When I was in the fifth grade, Hayley Williams was my first major role model. I remember my older sister being a huge Paramore fan and by default, I became a huge fan as well. She was so cool to me with her orange hair, amazing clothes and makeup, not to mention her stellar voice and lyricism. She was so badass; the perfect intimidating, talented and unique woman any girl could look up to at that time.
As I’ve grown older, my love for Hayley Williams has decreased, though I’ll always adore the old albums Paramore had. But now, it seems she’s not as much of a force as she was when I was younger due to the changing trends in music and the growth Paramore has had since its start. With this growth, it has also presented a lack of Hayley Williams-like badass females we can look up to, specifically in the pop-punk/rock/alternative scene. I know there are tons of powerful women out there like Halsey and Demi Lovato, but I honestly haven’t seen a lot come through the genre I love so much, until I discovered PVRIS and its front woman, Lynn Gunn.
Lynn is absolutely phenomenal for so many reasons. I remember the first time I saw PVRIS live in Chicago in 2016 when it opened for Fall Out Boy and I was immediately stoked because she came out on stage with this powerful aura surrounding her. I remember immediately noticing that she had gorgeous long hair with shaved sides, tattoos and a nose ring. She wore all black and looked extremely intimidating, but once the set started and she got comfortable, she wasn’t as scary as her exterior made her seem. Obviously, don’t judge a book by its cover, but it was awesome to me to see this hardcore exterior break down in her performance.
With her entrance and the bandmates that followed her, I realized she was the only female in the band and not only that, she fronted it. The second she began to sing I was blown away by her talent. She has such a strong and gorgeous voice that I immediately fell in love with. I remember watching her play the guitar, walk around the stage grabbing hands, belting out these seemingly impossible notes with ease and just leaving me speechless with her performance.
From that day forward, I was so into PVRIS I listened to every song I could find and watched every music video. Obviously her bandmates are just as awesome as she is, but Lynn is just this drop-dead gorgeous woman with a unique style that I feel like I could never pull off. I love that she shaves her hair, wears dark clothes and has a very intimidating and powerful exterior. She simply looks like a badass woman you don’t want to mess with and I adore that. Not to mention, she’s basically the face of PVRIS and there aren’t too many bands like that right now.
All outer looks aside, Gunn is also a freakin’ phenomenal lyricist and vocalist. PVRIS just dropped its sophomore album last year All We Know of Heaven All We Need of Hell and songs like “Separate,” “Half” and “What’s Wrong” are just so strong lyrically that it makes me wish I had some form of musical gift. Not to mention the songs are a bridge between pop and rock, where she shows her vocal range with super powerful notes along with soft high notes to contrast. With her lyricism, you can really see her passion for the art of music and writing, which is another amazing aspect because she does her own writing. She’s had a hand in the creation of PVRIS and its image throughout its career; it wasn’t a label-made band that wants to shape it into a cookie-cutter masterpiece. Also, PVRIS is the first female-fronted band to sign onto its label, Rise Records. Amazing.
She can sing, but she can also play the guitar, piano and drums, which is so admirable because I’ve always wanted to be a drummer in a band, but never had the resources. I love seeing her behind a drum kit because you just don’t see that too often, as I can only think of two other bands that have a female drummer. She’s also amazing at it, as if she could be any more perfect. I’m starting to wonder if there’s anything she isn’t capable of, which is why she’s such a powerful woman in the industry right now.
Finally, Lynn is openly lesbian and a lot of her songs are referring to female love interests, which is so cool to me because it’s not often artists choose to express their sexuality in their lyrics. It’s becoming more common now with singers like Halsey and Troye Sivan, but it still doesn’t happen often enough and I think it’s admirable to see an artist so open and confident with her sexuality. This also makes her a great person to look up to because she is who she is and she totally owns and expresses it. I absolutely adore how true she is to herself and her art.
I just want to acknowledge how happy I am that there are probably girls in their preteens looking up to her like I did with Hayley Williams when I was their age. Gunn is a force to be reckoned with and young girls will be able to see her and know they too can be a strong female front woman, whether it be in a band or in life. They can lead and show their talents and strengths without fear of who they are and even be intimidating if they wish to be. I think Gunn is the role model we all need, no matter our age because we can all learn something from her. She’s unique, talented, powerful, beautiful and completely herself. If you haven’t listened to PVRIS or at least looked into Lynn and the music her band creates, it’s worth it. She’s phenomenal.