Are we there yet?
Female and LGBTQ+ representation and leadership in music
Take a look at any random new music playlist from your favorite source and there’s a good chance that a majority of it is written, performed and/or fronted by someone other than a cisgendered, straight, white male. And while this is completely my opinion, I’d bet that the real standouts on the list are also women and/or LGBTQ+ musicians. It’s no secret that adversity is the fuel of greatness, and let’s face it, if you’re a woman or LGBTQ+ person in the music industry, you’ve seen your share of it. But as Alice Walker said, You can’t keep a good woman down, and in this case I think queer applies as well. Coming out and announcing to the world who you really are is in itself a form of rebellion in our (still) heteronormative world, so it tracks that this demographic also has something more to say, whether it’s through art, literature, or for the sake of this Subby, music. Disclaimer: I am by no means saying that the struggles are equivalent across these groups, but the end result is in many cases the same - Great art.
Patti Smith - Privilege (Set Me Free) - 1979 - Capitol Theatre , Passaic
The feminist punk movement can be traced back to the 1970’s with artists like
, Poly Styrene, Wendy O. Williams, The Slits, and a bevy of ambitious female artists that railed against establishment norms and showed the world what women were capable of. So many more artists continued to carry that torch forward, including Kim Gordon, PJ Harvey, Bikini Kill, Courtney Love, Thalia Zedek, Liz Phair, L7, Babes in Toyland, and on and on. In other words, this is not news. What is noteworthy is the nature of the movements and their messages across the decades. By sheer numbers there is of course still probably more music-as-protest out there now than there was in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, but what there is definitely also more of now is a general sense of belonging that I believe is part of a coming of age story not only of the artists themselves, but of society as a whole. Again, this is a generalization and not meant to diminish the very real and present struggles faced by women and LGBTQ+ artists. They no doubt continue.Heavens to Betsy, Nothing Can Stop Me - Calculated (1994 - Kill Rock Stars)
From within the feminist punk movement, Riot Grrrl was born, giving a name to the evolution of the inevitable groundswell of creativity and angst that naturally arise from patriarchal oppression. An earlier movement that is ultimately more than adjacent to Riot Grrrl was Queercore (nee Homocore), that addressed similar themes of protest against societal “norms” and expectations. While the players don’t all intersect, some do, and their individual evolutions sometimes transcended what these movements represented (thereby ultimately changing the movements themselves). There were undoubtedly growing pains from within with regard to subjects such as homonormativity and complacency that I am by no means qualified to untangle, so I encourage the reader to explore these themes if they interest you (they’re totally relevant but would likely be TL;DR if I even attempted to decipher them here. Check out Carrie Brownstein for a primer). A short list of important Riot Grrrl and Queercore bands not already named includes Heavens to Betsy, Bratmobile, Excuse 17, Jack Off Jill, Sleater-Kinney, Le Tigre, God is my Copilot, Pussy Riot, and a number of adjacent ally punk bands such as The Apostles, MDC and 7 Seconds.
Le Tigre, My My Metrocard - Le Tigre (1999 Wiiija Records Ltd.)
It is because of these pioneers that the way was paved, brick by excruciating brick, for the artists that followed, and this continues to the present day. Having said that, I’d like to think that the answer to the titular question I posed is that we are there, or at least we’re across the moat and on the property. It is also true that complacency kills, so I believe there is and will always be room for protest and growth, but from where I sit it looks like we’ve hit at least a moderate benchmark of inclusivity. The content presently being written, released and performed by historically (and unfortunately still, by some) marginalized groups feels to me to be coming more from a position of authority and belonging, perhaps a little less motivated by the previous (and completely necessary) call to arms, with more space to be written from a place of acknowledgement, or at least not having to punch up so much. It has always been harder for women and LGBTQ+ artists to break through, be heard, and succeed, let’s be frank, but maybe just maybe we’re self-aware enough as a society that we’ve let go of some of the trappings of misogyny and exclusion and we (mostly) finally see ourselves as one?
“Gatekeepers and gatekeeping demographics have opened the door a little bit more in the cultural zeitgeist… There have always been A LOT of LGBTQ and women artists who just weren’t allowed to break through or to have their voices heard.” ~Carolina Chauffe (Hemlock/
)Perhaps part of what I see as a current movement can be attributed to the generations themselves. Opinion: Although the pioneers of the feminist punk movement were mostly Boomers, it’s been a steep learning curve across Gen X, with Millenials and Gen Z being mostly responsible for the current enlightenment of consciousness, at least as consumers and gatekeepers. Sorry Boomers and Gen X’ers, it’s not personal (I’m Gen X btw).
As I’ve stated before, I’m no expert music critic, I’m just an avid listener, always looking for the next new (to me) thing. Sometimes I’m on the train early and sometimes I’m behind the curve… That’s life. Luckily, throughout mine, I’ve had people with adventurous taste and access to a wide variety of music, and I’d like to thank them all for continually turning me on (That includes a good number of you Substackers too!). I’ve gone through peaks and valleys, embarrassments of riches and super dry spells, but on the whole I’ve been exposed to a huge and ever expanding catalog of cool shit, and that doesn’t seem to be stopping.
The impetus for writing this particular piece is that this most recent wave of music that I’m currently in the thick of discovering is quite conspicuously the work of female or female fronted and LGBTQ+ and adjacent/ally artists. Here’s a list of them in no particular order, several of whom you can read about in my previous Substacks:
Devon Ross
Margaux
Caroline Rose
Soccer Mommy
Hemlock
Lily Seabird
Loma
Packs
Hello Mary
Finom
Spoon Benders
Subsonic Eye
Bully
Momma
Astrid Sonne
Amyl and the Sniffers
Feeble Little Horse
Big Thief
Thus Love
Adriana McCassim
Tanukichan
Wednesday
Catmilk
Courtney Barnett
Meg Elsier
Sister.
H. Pruz
Mei Simones
Boo Boo Spoiler
Nilüfer Yanya
Rong (both)
Allegra Krieger
Julie
Robber Robber
Budge
Florist
Snail Mail
Squirrel Flower
Merce Lemon
Hammydown
Mannequin Pussy
Kairos Creature Club
Discovery Zone
Vega
Mingko
Slark Moan
Prewn
Florry
Liz Cooper
Julie Odell
A good majority of these artists and bands are currently or within just the past few years hitting their collective strides… If this is by any means a barometer for the music industry at large, it looks to me to have all the makings of another significant movement. History will tell, but in the meantime open up a playlist and let me know what you find!
Very happy to see this, especially as we communicated about my own contribution to the subject. So much more music for me to discover. Thank you Thomas!