Love and admire this piece but found it difficult to push through to find this out because of your use of the term female-fronted. Do we say the male-fronted Cold Play, the male-fronted The Fall? I use women and non-binary and when talking about vocals which are linked to biology I might use the word female.
Thanks so much for reading and commenting. I don't know if you are a subscriber or, in particular, whether you had read the preceding weekend article, but in looking at your profile I can understand where your comment comes from. Terminology is important; it also changes over time, and sometimes terminologies intertwine and can be alternated.
The central premise of my previous weekend's article about four acts from four different countries was this: "The music that most excited me in 2024 was all female-fronted, much of it entirely female-performed, it was feisty and it was fun. It was generally loud and rebellious, much of it non-hetero, and most of it delivered with a glorious couple of fingers raised to respectable and conventional society, which often meant menfolk-at-large." Therefore, making a point of them being female-fronted couldn't be left on the sidewalk, it was the point I wanted to make.
I checked on the artists I wrote about for that article and as far as I could ascertain, none identify as non-binary so I used the term female/girls. (Same with Chappell and Olivia. We know Chappell self-identifies as "queer" and I used that frequently in this particular article.) As someone who has been involved in music since the 1970s I have seen a sea shift in how we perceive gender within music and I incredibly glad about it. I have also JUST finished a season of working with young music students on a show entitled "70s Sirens" and made the point in the program that while all the lead vocalists on the original 24-song setlist were female and some of the songs also written by those singers, the people playing in the studio were almost exclusively male because of BS sexist assumptions and patriarchy. My students, in 2024/25 were almost entirely female, playing an equally dominant number of the instruments in the show; several were 10 years old or younger. I love this. Similarly, Chappell Roan (especially), Olivia Rodrigo, Laufey and many more choosing (almost) entirely female playing members in their groups is also a profound statement that deserves celebrating.
I hope that helps clarify things. Thanks again for the comment.
Couldn’t agree more - I think she’s the best pop star to come along in an absolute age. And when my kids switch from Taylor to Roan on the stereo I feel a different electricity kick in. She was my youngest’s pick of 2024 for my end of year show.
Glad to hear that Frankie. I determined to make this article NOT about Taylor as she takes up so much of the pop atmosphere's oxygen as is, but on that note, I couldn't agree more with YOU! I thought I listened through to your end-of-year show, but maybe not the whole way or hard enough: what song did your youngest pick by Chappell? And is that, just out of curiosity, a son or daughter that rates her so highly?
I have 2 girl swifties with the youngest (7) leaning more as a Chappel Acolyte - Hot To Go is the big one for her with the added appeal of the dance routine baked in. My older girl (10) seems to be sticking out her loyalty to Taylor - although is a big Dua Lipa fan too.
Thanks for elaborating... I would love to know more about how you guide your 7-year-old through the more explicit of Chappell's lyrics and constructs (even if she plays the non-expletive version). But of course HOT TO GO! (to title it as emphatically as Chappell does) is just pure fun, which is why I ended my lengthy fan letter accordingly. Cheers!
Y’ know - we’ve operated with an umbrella chat for all pop and rock that there’s gonna be songs about grown up stuff and songs with rude words etc (even in Swifts stuff can u be-lieve it!) - if we get specific questions just try to keep it simple.
That said even tho I think Ruth would love the Lambrini Girls, I’m gonna hold that one back for a bit 😅
Oh yeah, I started in on "Who Let The Dogs Out" and it is fierce! And full of effing f-words. And perhaps, unless you are an angry teen, best absorbed in doses! And I agree, the best rule for parenting is not to treat your kids too much like kids, and have the most adult conversation possible whenever difficult subjects come up.
I've been spending time with people covering her songs like this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtA66H5WwP0.
Love and admire this piece but found it difficult to push through to find this out because of your use of the term female-fronted. Do we say the male-fronted Cold Play, the male-fronted The Fall? I use women and non-binary and when talking about vocals which are linked to biology I might use the word female.
Hi Ngaire,
Thanks so much for reading and commenting. I don't know if you are a subscriber or, in particular, whether you had read the preceding weekend article, but in looking at your profile I can understand where your comment comes from. Terminology is important; it also changes over time, and sometimes terminologies intertwine and can be alternated.
The central premise of my previous weekend's article about four acts from four different countries was this: "The music that most excited me in 2024 was all female-fronted, much of it entirely female-performed, it was feisty and it was fun. It was generally loud and rebellious, much of it non-hetero, and most of it delivered with a glorious couple of fingers raised to respectable and conventional society, which often meant menfolk-at-large." Therefore, making a point of them being female-fronted couldn't be left on the sidewalk, it was the point I wanted to make.
I checked on the artists I wrote about for that article and as far as I could ascertain, none identify as non-binary so I used the term female/girls. (Same with Chappell and Olivia. We know Chappell self-identifies as "queer" and I used that frequently in this particular article.) As someone who has been involved in music since the 1970s I have seen a sea shift in how we perceive gender within music and I incredibly glad about it. I have also JUST finished a season of working with young music students on a show entitled "70s Sirens" and made the point in the program that while all the lead vocalists on the original 24-song setlist were female and some of the songs also written by those singers, the people playing in the studio were almost exclusively male because of BS sexist assumptions and patriarchy. My students, in 2024/25 were almost entirely female, playing an equally dominant number of the instruments in the show; several were 10 years old or younger. I love this. Similarly, Chappell Roan (especially), Olivia Rodrigo, Laufey and many more choosing (almost) entirely female playing members in their groups is also a profound statement that deserves celebrating.
I hope that helps clarify things. Thanks again for the comment.
Tony
Yep. Totally agree. Def has the vibe and chops.
Couldn’t agree more - I think she’s the best pop star to come along in an absolute age. And when my kids switch from Taylor to Roan on the stereo I feel a different electricity kick in. She was my youngest’s pick of 2024 for my end of year show.
Glad to hear that Frankie. I determined to make this article NOT about Taylor as she takes up so much of the pop atmosphere's oxygen as is, but on that note, I couldn't agree more with YOU! I thought I listened through to your end-of-year show, but maybe not the whole way or hard enough: what song did your youngest pick by Chappell? And is that, just out of curiosity, a son or daughter that rates her so highly?
I have 2 girl swifties with the youngest (7) leaning more as a Chappel Acolyte - Hot To Go is the big one for her with the added appeal of the dance routine baked in. My older girl (10) seems to be sticking out her loyalty to Taylor - although is a big Dua Lipa fan too.
Thanks for elaborating... I would love to know more about how you guide your 7-year-old through the more explicit of Chappell's lyrics and constructs (even if she plays the non-expletive version). But of course HOT TO GO! (to title it as emphatically as Chappell does) is just pure fun, which is why I ended my lengthy fan letter accordingly. Cheers!
Y’ know - we’ve operated with an umbrella chat for all pop and rock that there’s gonna be songs about grown up stuff and songs with rude words etc (even in Swifts stuff can u be-lieve it!) - if we get specific questions just try to keep it simple.
That said even tho I think Ruth would love the Lambrini Girls, I’m gonna hold that one back for a bit 😅
Oh yeah, I started in on "Who Let The Dogs Out" and it is fierce! And full of effing f-words. And perhaps, unless you are an angry teen, best absorbed in doses! And I agree, the best rule for parenting is not to treat your kids too much like kids, and have the most adult conversation possible whenever difficult subjects come up.