Female anthems have always been popular in the music world, especially since the ‘90s. There is something so empowering about female artists creating songs and art that can be relatable to any woman, whether they be break-up songs or ones that promote and highlight being a single woman. When thinking of female anthems, the ones that come most to mind are almost always sung by Beyonce, like “Single Ladies” or “Run the World,” or Rihanna. In the past couple years, several new female artists have emerged and dominated the scene, breaking new records and making new empowering music. For instance, Cardi B killed it this year with her hit single “Bodak Yellow” that made many women feel powerful.
However, here are a few underrated and recent female empowering albums of the year:
DUA LIPA, Dua Lipa
Released in June 2017, Dua’s self-titled album discusses many topics from love to self-image and empowerment. Her most notable single is “New Rules,” which revolves around how to stay strong after a break-up; though upbeat, it is still highly empowering and motivating. I heard Dua Lipa for the first time this summer and have been in love with her music ever since. “Blow Your Mind (Mwah),” another hit song of hers, may be the most self-empowering one. Even in her music video for that song, she is surrounded by other girls, and at one point they are holding signs, one of them reading “Dua for President,” which is such a powerful image for a female.
2. Southern Girl City Lights, Jessie James Decker
Though I am not a big fan of country music, Jessie’s music is so empowering and catchy that I instantly fell in love when my friend introduced me to her. The album was released early last month and went immediately to the top of the country charts. One song in particular, “Pretty Girl,” though originally written for her young daughter, is extremely touching and uplifting. In the song, Jessie recalls when people would pick on her and make her feel insecure, then acknowledges “I realized I was good enough, and they were wrong.” At one point the bridge and chorus of the song come together and truly make for a beautiful listening experience.
3. Rainbow, Kesha
Making a strong and powerful return to music, Kesha released this album in August, filled with many empowering ballads, most known “Praying.” Coming back from her struggle with her music agency and the lawsuit she filed for sexual assault against Dr. Luke, Kesha’s new set of songs are so liberating. In one song, “Woman,” one can immediately feel empowered listening to her strong voice, “I don’t need a man to be holding me too tight.”
4. Ctrl, SZA
The first time I heard of SZA was when I watched her perform on Jimmy Fallon along with Travis Scott, her hit song “Love Galore.” I find her sound to be truly unique compared to other artists. In many of her songs, she incorporates real recordings from people at the end. SZA isn’t afraid to be honest in her music even if it can be explicit most of the times. “Love Galore” ends with one of those audio recordings saying, “if you don’t say something, speak up for yourself, they think you stupid.”
5. About Time, Sabrina Claudio
Though this is technically a mixtape, Sabrina is definitely an underrated female artist. I had not even heard of her until my friend told me about how she loved her music. This mixtape was released in October. Her sound is very raw, while also peaceful and serene. She incorporates many types of genres into her work such as electronic and jazz, while also slowing her songs down. I definitely recommend giving her a listen, her music is available on Spotify, because she truly deserves the audience.