IWD: Empowering songs from Taylor Swift and others

TAYLOR Swift’s songs about strength, resilience and unapologetic femininity have made her the world’s reigning icon of female empowerment. She adeptly transforms her personal struggles into stadium-rousing anthems such as Shake It Off, The Man and You Need To Calm Down.

Anyone who witnesses the tens of thousands of tweens and teenagers singing these songs, word for word, at the ongoing Singapore concerts can understand the profound influence her music wields in shaping their values and beliefs.

But long before her, there have been many other female singer-songwriters whose words and melodies have inspired, emboldened and uplifted the girls and women of their eras. 

This International Women’s Day (IWD), we celebrate five trailblazers from North America to Asia, whose rich musical canons have taught women to embrace their authentic selves, defy their critics and chart their own destinies. Here’s a recommendation of their best songs to be played on this day. 

Aretha Franklin

“R-E-S-P-E-C-T / Find out what it means to be.” The lyrics of Franklin’s most iconic song continue to ring around the world, especially at parties celebrating women’s empowerment and liberation. Originally released in 1967, Respect was a rallying cry for the civil rights and feminist movements of the time. Coupled with Franklin’s astonishing vocals, the song inspired millions of women to fight for their rights and recognition in society.

But Respect wasn’t Franklin’s only self-actualisation anthem. Other songs including (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, Think and Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves (with Annie Lennox) resonated deeply with women, urging them to embrace their flaws, celebrate their strengths and assert their natural worth. Her rendition of Precious Lord, Take My Hand at Martin Luther King’s funeral is one for the ages.

Madonna

Few female musicians have fought the system consistently and ferociously for as long as Madonna. Since her debut in the 1980s, she has become synonymous with controversy, challenging societal expectations of women and pushing the boundaries of artistic self-expression. (Burning crosses and stigmata wounds, anyone?)

Through her fearless approach to music, dance and fashion, she has paved the way for many female musicians, from Rihanna and Britney Spears to Lady Gaga and FKA Twigs – to say nothing of her contributions to the LGBTQ community. 

Even now at the age of 65, she’s defying conventions by performing provocative, high-energy numbers at her ongoing multi-city Celebration Tour – despite a temporary delay when she was hospitalised for a bacterial infection in late June 2023. But in these past few months, when she breaks into her classic self-empowering numbers like Vogue, Human Nature, Express Yourself, Ray Of Light and B*tch I’m Madonna, she can whip entire stadiums into a frenzy.   

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Blackpink

A teenage girl says it best in a documentary on Blackpink, when asked why she loved Blackpink – she said: “They’re bad-*ss...” No girl group in history – not Spice Girls, The Pussycat Dolls, 2NE1 or Girls’ Generation – has exuded as much confidence, glamour and sass as Blackpink.  

How much of it is manufactured, we’ll never know. But their powerful stage presence, fierce choreography and killer fashion still command attention. Taking a leaf out of Madonna’s playbook, they celebrate their female sensuality without shame or apology. 

Ultimately, it’s their songs that mark out the four members – Lisa, Jennie, Rose and Jisoo – as figures of female empowerment. Their earliest hits such as Bombayah and Ddu-Du Ddu-Du, followed by Kill This Love and How You Like That, personified them as women who take no prisoners. Their last album, Born Pink (2022), was a ferocious celebration of female sexuality against any societal constraint, with songs such as Pink Venom, Typa Girl and Tally – all perfect for IWD.

Taylor Swift

What else can be said of Swift that hasn’t been said these past weeks with Swift-mania raging in Singapore? Unlike most pop stars of her generation, Swift feels like an entirely authentic personality, drawing from her own experiences to write or co-write her songs. This genuine expression resonates with her fans who watch her every move and interpret her songs accordingly. 

Despite past actions by others (Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry, Scooter Braun) to derail her career, she has always come out on top, proving herself to be more resilient, resourceful and strategic than any of her rivals – and ultimately celebrating these strengths in her chart-topping hit Karma.

Despite her youth, she is an incredibly savvy businesswoman, closely involved in negotiating her contracts and maintaining control over her music, which is extremely rare in the music industry. Her business acumen and strategic decision-making give girls and women more reasons to idolise her.

Songs to play on IWD: Karma, Shake It Off, Me!, The Man, Long Live, You Need To Calm Down, Bad Blood, Mean.

Beyonce

If this list boiled down to the number of female empowerment songs released by any artiste, Beyonce would emerge as the frontrunner. From her early years in Destiny’s Child to her successful solo career, her songs have consistently advocated for gender equality and female empowerment. 

They include Independent Women, Survivor, Irreplaceable, Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It), If I Were A Boy, Run The World (Girls), Flawless, Diva, I Was Here, Brown Skinned Girl, Sorry and many more. A significant portion of her music catalogue comprises songs inspiring women to embrace their inherent power.

While the message of self-love remains consistent, Beyonce’s own musical styles and personas have evolved, transitioning from contemporary pop and R&B to a more experimental sound that incorporates elements of trap and electronic music. In her latest incarnation, she has ventured into country music; her single Texas Hold ‘Em debuted at No 1 on the country music charts, making her the first black woman to achieve this milestone. 

The larger message behind this triumph? Women have the power to break any barrier.