What does it mean to be a woman in 2020? In honor of International Women's Day, some of your favorite artists are getting candid about female empowerment, being a woman in the music industry, the female icons that inspire them, and more. Women across all genres of music, including Dua Lipa, Maren Morris, Jessie Reyez, Lindsay Ell, Sofia Carson, JoJo, and others spoke exclusively to iHeartRadio to share how they have witnessed females rise above and be strong, powerful role models.
The music industry has changed a lot over the years, but especially over the last year or two, the spotlight has been shown on particular hurdles that women have overcome and made sure that they have "stepped up." Dua Lipa says, "We've overcome so much. I think women in the music industry ... I think, in itself we've managed to step it up. We've managed to be heard. We are taking no prisoners and it's just amazing to see so much female power in the music industry."
JoJo tells us that she believes the objectification of women has declined, because women are much more in control than in the past. She says, "Women have come so far in the music industry from, I would say being far more objectified in the past than we are now. I think that we are much more in control and have more agency over how we represent ourselves, who we're dressing for, who we're entertaining. And me, personally, I've gotten to a place where ... and it's so much fun, because I do how I dress, how I feel cool. It's not about how label executives are gonna see me and if they wanna screw me or, you know mean? This is a real thought that a lot of women have. Like, am I appealing to men? And we're not in that place anymore. 2020 I think is an amazing time to be a woman, and we're never going backwards. We're only going forwards, we're only owning more and it's not only about owning our bodies and the way that we represent ourselves, but it's owning our work and our creativity, and having a seat at the table."
Meanwhile, in Nashville, Lindsay Ell explained how women in the country music community are supportive of one another. She explains, "I love Nashville, Tennessee so much because I feel like as a country music family, the women in this town band together, and we really support one another. We lift each other up. It's a place and a community unlike any other in the world."
From an artist perspective, having your music played on the radio is extremely important for your career. And for Dua Lipa, having her music played on the radio for the first time was truly special, as BBC Radio 1's Annie Mac was the DJ to do it. She tells us, "I grew up going to school and listening to the radio and being inspired by some of my favorite female pop artists that have allowed me to dream this big, and have allowed me to feel like I too, maybe one day, could be on the radio. The first time I ever got played on the radio was in London, and Annie Mac played it and she's such a strong female, like, artist and presenter and it was really cool to have her play one of my songs first. Because I really felt like I got that stamp of validation from a really cool woman who's a cool female, and get that stamp of validation from a really cool woman."
Throughout history, there have been many female trailblazers, especially in music, and its helped to inspire today's singers, songwriters and producers. Maren Morris explains how much she looks up to country music icon Dolly Parton, "Someone I look up to is Dolly Parton, because I have gotten the pleasure to perform with her and get to know her over the last year, and she is just everything that you want her to be and more."
And for fellow country star Lindsay Ell, she named Reba McEntire as another "queen of country music," but also called out newer artists like Morris and Kelsea Ballerini as inspirational talent. "I look up to a lot of women. In our country music family, I mean, we can look up to the ultimate queen, like Reba. I think all of us are inspired by Reba's work ethic. Even at this level of her career, she still does it all. She sings, she acts, she's just the queen of country music and it's amazing to see her hosting awards shows and just still dominating this industry," Ell says. "I look up to a lot of my fellow female artists, like Maren Morris and Kelsea Ballerini and Lauren Alaina and Cassadee Pope and RaeLynn ... the list can just go on and on and on, and I just feel like we are really lucky to have so many talented female artists around us. And if anything, we all want to do what we can to help each other, and that's a very unique community of women."
For Sofia Carson, her mother is her "first and foremost role model" and "the epitome of strength." But she also has looked up to legends like Cher and Barbara Streisand. She explained, "Growing up I used to idolize women like Cher and Barbara Streisand, who did it all, who were not only Oscar-nominated actors, directors, Grammy-nominated singers who would put on world tours, but they're just really trailblazers. So I've always admired women like that, and I also really admire women like Julia Michaels, who are just incredible songwriters and storytellers who have really changed the face of female songwriters in the business."
In dance music, there has certainly been a growing number of female DJs/producers, however, it is still very male dominated. But, that doesn't slow down artists like Krewella from excelling in the genre. The sisters named fellow EDM stars Nervo and Chicago house producer/DJ Dani Deahl as inspirations, as well as their own manager. They tell us, "One is Dani Deahl. She's a fellow DJ from Chicago. She's been supporting us since the way back days, several years ago. We love Nervo. We have a collab upcoming with them, which is so exciting because we've both kind of seen each other come up over the last decade, and have always wanted to work together because we just really, really respect one another. And last, but not least, we are so inspired by our manager, Fiona Barbary, at Red Light. She's a badass and so hardworking and relentless with every project that she is a part of."
There have been so many incredible empowering songs written and performed by women over the years, and if you haven't been able to get Taylor Swift's "The Man" out of your head lately, we have a few other songs that inspire other talented female artists for you to listen to.
Jessie Reyez tells us that India.Arie's "I Am Not My Hair" is the song that comes to mind for her in terms of empowerment. She explains, "That song encompasses self love, but beyond, just because nowadays, there's a lot of self love that's surrounded around body positivity, which is lit, but the beauty about that song is that it takes it beyond the physical. Like about your soul, like I am not even this, but my soul is beautiful. I love that song."
For Lindsey Ell, Maren Morris' "Girl" and Little Big Town's "Girl Crush" were two inspirational songs she loves. She says, "I have to say when I first heard 'Girl' by Maren Morris, it was a song that was just so uplifting and empowering in this time of the woman or these years where we're really trying to do all we can to lift up female artists. I feel like when I heard 'Girl,' it's like you know what? We're all here just to support each other. We're all here just to do our own thing and don't ever think that we're getting in each other's way, because that's not what this is about. So I really, really fell in love with that song. And I have to say 'Girl Crush.' I know Little Big Town, only half of them are women, but that still counts. And, the first time I heard 'Girl Crush,' It was just one of those songs that grabs you, and watching Kimberly and Karen and everything they do for the country music family, I mean, they are the sweetest people that you will ever meet, and yet some of the most talented. And they have been working so hard from the beginning of their careers and still do that to this day. When they came out with 'Girl Crush,' I think it was, again, an honest song that we don't always hear, written in such a brilliant way by so many women. I will say, It was a game changer, and I guess that's why it still stays on my mind."
JoJo is inspired by Beyoncé and named "Listen" from Dreamgirls as the first song that comes to mind for her. She tells us, "The first empowering song that comes to mind, for me, I don't know if this is meant to be an empowering song, but it's 'Listen' by Beyoncé because it's like, 'Listen to how I feel, let me tell you how I feel, don't tell me I'm crazy, don't tell me I'm overreacting. Listen, I am alone at a crossroads.' You know, just that display of vulnerability, and that's very powerful."
And Sofia Carson's go-to karaoke song just so happens to be one of her most favorite empowering anthems, Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive." She explains, "One of my all-time favorite empowering records by a woman was 'I Will Survive,' and that was my go-to karaoke song. It also reminds me of my mom, who is my girl-power icon. But, 'I Will Survive,' to me, is just such an anthem for women everywhere."
To help celebrate International Women's Day, make sure to check out all of the amazing music out there from many of music's most talented female artists on iHeartRadio.