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Female Alternative Musicians to Check Out (If you Haven’t Already)

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Denison chapter.

I love music so, so, unbelievably much. Almost more than my family, in fact! (Almost). So when I have the opportunity to share songs I’ve discovered, or to shove my music taste in other people’s faces, I do it. Here’s an opportunity!

My music library is my lifeline, but it does have its flaws. Admittedly, it’s not very diverse. About 95% of my music is sung by male singers, and 90% of that 95% is white male singers, most of them heterosexual cismen. There’s a lack of non-white singers in the alternative music scene, and alternative music (which is the big “umbrella” over sub-genres like alt-rock, alt-indie, indie, etc) is my favorite genre overall, so I mostly only have white male singers to listen to. But there are female alternative musicians out there, of course! If your music library lacks a little girl power, here are ten female artists within the alternative genre that are worth checking out. 

1. girl in red

A queer artist from Norway who specializes in bedroom pop. She writes and produces all her music herself. Favorite song: “say anything”.

2. Snailmail Alt-rock at some of its best, her album “Lush” topped a lot of critics’ lists last year. Favorite song: “Heatwave”.

3. Zeph

An Asian-American and Instagram-famous teen, she’s so far only released one full song, called “Forever & Always”. It’s lovely, delicate, and very aesthetic. Fun fact: She’s dating Chris from the “Chris! Is that a weed?” Vine.

4. Fenne Lily

I’ll be honest, I haven’t listened to a lot of Fenne Lily, but I adore her song “For a While”. It helped me get me through some rough times last semester. 

5. soccer mommy

An alt-rock badass whose music and melodies are always impressive. Favorite song: “Your Dog”.

6. Jay Som

A Filipina-American dream-pop artist with an almost ethereal voice. Favorite song: “Peach Boy”.

7. Phoebe Bridgers

A mellower alt-rocker with some amazing lyrics. Favorite song: “Motion Sickness”, which somehow gives me The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants vibes. It seems like a song any of them could relate to, except maybe Tibby. Maybe including Tibby too. I don’t know.

8. BANKS

A very powerful siren singer who will empower you and make you feel like a bad b*tch. Favorite song: “Gimme”.

9. Donna Missal

Another siren singer! Also powerful! Favorite song: “Keep Lying”

10. Lunar Vacation (it’s a coed band, but the lead singer is female and many of their songs are from/about a girl’s perspective)

Very indie! Almost beach pop! Maybe actually beach pop? Maybe actually alt-rock? Sometimes it’s hard to tell, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that their music is amazing. Favorite song: “Blue Honey”.

 

So there you have it! I promise you they’re all worth looking up. Happy listening!

 

Hey there! I'm a Creative Writing major/aspiring scriptwriter from outside of Boston. I love to write, travel, listen to music, go to concerts, and nap. I still don't know what my spirit animal is.
Claire is a Cleveland native in her fourth & final year at Denison University and is excited to continue her role as the Co-President for the Denison chapter! While she studies Spanish and Political Science, she loves to write in her spare time. She wants to emphasize topics that she is passionate about, spread positivity and optimism in the world, and connect with people through her writing. When she isn't writing or studying, you can find Claire spending time with her family and friends, staying active, enjoying the outdoors, or listening to music.