70 songs with a feminist message I by Katrien De Graeve

1. In the spoken word manifesto ‘Dear Mathilde’ (2018), the Kenyan rapper and drummer Muthoni Drummer Queen smashes the constructs and expectations that come with being a woman.

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2. The French indie folk musical duo Brigitte, in 2018, gathered 39 female artists, 39 Femmes, to sing ‘Debout les Femmes’, the hymn on women’s rights of the Mouvement de Libération des Femmes.

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3. ‘Rebel Woman’ (2008) is a song by the Zimbabwean singer and songwriter Chiwoniso Maraire inspired by a poem about the role of women in Zimbabwe’s war for independence. She says it is ‘a tribute to strong women who suffer because they do not follow the restrictions society tries to place on them’.

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4. Zambian-Australian Sampa the Great explains that the song ‘Black Girl Magic’ (2017), which she made together with Nicole Gumbe, is written for ‘sisters like me, with skin as dark as the night that shines so effortlessly’. The title refers to the global Black Girl Magic movement that celebrates the beauty and power of Black women.

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5. ‘Fuck your laws’ (2017) is one of a collection of songs by the New York based Ghanaian interdisciplinary artist Jojo Abot about black empowerment in spite of and in resistance to white supremacy and racial oppression.

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6. The Honduran-American singer-songwriter Empress Of released the synthpop song ‘Woman is a Word’ (2016), in which she interrogates the idea of gender and its general meaninglessness.

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7. In ‘Barbarian’ (2018) the American rapper Mona Haydar interrogates Western standards and white supremacy.

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8. ‘El Kofeyye Arabeyye’ (2010) is a hip-hop song by the British-Palestinian Shadia Mansour and an angered response to finding out that replica blue-and-white keffiyehs had been manufactured displaying the flag of Israel. She claimed that her ‘music sometimes sound hostile, because it is [her] anger coming out and it is resistance. It’s non-violent resistance’.

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9. The song ‘Who You Are’ (2017) by the Palestinian hip-hop group DAM, with singer Maysa Daw, is tearing down sexism and gender discrimination.

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10. ‘For Sarah Baartman’ (2017) is, as the title indicates, a tribute by the American hip-hop artist Nitty Scott, to Sarah Baartman, the South-African woman who was taken from her homelands in 1810 and then exhibited as a freak across Britain.

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11. The British hip-hop artist Estelle said about her song ‘Woman’s World’ (2017) that she wanted to make a powerful statement about women being powerful. ‘We’re not asking to run the world’, she said, ‘We run it.’

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12. ‘Soy Yo’ (2015) is a song by the Colombian duo Bomba Estéreo. Singer Liliana Saumet said about the song: ‘Whether we are talking about someone’s race, age or sexual identity, we wanted to have something in the album that talked about confidence and respect’.

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13. In the powerful song ‘Antipatriarca’ (2014), the French-Chilean singer and musician Ana Tijoux raises her voice for women, reminding them of their strength and beauty.

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14. English singer, songwriter and rapper Girli wants us to know that ‘Girls Get Angry Too’ (2016). She claimed that she wanted to write this song for anyone wanting to belittle her just because she is a girl.

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15. Another song by the Zambian-Australian rapper and songwriter Sampa the Great is ‘F E M A L E’ (2015). In the song, Sampa raps about her identity as an independent woman who owns who she is.

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16. ‘Phenomenal Woman' (2016) by the British artist and songwriter Laura Mvula is inspired by a poem by Maya Angelou. It celebrates female power and beauty.

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17. The American singer, songwriter and poet Jamila Woods sings about the struggle of black women and their proud, beauty and strength in the song ‘Blk Girl Soldier’ (2016).

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18. ‘Don’t Shoot’ (2019) by the American singer, songwriter and transgender rights activist Shea Diamond is about gun violence in the US, yet also about Diamond’s experience of violence and discrimination as a black trans woman.

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19. ‘BitchSlut’ (2016) is a feminist anthem written by the American singer Anna Wise about sexist double standards.

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20. The song ‘Rebel’ (2019) by American singer and cellist Kelsey Lu refers to both the rebellion of her parents against the norms of society at the time, as an interracial couple, and Lu’s own rebellion against her conservative upbringing.

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21. ‘I’m Not Your Toy’ (2009) by the British electropop-duo La Roux (with singer Elly Jackson), is about women not wanting to be treated as toys.

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22. The acronym ‘G.U.Y.’ stands for ‘Girl Under You’ (2013). It is the title of the 'new-age feminist’ song by American singer and songwriter Lady Gaga. It addresses the empowering potential of sexual submission.

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23. ‘Many Moons’ (2010) is a song by the American rapper and songwriter Janelle Monáe which critiques the oppression of people by the West and suggests ways to overcome that oppression.

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24. According to some, M.I.A.’s ‘Bad Girls’ (2010) is just about sex. Others argue it is about the oppression of women and how their liberation does not make them bad girls. M.I.A. is a British rapper, singer and activist.

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25. Ms. White is an American pianist and jazz singer. She said about her song ‘Fuck Men’ (2017): ‘I've been sexually assaulted, catcalled, harassed, talked over, cheated on, ghosted, patronized, invalidated, and erased by men. There was no moment when I yelled "fuck men!" but rather a slow, steady build—a tonal shift.’

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26. ‘Good as Hell’ (2016) by American singer and songwriter Lizzo is a strong anthem about women’s empowerment.

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27. ‘She’ (2017), is a song by the South-African singer-songwriter Alice Phoebe Lou and it is about female empowerment in the age of #metoo.

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28. The English singer-songwriter Anna Calvi made this song in collaboration with Courtney Barnett. It is called ‘Don’t Beat the Girl out of my Boy’ (2018) and addresses gender stereotypes.

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29. The Japanese-British singer-songwriter Rhina Sawayama said about ‘Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys)’(2020): ‘When I was writing this song I wanted, on one hand, to lyrically explore the idea of people having to adopt negative male tropes to appear confident, whilst on the other sonically paying homage to the early 2000s dance tracks that made me feel confident’.

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30. The song ‘Balance ton Quoi’ (2019) by the French-speaking Belgian singer-songwriter and musician Angèle addresses sexism. The title is a reference to the hashtag ‘Balance ton Porc’, the French version of the ‘Me Too’ hashtag.

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31. ‘Hijabi’ (2017) is another song by American rapper Mona Haydar. It aims to offer an empowering anthem to women everywhere who wear headscarves.

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32. ‘Jasadik-hom’ (2019) means ‘your body of theirs’ in Arabic. It is the second song in this list by the Palestinian hip-hop band DAM. The song addresses issues of sexism, racism and chauvinism.

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33. The American singer and songwriter Solange (Beyoncé’s younger sister) and American rapper Lil Wayne worked together to make the song ‘Mad’ (2016). It is a song about Black anger and how white supremacy ignores the reason why it exists.

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34. A collaboration between the French Cuban twin sisters who make the duo Ibeyi and the American jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington resulted in ‘Deathless’ (2017), an anthem that addresses racism and other forms of social oppression.

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35. The Iranian-Dutch singer Sevdaliza addresses the judgmental trait of society in the song ‘Human’ (2016). It is about women being objectified and told what they can and they cannot do, and being commanded to be perfect.

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36. The Cameroonian-French singer and songwriter Yseult is on a quest for self-confidence, independence and emancipation in her song ‘Noir’ (2019).

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37. ‘Woman’ (2018) by the British singer-songwriter Andreya Triana is about her journey from childhood to adulthood, and becoming a woman.

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38. ‘So Lucky’ (2020) is the second song in this list by the American singer and songwriter Shea Diamond. It is about the simple luxuries white cis straight men have and take for granted.

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39. ‘Make Me Feel’ (2018) is the second song in this list by the American rapper and songwriter Janelle Monáe. The song’s lyrics is about women's empowerment and agency.

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40. American singer and songwriter Lady Gaga appears a second time in this list with her song ‘Free Woman’ (2020). The song is about reclaiming one's identity and searches for an answer to the question of what it means to be a free woman.

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41. The self-esteem anthem ‘Juice’ (2019) is another song made by American singer and songwriter Lizzo. It is an ode to positive self-esteem for all women, regardless of weight or race.

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42. The American actress and singer Selena Gomez aims to empower women to stand up when assaulted in her song ‘Me & My Girls’ (2015).

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43. In ‘We R who we R’ (2010) the American singer and songwriter Kesha intended to inspire people to be themselves, and as a celebration of anyone deemed quirky or eccentric.

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44. The American lesbian singer-couple Sateen released ‘Now She’s a Witch’ (2017), a song with a queer ’70s disco sound and a message of unapologetic self-love and self-realization.

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45. ‘Be Free’ (2018) is the message that the American multi-disciplinary artist Ah-Mer-Ah-Su aims to convey. It advocates for choosing freedom over the limits of a society that teaches us to hate ourselves.

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46. Third song in this list by the Zambian-Australian rapper and songwriter Sampa the Great is ‘Energy’ (2018), an ode to feminine energy.

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47. Yaeyi, a Korean-American electronic music artist, deals with the struggles of women under societal restrictions in her song ‘Raingurl’ (2017).

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48. ‘The future is Female’ (2017) is the message the Indian-American Madame Gandhi aims to convey. She claimed that the song is about ‘the idea that we as a world and as a culture need to value femininity and what womxn bring to the table just as much as we value masculinity and what men bring to the table’.

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49. Another song by the American hip-hop artist Nitty Scott is ‘Pxssy powah!’ (2017), a song that rejects patriarchy, and is tackling sexual liberation.

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50. The Mexican-American band Y La Bamba made the feminist anthem ‘Mujeres’ (2019), which is about female empowerment and resistance.

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51. Les Amazones d’Afrique is a ‘supergroup’ formed in Mali. Their song ‘Amazones Power’ (2020) is about violence against women and young girls, genital mutilation, forced marriage, and gender equality.

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52. The Sudanese-American artist, songwriter and poet Dua Saleh made the song ‘Body Cast'(2020) about police brutality and injustice in the US. Proceeds of the song go to Women for Political Change.

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53. ‘Woman’ (1996) is a tribute to femininity and its loving, caring power made by the Swedish singer and songwriter Neneh Cherry.

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54. The American singer Jaewynn, who calls herself a multidimensional queer woman of colour, made the song ‘Spice Girl’ (2019). Her website argues that the song ‘paints you a picture full of nostalgic metaphors while describing a love story between two womxn. Spice Girls empowered womxn worldwide, so it was only right that Jaewynn led this song with that same notion’.

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55. In ‘Al Jamilat’ (2017), the Lebanese-French singer Yasmine Hamdan puts to music one of the feminist poems of the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish.

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56. The American singer Tanerélle made the song ‘In Women We Trust’ (2017) about reclaiming female agency and sexuality.

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57. ‘Ila Mata’ (2020) is a song by the Moroccan-French band Bab L’Bluz and was inspired by Tunisian poet Anis Shoshan. It brings a message of peace and salvation to all ‘sisters and brothers regardless of their origins’.

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58. ‘Brujas’ (2016) is ‘witch’ in Spanish. It is the title of a song by the American rapper Princess Nokia. The song is a homage to her Puerto Rican and Yoruban ancestry, saying her grandmas were brujas, strong women who demanded respect and mystified others.

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59. ‘Thunder Thighs’ (2017) is a song by the American singer Miss Eaves. It is a summer anthem that celebrates women of different shapes, sizes, races, ages, and sexualities.

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60. Third song in this list by the American rapper and songwriter Janelle Monáe is ‘Django Jane’ (2018), in which she raps about the intersection of gender and race. The song also refers to the Black Girl Magic movement.

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61. Krudas Cubensi is a Caribbean-American activist hip-hop group with black feminist, queer and vegan politics. Their song ‘Mi cuerpo es mio’ (2014) is about the strength of immigrants, women and queer people of color.

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62. ‘What it feels like for a girl’ (2000) is a song by the American ‘Queen of Pop’, Madonna. It celebrates the specialness and power of womanhood and femininity yet it also criticizes misogynist expectations.

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63. The American playwright, actress, and poet Sarah Jones collaborated with the British-Russian DJ Vadim for making ‘Your Revolution’ (1999). She explained that the song is ‘a feminist attack on male attempts to equate political “revolution” with promiscuous sex'.

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64. ‘I am her’ (2016) is the third song in this list by American singer Shea Diamond. The song is inspired by her life of struggle, self-acceptance, and resilience as a trans woman of colour.

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65. In ‘F**ckin’ Perfect’ (2010), American singer and songwriter P!nk reminds women ‘that trying too hard is a waste of time’. She advices them to never forget that they are just perfect.

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66. Vagabon, a Cameroonian-American self-taught multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter, in her song ‘Every Woman’ (2019) speaks out for women who’ve been told they are not enough as they are.

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67. The American music project Tune-Yards made the song ‘Colonizer’ (2018), which explores intersectional feminism and white privilege.

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68. In ‘Unmoved (a Black woman’s truth)’ (2020) The American Barbadian-born singer Ayoni sings about her fight to be heard and for the truth she knows to be acknowledged.

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69. Second song in this list of the French-Cuban duo Ibeyi is ‘No Man Is Big Enough For My Arms’ (2017). The track merges excerpts from Michelle Obama’s New Hampshire speech in October 2016, calling out Donald Trump and his treatment of women.

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70. Last but not least is the song ‘Power’ (2017), made by the British neo soul singer-songwriter Joy Crookes and is an ode to the women in her life.

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