FEATURE:
Queens of Pop
IN THIS PHOTO: RAYE
Why the Dominance of Female Artists Should Tip the Industry Scales
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THE start of this year…
IN THIS PHOTO: PinkPantheress/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
has already seen women very much front and centre of critical attention. BBC’s Sound of 2024 was dominated by women. So many of the best new acts to watch are women or bands fronted by women. This year is clearly one where music’s queens will rule. I think this has been the case for years but, especially right now, there is proof that they are owning the airwaves and making the best music around. Even if attention and appreciation is being paid, will the industry reverse gender bias in regards festival spaces? Many women in the industry feel objectified. That labels and the industry treats them as toys or puppets. Not being treated fairly and given much dignity. This all needs to change. We are seeing a new Pop revolution that is fronted by women. Reacting to news that female artists had a huge year across commercial radio in the U.K. last year, The Guardian wrote why the best Pop stars are women. That being said, the industry needs to endure that women are given their dues - and we no longer have to talk about imbalance and inequality through an industry they are defining:
“Madonna, Beyoncé, Britney, Whitney: if you think about the most iconic names in mainstream pop history, you’ll probably come up with a list of women. And this week, we have solid confirmation of female artists’ dominance. British audiences listen to more female musicians than male, according to the latest industry figures for 2023.
It was the most successful performance for women on the UK singles chart since it began in 1952, the British Phonographic Institute (BPI) found. This included artists such as Raye and PinkPantheress, both of whom saw their music proliferate on TikTok this year, and those global heavy hitters you’d probably expect: Miley Cyrus – whose single Flowers stayed at No 1 for 10 weeks on the UK chart – Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo et al.
And yet, despite this, unbalanced festival line-ups and award ceremonies dominated by men do little to reflect the cultural weight that woman artists carry. The music business has always been deeply sexist. It is only in very recent years that female pop artists in general have been taken seriously by the music press and listeners at large. But the latest figures do show some signs of change.
First, the figures offer confirmation and recognition that a large majority of the biggest names in mainstream music are now women. And second, they show that the commercial heft of female musicians now matches their societal impact.
Throughout the decades, women have always made the best pop stars, in my view (consider all of those I mentioned above for proof), through a unique mix of sexuality and magnetism and the fact that pop music itself has long been coded culturally as feminine. A “poptimist” shift in the last couple of decades seems to finally have decreed pop music and, perhaps, the women who make it, as worthy of genuine critical attention. Lana Del Rey, for instance – now widely considered America’s greatest living songwriter – was famously dismissed as unserious at her 2012 debut.
Also worth considering is the simple fact that there aren’t really as many male pop juggernauts as there used to be, despite the perma-popularity of artists such as Ed Sheeran, Lewis Capaldi and Harry Styles. Where we had the charisma machine that was George Michael in the 1980s and, in the 1990s and 2000s, Robbie Williams – whose historic 2003 Knebworth concerts still hold the record for the most people an artist has ever played to in Britain – there are few solo male pop artists who, today, feel as if they come close.
The pipeline of female solo artists about to come into the mainstream, too, is in rude health: the most exciting “rising” pop acts in the world now tend to be young women. The coming year, for instance, looks to be dominated by a 20-year-old Canadian named Tate McRae, whose stage presence and physical precision call to mind Britney Spears in the early 2000s. On their way to household name status, too, are Sexyy Red, Sabrina Carpenter, Reneé Rapp and a host of others”.
It is about the industry not only acknowledging the raft of varied and hugely strong female talent defining and evolving Pop. They are creating so much for the industry. Doing so much fantastic work, in the past, that has not been reflected in fairness. Festivals still hiding behind excuses. A lack of appropriate artists to fill the biggest slots. Award ceremonies struggling to nominated women in various categories. Young artists speaking about being used as a prop or disrespected. A very challenging industry that is hard for any artist, this is especially true for young women. There needs to be this respect and understanding that the tide has turned. With women very much at the forefront, how can the music industry have imbalance and still play more male artists?! Festival still overrun with male artists. So many of them are very tired and predictable, whereas there are women who are fresh and oriignal being overlooked. The Pop queens who are getting this amazing press right now are ready to step up. Line-ups for big festivals will be announced soon. We will see truly whether the balance shifts at all. I hope so. We are still in a position where we have to challenge festivals, radio stations and labels regarding the visibility of women and how they are treated. We should not need to have these conversations in 2024!
It is not just ‘Pop’ where women are making their mark. Across so many genres and corners of music, women are very much producing the best work. It is hard to overcome and reverse decades of bias and the norm. The industry naturally and lazily favouring male artists and seeing them as the driving force. Treating them better and given them more opportunities. Although not everything will be eradicated this year, this exposure of female artists and their success should force the industry to address the past and help create a more equal future. The queens of music are not asking for a lot. Only what is owed and rightly earned! With so many natural festival headliners already out there, together with a wave of new artists who mean we are spoiled for choice, we cannot ignore the fact. An industry often accused of sexism and misogyny needs to change! Women need to be properly respected. Many might say they are already though, when we hear stories of imbalance and male artists still being the go-to, this does not really ring true. This year should be one for positive change. It not only gives hope for women coming through that they have a place. It means the industry is much more interesting and varied. Not having to feature the same artists and repeat mistakes. There is hope at least! If we are in the same position this time next year, then we really have to ask serious questions. The news that women dominated the U.K. singles market last year is another sign that things are changing. The industry needs to react. In the coming weeks and months, we will see if…
THEY truly step up.