“To all the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful, and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.” Hillary Clinton
Throughout history, females have put lots of effort to fight gender inequality. However, despite lots of movements and societal shifts, discrimination still prevails in many parts of the world. Therefore, it is important that female celebrities bring up this sensitive subject and inspire women to strength.
This article will discuss five empowering female music artists who will inspire you with their masterpieces.
Beyoncé
Queen Bey has been one of the most empowering singers of the last two decades. With her bold statements and speeches like the one called “We Should All Be Feminists”, she made at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards, Beyoncé has unveiled her activistic side. And it’s not just the statements, Bey’s strong opinions are also reflected in her music. Besides an obviously feministic hit “Run the World (Girls)”, there are numerous other women-empowering pieces by Beyoncé, including “Flawless”, “Single Ladies”, “Partition”, and “Independent Women”.
Rihanna
“There’s something so special about a woman who dominates in a man’s world. It takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness, and the nerve to never take no for an answer.”-Rihanna
Like Beyonce, Riri is another bright example of a singer who shows her strength and inspires women to courage and confidence. Having escaped an abusive relationship with the singer Chris Brown, the Caribbean Queen demonstrates power with her relaxed attitude, bold outfits, and daring statements like the one mentioned above.
Listen to Rihanna’s empowering masterpieces like “Dem Haters”, “Breakin’ Dishes”, and “Hard” to get some feminist energy.
“You better learn how to treat us right/’Cause once a good girl goes bad/We die forever
Demanding deserved respect was never, ever a bad thing. Ever.” (Song: “Good Girl Gone Bad”)
Billie Eilish
A younger symbol of female power is an iconic 19-year-old singer Billie Eilish. By wearing oversized unisex outfits, Billie opposes being sexualized and judged by her look, which is a common experience for females in media. In some of her songs, Billie empowers women by making feminist claims like when she says that God is a female (“Cause even God herself has enemies”) in “all the good girls go to hell”. In her other tracks, Eilish inspires girls by demonstrating her power and firmness: “I’m not your baby//If you think I’m pretty//You should see me in a crown//I’m gonna run this nothing town” (Song: “you should see me in a crown”).
Lizzo
By actively supporting causes like body positivity, Lizzo encourages her female fans to love their bodies no matter what. Her attitude, confidence, and energy are transmitted through her upbeat songs and frank music videos. Unlike the previously discussed artist Billie Eilish, who wears baggy garments to avoid sexualization, Lizzo takes an opposite approach and shows her body she is so proud of.
In one of her biggest hits “Feeling Good as Hell”, Lizzo is cheering up broken-hearted females (“If he don’t love you anymore”) by reminding them that they “can have it all, no sacrifice.” This song can greatly lift your mood and empower you in hard times: “Come now, come dry your eyes // You know you a star, you can touch the sky // I know that it’s hard but you have to try.” The “Girl Power” music list also includes many other works by Lizzo like “Soulmate” and “Like A Girl”.
Lorde
A New Zealand artist, most known for her undeniable hit “Royals”, defined feminism as “trying to fight for better conditions and better treatment of all women” in her interview with 60 Minutes. Lorde is serious about feminism and the singer publicly criticized a pop artist Selena Gomez who, in Ella’s opinion, diminished women in her song ‘Come And Get It’: ‘When you’re ready come and get it//You ain’t gotta worry it’s an open invitation//I’ll be sittin’ right here real patient”. Besides Gomez, Lorde also believes that many other women in the music industry “aren’t doing so well for the girls.” She mentioned Lana del Rey as another female singer showing a wrong attitude to young female fans in her song “Without You”: “I’m nothing, without you”.
As for Lorde’s own music, she will motivate and empower you with her daring song “Bravado”: “I’m thinking glory / Lick my lips, toss my hair / And send a smile over / And the story’s brand new / I can take it from here, / I’ll find my own bravado”.