8 March | Witten By Kirsten Moreton

The 8th of March is recognised as International Women’s Day, a global holiday celebrating gender equality and women’s rights. There are women excelling in every industry even those seen as male dominant, and music is no exception to this. Across genres and decades, female musicians have been influencing and shaping music into what it is today. Rock music in particular has seen a huge number of incredibly talented artists from Stevie Nicks to Kate Bush and female musicians will never be forgotten for their incredible skills, providing inspiration for aspiring small female artists and women in general. So heres to just a few of the many women who defined music and made modern rock what it is today.

Stevie Nicks

and Christine McVie

The influence and success of this incredible band would be nothing without Stevie and Christine with the two of them creating some of the groups most successful songs. Christine McVie was a big contributor in writing The Chain, As Long as You Follow, and Hold Me, and Stevie Nicks was responsible for many iconic tracks such as Sara, Gypsy, and Dreams. Needless to say, these women inspired music and millions of fans with their incredible talent.

Debbie Harry

Female singers and and front-women such as Madonna, Hole’s Courtney Love and Gwen Stefani from No Doubt all expressed taking from and finding inspiration in Blondies iconic Debbie Harry.

Kate Bush

Bands such as New Order and The Cure explored synth and keyboard in indie rock and pop music did the same with a much lighter approach and yet, Bush’s music remained unique. She has truly shown musicians how you can push boundaries within genres and create music that is completely unique.

Today hundered’s of female artists are emerging, and much like the women mentioned, are pushing genre boundaries and creating incredible music. Supporting small artists is incredibly important in ensuring the music industry thrives with talent. So make sure to support some of the talented female musicians that are out there today. Who knows, they could go on to change music like these women did.