These 11 Women Changed the Music Business — Rolling Stone

In the music industry, creativity and passion often meet a harsh reality. Despite not always easy circumstances, women have always shown that it is worth rewriting outdated rules.

In this list, we highlight the stories and struggles, the voices and visions of women who not only pushed musical boundaries with their work, but also questioned social norms. They have shown that art is not created in a vacuum – it is closely interwoven with the realities of those who create it. Their successes, their failures and their unwavering determination inspire us to continually explore the potential of the music industry.

In 1972, Ella Fitzgerald was one of the first stars to perform during the Super Bowl halftime. An honor that came to her through hard work: over 200 recorded albums, 14 Grammys and 40 million albums sold earned her the nickname “First Lady of Song”. Her music also had a major influence on the civil rights movement of the 1960s – the fact that the African-American singer received recognition for her work gave hope during and after the Jim Crow era.

Controversial games with Catholic values ​​and female sexuality shaped Madonna’s image in the eighties – even if she was considered vulgar and provocative at the time, a lot has happened in society since then: with her musical work, the singer contributed to the fact that current female artists like… Miley Cyrus, Cardi B can now express their femininity more openly than ever.

Billie Eilish is the youngest artist in music history to sing a Bond song – and also the youngest to win in all four main categories at the Grammys (Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year” and “Best New Artist”). She started her career with a few uploads on Soundcloud – today she is the role model for a young generation of girls and women who want to have their own voice heard and defend themselves when confronted with stale gender clichés.

Janis Joplin is considered the first female rock star in music history – leading a rock band in the 1960s was a novelty for women. When inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, singer Pink said: “Janis represented the ’60s. She was a style icon, sound and inspiration – for men and women all over the world. She didn’t play anyone, she was always herself.”

Even though “Respect” was written by Otis Redding, it was Aretha Franklin’s voice that gave the song an intensity that is still unmatched today. The soul singer was the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 – followed by more than 40 musicians over the years.

Stevie Nicks is one of the best songwriters in music history: songs like “The Chain”, “Rhiannon” and “Landslide” catapulted Fleetwood Mac to the top of the music scene in the seventies – their success continues to this day. Her work with Eagles musicians Don Henley (“Leather And Lace”) and Tom Petty (“Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”) also cemented her place as one of the most important women in the music business.

In a domain in which men usually asserted themselves, Dolly Parton made a name for herself: the country singer’s greatest musical successes include 25 number one hits and eight Grammys, and she is also an entrepreneur who has her own amusement park called ” Dollywood” involved. Dolly Parton also inspired other musicians such as Kesha and Whitney Houston: her song “I Will Always Love You” became one of her best-selling singles of all time after Houston covered the song. The 1967 song “Dumb Blonde” sums it up: “This dumb blonde ain’t nobody’s fool”.

Patti Smith is considered the “Godmother of Punk”: her 1975 album “Horses” was an ingenious byproduct of her beat lyrics – Smith didn’t initially see herself as a singer. Their band became a role model for the English and American punk and new wave movements. Patti Smith is also considered an icon of the new women’s movement.

“Who run the World – girls”: Beyoncé’s rise from R&B star in Destiny’s Child to one of the most influential women in the pop business is unique. Songs like the bachelorette party hit “Single Ladies” are bursting with female empowerment and her 2016 album “Lemonade” showed that she uses even serious crises in her marriage to rapper Jay-Z as an opportunity to continue to grow – an impulse that also passes it on to the African American community. In “Formation” she therefore argues: “I just might be a black Bill Gates in the making”. She cemented her position as Queen B together with Jay-Z in 2018 when they used the Louvre for an extraordinary video shoot as equals and almost sovereign as The Carters and reflected: “I can’t believe we made it”.

HER stands for “Having Everything Revealed” and is the name of R&B singer Gabriella Wilson’s music project. Since 2016, she has really breathed new life into the genre – and that didn’t go unnoticed for long. The compilation album of their first three EPs immediately won a Grammy and with the song “Fight For You” HER even made it onto the shortlist for the Oscar category “Best Song”. In it, the singer takes a political path that meets the spirit of the times and shows only too well what R&B sounds like today:

Looking in the mirror and accepting yourself as you are – nothing less and nothing more is what drives Lizzo in her musical work – her songs sparkle with body positivity and help people all over the world question their own ideals of beauty. “Ten years ago I couldn’t find a swimsuit or bikini for my size. I was told every day that my face was great, but I needed to work on my body. People didn’t even notice when they were subtly degrading me. It became second nature to me, so I beat myself up about it and believed everything I was told. Then I made the decision that I just wanted to be happy with my body, happy the way I am. That’s how I started loving my body.”

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