I have always assumed that the music industry is more diverse than the film industry. It just makes sense right? Jazz, Blues, R&B, Rap, Soul and Funk – the foundations of modern music – have been dominated by minorities. But what about gender diversity? The New York Times published an excellent article earlier this year that highlighted a study led by Dr. Stacy L. Smith at USC on this very topic. The study analysed the top 600 songs from 2012 to 2017 (based on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for each year) and the results are quite shocking.

The study finds that only:

• 22.4% of musicians are women
• 12.3% of songwriters are women
• 2% of producers are women
• 9.3% of Grammy nominees are….. women!

At first I could not believe it. It just didn’t make sense to me. But then I took a look at some of my own playlists and I realised that only 17% of the songs I have been recommending are performed by women.

I grew up listening to female musicians. My foremost memories of music are watching musicals like The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins on VHS in my parent’s bedroom. I am not sure whether it is possible to have a crush when you are 5 years old, but if it is then I had a huge crush on Julie Andrews. Her voice is etched in my musical memory and always takes me back to a more innocent time in my life, when my only care in the world was how much chocolate there was in the fridge.

Throughout my childhood, my father was the music director at home. While Elvis was and always will be his greatest love, women musicians always had a significant place in his music collection. When most kids my age were playing sports or doing homework, my weekends were spent getting an educated in the blues. I spent hours listening to reel-to-reel tapes and CDs of Ella, Billie, Etta, Doris and Aretha. At that age, for me it was all about the voice and less about the music or the meaning of the songs. To exemplify this – I have a distinct memory of listening and imitating the song ‘Physical’ by Olivia Newton-John for weeks without having a clue what it really meant 🙂

During my teenage years my tastes changed and while Alanis Morissette, The Cranberries and No Doubt were on the top of my playlist, I still enjoyed coming home to hear my sister playing ‘Like a Virgin’ on repeat. Even at school, the first song I played with my band ‘The Penguins’ was a cover of ‘What’s Up’ by 4 Non Blondes. We learned it from some of the senior boys in school and I don’t even think we knew that it was sung by women rockers until much later.

At around the same time my parents were all about Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton and Whitney Houston and while I appreciated their talent, at the time I was too far gone down a rebellious streak to admit it (publicly at least). However, I will say that Whitney Houston’s rendition of the Star Spangled Banner is one of the most striking live vocal performances I have ever heard. And of course The Bodyguard is a classic!

The first ever concert I went to was to see Lauryn Hill at Wembly Arena in the summer of 1999. I was blown away by her performance and consider myself lucky to have seen her in her prime. This concert was a life changing event for me as it got me hooked onto the thrill of live music performance as an art form… something we were completely devoid of in India. The high I felt at that gig was just the beginning of a beautiful journey of sonic discovery that I am still on today.

During my time at Indiana University’s Jacob School of Music I studied the history of rock n’ roll as part of my music degree. It was here that I was introduced to the intoxicating female musicians from the 60s and 70s such as Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Janis Joplin. Joni Mitchell’s song ’All I Want’ was the first time I truly paid attention to the meaning and soul of a singer / songwriter’s music. Till today it remains one of my favourite songs.

The last decade has seen some of the most enthralling female musicians soar in popularity; to name a few – Norah Jones, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Adele. But for me there is just one musician that has outshone them all as far as raw talent is concerned – the late Amy Winehouse. Amy’s words in songs such as ‘Back to Black’ and ‘Love is a Losing Game’ narrated her feelings of heartache and deep sorrow. Unfortunately, in reality her life followed her songs (or was it the other way round?) and steamrolled towards a seemingly inevitable conclusion.

Amy Winehouse’s voice, music and life continue to have a profound impact on me as I will never let myself be trapped the way she was. When I listen to Amy’s music I am reminded that no matter how dark the forest there is always true beauty in this world and to find it, you just need to look within.

As an ardent feminist and lover of all music, I really do wish we had a more even playing field for female musicians, writers and producers. The issue is not one of supply or demand, but in the deep rooted misogyny that prevails in the entertainment industry at large. My sincere hope is that the direct-to-fan model of distribution will put enough pressure on the industry and sooner rather than later more women will be heard.

In the mean time, here’s to all the women who have had a deep impact on my life. You know who are. I hope you enjoy my latest jams. You can find the Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube playlist links below.

1. Ozma – Shannon and The Clams
2. iT – Christine and the Queens
3. Do It – Rae Morris
4. Pine & Ginger – Amindi K. Fro$t, Tessellated, Valleyz
5. Better Than – Lake Street Dive
6. Cycling Trivialities – Dyan
7. Don’t Bother Calling – Moses Sumney
8. Les Héros da Barbes – Juniore
9. Music on My Teeth (feat. Jose Gonzales) – DJ Koze
10. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow – Amy Winehouse
11. 1985 – Intro to “The Fall Off” – J. Cole
12. My Contribution to This Scam – Jean Grae & Quelle Chris
13. Clair de Lune – Kamasi Washington
14. Where Can I Go Without You? – Nina Simone

Playlists: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

Think oldies, 1950s, just when rock n’ roll was taking over from doo-wop but instead of a refined melodic voice you have punk rocker Shannon Shaw at screaming down the hooter. Ozma is just my sort of jam. Whether you like oldies or not, this is dance music.

The next two songs are all Shloka…

Christine and the Queens is the stage name for French singer/songwriter Héloïse Letissier. When asked about her song iT she says it best: “My first song “iT” was about wanting to have a dick just in order to have an easier life. I wrote it when I got expelled from drama school in Lyon seven years ago because I put on my own play. My teachers allowed boys to do stage directing but told girls they had to learn about acting first. Those teachers are still lecturing today. Now I wouldn’t write “iT”. I’d rather stay a woman and fight, and try to control this male gaze by wearing unsexualised suits and speaking about my own desire without worrying about being desirable on someone else’s terms.” I will always hold the memories of driving down the Carterra Austral listening to this song closest to my heart.

Do It is a super catchy tune from Rae Morris’s sophomore album. Do It is not a pop song but it’s a freaky, weird and surprising song which grows on you every time you listen to it. Its funny because I rarely watch music videos but I tried to imagine what Rae would do and when I watched the video, her odd dance moves were EXACTLY what I expected. On a lighter note, this song also reminds of Rob Schnider’s “You can do it” from the film Water Boy 🙂

Pine & Ginger is a joint production from talented producers Tressellated and Valleyz with Amindi K. Fro$t on vocals. Both Amindi and Tressellated are originally from Jamaica, but Amindi has never lived there. While you can hear the dancehall roots of the song you can also feel the LA finesse to it. I wonder if they will continue to collaborate because whatever they have works like dynamite.

My roommate from my freshman year at Indiana University Adam Cranky suggested that I check out Lake Street Dive (LSD) a few years ago. Adam and I are huge Ben Folds fans and I trust his taste in music without reservation and have rarely been disappointed. Better Than is off one of their earlier albums and I love the off-beat drums and the soulful lyrics. Rachael Price has a lovely R&B voice and the guitarist Mike “McDuck” Olson’s trumpet sounds so sweet.

Alexis Marsh’s cover of Jose Gonzales’s Cycling Trivialities is magical. The way she emulates Jose’s style of singing with undulating flowing vocals is mesmerising. I love that she uses this dreamy keyboard patch instead of the guitar. Check out Dyan’s originals as well – Looking for Knives is one of my favourites.

Aromanticism, the debut album of Moses Sumney, is one of the most spellbinding collections of music I have heard in some time. He reminds me of a softer and more romantic version of Frank Ocean. Don’t Bother Calling is a beautiful song about finding ones self. I strongly identify with Moses when he writes that we cannot love somebody else until we love ourselves. This is a life lesson I have learned the hard way but I am glad I learned it at all.

Les héros de Barbès is the latest single by French indie rockers Juniore. It is a cover of a song by Yves Simon from the 70s. The soundscape that Juniore create in the song is surfer rock-esq with great use of effects straight out of a 1970s science fiction movie! I have become obsessed with this song even though I have no idea what the words mean. And I don’t want to know either – the music is fascinating.

DJ Koze is one of the most versatile producers of our generation. Music on My Teeth from his spectacular release Knock Knock is just one of the masterpieces on this album. Anybody who grew up in the age of audio cassettes and Walkmans knows that this track sounds like a Walkman that is just about to run out of batteries. We’ve all been there at some point or another. Needless to say, Jose Gonzales’s voice sounds heavenly as always.

Amy Winehouse’s cover of Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, first recorded by the Shirelles, has the most ingenious musical arrangement. Amy really makes the song her own, just as she did with Valerie. It is hard to imagine that this song was written in the 60s!

And finally we have a diss track by J. Cole: 1985 – Intro to “The Fall Off”. Diss tracks are a feature of rap and are always fun to listen to. 2Pac’s Hit ‘Em Up has always been the gold standard of disses but J. Cole takes it to a different level. Cole’s diss is not personal but it is a commentary on commercial hip hop where artists just rap about money, jewels, rides, champagne and women. His raps are brilliant and no wonder all his past albums have gone platinum. J. Cole is to rap, what Bob Dylan was to rock. He has made the game his own and he is brilliant.

The reason I have put My Contribution to This Scam by Jean Grae and her fiancé Quelle Chris right after 1985 is because this is exactly what I think rap should sound like. Fresh, exciting and intelligent. Jean Grae’s lyrics are smart and hilarious at times and Quelle’s voice is just plain spooky. Enjoy.

Critically acclaimed multi-instrumentalist Kamasi Washington does it again in this stunning interpretation of Debussy’s Clair de Lune. I don’t even know where to begin with this song. Somehow Kamasi is able to keep the essence of Debussy’s piano classic while infusing his lovely tenor saxophone right into the middle of it. This is truly an astounding piece of music because it manages to hold true to the original while going off in multiple directions at the same time. Kamasi binds it all together.

I never really listened to much of Nina Simone’s music. Shloka changed that and I finally get it now. Oh Nina… so sultry and sexy are you. The depth of emotion you can hear in Nina’s voice when she sings Where Can I Go Without You? is quite incredible. Nina Simone was more than a musician, she was a personality who always did what she wanted and usually got her way. At the end of it all isn’t that the only the way to live?

Playlists: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube