EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Stacey Abrams & Kristi Jacobson On The Power Of Women’s Music In Politics, Their Documentary ‘Louder’

Political activist Stacey Abrams and director Kristi Jacobson offered their insight into the making of their new documentary Louder: The Soundtrack of Change in their new uInterview.

The new Max documentary, Louder: The Soundtrack of Change, which was produced by Abrams and pop star Selena Gomez, celebrates the power of the music and activism female artists have inspired over the years across generations in the U.S.

Abrams revealed the genesis of the project. “Selena and I met during the 2020 election and remained friends,” Abrams told uInterview founder Erik Meers. “And she actually approached me with the idea of doing a series on protest music and on women and music and particularly how women use their voices to organize to call us into action. I was incredibly excited about, one, the opportunity to tell the story, and, of course, more importantly, to work with someone extraordinary like Selena Gomez. We were able to find this remarkable director Kristi Jacobson to bring her on board and bring it to life.”

Abrams explained, “It’s a difficult topic because you’re trying to tell so many stories, you’re going to miss someone, miss a genre, miss a moment, and how do you convey the enormity of this project and this process by being both respectful of its scope but intimate enough that people feel themselves in it? And that’s what I think Louder does so very well, and what Kristi was able to accomplish. Selena and I had this idea, but she really gave it shape and form, and we are grateful.”

The documentary features an abundance of interviews with iconic female figures including Linda Ronstadt, H.E.R and Chaka Khan. Jacobson reflected on some stand-out moments in the process: “I can share that there was no interview in which both myself and everyone in the room wasn’t moved. Didn’t leave that room a better person, didn’t leave that room ready to do more. So that was really across the board. I don’t know if everybody knows how funny Melissa Ethridge is, but she is!”

Jacobson continued, “There was a moment when we interviewed the artist known as H.E.R., and she was talking about ‘I Can’t Breathe’ – which she wrote in the summer of 2020, which was obviously an incredibly intense and vulnerable moment for her – she was talking about that, and it’s not in the film, but she performed the spoken word part of the song, and when I tell you, the core of me was like, ‘I need to do any and everything that I can do to support this person and her work and her voice,’ but also just thinking about who gets to tell the stories. Our film is about women telling the stories of women, and primarily women of color telling their own stories, and that felt really important to be a part of.”

Abrams also reflected on what she learned from the project.

“The goal of this movie [is to say] you don’t have to be a megastar to have an impact,” she observed. “Sometimes it’s that simple thing of seeing that woman who needs you, seeing this thing that needs to be said, and just taking that small step – sharing your story, which is as transformative as commanding an army of listeners to action. We all have to start somewhere, and I loved learning about that.”

Louder: The Soundtrack of Change is now available to stream on Max.