2015 was the year for female artists in every genre, from pop to country. Here’s how our favorite songstresses totally dominated:
1. Adele hit the scene with a new album
We don’t even have to say much, because everyone was buzzing about Adele in 2015. Her record 25 has spent 5 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and total sales for the album now exceed 5 million. “Hello” was also the first song to ever sell 1 million downloads in the first week of its release.
2. Taylor Swift’s 1989 continues to slay
Despite being released in 2014, 1989 was the best-selling album of 2015 before Adele’s 25, making it a great year for Taylor. Taylor also made No. 1 on DoSomething.org’s Celebs Gone Good list for the fourth year in a row. This year, she donated $50,000 to a young girl who had to miss her show due to leukemia treatments.
3. Fifth Harmony Wins Group of the Year
Fifth Harmony was hot this year, that’s for certain. They received the Group of the Year honor at Billboard Women in Music 2015 ceremony. Not to mention the girl power in “Worth It” is strong, and hit No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
4. Rachel Platten is 2015’s breakout star
“Fight Song” cemented Rachel Platten as a breakout star in 2015, an anthem that boasts female power in every lyric. The song peaked the top 10 in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. Platten’s debut album, Wildfire, comes out on January 1, and then she’ll be going out for her first headlining tour.
5. Pitch Perfect 2
The aca-awesome Bellas were back in Pitch Perfect 2, which made $69.2 million in the final box office numbers. After the film, Hailee Steinfeld (who plays Emily) also came into her own as a female musician with her single “Love Myself.”
6. Demi Lovato wins the Rulebreaker Award
In 2015, Demi released “Cool for the Summer,” and also accepted Billboard’s Rulebreaker award at the Women in Music 2015. Her inspiring acceptance speech touched on girl power, grade school bullies, and how that plays into who she is as a person and a musician.
7. Women in Music was broadcast on TV
Speaking of the ceremony, for the first time in history, Women in Music was broadcast on television in 2015. Let’s hope this is a part of a trend for more media coverage of women’s awards in the upcoming year!
8. Missy Elliot wins Innovator of the Year
At the Women in Music event, Missy Elliot was also awarded the Innovator of the Year award, and used her speech to empower all women to continue to be creative.
This year was a strong one for female music artists, with Lady Gaga also named as Woman of the Year by Billboard, and accolades given to Selena Gomez, Loretta Lynn, Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes, Tori Kelly and Kelsea Ballerini, along with 50 female music executives. Let’s keep this momentum going into the new year!