Who runs the world? Girls. Well in 2019, girls sure did run the music industry and broke all the charts. For many of us, 2019 has been a year of change and growth, whether that was personally, professionally, culturally or politically. Music, however, remains that one constant. Music is the one common love that millions of different people can come together and share their passion for a piece of art. I have noticed that every single year through all my highs and lows, music is the one thing that keeps me happy, alive and sane. It is amazing to look back on each year as they pass and reflect on the music that came out that brought you such joy and euphoria during your happiest times or was your saving grace during your darkest times. As we enter an entirely new decade, there is so much good music from all musical genres to look forward to. But as we close out 2019 and look onward to the next, it is important to be present and appreciate all the music we were blessed with this year, specifically from some of the most influential, strong and talented female artists in music. There’s been enchantment in this year’s saddest albums, and there’s been heartache in its most exhilarated ones. I have cried, smiled, sang my heart out and danced to all of these albums and hope you have had the chance to do the same and if not, you should have a listen.
1. Ariana Grande, “Thank U Next”
Needless to say, this entire album is simply excellent. In the midst of heartbreak and trauma, such as losing her ex-boyfriend to an overdose, another messy public breakup, and the anxiety from the Manchester bombing, Ariana Grande managed to pull off her most raw, vulnerable and mature album yet. Her songs are based on romantic relationships, but more so she has finally tapped into her self worth as an artist and wrote songs about self-love, being independent and gave us compelling song lyrics about this new era of her life. “Thank u next” and “7 rings” were the hit smashes of the album, as they are positive, upbeat, fun, girly and liberating. However, she belts out pureness and honesty in other songs like “Fake smile” and “Ghostin”, singing about anxiety and struggles with fame and loss of true love. Every song on this album tells a story and will make you both a happy and sad type of emotional. Thank u next is only a preview of the best Ariana to come.
2. Taylor Swift, “Lover”
The queen herself and the artist of the DECADE has outdone herself again. T swift tends to get a lot of hate, but her talent, ability to switch up styles and her captivating song lyrics are nothing short of admirable. Taylor has been one of my favorite artists since I was 12 years old singing and twirling around my room to her first album. She continues to shine and tell a new story about love through each album she shares. This year was groundbreaking for Taylor’s career, as she parted from her old record label company and branched off to create her new album “Lover”. As she fought in the public eye against her old label for the rights to her previous 6 albums, she was attacked in the media and portrayed as the “bad guy”, all for wanting to own her masters and have the right to perform them. Taylor has continuously fought for her rights to her music and the music of other independent artists over the past year. After remaining quiet for some time, Taylor Swift released “Lover” with such class, grace, and poise. This album is a beautiful masterpiece, filled with lots of love, strength, and hope. She fills the album with romantic, fluttery and fairytale songs such as “Lover”, “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Price” and “Cruel Summer. The rest of the album contains songs that fire back at the media and power-hungry men who try to sabotage others, such as ‘The Man” and “You Need To Calm Down”, and of course a touching and beautiful song dedicated to her mother battling breast cancer, called “Soon You’ll Get Better”. One lyric that stood out to me in her song Daylight, she sings “ I once believed love would be black and white…I once believed love would be burning red, but it’s golden”, you can tell Taylor has grown wiser and very much happy and secure with her lover and her life. Overall, the album is fun, vibrant, light-hearted and full of magic and love. I am excited to see what she comes up with next.
3. Billie Eilish, “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?”
Billie Eilish has earned herself a breakthrough, life-changing career in 2019 and I am here to clap for her success. She has recently been named the top streamed album of 2019 and won new artist of the year at the 2019 American Music Awards. She is known for her unique, spunky, unexplainable personality but mature and beautiful lyrics. This album is a perfect mix between sad and happy vibes. Billie draws in so many listeners and fans because she sings about very real and personal topics, such as giving your all to receive nothing, the fear of losing someone to drugs, suicide, and being scared of being in love. Some of the songs are upbeat and bass-heavy such as “Bad Guy” and “My Strange Addiction”, but then darker but softer songs such as “bury a friend”, “wish you were gay” and “I love you”. Her work is very special art and her brilliance is unmatched and obvious, and only being 17, we can expect a bunch of more music from her in 2020 and beyond.
4. Summer Walker, “Over It”
This female artist and album deserve a whole lot of love and recognition. Summer Walker is a newer R&B artist who came into light this year with her sultry, sexy, and authentic album called “Over It”. Summer is very open and honest about her social anxiety, which causes her to be extremely nervous to perform, which is very respectable for an artist to still perform with their struggles and judgment from the public on the side. After her hit remix “Girls Need Love” featuring Drake, many fans anticipated this album, and it was not a disappointment. These tracks will have you wanting to get drunk and call your ex, cry on the bathroom floor while cursing off all relationships, yet feel like the ultimate bad b*tch that is fierce and doesn’t need a man at all. Each song conveys an emotion that feels beautiful yet toxic and super relatable. She opens up the album with the first lyric, “Am I really that much to handle?” and you can hear the frustration she’s feeling from her relationships. She samples a couple of 90’s R&B hits including Usher’s “You Make Me Wanna” which features Usher on the song “Come thru”. The album also has some of the best and talented R&B artists such as Jhene Aiko, Bryson Tiller, and 6lack. One of my favorite tracks is “Fun Girl” which she sings about the distorted image women have of themselves because of how men treat them. Relationships can be messy and heartbreaking, and Summer delivers a packed album full of all the ups and downs of life and relationships.
(Photo Credit from Facebook)
5. Miranda Lambert, “Wildcard”
Switching genres up a bit more, let’s talk about this loud, crazy, rocking country artist, Miranda Lambert. This album fits perfectly with its title “Wildcard” as Miranda throws a bunch of curveballs such as humor, high spirits, variety of music styles and catchy sayings throughout the entire album. She always has been one of a kind and not answering to anyone is nothing new on her 7th album. “Put that sucker on spin” is a lyric she belts out on “It All Comes Out In The Wash” that will be sure to be stuck in your head for days. Miranda keeps her wit and charm on every track as she sings about how it is okay to make mistakes, laugh at yourself and embarrass yourself in front of others. “Life’s pretty weird, life’s pretty great” she sings on “Pretty Bitchin”, and as I listened to this album I just wanted to go dancing and drink a beer. Miranda has always been a stand out in country music and has always been a rock star, so we can only expect more rebellion and experimenting with her new music to come.