It's Britney...bitch

Iconic female musicians of our time...
Which women let down the music industry?
Which women assist the music industry?
Which women are totally lost?

I begin with Britney Spears. Not so much iconic for her music but rather iconic for being a total lost cause with terrible taste in men.

Britney Spears
Where to begin? I bought her debut single back when she was fresh-faced, drug free and a virgin... but can I ever believe what I'm told? She had that god awful video... someone should have told her that any hairstyle that is piggytails with pink fur keeping them in place is always a bad idea.
Britney Spears released a documentary earlier this year to remind the world of a couple of points; she is a human, and she is totally f*cked up.
Not only this, she's a poor example of music because she doesn't write it, she lip synchs and her dance skills, and she once proved so publicly, aren't all that they are cracked up to be. In fact, Britney Spears is probably one of the worst examples of females in music, but there's no denying her media attention and her on-going success. Unlike Jessica Simpson who faded out pretty quickly, Spears is able to still grasp on to the last remaining glimmer of hope that she will once again be an award winning, and MAYBE even respectable artist.

Cat Power
My favourite of all female artists just had to get a mention in my blog concerning female artists. Cat Power, aka Chan Marshall, is one of the most talented musicians I have ever come across. Marshall's struggle with alcoholism and drug addictions make for dark records and haunting songs. Marshall doesn't embrace the 'girl power' image, instead she loses herself in idols; Aretha Franklin and most importantly, Bob Dylan.
Marshall's critically acclaimed albums are a unique display of musical aptitude. Her guitar, piano and vocal skills are second to none. Her deliriously good looks and captivating stage presence makes for an individual and brilliant music career.
This isn't a girl crush, although you may now think differently, but merely just an admiration of someone who embodies everything beautiful about music, but without a chauvinistic and arrogant way of portraying oneself.

Peaches
Peaches, born Merrill Beth Nisker, embodies EVERYTHING female, and everything totally controversial and confronting. Holy crap, what a woman. And she is all woman. And she gets naked, to prove it, a lot.
Peaches played at the festival Parklife last year and I had the pleasure of meeting one of the back up dancers for her, her describes Peaches' orders to the back up dances as, "get up there... and just go for it." Not just go for it with dancing, go for it with nudity, sex toys and a little girl-on-girl. Not so much a live performance as it is a live sex show, with the crowd pleaser being in her most famous song "Fuck the Pain Away" off her 2000 album The Teaches of Peaches. Peaches isn't so much a feminist but perhaps the girl version of Iggy Pop... or something? Perhaps no comparison should be made with Peaches or anyone. She is woman. She is sexy, dirty and oh-so-sleazy. She's pretty full on, and so is her music.

Katy Perry
I don't have much to say about Katy Perry; so I'll list it:
1) 'I kissed a girl' is the worst song in the world.
2) I don't care if you kissed a girl
3) You're incredibly boring to watch get interviewed.
4) I hope I never have to hear your voice... again.

Debbie Harry
The Blondie front woman is possibly one of the coolest women ever in the music industry. Blondie was a huge sensation back in the 80s and did a lot for the disco era, because to be quite frank, disco music sucks... but Blondie is totally epic.
Debbie Harry spells sex appeal and will forever be known as the sexy front woman. Her voice is remarkably fantastic and versatile.
Probably the most well known song of Blondie's would be "Call Me" which is referenced in a previously mentioned Peaches song "fuck the pain away."
Harry, although fronting a male group, does not scream out that girl power logo with gusto. She's an interesting and appealing figure because she's humble, talented and pretty likable when interviewed. I admire Harry for her music, and her appeal in all that she is.

Girl Power?

If there’s one thing that I get so fed up with when it comes to in the world of rock is the old school view about women in music. Band’s fronted by women, or even containing female members are often harped on about being girl power or girl oriented rock. Can’t it just be considered the same as male rock bands? I blame this on two primary things: 1) the industry and, 2) the women who are musicians who continue to sing about being a woman, and being equal. If you want to be considered equal, I have to be blunt and advise you, shut up and make your music without making your point.
Alicia Keys has that song “Superwoman”, but I’m just asking to cancel the Oprah Winfrey generation crap about being a “super woman” and just make some quality music.
I appreciate Karen O for this. Yeah Yeah Yeah’s front woman is able to hold undeniable sex appeal and musical ability without raising up the idea constantly that yes, she is a “woman in a man’s world”. Her songs are raw, excellent and don’t once mention the phrase, “I am Woman” or something of similar effects, thank Christ, or I might be asking for a bucket.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Girl what?

Kathleen Hanna, although a fan of her work from Le Tigre and Bikini Kill, is a big culprit of shedding light on this issue. Not so much evident in her later band, Le Tigre’s, songs, Bikini Kill’s music was constantly (and rather explicitly) open about the fact that they are an all girl group. Their 1993 debut album was appropriately called “Pussy Whipped” and you better believe that Hanna did not hold back. The song Rebel Girl became a huge number for the band, and its content made it clear that Hanna was all woman. But, contrary to my previous rant about women who beat the idea that they are a woman to death, Hanna is merely dirty, sexy, and isn’t so much about Girl Power then the idea of being shocking, and perhaps even unaware of people’s reactions (although doubtful).

Bikini Kill - pioneers of Riot Grrrl

If I was a musician myself, I wouldn't want to be associated with the term "girl power". Particularly if I was a musician in a solid rock band. This is because the 'band' most associated with this term is Spice Girls. There's no denying that back in the day the Spice Girls certainly "rocked", but not in your traditional way.Spice up your life. Spice Girls led the pack with "girl power" with a film to boot.

Although girl power was originally a strand of riot grrrl, a post punk feminine movement, it was changed in the 90s to become a more pop sensation that allowed pre-teens everywhere to unknowingly celebrate their sex, with very little knowledge on what the original powerful women were trying to achieve. Jennifer Miro of The Nuns had the following to say about women in the punk scene in the late 70s, "There were a lot of women in the beginning. It(the Punk Movement) was women doing things. Then it became this whole macho, anti-women thing. Then women didn't go to see punk bands anymore because they were afraid of getting killed. I didn't even go because it was so violent and so macho that it was repulsive. Women just got squeezed out".
The women in these rock bands were so in touch with their feminine side, it was kind of scary. They wanted so badly to be thought of as powerful, sexual women.... but I'm still set on the fact that they could have done this quietly just by making powerful music instead of trying to spread a powerful message and then perhaps the term "girl rock" wouldn't be around, and women wouldn't have to be so segregated by the music industry. Not so unabashedly feminine, a word which I cringe at, and not because I'm not a feminist but because I think that women should shut up about being powerful women and just be cool women. No Spice Girls. No screaming feminist lyrics into my ears. No girl power. Just music....