Suki Waterhouse
I first discovered Suki Waterhouse from one of my favourite shows, Daisy Jones and the Six, where she played one of the main characters in the show’s band. After finishing the show, I did what any normal person would do and stalked all of the cast members. I discovered that Suki made music in real life and was a very successful female artist, not to mention her live performances look amazing! You may recognize her song “Good Looking” as it was trending on TikTok for a while. If you liked that song and are looking for other good recommendations, her songs Moves, To Love, and Johanna are also very good.
Ethel Cain
Every one of Ethel’s albums tells her audience a powerful story about someone’s life, sometimes set from teenage years to death. Her songs are incredibly empowering and great to scream along with. Many of her monologues are representations of Ethel’s story introducing her troubled relationship with her family, religion and past experiences. A few of my favourite songs are Family Tree, Strangers, and Crush.
Florence + The Machine
Florence + The Machine’s music discography is a great representation of empowering female rage. Florence expresses the feelings of anger perfectly through lyrics, beat drops and performances. Whenever I listen to their music, I feel powerful. Florence makes me want to become a musician (although I seriously can’t sing). A few of my favourite songs are “Dream Girl Evil”, “Girl With One Eye”, and “You’ve Got The Love”.
Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks is the first woman to be inducted twice into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Whether she plays solo or with Fleetwood Mac, her international success is largely attributed to her empowering songwriting and stage performance. She writes about love, heartbreak and coming-of-age experiences. Plus, she’s just fabulous. Please check her out!
Willow Avalon
I first discovered Willow Avalon on TikTok where she posts music-related content in hopes of building her platform. She’s an inspiring young artist whose main music style is country. Willow’s music is the reason I took an interest in country music. Her empowering lyrics and relatable words are truly inspiring and I think everyone should listen to her, whether you’re a country fan or not. She recently came out with a new album called Gettin’ Rich, Goin’ Broke. I highly suggest you check her out! It’s great to support smaller music artists.
Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple showcases the struggles of female artists and how they never get the same recognition that men do. Her song Paper Bag perfectly explains feelings that I’ve had that I was never able to put into words before. Her empowering lyrics and wise advice make her seem like an older sister. Her music is great and captivating and she just seems like a really genuine and inspiring person.
Some other people that I’d recommend are Boygenius, The Beaches, Muna, Renee Rapp, Mitski and Lana Del Rey.
I hope you enjoy some of the songs I recommended and find these female artists as empowering as I do!