In honor of Women’s History Month approaching, I wanted to create a playlist of songs entirely from female artists. While some of my favorite bands have female leads or a majority of its members who identify as female, I instead wanted to choose songs that were from solo female artists. In no particular order, create a playlist with me.
1. “Traitor” – Olivia Rodrigo
As a true fan, it was hard for me to pick just one song from her debut album Sour, but I think if I HAD to choose, “traitor” is always one I come back to. While sad and heart-wrenching, the beautiful silky vocals inspire a scream in your car session, crying session, or can even be background music while doing homework or simply just appreciating Rodrigo’s vocals and songwriting. “traitor” is really just an incredible song on a multitude of levels.
2. “Luka” – Suzanne Vega
While the meaning of this song may not match the catchy upbeat tempo, the song in itself is deserving of high praise and appreciation. The 1987 tune still lives on to be a great song to add to your playlist in 2022.
3. “Ecstatic Appeal” – Jemina Pearl
As a child, Pearl was a woman and person I looked up to and her songs were frequently added to my IPods and played on the way to elementary school. After being the frontrunner of rock band Be Your Own Pet, Pearls’ debut solo album Break it Up featured this track. Before co-star and astrology TikTok took the world by storm, Pearl was singing about Gemini season back in 2009.
4. “Graceland Too” / “Waiting room” – Phoebe Bridgers
More sad music, yay! To be honest, I couldn’t decide which Phoebe Bridgers song to pick. “Graceland Too” means a lot to me and will always be a frequent listen. “Waiting Room” is a sneaky Bridgers song in my opinion that you don’t hear much about in relation to songs from Punisher, or Stranger in the Alps but deserves to be in the same conversation.
5. “Ex-Factor”- Lauryn Hill
I don’t know why I would ever have to argue or explain why Lauryn Hill is deserving of being on every playlist, especially any female artist-based one.
6. “Avant Gardener” – Courtney Barnett
This song was my first introduction to Barnett and quite a great one. I used to jam out with my dad from the backseat to this song anytime Jenny Eliscu (Jenny LSQ) played it on Siriusxm. Now, Barnett’s new and old work, in addition to stuff with Kurt Vile, floods my Spotify playlists. For nostalgic purposes I selected “Avant Gardener.”
7. “Softly” – Clairo
I am a huge Clairo fan and I love her new album but nothing beats Immunity, in my opinion. “Sofia,” “Alewife,” or “Bags” could all make this list. Not sure if this is a popular take or not but nothing beats “Softly” in my humble opinion.
8. “California” – Joni Mitchell
Apple Music users, you are in luck with this one. And similar to Lauryn Hill, Joni Mitchell needs no explanation.
9. “Talia” – King Princess
King Princess has some stellar tracks across recent years but one that I think doesn’t get talked about enough is “Talia.” A bit faster than her big hit “1950,” “Talia” is the perfect song to get ready to, walk to, or drive with.
10. “No chill” – Abra
This song has remained a staple for me over the last few years. Abra writes and produces all of her own music which is the epitome of this article. A Fader article wrote, “singer, songwriter and producer from Atlanta, she exemplifies what it can look like to be a carefree Black girl in 2016. Remember, carefree doesn’t mean careless — Abra is simply doing, dressing, and saying exactly what she wants.”
To celebrate Women’s History Month and support all these iconic female artists, make sure you add some of these songs to your playlists. Whether its cooking, walking to school, dancing, running, or driving in the car, a lot of these songs can match whatever vibe you are looking for!
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