FEATURE:
Sisters in Arms
IN THIS PHOTO: Beyoncé for British Vogue in July 2022/PHOTO CREDIT: Rafael Pavarotti
A Time for New Documentaries and Historic Representation of Women in Music That Embrace Their Significance
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WHILST there are…
PHOTO CREDIT: lookdtudio via freepik
attempts to highlight women in music and their amazing contribution, there is not a tonne being done. I will come to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame soon but, although they have not done a good job at inducting and nominating as many female artist as they should, they did a #WomenWhoRock campaign for Women’s History Month a couple of years ago. There have been documentaries made about women who has inspired and changed music, and you get playlists on Spotify spotlighting amazing women and the best of various genres. That is great but, at a time when there is still massive inequality and a real lack of recognition regarding the importance of women in music, more needs to be done. I shall come to that. First, as I said I would come back to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Courtney Love Cobain reacted to the fact that women have been marginalised by them for years. Why is that the case? She wrote a piece for The Guardian last month:
“The bar is demonstrably lower for men to hop over (or slither under). The Rock Hall recognised Pearl Jam about four seconds after they became eligible – and yet Chaka Khan, eligible since 2003, languishes with seven nominations. All is not lost, though – the Rock Hall is doing a special programme for Women’s History Month on her stagewear ...
What makes Khan’s always-a-bridesmaid status especially tragic is that she was, is and always will be a primogenitor. A singular figure, she has been the Queen of Funk since she was barely out of her teens. As Rickie Lee Jones said: “There was Aretha and then there was Chaka. You heard them sing and knew no one has ever done that before.”
IN THIS PHOTO: Chaka Khan
Yet Khan changed music; when she was on stage in her feathered kit, taking Tell Me Something Good to all the places it goes, she opened up a libidinal new world. Sensuality, Blackness: she was so very free. It was godlike. And nothing was ever the same.
But for all her exceptional talent and accomplishments – and if there is one thing women in music must be, it is endlessly exceptional – Khan has not convinced the Rock Hall. Her credits, her Grammys, her longevity, her craft, her tenacity to survive being a young Black woman with a mind of her own in the 70s music business, the bridge to Close the Door – none of it merits canonisation. Or so sayeth the Rock Hall.
The Rock Hall’s canon-making doesn’t just reek of sexist gatekeeping, but also purposeful ignorance and hostility. This year, one voter told Vulture magazine that they barely knew who Bush was – in a year she had a worldwide No 1 single 38 years after she first released it. Meg White’s potential induction as one half of the White Stripes (in their first year of eligibility) has sparked openly contemptuous discourse online; you sense that if voters could get Jack White in without her, they would do it today. And still: she would be only the third female drummer in there, following the Go-Go’s Gina Shock and Mo Tucker of the Velvet Underground. Where is Sheila E – eligible since 2001?”.
IN THIS PHOTO: boygenius (Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker)/PHOTO CREDIT: Mikayla LoBasso
From legends of music through to incredible modern heroines, it is almost impossible to put into words the impact women have made. I have said it so many times, but the best and most interesting music of the past few years has been made by female artists. That is the case this year. Albums from the likes of Caroline Polachek, Lana Del Rey, and boygenius are proving that this year is no exception. It is not only established artists that are dominating. Rising artists are also adding something indispensable. Playlists and features are helpful when it comes to highlighting the strength of women in music. When festivals are still not quite gender-equal and there is a definite lack of female headliners, I hope that things will change soon. It would be good to see documentaries produced that highlight the amazing women who have changed music. From Hip-Hop pioneers to R&B legends, and Pop queens, it is time for updated and comprehensive documentaries that react to Courtney Love Cobain’s article – and show why the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame should stop putting women second! It is an industry-wide issue. There have been improvements through the years. I think that radio playlists are becoming more balanced, and there are efforts being made to ensure festival bills are equal. It is still quite slow going, and that is frustrating to see. Not only is it important to produce documentaries that acknowledge the legends and established artists who have transformed music. As I said, there is a crop of rising female artists that are producing incredible music. Regular playlists highlight the best albums and tracks from those incredible emerging acts.
IN THIS PHOTO: Caroline Polachek
What would be great is a website dedicated entirely to women in music. It would be an archive. You would have playlists, documentaries, articles (such as Courtney Love Cobain’s), videos, and features. Such is the tsunami of wonderful music from women, there could be a menu that takes you to different sections. Events that celebrate women in music, the best newcomers and fresh tracks from female artists. Directories of the full scope of female artists around the world, plus classic albums from female artists. Maybe something similar exists already - but a more extensive and wide-ranging website that is constantly updated would be amazing. It is not only designed to bring about faster equality and greater recognition of women in music. It is also a worthy celebration of all they have given the industry. Pioneers and groundbreaking artists. Wonderful producers and those who have brought about change. Stunning new artists who will be future legends, and those more than capable of headlining festivals. There could be podcasts and all manner of artefacts that look to those legends of the past and the new generation. For an industry that owes women so much, there is not a lot being done to make sure they have an equal platform and get the acclaim and acknowledgement they deserve. New documentaries definitely need to come to light. Maybe a website that is a one-stop archive that is like a living and constantly updated museum, or new podcasts and series that look to those who have gone before and the wonderful female artists coming through. There is so much that can be done. I hope that amazing women in music across all genres and decades are…
IN THIS PHOTO: American artist Blondshell (Sabrina Teitelbaum) is among the wave of rising female artists shaping music in 2023/PHOTO CREDIT: Daniel Topete
PROPERLY recognised and respected.