In the fiercely competitive music scene, men have dominated the stage for as long as anyone can remember, making up 70% of artists on the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Chart in 2022. Recently, however, female pop performers have been climbing their way to the top in concert attendance and album praise.
Chappell Roan
Chappell Roan gained public attention from her first album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” and broke records with her performance at Lollapalooza 2024. She drew the largest daytime crowd in the festival’s history and had to switch stages with pop singer Ke$ha so she could hold a bigger audience. Vibrant melodies captivated attendees, overflowing the quadrant of the park set aside for two separate stages.
Junior Miles Ray said, “[I] went to Chappell Roan and [I] think she made new stuff popular and represents a rising demographic of younger folks who feel like they don’t fit in.” These records prove that female musicians can create music and gain an audience just as big, or even bigger than their male counterparts.
Chappell Roan pushes limits not only for female performers, but for queer performers as well. Many of Chappell Roan’s songs detail queer relationships both in playful and heartbreaking ways, as seen in “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl” and “Good Luck, Babe.” Chappell Roan is breaking boundaries fearlessly and extending recognition to the talent of LGBTQ+ musicians.
Gracie Abrams
Another up-and-coming female artist is Gracie Abrams. She made a name for herself as an opener for Olivia Rodrigo during her Sour Tour and is dominating the charts with her newly released single “Close To You.” Melancholic bedroom pop is no stranger to Abrams, especially in her new album “The Secret of Us,” which has more than 100 million streams on Spotify. Detailing songs of lost love, Abrams revives mellow love songs with popular titles such as “Blowing Smoke,” “Risk,” and “I Love You, I’m Sorry.” Upon release, “The Secret of Us” rose to number two on the Billboard 200. This would mark Abrams’ first top 10 album, a monumental win to be celebrated.
Sophomore Myla Robertson has been waiting for the rise of Gracie Abrams’ popularity. She said, “I have been a fan of Gracie Abrams since I was around 11, and I went to her concert [recently]. It made me so happy to see the venue packed and that she is finally getting the recognition she deserves.”
Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter’s long success acting on the Disney Channel only helped her in the music industry. She released her first song at 15. Although her music career was off to a slow start, once she released her fifth studio album, “emails i can’t send,” her name finally popped up in musical conversations. With notable songs such as “Nonsense” and “all because i liked a boy,” her duality in lyricism between slow ballads and whimsical euphemisms shined a spotlight on her abilities.
Carpenter’s most recent album, “Short n’ Sweet,” combines playfully romantic sounds with a concept of 1950s fashion. The album was battling with rapper Travis Scott’s gritty and experimental mixtape titled “DAYS BEFORE RODEO,” for the number one spot on the Billboard 200, sparking controversy. Sophomore Ani Mehta-Shah spoke about her more personal connection with Carpenter’s music. “[I] really like Sabrina Carpenter, and she’s been very good for a long time,” she said. “She is now gaining the popularity [she] deserves.”
Taylor Swift
The most successful female musician in the pop scene is of course Taylor Swift, who has been producing music for longer than these other talented artists. She has 14 Grammy awards, the highest grossing concert tour in history, and four albums in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 simultaneously. To her credit, she has consistently advocated for the recognition of female artists in the music industry.
Seeing these stories of success can only leave students inspired about the future of women in the music industry. “[I] felt like women were being more represented in numerous kinds of media recently,” sophomore Charlotte Flandina said. “It’s lovely.”
