Haviah Mighty-Produced Track, ‘Hear Me Out’ Highlights Women’s Experiences in the Gig Industry

Female gig workers are breaking their silence through music and research.

Many women working in the gig industry often take on unstable jobs that put them in situations where they’re forced to grind daily. A new song, “Hear Me Out,” is shining a light on their perspectives.

Championing the track is HeARTwork: Advancing Women in the Gig Economy, a national movement that transforms lived experience into culture and change. It’s the first Canadian song to emerge directly from national research and listening sessions with over 1,000 women and gender-diverse gig workers.

According to Conscious Economics and the Ministry of Women & Gender Equality, 68% of women gig workers reported severe financial instability, alongside chronic burnout and stress. 62% said they felt isolated, with little access to networks or mentorship, while another 62% reported sexism or gender bias on the job.

“Hear Me Out” puts the gruelling facts on display to listeners as lyrics, including: “I’m standing on your stage, but there’s no solid ground." The R&B track is written and performed by Zakisha Brown, Dallas Rodin and Rachelle Show, with production by Polaris Prize-winner Haviah Mighty.

In a moment of widespread burnout in Canada’s creative industries, the song is part of an initiative blending art, advocacy and policy to cultivate a national conversation that empowers female gig workers.

For Rodin, the process of writing “Hear Me Out” was equally meaningful as the message itself: “It was a privilege to listen deeply to the experiences of these women and tell their stories through music,” she shares. “I couldn’t have asked for a better group to create with, and I’m extremely grateful to the HeARTwork program for bringing us together.”

“Co-creating this song with such dope, talented souls while speaking our truth felt like an empowering movement," Brown says, describing the collaboration as something bigger than a recording session. “It really feels like the time is now for change — and how powerful that we captured it in song.”

The single is the first of many initiatives at HeARTwork. Later this year, a documentary following the stories behind “Hear Me Out” will be released, alongside a 10-policy zine with recommendations that inspire equity, childcare, pay transparency and mental health support. There will also be partnerships with organizations including GreenShield Canada, Music Canada, the Women in Music Canada charity, Indigenomics Institute and the Canadian Women’s Foundation.

“HeARTwork puts real stories at the centre of economic reform,” says Rhiannon Rosalind, CEO of Conscious Economics. “‘Hear Me Out’ isn’t just a song — it’s a call to action, asking Canadians to pause and really listen to the women holding up this country’s gig economy.”

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