I've loved music ever since I was very young. My dad used to play guitar for me, and I used to love listening to music in the car with my mom. There are home videos of me attempting to dance and sing when I could barely walk or talk.
The more I look back, the more I realize I've always been attracted to "girl power" music. My favorite band when I was five was The Spice Girls, and I wore out the "Spice World" cassette tape I had. I distinctly remember singing every song on Alanis Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill" and TLC's "Crazy Sexy Cool" with my mom when I was still in pre-school. I wouldn't discover until I was much older that those albums really helped my mom process some hard times.
I've been an active participant in the "music scene" for about 10 years. One of the first shows I ever went to was a Paramore show in 2008. My friends and I already loved Hayley Williams, but by the end of the show we were head over heels. I couldn't get over her energy and her stage presence. I loved to sing, so I decided that I wanted to be just like her.
Fast forward maybe a year or so, and I really wanted to start a band. I decided that I wanted to ask a couple of my friends that were on drum line, whom just so happened to be male, if they would want to be in a band with me and play drums. Keep in mind, for some reason, even though I live in a relativity small town in pretty-much-nowhere Louisiana, "hardcore" music was insanely popular. Everyone wanted to be a part of the "hardcore scene" at the time. Particularly anyone who could drum.
The words hardly made it out of my mouth before they both said no. I asked them why, and I could not believe their reasoning. Both of them said they didn't want to be in a band with a girl. Again, I asked why, and I will never in my life forget what they said next. One of them actually said he didn't want to be in a band with a girl because he didn't want his band to have "girly vocals." I felt insulted and betrayed. I told them that there were awesome bands that had female singers. They asked me to name some. I remember listing Paramore, Flyleaf, Fleetwood Mac and The Cranberries. They laughed in my face.
That was an exchange that will stick with me and fuel me for the rest of my life. There I was at 16-years-old, feeling like I had to justify my entire gender's presence in an industry that I loved. I felt so defeated before I even started.
I wish my 24-year-old self could have appeared in that moment and explained how wrong they were. Knowing what I know now, I could have shown them bands like Sleater Kinney, Bratmobile, Be Your Own Pet, The Runaways, Bikini Kill and so many more. Bands that spoke out against, and literally have songs satirizing, exactly what those guys were talking about.
Since discovering Riot Grrrl and other female lead bands, I've realized just how important female presence in the music industry is. Not just in alternative or punk, but in all genres. Not just as the artist or musician, but in every single technical facet of the industry. I've realized just how crucial it is to use our voices and speak up about our experiences.
Women have come such a long way in the music business in the past few decades. For years women couldn't even think about getting anywhere with their music without a man being the face of the business side of things. I am so grateful for the fierce ladies that have paved the way for myself as an aspiring music journalist and musician. They represent myself and my friends in the industry.
Even with powerful women present there is still progress to be made. We need to continue to stand up, make our presence known and keep opening ourselves and future generations of women a place in this industry. We have to stay together and create art that speaks to us, and might enlighten others.
Kathleen Hanna said it best in her Riot Grrrl manifesto:
"Because we are angry at a society that tells us Girl = Dumb, Girl = Bad, Girl = Weak. Because we are unwilling to let our real and valid anger be diffused and/or turned against us via the internalization of sexism as witnessed in girl/girl jealousism and self defeating girl-type behaviors. Because I believe with my whole heart mind body that girls constitute a revolutionary soul force that can, and will change the world for real."
