T A B L E
C O N T E N O T F S
credits, 3 letter from the editor, 5 industry, 7 Bill Werde interview, 9 Girls of Fall review, 17 Liz Rose interview, 19 fashion, 23 Why Fashion Matters, 25 artists, 27 Rosi Golan show review & interview, 29 Lorde profile, 31 Caroline Spence interview, 35 Taylor Swift profile, 37 what we’re listening to, 43 feminism, 45 women in music videos, 47
C R E D I T S
editor // designer // writer // Nina Small thesis director // Dan Johnson contributing writer // Kaydee Ecker all photography // by Nina Small unless otherwise stated artist photos // PR photos album covers // Google images
L E T T E R
DEAR READERS, I can’t believe that I’m already on my second issue of Songbird. This issue provided some wonderful opportunities. I love being able to talk to people about what’s happening in the music industry today. I spoke to Bill Werde when he came to Belmont University for the Best Job Ever conference. Bill is someone that I have looked up to for awhile; after following him on Twitter a couple of years ago I’ve always been interested in his opinions and views on the music business. He’s always open to having discussions with people as well, which is not the case for everyone! I also talked with songwriter Liz Rose. After seeing her perform at a writers round at the Tippler in Nashville, I had the chance to talk to her a couple of times about her songwriting process and experiences. I first heard her name connected to Taylor Swift, but it was great to hear about the rest of her career and (many) projects she’s always working on. There are some other great features that I’m also really happy with in this issue. I talked to Caroline Spence and Caitlyn Smith - both local Nashville writers. Rosi Golan is another feature, and her song “Can’t Go Back” has been one of my favorites for a few years now. There are profiles on Taylor Swift and Lorde that look at what makes each of them unique, as well as a new list of what we’re listening to. I hope by reading these features you learn something new or think about something differently, whether that be something Bill Werde says about the music industry and politics, what Liz Rose says about how women will get back on the charts, how someone defines feminism, or something else. I know that throughout interviewing people I have learned a lot and also realized how much more there is to learn and examine when it comes to the music business - especially how women fit into it. Let me know what you think of this issue! You can find us on Facebook and Twitter, or even email us. My personal Twitter is linked here as well. Thank you for reading! NINA
I N DU S T RY
interview with Bill Werde, 9 Girls of Fall review, 17 Liz Rose interview, 19
an interview with
BILL WERDE when in town for Belmont University’s Best Job Ever conference, former Billboard magazine editor Bill Werde was nice enough to set aside time to talk about women in music, feminism, and the overall state of the music industry today.
their ability to greenlight a project, based on their ability to change the music business with their own decisions unilaterally. It seemed to me the music business was in Very. When I got to Billboard it was a nice but fact kind of overwhelmingly white and male, relatively small bruncheon and we expanded certainly in the upper logs. it. The first year I was running it we gave So if you look today at the three the Woman of the Year award to Beyoncé, major labels, the two big agencies, the and we gave the Rising Star award to an up biggest touring and promotion companies, and comer named Lady Gaga. It changed the biggest publishers - so I’ve just listed the whole scope of that event. We went probably twenty to twenty five different from having a little industry event to having CEO / president positions - there’s only something that required a red carpet, that one woman in that whole group, and had a ton of media there, and now suddenly she hasn’t started her job yet. That’s people were fighting to get tables in a big Jody Gerson at Universal Music Publishing giant room. That was fun. I didn’t realize how Group. So it became this sort of dynamic big it would be - and maybe naively because where the event became profitable and I had always seen it as this nice little event celebrity oriented, but I always wanted to - and then we brought in Beyoncé and Lady make sure we didn’t lose the core of while we Gaga and it turned into this whole other have this even brighter spotlight, let’s not lose thing. sight of the fact that this is about empowering So perhaps naively I didn’t women in this industry. Not that it was really understand what that was going to do was a battle internally, but building an event put at risk the real essence and importance of that’s that big and that popular takes on its that event, the roots of that event, which was own momentum. That was something I was honoring the executive talent in the music very conscious of. industry. We’d create this Top Women in I was very proud of that event, and Music list that is the top female executives. I’m very proud of the women on that list It’s an important issue because it’s painfully because setting aside gender and setting obvious that there’s a need for more women aside race and setting aside any sort of way - and particularly more women in leadership we can classify people, some of the women on positions - in the music industry. I would get that list were just some of the fiercest, most a certain amount of push back, as I should, intelligent people that I knew in the music when we created a different list called the industry. I was proud to call them friends, Power 100, which was the one hundred and I was proud to learn from them, and I most powerful people in the music business. was proud to be able to create a platform Whoever you are as a group if you’re to help expose them. I know from the not a white man, you were probably conversations I’ve had at conferences like this underrepresented on that list, and it how much like a Julie Greenwald at Atlantic always bothered me. The purpose of that Records means to young women in the music list was not to imagine the music business as business. I know how much a Marcie Allen at it should be, it was just to document [that] MAC Presents means to a young woman in we’ve got a bunch of people that know the the music business. How much a Jody Gerson music business at Billboard and these are - and if you’re a young woman in the music the most powerful people based on their business, you only have so many women to positions, based on their budgets, based on look up to, and it’s fortunate I will say that I know Billboard has the Women in Music event every year, so how involved were you with that event?
there are some great ones there, but obviously that touring space, when you’re working in there’s work to be done. the live music space, it is such a boys’ club. I can’t repeat some of the stories, but some You just mentioned a few, but are of the stuff that Marcie’s had to deal with is there any main people that you tough. It’s hard. But not only does she deal regularly think of as the strongest with it, but she is just so intelligent and so women in the industry? fierce in how she manages to continue to find success. People don’t see it, but I know she Well, Julie Greenwald was our Woman works so incredibly hard. She wakes up early of the Year for I think five years in a in the morning, she’s reading everything, row. I think inarguably in that period she she’s consuming everything. More, more, and was the most powerful female executive in more information. Then [she uses] her own music. She ran her own major label, she innate intelligence that allows her to process had great results. This year thankfully, not that and understand where it’s all going. because Julie isn’t still doing amazing work Julie is a favorite of mine because I but because there are some other women think if I had to work for one label president, that are stepping up, but I think it will be it might be Julie. You can’t find a person at interesting to see where that list winds up Atlantic and you can’t find an artist at Atlantic because like I said, Jody Gerson’s going to that doesn’t appreciate how strong she is on be stepping in January 1st and running the their behalf. She is so protective of her people, second largest music publishing company and the loyalty that that ingenders is really in the world and it’s only a hair behind the an impressive thing. In my role at Billboard I biggest. had a lot of access to a lot of different people. Michelle Anthony, who is one of You could sit down with the president of a Lucian Grainge’s lieutenants at Universal label and they would seem really impressive Music Group - she’s an amazing woman, I in person, and then you bump into some mean she use to be the number two at Sony of their staff out at a club or whatever, and Music. Then she spent a number of years then you get the other half of the story. With doing her own consulting with management. Julie there wasn’t really another half of She really helped Pearl Jam, she really helped the story. Her people adored her. Her Bjork. She is a mentor of mine. I consider people would fight for her. And that’s myself very fortunate to be able to spend time always the sign of an executive I’d want to go at her home listening to her talk about the to battle with. music industry. She taught me so much, not just about the music industry but about how They obviously have great management to be a professional. On how to be a grown skills if people respect them that up. On how to be in the music business. way. Marcie Allen is another one that I mentioned, but here’s a woman that is basically putting Absolutely. But there’s so many great women together some of the biggest and most in the music business, I’m almost loathed to creatively innovative brand and sponsorship name a few. To some extent that Women in deals in music right now. She connected Citi Music list - certainly the last one that came with the Rolling Stones for example - just out while I was there - is a testament to who huge deals. Any woman working at the senior I think is doing great work in the music levels in the music business will tell you what business because that was very personal for a boys’ club it is, but when you’re working in me, and we spent a lot of time on that.
way? Thinking about are we good for the world or are we not good for the world?” That sort of thing. So to me feminism is maybe one of a number of -isms that I would like to see the music industry find ways to embrace And in a post-Beyonce world. People can a little bit more than it is. I think that would agree that that’s feminism or disagree only help the strength of the industry. that that’s feminism, but Beyoncé has Broadly speaking, and this is just done more to re-introduce feminism from my own experience from the people to the conversation at broader levels to I’m exposed to, I think feminism has sort of a mass audience, than I think anyone come to be practically defined in the minds else has done in years. That on its own, of a lot of people as something that it isn’t. whether you think she’s feminism or not, That’s one of the challenges. The other thing I think deserves an enormous amount of is something like feminism, like most -isms, credit and that’s it’s own valuable thing. But is a pretty big tent. So feminism could be this I interrupted you, you were going to ask a thing to one person and this other thing to question. another person, and they’re both credible in that belief. But certainly if you take feminism People don’t understand the general as the fundamental definition of equality idea of feminism - just about and equal treatment of the genders, I don’t equality - so what problems do you think anyone thinks that’s a bad thing or an see it facing or how important do alienating thing or a polarizing thing. It’s you think it is in the industry in hard to find people that would publicly say or general? even privately think “well, I do think women Well, it’s hugely important. I think it’s hugely are inferior.” Or “I do think it’s absolutely right that women make on average twenty important maybe in a slightly different way to thirty percent less than men for doing the than you think it’s hugely important. Not to same work.” Most people aren’t going to make assumptions. I don’t know how you think that and certainly aren’t going to say think it’s hugely important. I think a lot it. of people come to the music business and At that Women in Music event look at it - or to any industry - and look at two or three years ago, we presented Katy it through their own lens. So if feminism Perry with the Woman in Music award, is important to you, you look at the music and Katy Perry stood up on stage, and the industry and say “there’s a problem here, first thing she chose to say to this room full there’s not enough feminism, the industry’s of people that were there to celebrate and not cognicent of certain equality and gender theoretically think about the power of women issues that it should be.” And you’re not and expanding the power of women - the first wrong. In fact you are right. But you could thing that Katy chose to say was “I am not a also look at the industry through a prism feminist.” It was interesting - I talked to a lot of race. You could also look at the industry of people in that room after that and there through a prism of a bunch of other things was such a huge range of responses to that. that are all really important issues. So I tend to look at the industry as Some people were sort of understandably “does it have a conscious? Is it thinking angry or disappointed that she chose to say that. Other people really felt that there was about what it should be doing? Is it understanding about why she would say that. spending time in sort of a self aware Feminism is a big topic that I’m trying to address in my magazine - a big popular topic in general today especially with women in music -
Julie Greenwald is the Chairman and COO of Atlantic Records Group. You can read her Billboard profile from last year as the Woman of the Year here.
You can check out some highlights of Katy Perry’s Billboard Woman of the Year acceptance speech referrenced by Werde - here.
Taylor Swift’s performance of ‘Mean” on the Grammy’s was a special moment watch it below.
That maybe Katy didn’t fully understand what it meant to say “I’m not a feminist,” but what she was really trying to do was distance herself from anything political. I think this is one of the fundamental problems in music, and if I could change one thing in music - and I think when my next role becomes clearer you’ll see that maybe I’m going to try to sort of put my day job hours where my idealism is - if I could change one thing it’s that. When rock became popularized, by and large certainly in the sixties, there was very little that was apolitical about it. To me, the mid to late seventies is kind of this vapid, shallow period where it’s Sticks and Journey - and that’s what follows, that’s the response to this very politicized time in music. I keep waiting to get back to a politicized time in music. There’s so many sort of social challenges in the world and music has such an incredible and powerful reach and connection to people that I feel like music is missing its opportunity to really entrench itself as a crucial part of people’s lives by being afraid to be political. I don’t know that there’s ever been a time in the history of popular music when artists were more steadfastly apolitical, more afraid of taking a stand on virtually anything that could be in any way controversial than today. If you look at the crop of Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars - I could keep going down that list - and that isn’t to pick on those artists, right? I think most pop stars tend to be a product of their time, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that if I ask you, “what does Katy Perry stand for?” or “what does Taylor Swift stand for?” I don’t know that most people would have an answer. “They stand for great music, or they stand for great pop songs.” I mean it’s not entirely fair because Taylor’s done a lot to empower young women to feel good about themselves. I’ve long been a fan and supporter of Taylor Swift’s. She came and played in the Billboard cafeteria for like twelve cranky
journalists when she was not a star in any way shape or form, was just a fourteen or fifteen year old super enthusiastic kid who had a lot of energy and was a little bit pitchy in our cafeteria. Most people didn’t stick out to me in those sessions, so many artists come through and you never hear of them again. She just had this amazing energy and this amazing enthusiasm to be playing for these twelve cranky journalists. There was an energy around her. So I followed her career and we helped promote her early and we gave her Woman of the Year award at one time and I always followed her career. But the first time I saw her in concert was at Madison Square Garden. I was out in the audience, and to look around the room and to see all of these young women, I mean the crowd was overwhelmingly women, almost all women – but it was two generations, it was ten to fifteen year old girls and a lot of their mothers. As an aside, one of the things that makes Taylor brilliant as a songwriter is that her songs seem to resonate equally with the mothers and the fifteen year olds because of these timeless songs about relationships and love and we all find our truths in Taylor Swift songs, so I’m not picking on her like that. But when she performed “Mean” and I looked around and saw all of these twelve year old girls sing/ screaming “Mean” at the top of their lungs with Taylor, it was an emotional moment for me. I could see that this was an important really important on a deep level - this was like spiritual for these girls that here was this popular, powerful woman and she was saying “you know what? there’s mean people in the world and they’re just going to be mean and that shouldn’t change the way you feel about yourself.” That’s a really powerful and really important message. Katy Perry, you could say the same thing about some of her songs. The truth is pop music has come to, at its most political,
encourage personal strength, these things that are sort of inalienable-y seen as positives because that’s not dangerous, that’s not risky. You’re not going to upset your brand sponsor by doing that. But treading into the actual political spectrum is something that no one at the top of the Billboard charts is actually doing or almost no one at the top of the charts is doing. It’s a missed opportunity. It really is. I think, like everything in music, it tends to be a cycle, it tends to be a pendulum. I have to believe you’ll see more awareness, more conscious political awareness. These are turbulent political times, right? Like climate change is the issue of our generation. And for every –ism there’s a set of rights that feel unalienable but yet unassailable right now in this political climate. I just think that artists need to get back to playing that role. You have this platform, use it. Make it mean something more than just your career and getting people to sing along. Some artists like Lady Gaga have done that. Lady Gaga has been very outspoken. This is an example of why it can be tricky for people, right? Because Lady Gaga does do that, but people say “Oh she’s carpetbagging gay culture” or whatever. I just think if you’re creating some good in the world it’s a good thing, and if you’re bringing a voice to those that don’t have enough of a voice that’s a good thing. And if you’re willing to take a stand on a political issue because you understand it and it’s important to you and if you want to use your platform to help people understand it that’s a good thing. I want to see pop and music in general evolve to a time when people are less afraid again. Less afraid to have a point of view. That’s an interesting point. I think everyone is just so afraid of anything political.
Well I do really think a lot of it has to do with
the fact that brands have become the chief revenue driver for recorded music now, and so suddenly it’s not just about “well, will I upset my fans or not?” it’s “will I alienate the brand that is paying for my year this year?” Also, in fairness I think a lot of people took the wrong lesson away from what happened with the Dixie Chicks. Natalie Maines speaks out against George Bush and they haven’t really been heard from since to an extent. So you know, I understand why there’s fear. I think the only one that I can think of that tries to be on the edge is Kacey Musgraves. Country isn’t always with her –
Yeah, definitely not. Definitely not, and I have a lot of respect for that. One other question would be, I came and saw you talk when you were at Belmont last time, and heard what you had to say about personal accountability. So anything else to add about what you said earlier?
Well I think it’s a hard thing to understand and it’s an even harder thing to execute on. Even today, I treat holding myself accountable the way some people treat religion. Still there’s times where this doesn’t go right or that doesn’t go right and I’m like “this person really screwed that up,” or “this person really didn’t understand what I was trying to do,” and it’s like “no, no you have to really kind of own it for yourself.” If you want to get something done and you want to accomplish something, or if you want to try to chart a path that’s going to lead to some place good, you really have to be able and willing to understand that it’s all about you. Not in an ego way, but if it doesn’t work out, ask yourself what you can do differently. “What can I do differently?” Just keep at that, because people will get confused and think that perseverance looks like banging your
head on the same wall again and again and again. Or sending the same person the same email a hundred times because they haven’t answered you. That’s like the worst thing you can do. It’s a waste of energy. It makes you seem like a crazy stalker. It’s not what you want. You want to think like “why is this person not answering my email? Is it the quality of my email? Is it the time I’m sending it? Is it the content? What is it?” I think that there are a lot of obstacles we all face in life to accomplish the things we consider our dreams. This is really just a method for thinking how to get past those obstacles. It’s really recognizing the power you have to do it. It requires a certain flexibility to think differently about your own situation and have that self awareness to recognize that maybe the reason this isn’t working out is because I’m not doing what I need to be doing. I’m not doing the work. I’m not approaching this the right way. I’m not ready for this thing, and I understand why this person thinks I’m not. Let me figure out how to convince them otherwise. I’ve been to this conference for the past four years, and I can’t even count the amount of times the main advice they give is to network, and that’s really all they try to offer – so it’s nice to hear a different perspective.
I wonder about all these people who give that advice because I certainly didn’t get anywhere in my career from networking. I had a couple of good friends, and they helped create an opportunity here or there, but they were just good friends and then they moved up some place and were happy to bring me along because they knew what I could do. That said, at this early stage in your career it’s good to have relationships, it’s good to have people that know you and have an inkling about your work. So that is important, I guess, but I
think people put way too much focus on it. At the end of the day you can bullshit your way into a lot of things, but people find out pretty quickly whether you have what it takes to do that work or do that job. I think generally from my experience - generally not always let me be crystal clear - the people that wind up succeeding wind up succeeding because they’re the smartest, they’re the best at what they do. It’s a cream rises kind of theory. But it can just look a lot of different ways.
GIRLS OF FALL This month one of the most talked about events in town was the Girls of Fall writers round at The Sutler. Showcasing some amazing talent ranging from student writers to women racking up number ones, the event even brought out award winning Kacey Musgraves and Michelle Branch to peform a few songs. The event showed the power of female songwriters and how they are all bringing great songs to the table. Some highlights from the event: Heather Morgan’s performance of “Beat of the Music” (Brett Elderidge), Caitlyn Smith’s performance of “Everything to You,” Michelle Branch & Kacey Musgraves’ performance of “Leave the Pieces” (The Wreckers), and Jessi Alexander’s performance of “Mine Would Be You” (Blake Shelton).
INTERVIEW WITH CAITLYN SMITH You started with the Girls of Summer event and then had the Girls of Fall recently. How did you come up with the idea to start this series? A few friends of mine, Heather Morgan and Maggie Chapman and I were standing around one evening after playing a show at the Tippler, and our sound man suggested we host a ladies evening there. We all thought it was a brilliant idea, and got together a few weeks later to plan it out and it snowballed from there. We asked a bunch of our friends to join us and “Girls of Summer” was a huge success. You put that many talented females in a room and people go crazy, I guess! What do you think are some of the main problems facing female songwriters? There’s definitely a lack of female artists to pitch our songs to right now. Most female artists on the radio write their own songs, which is awesome, but makes it a little trickier if you’re just a writer. But the great thing is it’s not really keeping females down - there are tons of female songwriters out there killing it right now. What about female artists? The obvious answer is lack of radio play for females, however, there are incredible women out there still finding success outside radio, and making waves. In my opinion, it’s only a matter of time before we take over again!
The Girls of Fall had a couple of surprise guests Michelle Branch and Kacey Musgraves. How did they get involved? Michelle and Kacey are friends of ours. and when we asked them to hop in on our Girl-Power-Fest, they were excited to join the party! We’re so thankful they did because it ruled. What has it been like to see all of the support from so many people and Nashville in general for these events and for the females playing? Very exciting! Heather and Maggie and I are pretty overwhelmed with how the turnouts have been. [It’s] such an incredible testimony of the support for women in this town! We all are feelin’ the love! Do you have any plans to continue the series in the future? What would you like to see change or happen as a result of the series? We definitely want to keep it going. It’s just too much fun not to! Definitely plans for a Girls of Winter. It’s really a fun night for us girls to just get together, hear incredible music, and celebrate and encourage each other! There is so much power in community, and our hope is to simply inspire each other and whoever shows up to the party!
Liz Rose Talks Songwriting, Females on the Charts, & Falling Into the Industry
Liz Rose is an extremely talented songwriter that is beloved by many people in Nashville. Last issue’s main feature Lori McKenna had nothing but sweet things to say about her, citing her ability to spill out lyrics faster than she could even write them down. Rose’s list of accomplishments range from owning her own publishing company with a roster of eight writers, a Grammy for Best Country Song (shared with Taylor Swift for “White Horse”), and cuts on albums for the likes of Little Big Town and others. The Texas born writer got her start in the industry almost by accident. She moved to Nashville with an ex-husband who worked for labels in town, and “just met some people and started working.” Her working in the industry led her to the field of publishing and then into co-writing songs. When it comes to co-writing, her process mainly focuses on lyrics, as she doesn’t know how to play an instrument. “As soon as somebody starts playing something, words just come out,” she said. “A lot of times it’s good to get people talking, to get a story and know what you’re talking about. A lot of times if I can get somebody talking, I’ll spend thirty minutes writing down whatever they’re saying and get the high
points and put the song together like that.” One of her first writing partners was a young teenager with blonde curly hair and a goal of making it as a country artist. Taylor Swift had her own ideas and Rose helped her with many of the songs for her first two albums. “Taylor had all her words,” Rose said. “She would just start playing and rambling and talking and I would just help her put it together and make sense of it.” The partnership led to accomplishments like Grammys and country awards, no doubt a great feat in the industry. Once the world knew of Rose’s relationship with Swift, the phone was ringing off the hook from parents wanting to get a writing session for their daughters. “All the time. I got inundated with thirteen year olds for awhile, and still do. I still get people calling in, ‘I’ve got a fifteen year old daughter.’ I’ve always told them there’s no fairy dust here. There’s no magic here. Those are Taylor’s songs. I helped her get them out. I helped her write them. I just supported that and didn’t try to change her. I didn’t write sixteen year old songs. Taylor wrote those songs, and I helped her get out what she wanted to say.”
In her new home of songwriting, Rose took on another task: creating her own publishing company. Liz Rose Music has a roster of eight writers including Emily Shackleton, Chuck Wicks, and others, and was started out of “self preservation.” When it came time for her to look for a new deal, the ones she was being offered from other companies didn’t quite fit. “So I got my son, and we started a company together. From there we started just going to pitch my stuff, and then we signed Emily and the next thing you know we have eight writers. But it was never a grand master plan.”
In addition to co-writing with writers on her own roster, Rose also has a great bond with other writers in the genre. McKenna, who is based out of Massachusetts but stays with Rose on her trips to Nashville, and Hillary Lindsey, whose writing credits range from Lady Antebellum and Carrie Underwood to Miley Cyrus and the cast of Nashville, are two frequent co-writers. The three of them call themselves the “Love Junkies,” and some recent collaborations ended up on Little
Big Town’s latest album, Painkiller. Many fans and critics have picked out “Girl Crush” as a favorite on the album, and it’s a song that Rose wasn’t thrilled about writing at first. “We got up one morning and were making coffee and Lori says ‘I’ve got an idea for today! I’ve got this idea for a song. Girl crush!’ and I just kind of went ‘No, we’re not writing ‘girl crush,’’” Rose said. “‘Yeah, it will be really cool!’ [McKenna replied.]” Once Lindsey heard the idea and got excited about it, Rose joined in. “Hillary just started playing and singing the chorus, and it fell out. It was really fun, having to be careful and walk the line of making sure it was clear what it was about.” Rose was one of the (many) featured writers at the Girls of Fall event a few weeks ago at the Sutler - you can check out the review of that in the Industry section! Though Rose doesn’t see the event changing the state of the music industry or amount of females on the charts, she’s happy with how the event portrays the community of writers in Nashville. “The girls do it for other girls. It’s a great night of mentorship. You look at all those girls that showed up - what a great night of mentorship for them. So to me that’s what’s important about it. The comradery, the mentorship, and just the night of girls that are trying to do it, that are in school or just come to town or been here for five years - for them to stand there and watch how we all put our arms around each other and support each other, that’s what’s important.” The night featured a great lineup of
talented writers - all of whom know their own style and what makes them unique. That’s what Rose says will help female artists in the long run. “Girls are coming back,” she said. “They have to be those girls that know who they are. Like RaeLynn. Like Maddie & Tae. These females that know who they are. The problem was we got a lot of females that wanted to be Taylor [Swift], and there’s only one Taylor. They haven’t given a chance to a lot of females that could be stars because they’re so caught up in the boy thing, and the boy thing is so easy and it always has been. It’s good, it’s just time to let some females [back in]. I think that’s all about songs.” Artists like Kacey Musgraves have proven that being yourself and working hard can really get you far. “[Kacey] knows who she is, and that makes a difference. We get so caught up in radio. The labels they talk about radio and selling records, but for an artist it is about radio and selling records, but it’s also about a fanbase. And Kacey has proven that you can win awards with a fanbase. You just get out there and get on a bus and go to work.” At the end of the day she’s optimistic about women getting back on the country charts, saying “I just think it’s just really easier for guys right now. I think that’s what the public wants, I think that’s what people want. I think that we’ll look up in the next year and have another crop like the Dixie Chicks and when Reba and Martina [were so big]. I think it’s just a phase.”
“Girls are coming back. They have to be those girls that know who they are. Like RaeLynn. Like Maddie & Tae. I think that’s all about songs.”
When it comes to female songwriters, she said it’s also getting better. “It is this year. It finally is. We watched it build for the last three years back up. Two years ago, three years ago there was only one female that got on the BMI stage - one or two. It’s getting better. We said it three years ago, we need the girls back on the stage. It’s happening, and it’s because [they just] stepped up their game.” Besides performing at these writers rounds around town every so often (something she doesn’t particularly enjoy - “Once I get started it’s fun. It’s the stress of actually doing it once I say I’m going to do it [that’s the worst].”), Rose has taken on
a couple other projects. She is currently in the process of recording her own album, and said “It’s going good! I’ve done three songs and sang vocals on two of them. When I got the vocal [comp] back I said ‘I don’t hate it!’ [laughs]. To me that’s more than I could have ever dreamed, so it’s fun because I wrote them and tried not to get too close to them when I wrote them, but when you hear the music going down and do a vocal that you really want people to hear, they really hit me differently.” Despite the fact she was pleasantly surprised, she doesn’t have any plans to do anything with the album as of now, saying she’s just doing it to say she did. As if owning her own company and creating an album weren’t enough to keep her busy, Rose recently opened a shop in Edgehill village in Nashville called Castilleja. The shop was always a dream of her’s, something that she saw Nashville was lacking and could really use. “I grew up in the dime store business, I grew up working in them. I like to shop. I like to buy things. I like to go into stores and if I see something I love I don’t go ‘where’s this going to go in my house?’ I go ‘I gotta have that, and I’ll figure it out later.’ That grows into people coming into my house and going ‘oh, I love that!’ and [I say,] ‘oh you want it?’” Her creativity and inspiration from stores in Texas blossomed into Castilleja, which she runs with the help of her daughter - another family business. Despite the multitude of projects
and accomplishments in the music business, it’s easy to tell that Rose is perhaps most proud of her family. When asked about her biggest accomplishment she said, “Being able to feed my kids doing this. Supporting my kids. I mean of course you’d say your Grammy, and that’s awesome - it is really, really awesome - but to look up and say that I was able to some how by a miracle support my kids and still be able to make a living doing this is probably a pretty big one for me.”
FA SH IO N.
Why Fashion Matters, 25
WHY FASHION MATTERS the book by Fraces Corner (head of the London School of Fashion) makes some great points that apply to everyone - even people and artists in the music industry. here we point out some of our favorite sections.
even the introduction points out how fashion affects society as a whole.
->
as the “most immediate and intimate form of self expression,� it can be instrumental for an artist. how someone presents themselves and shows who they are is very important.
-> Corner makes a lot of great points about how fashion can still be important and looked at as a positive and creative outlet alongside feminism - you can still talk about fashion and be a feminist.
AR TI ST
Rosi Golan show review, 29 Lorde profile, 31 Caroline Spence interview, 35 Taylor Swift profile, 37 what we’re listening to, 43
I was first introduced to Rosi Golan’s music by a friend who had heard Can’t Go Back on a tv show. The haunting harmonies and painful lyrics are very captivating when you first listen to that song - and each time I revisit it I fall in love with it all over again. Flash forward a few months and I enter Bowery Ballroom to see Ed Sheeran headline a show and see a poster that includes the previously unannounced opening artist: “Rosi Golan.” When the somewhat lanky brunette walked on stage and started her performance, she shocked me with her sweet and incredibly beautiful voice and guitar playing. It’s always somewhat of a gamble when you see artists live - will they sound anything like the recording? Will they be able to bring the songs
to life? Rosi easily accomplished both, and even made it look effortless. Given my great experience at that show, I was excited to find out she would be playing a new venue in town called the City Winery. When I sat down to interview her she was as nice as you’d imagine - albeit a bit distracted by her adorable 3 year old friend that had come to visit before the show. We talked a bit about her career and her songwriting process. When she took to the stage in Nashville, I was impressed once again. Her songwriting tells stories without venturing too deep into the country realm or becoming cliche. The songs feel full with just her and another guitar player who does background vocals.
How did you first get into songwriting? I guess it was like anybody. Either had my heart broken or kind of wrote a poem for the first time, and that turned into singing. What makes your most recent EP Fortuna different than your previous work? This is definitely the most stripped down thing that I’ve recorded. I made a very conscious choice to say I don’t want more than two to four elements in each track. I wanted to stay as stripped down as I could and stay true to the emotion of the song. Do you have any favorite co-writers? Ian Archer is one of my favorites for sure. I’ve written on every release that I’ve had with him. Natalie Hemby is another, and she’s a local from here in Nashville. How does living in Brooklyn affect your songwriting or life in general? Brooklyn is where I get to stretch my legs and quiet my brain, and I think that that always rejuvenates me for writing so it affects me that way. But I actually do very little writing at home now. So on the road a lot? On the road or whether I come to Nashville to write or I go to LA to write, those are pretty much the main places that I work now. One of your songs, “Can’t Go Back,” was recorded by Little Big Town. Were you actively pitching your songs or how did that come about? Natalie was working with the band and I had written it with her and Kate York. I guess she showed it to them but didn’t really tell me, and then she called me and said, “so I showed one of your songs to Little Big Town. I hope you don’t mind, but they all really loved it.” So it kind of happened by accident really organically, which I think is really nice because I’ve had the other experience where you’ve written something that you think is so perfect for somebody and it gets put on hold forever. I think the whole songwriting game is a
little bit more stressful in that sense, so when things happen naturally just because someone really loves the song, it’s a lot nicer. Was it strange to hear someone else singing your song? Yeah, but you know what, they really did it justice. They’re really great singers, so when it’s somebody that really knows what they’re doing that’s a pleasure and it’s an honor. Yeah, they’re harmonies are amazing! So your songs have been played on a lot of different tv shows, so how has sync licensing and getting exposure that way affected your career? I think it has exposed me to a lot of fans. From the beginning, my very first sync was on One Tree Hill, and that was when MySpace was still a thing. From that first day we had like 25,000 hits. That was great for someone that had absolutely no fan base. For my magazine I’m focusing some of it on feminism. Do you personally identify as a feminist or have any thoughts about it in the music industry today? I don’t. I mean I wouldn’t call myself a feminist, but at the same time I obviously am a woman and have thoughts about certain things about our rights and equality and things like that. I don’t know. Maybe feminism has been given a weird sort of – maybe it’s changing. Maybe in modern terms I guess I am. I think I don’t quite understand what the word means anymore. That’s a tough question to answer. It’s a tough question. I think it’s a lot about equality, but people use it in different ways so it gets confusing. What is your favorite accomplishment so far in your career? Just continuing to do what I do. I’m just happy I get to do what I do and make a living at it. Are you currently working on any new music? I’m working on a new record, but I’m not quite ready to explain the new direction. I’ve been actively working this whole year on a record!
WE’RE ALL ON LORDE’S TEAM. with a raise to stardom and launch into the public’s eye seemingly overnight, Lorde has worked hard to create her music, her brand, and her career. while her age only increases the impressiveness of her list of accomplishments, we take a look at what really sets this young New Zealand native apart.
Lorde has seen incredible success over the past year or so, mainly due to the release of her first single “Royals” and debut album Pure Heroine. She became a household name when “Royals” skyrocketed up the charts, and it’s suggested that Nashville was one of the first places on board. There are many aspects that make Lorde stand out - for one, her lyrics give a unique voice to teenagers. Instead of talking about heart break, she focuses more on what it’s like to be her age and to not have it all figured out or be at the top. With lines like “Pretty soon I’ll be getting on my first plane / I’ll see the veins of my city like they do in space / But my head’s filling up fast with the wicked games, up in flames,” it’s easy to see that no one else is writing the same way. “Royals” is the ultimate story of living without a lot of money - “I’m not proud of my address / in a torn up town, no post-code envy.” She pairs these poetic lyrics with a different kind of sound. It’s distinctively pop with an alternative edge to it. On top of that, her image sets her apart as well. She’s a young girl with very distinct ideas about fashion - wearing a lot of interesting and tailored black pieces. She favors dark maroon lipstick and black eyeliner. When it comes to choreographing music performances, you won’t see her wearing little clothing and doing a perfected routine. Instead, she makes each performance her own, focusing on performing the song and sometimes almost radically moving around the stage (as in her recent AMA’s performance). In any interview you read with Lorde, it’s clear there is a team of people helping support her - she’s only eighteen - but it’s also very clear that she gets the last word on any decision. She knows how to make creative choices. She wants to own her own career. She is in control of her brand. That is what has made a girl from a small town in New Zealand become one of the biggest breakout stars in recent years, so why change now?
Given Name: Ella Yelich O’Connor Occupation: Singer / Songwriter Hometown: New Zealand Albums: Pure Heroine, Love Club EP Recent Projects: US headlining tour, currating the Mockingjay soundtrack Awards: Grammys (Song of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance), Billboard Awards (Top New Artist, Top Rock Song), among others Albums Sold: 1.5 million (U.S.), 2x platinum (Canada), Gold (United Kingdom) Magazine Covers: Rolling Stone, Billboard, Teen Vogue Hot Topics Of pal Taylor Swift Conversation: love of Rookie fashion - all magazine and black, deep its creator maroon Tavi Gevinson lipstick,
Caroline Spence: Somehow, Writing with Lee Brice, & Feminism
What was the writing and recording process like for your new album Somehow? These songs weren’t necessarily written with this particular album in mind. I worked with a guy named Michael Reny and he ended up being the producer. He helped me narrow down [songs]. I gave him about thirty songs and it was nice to have that second set of eyes to really see a different narrative than I did or see strengths in certain songs. So these thirteen songs are the best of that group. One of the songs was two months old when we recorded it, one of the songs was four years old when we recorded it, so it wasn’t necessarily writing for the album it was more like “I’m going to make my debut record and how can I put my best foot forward?” One of my favorites on the album was “Fault Lines.” What was the inspiration behind that one? I really love working around a phrase and trying
to see all of the different ways that the phrase can be interpreted. For me that was a really cool exercise because that phrase has an actual, physical definition, but it’s also easily applied to any sort of relationship – that breaking point, that little crack in the floor that leads to something separating. That one was just an idea – I’d had that chorus for awhile and I was debating how metaphorical I was going to get in the verses. Once I committed and really let myself go there with metaphor it came pretty easily. What’s your favorite song off the new record? I think “Trains Cry” might be my favorite one. There are a lot of songs that I didn’t expect to be my favorites, and then when we recorded them I just felt that they had new life breathed into them. “Trains Cry” was definitely one I was proud of lyrically, but because it was such a simple musical structure I had my doubts when I played it out because “oh do people notice that the verse and the chorus both start on the one” or that kind of
thing. I just feel like on the record that’s a song that’s really subtle, that builds in this really great way. I know you won one of the American Songwriter lyric contests, so what was it like to win that contest? That was really cool. Very unexpected. I had finished this song – it had taken me awhile – and I entered the last hour possible on the last day, just kind of thinking “I just finished this, I’ll throw it in the hat.” I got the call and I’d almost forgotten that I’d entered at that point. It was so incredible. Winning for the whole year was pretty insane, and I got to write with Lee Brice which is something I never thought I’d get to do. What was that process like? That was great actually. I was sort of anxious about it because I think I’d had some sort of expectation about who he was as a writer because of the music that he makes. He was a staff writer for years before he was on the radio. I brought in an idea – I’d been working on a song from the male perspective, and I wasn’t sure what a man would be comfortable saying in a love song. So it was a nice process to work with him. He really pushed it, like he’d say “that’s what we said, but I think we can say it better.” He was way more of a craftsman than I think people would expect. I really had a great time and I really like the song we wrote together. With part of my magazine I’m focusing on feminism. So do you personally identify as a feminist? Absolutely! Do you have any general thoughts about feminism in the music industry today? I do. This is actually something that I’ve been thinking a lot about. I had a conversation with a friend recently, a male friend. He said, “what I
like about your music is it’s not whiny girl music. You’re not just singing about your boy problems.” I was like “a) yes I am, most of the time. You must be distracted by the format or something. And b) did you ever stop to listen to what the person is saying? You just assume it’s whining because you’re in love or whining because you’re man hating. You’re not listening to the content.” I just feel like there’s this double edged sword, where if [you’re] a female singer songwriter there’s so much of a connotation that comes along with that. I feel like some girls are afraid to say the label ‘singer songwriter’ because there’s an assumption that you’re going to be reading your diary out loud. But at the same time, when there’s a man who puts himself out there and is really vulnerable, and says all his feelings good and bad, I feel like there’s a lot more praise because it’s maybe unexpected. I always feel like I’m afraid to sing my break up songs because that’s what’s expected of me now. So I think as a songwriter and as a performing songwriter there’s sometimes this difference between men and women singing about the same thing and being perceived in two very different ways sometimes. So that’s something that’s been fascinating me lately. I think that’s really interesting, because you have songwriters like Taylor Swift who gets a lot of hate for writing about boys, but then someone like Ed Sheeran writes love songs and everyone thinks it’s great. Yeah, it’s like we’re all writing about the same thing. The Jason Isbell song “Cover Me Up” is a completely incredible song. It is. It’s amazing. It’s perfect. But part of the reason people freaked out about it, I think, is because it’s coming from a man. There’s something about that, where that vulnerability is so unexpected. That vulnerability for him gives him power. There’s so many great songwriters like Lori McKenna, where it’s like “oh of course she’s singing that” where that vulnerability is a weakness for women.
The World’s Biggest Pop Star Reinvents Her Own Game Taylor Swift’s new album, confidence, and era.
T
aylor Swift has taken over the world with 1989. She dominates pop music, magazine covers, radio airplay, and Buzzfeed articles. To say you are unaware she released a new album would be a lie - everyone knows. Her beautifully executed album release left industry experts scratching their heads and other artists in the dust as she surpassed 1.2 million first week sales. But that is only part of the brilliance of Swift. She also makes it very easy to support her just by being herself - taking on the media’s rumors in “Blank Space,” becoming the new queen of Tumblr, and sending fans packages of Christmas presents are only a few examples of how Swift’s business savvy and genuine niceness coincide to make her perhaps the biggest star in the world.
1989 was a step in a direction that it was clear Swift was headed. The pop production was evident from Speak Now’s “The Story of Us” and made obvious with Red’s three Max Martin produced hits. What was the most surprising about this step was that Swift was bold enough to identify it, foregoing any invitations to country award shows and hosting all of her events in her new found home of New York. With Martin, Ryan Tedder, Jack Antonoff, and Imogen Heap along for the ride, the album is easily Swift’s most “sonically cohesive” as she’d say. Lack of acoustic guitars makes way for sounds that are distinctively pop, but yet they are still Swift. “Style” is easily the most radio friendly of the tracks but it also shows how she makes a pop song her own, as she sings “you’ve got that James
Dean daydream look in your eye / and I’ve got that red lip classic thing that you like.” The production for all of the songs flows together easily, even when a wistful ballad like “This Love” makes its way into the end of the tracklist, it doesn’t feel out of place. Its poetic lyrics bring back memories of Speak Now era Swift (likely due to the fact that album and this song were written by her exclusively). “Tossing, turning, struggled through the night with someone new / and I could go on and on, on and on / lantern burning, flickered in my mind for only you / but you’re still gone, gone, gone / losing grip on sinking ships / you showed up just in time.” One constant trait of the songs is the use of layered vocals. Whether they explode in the last chorus or add volume to the end of a line, Swift really found her stride when it comes to
One of the many benefits of hanging around with Dunham was that Swift learned a lot about feminism from her. In several recent interviews she has brought up her new found views regarding equality, especially where she sees most unequality in her daily life - in the entertainment industry. In an interview with NPR, Swift responded to feminism with the following: You mentioned ... you try to talk about feminism. What does feminism mean to you? I mean, by my basic definition, it means that you hope for equal rights and opportunities for men and women.
// Perhaps what will define this 1989 era of Swift’s career is not her new music, but the positive attitude and confidence that came with it. // vocal production. This is likely also connected to Martin’s contributions as vocal producer and co-executive producer of the album. Her expanding vocal abilities and incredible use of melodies are center stage for all parts of 1989. Perhaps what will define this 1989 era of Swift’s career is not her new music, but the positive attitude and confidence that came with it. Listening to “Welcome to New York” accurately describes the independence that she found by moving to the city. She made a conscious effort to prioritize spending time with her best friends instead of dating - partially as a response to the intense 2013 media storm of rumors saying she was a “serial dater.” Lena Dunham, Karlie Kloss, and Lorde (Ella Yelich-O’Connor) are among the girl pals Swift regularly spends time with.
And how does that play out in the music world that you’re a part of? I mean, do you feel like that’s not an issue for you anymore? It’s an issue every day that I read a headline that says, “Careful, guys. She’ll write a song about you.” Meanwhile, I have best friends who are male musicians and songwriters, who write songs about their girlfriends and their ex-girlfriends, and that joke is never made about them. As women in public eye, our relationships are tallied up in ways that they aren’t for men. And if men have a lot of relationships that are tallied up, it’s thought of as mischievous, cheeky. “Oh he’s just out again with another girl.”
It’s somehow done with a wink and a smile and for us, and it’s supposed to be shameful, if we’ve had a few relationships that haven’t worked out. When I open up a magazine and it says, “Who’s the hotter mama: J-Lo or Beyoncé ?” You don’t see, “Who’s the hotter dad: Matt Damon or Ben Affleck?” It just doesn’t happen. And if we continue this perception that women should be compared to other women and there’s a winner and a loser, we’re doing ourselves a huge disservice as a society. Swift’s obvious effort to make feminism a part of her promotion campaign for her album shows her increasing marturity even her lyrics show more confidence and
ownership that she otherwise shied away from on previous albums. Though she has always been a prime example of a good role models for young girls, it’s clear that she is set on continuing her career in a way that makes them proud to be fans and makes their parents proud of their children’s choice of music. As she continues to chart her own path in the music industry, it’s fair to say Swift’s biggest competition is herself - she continues to outsell and out perform her previous records. 1989 will likely be one of the biggest albums for the next couple of years, that is until Swift releases another one.
Instagram Roundup
some of our favorite documented moments
finding “screaming color� in New York
dressing up as a Pegacorn for Halloween
bonding over Tumblr jokes with fans in Japan
hanging out with friends Lorde (Ella) and Lena
what we’re listening to a collection of the best music we’ve discovered since the last issue - singer / songwriters, pop stars, and more.
Caitlin Smith songwriter Caitlyn Smith released an EP full of great songs. she has had cuts for artists like Cassadee Pope. see our interview with her about Girls of Fall earlier in the issue!
Lorde one of the biggests acts of the past year curated one of the biggest soundtracks of the year for the third Hunger Games movie. check out her main single from the album!
First Aid Kit the Swedish folk duo has gained a lot of success this past year after the release of their third album. YouTube and Jack White were both helpful in the beginning of their career.
Taylor Swift Swift’s fifth album brought her career to a whole new level when it sold 1.2 million + albums in the first week. check out our feature on her earlier in the issue!
Kelsea Ballerini country newcomer Kelsea Ballerini released her first single earlier in the fall. her radio tour and gig opening for Bobby Bones have filled her schedule up lately!
FE MI NI SM
women in music videos, 47
FEMINIST
OR
NOT ?
by Kaydee Ecker This year is coming to a close and a review of 2014’s top five most controversial music videos for feminists seems to be in order. For this list I selected only videos put out by female artists that have resulted in a significant amount of debate between feminists. It should be noted that several of these videos and their song lyrics have received the same praises and criticisms from feminists, making it clear that the specific issues surrounding these videos are at the forefront of feminist debate this season.
#5: Iggy Azalea ft. Rita Ora “Black Widow�
s u p p o r t
The characters played by Azalea and Ora in the video are clearly empowered women. They choose not to be subjected to the cruelty of the man featured in the video and instead take back their power. They do this by training in martial arts before seeking out the abusive man for retribution. Female empowerment and justice against their oppressors is entirely feminist, and this video should therefore be applauded.
Yes, women should not be subjected to verbal abuse or otherwise, but men should not be subjected to violence either. While the man in this video comes to his end by the bite of a black widow, he was still pursued by these women with the intention of being killed. Abuse and violence should not be condoned under any circumstances, even if you have been wronged first. Feminism does not support violence against women or men.
o p p o s e
#4: Meghan Trainor “All About That Bass”
support This video has a wonderful message not only for girls but for anyone struggling with their appearance. It features five girls, including Trainor, who are all beautifully average sized. The fashion world, however, might label these young women as “plump” for not being the standard “size two” as noted in the song’s lyrics. The video even sheds light on how photoshopped images in the media hold young women to unattainable beauty standards. The song is an anthem for girls who have long been put down by society for their body size. Hopefully, this video will inspire women and girls alike to tell themselves, “Every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top.”
oppose This video has well-meant intentions but falls short of being a feminist anthem for young girls. The concept of it is essentially to “lift up the fat girls and put down the thin.” Fat-shaming is alive and well, and yes, it is completely understandable to feel some animosity towards those who condemn you for your size. However, shaming all thin women and calling them “skinny bitches” is just as abusive as calling a larger woman “fatty.” The song mocks these women by wrapping a tall, thin woman in a cellophane dress—apparently to play the role of the “dumb pretty girl.” Skinny-shaming aside, the song also promotes the thought, “Who cares that you’re a little bigger? Boys like it that way anyway.” Most feminists would agree that what men prefer a woman’s body to look like should be completely irrelevant and should in no way affect how comfortable a woman feels with her own body. Both the song and the video are a slap in the face for women of all sizes.
#3: Taylor Swift “Blank Space” This video is entirely comical and a wonderful expression of real-life female empowerment. Taylor Swift has long been plagued by the “boyobsessed, crazy ex-girlfriend” image that the media and public alike have put on her. With this song and video, Swift turns this narrative on its head and takes a jab at those who label her the “insane” girlfriend. The character she creates is so outrageous and over-the-top and that it perfectly exemplifies the character the media has turned her into. Both the video and the song call out the double standard she faces with her music: when boys write love songs they are revered for it, but when girls do the same they are ridiculed for it. Swift has clearly had enough with sexism and this video will certainly send a profound message of empowerment to her female fans.
s u p p o r t
o p p o s e
Domestic abuse is never okay, especially when featured in a video sure to be viewed by millions of impressionable young people. The abuse shown by Swift’s character in this video varies from physical, to emotional, to verbal and beyond. She shoves her lover and throws a flower arrangement at him. She screams at him and defaces a number of portraits of him. She intentionally drops his cell phone in a fountain, cuts up his clothing, sets his clothes on fire and throws them off a balcony, repeatedly hits his car with a golf club, and plunges a large knife into a cake that spurts blood. If that is not a dramatic example of domestic abuse, I’m not sure what is. Comedy is never an excuse to poke fun at abuse.
#2: Jennifer Lopez ft. French Montana “I Luh Ya Papi” The concept of this videos is exactly what the public has been needing! As if it weren’t already apparent to most, women are objectified in music videos by male artists at an astonishing rate. Lopez uses this video to turn the tables and show the world what a video objectifying men looks like. It’s set up just like your average music video objectifying women—but using men. The guys in the video are ripped and toned, covered in oil, and wearing speedos. They dance alongside the women, wash cars nearly nude, and are shot at provocative camera angles. The men in the video are just props for Lopez and her dancers. Maybe this video will wake some men up to what they do to women every time they make a video like this.
support
oppose
Objectification is good for neither gender. While the video is incredibly clever, one cannot condemn one form of objectification and not another. This video may give men a “taste of their own medicine,” but there are better, less problematic ways Lopez could have gone about making this video without objectifying anyone.
#1: Nicki Minaj “Anaconda” This video and this song are revolutionary for women’s sexualities. Upon first review, it may seem like anything but that, yet dig a little deeper and it’s clear that Minaj is onto something. Minaj samples “Baby Got Back” in this song and in turn reclaims her own female body while sexualizing the male body—something rarely ever done in music. The males and females are equally sexualized in this song, and the video sets the stage for the featured women to fully embrace their own bodies. The expression of their own sexuality is done on their terms. This total control over their bodies liberates and empowers them, regardless of how males respond to their sexuality. Women are no longer sexually repressed in this video, but freed.
support
oppose
There is a fine line between objectification and empowerment, and Minaj is certainly blurring those lines. In this video, it is incredibly difficult to discern whether the scantily clad women and bouncing butts it features are empowering images or yet another play into the male gaze. Even if Minaj’s intentions were to empower women, the vast majority of men will still view it as nothing more than a collage of attractive, nearly-naked bodies. A woman’s sexuality can certainly empower her, but not when her body—not her as a person—is the focal point of display.
As can be easily noticed in all of these debates, philosophical differences between feminists run deep. Who’s right and who’s wrong is really irrelevant here. What’s important is that people are talking. Women and men alike are discussing and debating and questioning the messages these videos bring forth, and that is exactly the kind of thing feminism needs to see happening. We may not agree on most things, but we can certainly all agree that the world is changing for women—and it’s a beautiful sight to see.
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