,” she responds.)
This is the thing we often don’t do in the music world – talk honestly about ourselves. The cost of that lack of honesty can be depression – and worse. So just as Discwoman’s motto, is “amplify each other,” emblazoned in enormous letters across their merch and even website, I think it’s high time music makers and the people working with music makers talk about things like – gulp – self sabotage. That can be devastating for people who seek music as a hobby or as a profession.
Frankie was kind enough to take time from her busy schedule at Bossa to answer some questions about that and building Discwoman.



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happy 3 year anniversary to the loves of my life @discwomannyc so cliche but really dunno how a real mess like me came to nyc with $100 and now doing this but I guess stranger things have happened. nice to reflect within this mad world