Powerhouse Women in Music

Article written by Lauren Johnston.

Yes! I know you are thinking “Oh here we go again, another feminist talking about women and their rights and whatnot.” You would be wrong, I’m here to talk about why and how such icons like P!nk, Demi Lovato, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson and so many more powerhouses within the music industry.

As many of you may have heard by now Christina and Demi joined forces and released a great women empowering song, titled ‘Fall in Line’. The meaning this song has is beautiful and the lyrics hold so much feeling, emotion and meaning. ‘Fall in Line’ is a song about not doing what everyone wants you to do, it’s about how you feel and it’s your body and you have a right and a mind and can make your own choices and decisions. Verse one goes a little something like this:

“Little girls, Listen closely, ‘Cause no one told me, But you deserve to know That in this world, you are not beholden You do not owe them Your body and your soul”

In an industry containing more men than women, women being sexualized and being told to be more provocative is a bigger and bigger issue. The lyrics “You do not owe them, Your body and your soul” means you don’t have to wear the skimpy skirts and the bras they call tops, you don’t have to sell yourself in that way to make it somewhere in life. This isn’t just restricted to the music industry either, this can be in any profession, hospitality in some places they tell you that you have to wear make-up, because I sure as hell worked in a few places like that. I’m not going to sit here and type out the whole chorus to you, but, I will talk about a few of my favourite lines from it,

“But I got a mind to show my strength And I got a right to speak my mind…”

I personally find these lyrics so meaningful, because Christina is right, we do have a right to speak our minds about anything we goddam desire and we can show that we are strong, that we don’t have to be these petite little weak girls that need men to open things for us, and we can do what we want to do!

“But I got a fire in my veins I wasn’t made to fall in line No, I wasn’t made to fall in line no…”

When Christina talks about falling in line, she is talking about falling in the guidelines given to women everywhere by society, that we have to look a certain way, dress a certain way, talk a certain way and basically be a slave to our romantic partners. Girls are so much more capable of many things and we don’t need the help of men to tell us what to do. The bridge in this song is a deep distorted males voice and it sounds like an army drill.

“1, 2, 3, Right 2, 3 Shut your mouth Stick your ass out for me March 2, 3 1, 2, 3 Who told you You’re allowed to think”

The dominant male voice is to portray males and ‘society’, and the low degrading way they want us to be, just shut up and do what you’re told, to be the sex doll they see you as.

Christina in general is a powerhouse releasing numerous amounts of singles and albums and hitting number one on the charts time and time again, even with having 2 children and going through a divorce she still manages to release bangers.

Just like Christina there are many other women in music that continue to smash it every single year, P!nk, Beyoncé, Adele and many more have kids and still manage to make music every year. Each song containing a powerful message to women in general. There is an abundance of women empowerment songs for instance, Demi Lovato – Confidence, Lady Gaga – Born This Way, Dua Lipa – IDGAF, Hailee Stienfeild – Most Girls, Kesha – Praying and P!nk – Stupid Girls. There are a bunch more female empowerment songs but these are just a few that come to my head.

Generally, the music industry is dominated by men, and its forever growing but there is still an influx of men and so on that have recently come out making it increasingly harder for women. No matter what I generally believe that the women in music will continue to write songs that empower us and not only that, but give us hope, and strength and courage to take on the world and overcome whatever barriers stand in our way.

There is nothing like screaming your lungs out in the car to a good song, but have you ever stopped to listen and understand the meaning behind the lyrics, to hear the message that they want to convey to you and the world? Many artists write a story in their music, a story about their life and their struggles and wanting to pass on that information and wisdom to you. “Little girls, Listen closely, Because no one told me, But you deserve to know…” An example of that exactly. That’s the beauty of music, it’s a story, a journey through someone else’s struggles and fears and their inspiration to the people out there that care to listen.