2023 was undoubtedly a huge year for women everywhere, whether we’re talking about record-breaking music tours from our faves- Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and the slew of opening acts that gained traction from the Eras Tour (I love you, Gracie Abrams!!) – athletic records being broken, or on BGSU’s home front, the August and November ballot results. But it is my prediction and my hope that 2024 brings even more huge wins for women, even if we get off to a rocky start at the hands of a certain unfunny Golden Globes host who obviously did NOT understand Barbie (2023). Plus, so many women who make music that I’ve been following for years are finally getting their moments in the spotlight, which is very promising. Here’s my list of ‘Women in Music’ that I think are going to have their biggest year yet this year; people that I think we should all have our eyes on:
- Reneé Rapp
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You all might know her as Regina George in the newest iteration of Mean Girls (2024), but I have been following this queen since she was in the Jimmy Awards. (Yes, I have been a theatre kid my whole life. Yes, I know I was annoying in middle and high school, and I knew it then, too!) She has been a star since she was a teenager, and I have loved watching her get the recognition she has always deserved. When she landed the role of Regina on Broadway, we were watching and we knew greatness when we saw it! Later on, she gained another significant amount of traction playing Leighton in “The Sex Lives of College Girls.” I hope that the release of the film will introduce more people to her solo career as well, because her music is EVERYTHING! Reneé has an EP, “Everything to Everyone,” and an album, “Snow Angel,” that are both so underappreciated. Stream them ASAP!
- Rachel Zegler
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Another girl who started as a viral actress in high school that we’ve all been waiting to see shine, Rachel started posting covers on YouTube several years ago, and the theatre community was obsessed with her. When she was cast as Maria in the remake of West Side Story, a slightly bigger audience started to know her name, but it wasn’t until late last year that she became a household name with the release of the now-viral Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes film. She’s known as “the girl who played Lucy Gray” for now, but I know this year will be a big one for Rachel Zegler. How could it not be, now that everyone knows how angelic her voice is?
- Gracie Abrams
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Gracie Abrams may be known for being a ‘nepo baby,’ but her success is undoubtedly her own, with the help of having a mentor like Taylor Swift in her corner. Her songwriting is very reminiscent of Taylor’s, and I’ve seen many people on TikTok and Instagram that agree with me on that, which in my opinion is an indisputable marker that she will be very successful, especially since she is still gaining traction and climbing the charts. I think we should all expect to see a huge upsurge in Gracie’s popularity this year after her run as one of Taylor’s openers on the Eras Tour’s North American leg, especially since she’s set to return to the tour at the end of the year! I was lucky enough to be at the one show where Taylor and Gracie sang together, and that was an amazing moment, because I think all of us in the crowd witnessed the moment that Gracie became a star in the eyes of so many more people than before that night.
- HAIM
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These 3 girls also opened for Taylor and performed with her last year, and though they have been around for several years and put out several albums, we are going to see their renaissance in the same way that we are going to see Gracie’s. HAIM’s album “Women In Music, Part III” was my inspiration for the title of this very article, and I think was the start of their mainstream fame as well, especially when Taylor Swift herself showed up at one of their shows to sing “Gasoline.” Now that the world has been exposed to their talent, it is my opinion that their next album release will be highly anticipated, much more so than before, and I can’t wait for them to get that acknowledgment. I am proud to have been a HAIM fan since before their rise to popularity, but in no way do I want to gatekeep their beauty from everyone else.
- Boygenius and its members
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Some could argue that 2023 was their year, but Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker have set themselves up to have an amazing year with all the success from The Record and from their solo careers. People are starting to deep dive into each member’s solo career, and Phoebe’s popularity also helped contribute to the breakout year they had in 2023. I predict their next album will be announced sometime this year and it will break Spotify in the same way the top artists in the world do when they release new music. People are watching them now, and it doesn’t hurt that “Not Strong Enough” was even included on former President Obama’s summer playlist!
- Chappell Roan
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Chappell Roan is opening for Olivia Rodrigo on the GUTS Tour, which is the PERFECT place for her to be right now. Her music is just so fun and reminiscent of the female artists that have grown exponentially over the last couple years, and I think she’s going to have her moment this year. Her 2023 album “The Rise And Fall of a Midwest Princess” is sure to be all over everyone’s party playlist by the end of the year. Plus, she’s all about being confident in your femininity and sexuality, which is exactly what kind of energy we all need. In a world that wants us to be quiet, Miss Chappell is not afraid to be loud and proud!
- Pinkpantheress
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PinkPantheress blew up very quickly last year when “Boy’s a liar pt. 2” featuring newly-viral Ice Spice was released, and she released the album on which it was featured in November of last year. However, I think what is really going to help her shot toward stardom is being featured on the soundtrack of Barbie. Her song “Angel” was featured on the soundtrack album alongside many other female mega-stars like Charli XCX and Lizzo, and I think we’re going to see a lot from her this year.
- Female Collabs
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I hope I don’t want to eat my words later, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the trend of out-of-this-world collaborations between our favorite artists is going to continue this year. And I think that a lot of less well-known artists are going to gain massive amounts of fans because of it! If we’re talking the specifics, I would love to see Phoebe Bridgers or Boygenius and Ethel Cain, a collab of someone more popular and “Cognitive Dissonance” singer Sophie Holohan (a personal favorite song of mine), Maggie Rogers and Lorde, and of course, Taylor and Sabrina Carpenter or Taylor and Gracie. And speaking of Lorde… something about her social media accounts tells me she’s coming back this year and I can’t wait!
Since it’s still the beginning of the year, I’m just saying, I think everyone should have their eyes on these girls- I think we’ll all be pleasantly surprised. And if you’re looking for new music to add to your rotation this year and/or new female artists to support, look no further!
