By: Sorcha Collister, TMA’s Manager for Music Partnerships, UK
To celebrate International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month as a whole, I put together a playlist for inspiration.
One that includes some tracks you hopefully haven’t heard before and some tracks that can make any one of you feel.
This playlist features selections kindly shared by some of the lovely women at record labels and rights holders in the UK music scene who are always there to support, encourage, and inspire.
I wrap it up by ending with five of my personal favorites. Find one to power your day… or entire month.
Jenny Grib, Universal Music Publishing (UK):
I Can’t Keep You by Ex:Re
This is the solo project of Elena from Daughter. She is an artist who really bares all on record and writes really personal songs, which is refreshing and also brave! I like the raw storytelling on this track and love the general sound/production too. Plus she wrote 100% of this – girl power!
Rose Lonergan, Narrative Sounds (Berlin/UK):
I Don’t Belong to Anyone by Hejira
The raw percussion and prominent bass line against the lyrical sultriness of “I Don’t Belong to Anyone,” screams female empowerment to me! Definitely an anthem for confident, female-identifying women in 2020.
Emma Lomas, Beggars Group (UK):
Womxn by Låpsley
“‘Womxn’ is written hypothetically from a place in the future that was much more positive. It’s about having trust in the passage of time; about not knowing what to do right now, but knowing that at some point you will know. And here we are in the future and I’m this stronger, more confident womxn, and I sing it and it’s my present,” explains Lapsley.
Chi Chi Nwakodo, Sony/ATV Music Publishing (UK):
Solitary by Lilla Vargen
Lilla brings the sensitive side and shares the burden we all face through her heartfelt lyricism. Despite how sad her songs are, she’s one of the happiest, most bubbly women I know!
Abbey Ennis, Sister A Music (UK):
Not My Love by Tom Ashbrook & Ruby Duff
I think what I like about Ruby Duff is she’s a juxtaposition. She embodies strength, weakness, innocence, and sexuality. She’s hard to quantify and that’s what I love. Women are so often put in boxes: girl next door, vixen, mother, sweetheart, etc., but the reality is we can be everything!
Jenna Fentiman, Manners McCdade (UK):
Fontanel by Eartheater
Eartheater is a Queen’s-based visual artist, classically trained vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, collaborator with orchestras, beat makers, rappers, and harpists, and striking catwalk model and fashionista. Her music explores themes around sexuality, gender, humanity, and aesthetic. Eartheater herself is a force to be reckoned with, which you can hear in Fontanel, which makes me feel like I can achieve anything.
Sorcha Collister, TMA (UK):
Amelia by Joni Mitchell
An incredible woman in song writing writes about an incredible woman in aviation. Two inspiring women who broke through the social walls and an absolutely beautiful song to top it.
Sorcha Collister, TMA (UK):
Solitary Daughter by Bedouine
Bedouine describes the song as a kind of a reaction to traditional gender roles: “It was sort of a rejection of conventional romance; it’s not something that I needed. Sure, it might be something I would like, but I don’t need to be whisked away on someone else’s terms. I guess at some points in the song it feels more aggressive than any other songs that I’ve written. I was feeling sort of fed up.”
Sorcha Collister, TMA (UK):
F E M A L E by Sampa The Great
Sampa The Great writes a lot of songs to inspire and uplift women, this is just one. She is an inspiration to any female rappers breaking into the hip hop world, alongside anyone that is looking for empowerment.
Sorcha Collister, TMA (UK):
Feather by Little Dragon
Lead Yukimi explained that this song is about risk-taking and explained that, biologically, men were more likely to take risks than women. She said that it upset her and that she wanted to assert herself as a risk taker. It’s a fun track and its delicate power carries you.
Listen to the full playlist below…
[Note: may contain explicit content]
Sorcha Collister, Manager, Music Partnerships, TMA UK
Sorcha has seven years experience in the heart of the UK music industry: London. From putting on gigs with Mongolian throat singers to making music playlists for strip clubs. She has spent five years developing her skills in Music Synchronization, fitting music to images, and building strong relationships with all the leading record labels, publishers and many small independent labels. Sorcha has dedicated herself to the EMEA-wide Procter & Gamble, licensing every one of their music choices for adverts from fine fragrances to nappies and assisting on countless music searches to find the ideal track. She has taken the opportunities to get to know many of the advertising agencies around London and Europe, assisting their creativity whilst allowing them to remain at the front of their campaigns.
About TMA Music
We help brands harness the power of music and use it to foster a deeper bond with your customers. Our team of seasoned experts helps you navigate the music industry to develop a comprehensive music strategy, ideate on creative music concepts, license songs, partner with the right talent, and execute on every facet of a music marketing program.
