As Women’s History Month wraps up, I wanted to highlight some of the most influential women musicians of the past 50 years or so. These women have not only made an impression on the music industry but they have made active changes and movements for women everywhere. 

Adele

Adele has been one of the most influential musicians over the past decade and a half, her music is very powerful and contains really strong messages about love and failed relationships. Songs like “Rolling in the Deep” and “Set Fire to the Rain” take more frustrated approaches to love while “Easy On Me” and “I Drink Wine” tackle the concepts of love and loss in a lighter, more mournful direction. 

Her singing is truly incredible, her voice is really soulful and powerful, and it is very apparent that Adele puts a lot of emotion into her singing. Also, her song “Skyfall” for the James Bond movie of the same name is one of the best Bond songs. 

Adele is a huge advocate for body positivity, especially for women. 

“I’ve never wanted to look like models on the cover of magazines. I represent the majority of women, and I’m very proud of that,” she said to Time Magazine.

Alicia Keys

Keys has released some of the most recognizable songs for my generation (Gen Z). I remember hearing a bunch of her music in late elementary/middle school. 

“Girl on Fire” and “No One” are two that I remember most distinctly being really popular. Keys has an awesome voice and is an incredible pianist. 

My favorite performance of hers is a mashup of her song “If I Ain’t Got You” and John Mayer’s “Gravity.” The concert took place in Times Square, where Mayer came out mid-song. She was later joined by Jay-Z for “Empire State of Mind,” the concert can be found in clips on YouTube, and I highly recommend checking it out. Her songs “Fallin’” and “My Boo” are two more of her most popular songs. 

Keys has been a huge proponent for women in the music industry going so far as to create the organization “She Is The Music” to empower and safely support women and their music.

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift has been massively popular since her debut album in the mid-2000s. She has recently embarked on her “Eras” tour, which looks like it will shape up to be an incredibly successful tour. 

Swift has undergone quite a big change in her musical style. She started out with a country album, with songs like “Picture To Burn” and “Tim McGraw.” 

Swift became a pop artist pretty quickly, with “Shake It Off” and “Style” being two examples of her pop sensibilities.

Swift has recently been re-recording her catalog after getting the rights to her music back from her manager. These “Taylor’s Versions” have been really popular and are looked forward to by fans.

Swift is a large supporter of sexual assault victims. According to kscopenews.com, she frequently makes donations to organizations that help and support victims of S.A. 

Heart

A classic rock band fronted by women, Heart has written some of the most popular songs of that era, such as “Barracuda” and “Magic Man.” The electric guitar intro in “Magic Man” has an incredible tone, it is one of my favorite guitar sounds from that era of music. 

Personally, I think “Crazy On You” is some of their best work. The guitar riff in the intro of that song is the closest thing to a tongue twister that fingers could have. The coolest thing about Heart for me is that they were founded in Seattle, where I am from. 

Heart includes some powerful messages about being a woman in their songs, especially in the song “Never,” with the lyric “Anything you want we can make it happen, stand up and turn around, never let them shoot us down.” 

Beyonce 

Beyonce is in pretty elite company. She is one of the few artists who is commonly known by one name rather than their first and last. 

Beyonce has an almost countless amount of widely known songs, some of my favorites are “CUFF IT” and “Halo.” She also has a lot of songs that are about women’s empowerment, which I think is awesome, including “Run The World (Girls)” and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It).” 

Beyonce has been a staple of pop music for the past two decades and it is hard to find a party playlist that does not include a song by Beyonce. As evident in the titles of “Run The World (Girls)” and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It),” Queen Bey is all about inspiring women and making sure women’s voices are heard and respected. 

There are countless women doing amazing and inspirational things all around the world, these musicians are not the limit they are simply the start. Women in the music industry can continue to pave the way for new and aspiring artists to have a safe place in the community.