100% HER x WNBA: Creating a New Sound for Women’s Basketball

As the WNBA celebrates its landmark 30th season, Universal Production Music and the league came together to create something new for the next chapter of women’s basketball: a pioneering all-female writing camp bringing together female artists, producers and songwriters.

With one shared ambition — to create music that authentically reflects the energy, individuality and culture of the WNBA — the camp offered an opportunity to develop a sound shaped by women, for a league that has spent three decades championing women at the highest level of the game.

The camp forms part of Universal Production Music’s 100% HER initiative, created to increase visibility and representation for women in production music while providing meaningful, long-term career opportunities. Since launching in 2019, the global initiative has supported female talent through songwriting camps, releases, mentorship and other opportunities designed to help women develop their careers and shape the future sound of production music.

Across three days of writing and recording, singer/songwriters Shardé, Jay Starr, Suni MF, along with producers Ashlee, Aiyan, and Kendel Lester, explored everything from empowering sports anthems to tracks inspired by the personalities, fashion and lives of WNBA athletes beyond the court. Collaboration was central to the process, with artists and producers moving between sessions, exchanging ideas and ultimately coming together to create as one group.

But the camp was about more than the music. Participants spoke candidly about being underestimated in a male-dominated industry and the importance of having spaces where female creatives can work together, trust their instincts and feel their contributions are valued.

That sense of community shaped the sessions. With what participants described as “no ego” in the room, the camp became an opportunity to celebrate women’s creativity while opening doors for the next generation of female producers, composers, songwriters and artists.

As one participant put it: “The sky’s really the limit for us.” The hope is that this is just the beginning — creating more opportunities for women to be heard, both in front of the mic and behind the boards.