Trans+ Future Sounds is building better access for trans+ musicians

PHOTOGRAPHY Irene Haro

Abbey Road Studios has played host to countless defining moments in music history, from Pink Floyd recording much of The Dark Side of the Moon to Amy Winehouse’s final studio sessions. Last month, they became the backdrop for another first.

On Friday 19 June, the inaugural Trans+ Future Sounds welcomed 15 trans+ producers, 15 trans+ songwriters and 15 industry professionals into one of the world’s most iconic recording spaces for an afternoon of workshops, mentorship and community. Presented by Trans Creative Collective (TCC) and We Are Moving The Needle, the event paired esteemed DJ Fred again.. and producer MESSIE for a two-and-a-half-hour production workshop, while artists Sans Soucis and SATCH led a simultaneous songwriting session exploring creative practice before Warner Chappell’s Emily Green hosted a publishing Q&A. But the event didn’t just open doors; it demonstrated what becomes possible once people are invited inside.

The need for initiatives like this remains stark. According to We Are Moving The Needle’s Fix The Mix report, just 2.3% of producers are women, trans or non-binary. Trans+ Future Sounds doesn’t pretend one afternoon can solve that imbalance, but it does ask a more practical question: what happens when trans+ creatives are given access to the same spaces, equipment and networks that have long shaped successful music careers?

For charlieeeee, the founder of Trans+ Future Sounds and co-founder of Trans Creative Collective, the programme was inspired by their own experiences entering the industry. “Honestly, stumbling across the need for it was almost accidental,” they admit. Having recently transitioned, they were invited to join a panel talk at Abbey Road for International Women’s Day. But rather than feeling pride, they felt uncertain. “I rang a friend and said I was sad, and they suggested getting a pint for Trans Day of Visibility, and I said no – I’m going to ring Abbey Road and ask what they’re doing for Trans Day of Visibility, and if they’re not doing anything, I’m going to tell them what we should do.”

The resulting conversations developed into shooting a documentary in just three weeks, alongside fellow trans+ producers Jesley Faye and Max Blue Churchill. “The response was like throwing a dry sponge into a puddle. Hundreds and hundreds of applications came in immediately,” says charlieeeee. “This led us to start the directory, which now has hundreds of people on it. It was just proof that there was nothing there at all – no infrastructure for trans+ creatives.”

Five years later, that lack of infrastructure has evolved into a community spanning music, film and art, with Trans+ Future Sounds becoming its latest expression. Rather than centring visibility alone, the initiative focuses on tangible opportunities: developing technical skills, building industry relationships and creating pathways that too often feel inaccessible.

“For me, the ideal situation is that being trans becomes an irrelevant factor,” they explain.  “Trans+ Future Sounds is designed to supercharge people; to put them in workshops that upskill them, connect them with industry allies, and give them the confidence to know they can actually do it. But the bigger vision is that we’re making noise now so the next generation doesn’t have to. I want us to be the ones shouting from the rooftops so that the next generation can just be low-key about it, and just be artists.”

Holding the event at Abbey Road was symbolic of that statement, reflecting a belief that trans+ creatives deserve access to the same world-class facilities and opportunities afforded to everyone else. “We deserve to be in the same spaces as every other creative, but there’s something powerful that comes specifically from working in a top-tier space with access to world-class gear, facilitators, and workshop leaders,” they explain. “It reminds people that they deserve to be valued. Trans+ creatives are so often put in dingy basements. This couldn’t be further from that.” They acknowledge that the venue itself is a testament to change taking effect, despite the difficulties being faced by trans+ communities across the UK. “I personally believe music transcends any prejudice. Creativity and connectivity are what bring us all together, and Abbey Road saw that vision and wanted to support it.”

The bigger vision is that we’re making noise now so the next generation doesn’t have to. I want us to be the ones shouting from the rooftops so that the next generation can just be low-key about it, and just be artists.

charlieeeee

For producer LEXA, who helped organise the event alongside charlieeeee, the barriers facing trans+ creatives extend far beyond representation. “Often trans people don’t have the capacity to come out in school or while living with family, so the time when many trans people are coming out tends to be in their late teens to early twenties – exactly when other people are going to uni, building their networks, starting collectives with their mates. Those early connections are so formative in music, and trans people are often on the outside of both the lads-who-do-music groups and the women’s collectives.” 

LEXA notes that barriers are often rooted in timing, access and the informal networks that shape so many music careers before artists ever step into a professional studio. “We can get a bit behind, opportunity-wise, but that’s not due to a lack of talent. It’s because we haven’t been in the right spaces at the right time. The industry needs to start hiring and platforming trans+ creatives proactively, because we are so capable. We just haven’t always been in the right rooms.”

Roles are fluid, like gender. Maybe that’s our strength as trans people – we know what it’s like to be put into boxes and how to break out of them, so we’re not about to let anyone do that to us in creativity and music either.

SATCH

That emphasis on refusing creative limitations carried through the songwriting workshop led by SATCH, who sees trans identity not as something that narrows artistic possibilities, but something that can actively challenge them. “Roles are fluid, like gender. Maybe that’s our strength as trans people – we know what it’s like to be put into boxes and how to break out of them, so we’re not about to let anyone do that to us in creativity and music either,” they share. “Trans+ Future Sounds and events like it, where trans creatives can come together, allow us to have those conversations and that visibility for each other. But we can also inspire other people, cis het people too, that you don’t have to fit yourself into boxes.”

For MESSIE, who co-hosted the production workshop alongside Fred again.., the day wasn’t just about institutional milestones, but about the feeling of being amongst community. “Coming from New Zealand, what was surprising and moving was realising there were so many producers out there just like me,” they share. “I never would have known the talent if there hadn’t been a space to platform these creatives in an industry where you usually have to fight to be recognised. A network to connect with others where any idea of labels and background is immediately looked past means the focus can always come back to what’s most important – the music.”

A network to connect with others where any idea of labels and background is immediately looked past means the focus can always come back to what’s most important – the music.

MESSIE

Trans+ Future Sounds has already been confirmed as an ongoing series, with further events planned throughout 2026. If the first edition proved anything, it’s that the talent has never been the missing piece. The challenge has always been creating spaces where that talent can be seen, developed and connected. As charlieeeee puts it, “I don’t want trans creatives to be a novelty. I’m making it a novelty now so that it doesn’t always need to be.”

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