Nicki Minaj performing on stage.

Why Women are Running the Music Industry Right Now

The summer of 2023 was the season of women. Women dominated the charts all summer from Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town” and SZA’s “Snooze,” to Sexyy Red’s “Skeyee.” For the first time ever, the nominees for the MTV Music Video Awards Artist of the Year were all women. Nominees included Taylor Swift, Doja Cat, Shakira, Beyoncé, Karol G, and Nicki Minaj. Five out of the six nominees for Best New Artist were women: Pink Panthress, Ice Spice, Renee Rapp, Glorilla, and Kaliii. Other categories of the VMAS, such as Best Video and Best Song, were heavily dominated by female nominees.

Why I’m Not a Fan of Male Artists

I was never a huge fan of male singers and rappers. The only thing I could consume was boy bands such as Mindless Behavior, Big Time Rush, and One Direction. In their music, women (or girls in this case) are desired, and these artists made it seem like they would do anything for their girlfriend. I remember the lyrics of Mindless Behavior’s hit, “Mrs. Right” that says, “Light skinned, dark skinned. Long hair, don’t care, as long as your heart’s in it.” Big Time Rush also had a song, “Any Kind of Guy,” with the lyrics, “Any kind of guy, girl, that’s the guy I’ll be.”

The boys weren’t afraid to be seen as sensitive. They poured their hearts out, danced their hearts out, knew their audience and allowed them to feel safe and desired. I mostly move away from solo male artists because I don’t feel they provide the same safe space for women as boy bands do. The women are usually degraded sexually or by what they can provide for a man. That simply doesn’t interest me and it looks like women everywhere are growing tired of hearing and seeing the same things as well.

This Year’s MTV Video Music Awards

Women are providing more when it comes to creativity and concepts. Men in pop and rap are not expected to break out into complicated choreography and film exciting music videos. Female artists must work harder to be taken seriously in the industry. That comes with putting more effort into things beyond the music, such as merchandise, fashion, live performances, and social media presence.

Photo of Doja Cat courtesy of Getty Images.

Let’s look at some of the performances from this year’s VMAs. The show opened with Lil Wayne in a white shirt and ripped skinny jeans and shades performing some of his hits. Then, Olivia Rodrigo performed her hits “Vampire” and “Get Him Back.” Rodrigo’s set was more creative, she had back-up dancers, and two different set designs. Later, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion performed their newest song, “Bongos.” The stage was set like a tropical paradise, and the rap duo busted out in lively choreography that was also demonstrated in their music video. Then we had Doja Cat perform the wonderfully disastrous “Attention” and “Demons.” Video Vanguard Award Winner and Latin Pop icon Shakira shut it down with a performance of her greatest hits. She also showed off her amazing choreography and guitar skills.

Photo of Shakira courtesy of Getty Images.

We had some attempts of the men keeping up with the women. Diddy/Puff Daddy/Love performed his hits and danced a bit with his background dancers. NLE Choppa shimmied his shoulders to his song “ It’s Getting Hot,” but it wasn’t enough to wow people. There were a few funny tweets about the male’s performances, but I doubt that any of them will be talked about in the coming weeks. Nor will they be in the running for best award performance of the year.

Women are Dominating The Music Industry

The female artists of the evening were just more fun to look at and talk about. Visually, they were more colorful and more imaginative. They were able to command the stage, not just stand there and singing into a microphone. Many people on Twitter agreed that they were tuning in for the female artists. Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, and the host herself: Nicki Minaj were the ones most tweeted about from that evening.

What also puts women on top of the music industry right now is the power and emotion they give to their fanbases. In the women’s music, men are below them, and women make the rules. Doja Cat oozes confidence in “Paint the Town Red” with the catchy hook, “ Bitch, I said what I said.” Billie Eilish was able to capture the feelings of mourning over girlhood in “ What Was I Made For.” Women are tired of listening to music that makes them feel inferior to men.

Flo Milli talked to the New York Times about the rise of female rap stars, “…We can really find our voice in this and actually be an example for other women. To show them [that] you can really be a boss.” In a world where women’s bodies are being policed–like the ruling of Roe v Wade–women just want to feel that they’re in control of their lives and have a space where men aren’t the focus all the time.

What Students are Listening To

I asked a few of my classmates to name their favorite song this summer from a female artist:

” One of my all-time favorite songs that I revisited this summer is “Talkin’ Like You (Two Tall Mountains)” by the singer-songwriter Connie Converse. While her music may not be widely recognized, there’s something truly enchanting and haunting about her story and the music she created during her lifetime. […] As someone who is autistic, I often struggle to connect with others, even in familiar groups, and like Connie, I often see the world from an outsider’s perspective. Connie’s work makes me feel understood in a way that other music rarely does, and has offered me solace and an appreciation for the unique outlook that comes with feeling like an outsider.”

Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift gets me so hype! I’m so happy it was released as a single so I can listen to it on the radio now. I love her songs because her lyrics are very poetic and not like repetitive pop songs.”

“The Story of Us (Taylor’s version)! I’ve been a fan of Taylor Swift since I was eight years old and this was one of the first songs I ever heard by her, so it meant a lot to hear it again. I love her music so much because she’s the artist that made me fall in love with storytelling… Because of her, I started reading poetry and tapping into my own passion for creative writing and I definitely believe she’s a huge reason why I study English Lit now.”

New Voices Being Heard

An artist that I’ve been listening to this summer is Amaarae, a Ghanaian-American singer-songwriter. She released her sophomore album, “Fountain Baby,” on June 9th and received rave reviews. My favorite track from the album is “Princess Going Digital.”

Amaarae represents the new wave of unique female singers/rappers that are coming strong with their individual style and artistic self-expression. Hers is a new voice being heard, and her popularity is gaining much speed. Add her name to the already long list of influential women in the music industry, then look that list over. You will then see clearly why the music industry right now is all about the women.

Article featured image courtesy of Theo Wargo/Getty Images.