Pretty Loud

Traditionally Roma women are encouraged to leave school early and marry young. Pretty Loud are the first Roma Girl band and are dedicated to breaking this mould and giving a voice to Roma girls. A group of young women, participants and workshop leaders aged 14-27, started the group in the GRUBB Centres in Belgrade and Niš, Serbia. Their unique music, performances and literary projects aim to empower the next generation of Roma women, blending rap, hip-hop, and their ancestral Roma music. Through their lyrics in Romani, Serbian and English, they talk about their everyday challenges and hopes as well as more complex topics such as race, representation, and social justice. They are showing other Roma girls that they have options beyond child marriage, early childbirth and poverty. They are passionate about putting an end to stereotypes about both Roma people and women. In 2021, Pretty Loud won the ELLE Award for Activism.