Girls! Sometimes we need a little motivation to start our mornings right and take on our day feeling empowered, motivated, and confident. However, knowing it’s okay not to have everything put together all the time is also important. I’m sharing 14 songs that put me in the right mood when I’m starting my days feeling a little blah or just ’cause. Read it until and you’ll get my personal Spotify playlist to jam out to the songs!
- “Good as Hell” by Lizzo
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“Ooh, girl, need to kick off your shoes. Gotta take a deep breath, time to focus on you.”
This song is great because you feel like Lizzo is talking to you. She’s giving you the pep talk of your dreams after working hard, and going through a breakup. Telling us that she and our girls have our backs, and we should take time to recharge, focus on ourselves, and get back to being our fabulous selves.
- “Salute” by Little Mix
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“Ladies all across the world, listen up, we’re looking for recruits.”
Little Mix is known for empowering women through their music and this song is all about women from all over the world coming together, standing as one, and embracing who we are. It has such power to it and I love it.
- “Strip” by Little Mix
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“Take off all my make-up ’cause I love what’s under it. Rub off all your words, don’t give a, “uh”, I’m over it. Jiggle all this weight, yeah, you know I love all of this. Finally love me naked, sexiest when I’m confident.”
I love this song and its video because it’s about owning our bodies for what they are and loving all aspects of it that are considered “imperfections” when the reality is, we come in all shapes and sizes and should love ourselves for it without caring whether people are being judgmental and close-minded. This song encourages us to be more accepting with our bodies and let ourselves be. After you wake up and finish taking a shower, put this jam on while looking at your naked self in the mirror and admire everything about your body: stretch marks, cellulite, belly fat, small or big boobs, body hair…EVERYTHING. All of these features and more are beautiful just the way they are, as Bruno Mars would say. Don’t be afraid of society’s critiques, for confidence is our best outfit and Demi reminds us, that there’s nothing wrong with being confident.
- “Confident” by Demi Lovato
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“What’s wrong with being confident?”
NOTHING! That’s what’s wrong! This song is about owning our amazing selves, being unapologetically confident and believing in ourselves. Need nothing more to say! Sing it like you mean it, ladies! Believe that your flaws and virtues make you who you are, and know that you should have enough confidence to walk everywhere with your head up high and a courageous attitude.
- “Watch Me Do” by Meghan Trainor
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“I’m the shhh, be quiet. I’ve been on a low-hater diet.”
Sing it like if you’re the shh, girl! Loud and proud, because you are. We might not relate to Meghan’s line, “I get all choked up when I see how much I make” because, let’s face it, most of us are broke college students, but that’s besides the point. Wake up feeling “some type of way,” determined to have a great one because your mindset determines what kind of day and life you will have. Brush off the negativity and the haters, and look to the bright side of things. Own who you are and let everyone watch you do you, boo.
- “Girl Power” by Haschak Sisters
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“You could give me any challenge, I’mma come out on top.”
I’m so happy that, at a young age, this girl group is already singing about girl power and teaching it to their young listeners. Don’t underestimate their age or their music because their message is empowering. This song is about the strength that we all have (girl power) to handle whatever comes our way. It’s about being strong, determined, persistent, and slaying all day, everyday, so it’s definitely a dancing jam that encourages you to never doubt your girl power.
- “Bo$$” by Fifth Harmony
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“Working for my money, ‘cause that’s what my momma taught me, so your a** betta show me some respect.”
What can I tell ya’? We’re the type of women that work for our money and achieve success by our own merits and hard work, instead of looking for someone else’s money. We don’t get intimidated because we’re confident. We’re bosses!
- “S.L.U.T.” by Bea Miller
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“Knowin’ I’m not sorry, I’m just loving my body. I don’t care if you scared of a…”
Heeey! Forget what you’re thinking. You’ll need to hear the song to clear your mind from the misconceptions surrounding those four letters. We are often called many things for being strong, independent, comfortable, and confident in our own skins. We’re judged and faced with harsh realities of what society thinks people should be. Well, never forget you’re a S.L.U.T. and you should get out of bed every morning feeling so. There’s nobody else like you, so be yourself and forget the rest.
- “Sit Still, Look Pretty” by Daya
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“I don’t know what you’ve been told but this gal right here’s gonna rule the world!”
I love this song because it breaks society’s traditional perspective of what a women’s role and behavior should be– expectations that we are still fighting to this day. It’s a good song that expresses agreement for much-needed change and that we are not the same women from back in the day. We have acknowledged that we’re not meant to live in the shadows, or as an accessory, or to live by someone else’s rules. We’re meant to rule the world and live the life we want. - “Can’t Be Tamed” by Miley Cyrus
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“I wanna fly, I wanna drive, I wanna go, I wanna be a part of something I don’t know. And if you try to hold me back I might explode…”
For those who remember Miley fresh out of her Hannah Montana stage, you know she snapped with this song. With its intense beat, this song definitely reveals a more rebellious and slightly aggressive approach to owning and being ourselves. Disney is known for restricting its young actors, pushing them to their breaking point after working for the company. Society does it to women every day. Many times, we’re expected to “know our place,” be quiet, watch our tone and our behavior, to pursue certain careers and hobbies, and Miley’s here to remind us that we can’t be tamed, blamed, or changed. We are who we are and we should live the life we want to. The person who wants to be by our sides should understand that and accept it. If they don’t, thank you, next, as Ariana Grande would say.
- “Me Too” by Meghan Trainor
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“If I was you, I’d wanna be me too.”
Okay, okay! Nobody said it was a crime to admire ourselves once in a while, or everyday for that matter. It’s important to give ourselves that self-esteem boost, and you know what, if people are going to mind our business, let’s think it’s because they want to be us too. - “That’s My Girl” by Fifth Harmony”
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“You’ve been down before. You’ve been hurt before. You got up before. You’ll be good to go.”
I know I’ve preached about self-confidence, self-motivation, self-empowerment, and self everything, which is important and necessary, but let’s keep it real– many times we just don’t have it in us! And how good does it feel to have a friend, a partner, a parent, or even a song to give us that motivation we need and tell us “that’s my girl!” It feels amazing! So there you go, and let’s make an effort to say it to others around us because everyone needs it sometimes.
- “Run the World (Girls)” by Beyoncé
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“My persuasion can build a nation. Endless power, with our love we can devour.”
And of course, an empowering music playlist cannot be complete if we don’t have Beyoncé’s “Who Run The World, Girls!” lyrics. Yeah, I know! It’s been overplayed, and overhyped, and overused, but I mean…Come on! We just gotta! It has become an anthem, and a well deserved one. We are capable of everything. We are “smart enough to make these millions, strong enough to bare the children, [and] get back in the business.” We deserve the love, the admiration, the support, and the respect! Nothing less. And, ladies at Her Campus and all over, let’s keep grinding and being girls bosses because we got this. As Beyoncé said, “help me raise a glass for the college grads” and don’t worry, because we’re on our way to run the world.
I hope this list of songs help you, not only wake up in a great mood, but motivate you to be the best version of yourself everyday. As promised, you can find my Spotify playlist with these songs and many others. Those of you who have the App can simply click the link and boom, there you have it. Have a wonderful jamming session, ladies!
- “Most Girls” by Hailee Steinfield
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“Most girls are smart and strong and beautiful.”
This song highlights qualities and characteristics of different women, like intelligence, strength, and beauty that radiates from inside. We’re not all the same and one “type” is not better or worse than the other. We simply are, and it’s not only okay, but it’s great. We should celebrate our own individuality, as well as our sisters’. By doing so, we’re creating a stronger force, bigger than us and society’s ideals.
Check it out!