Co-written by: Natatlina Zieman and Samantha Odice

We are celebrating International Women’s Day with a killer playlist of some of the most badass and influential women in the music industry.

To kick off the list of badass female influences, let’s talk about Billie Eilish and her ever growing list of hits, records, and awards. Eilish has had 18 songs featured on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, with one number one hit “Bad Guy” spending 47 weeks on the charts. She has become the youngest solo female artist to score a number one album in the U.K. At just age 18, Eilish swept the 2019 Grammys with historic wins, earning 5 out of 6 Grammys she was nominated for – becoming only the second artist in history [also the youngest and only female] to win all four major categories. Keep dominating the industry, Billie!

Ashnikko is a name you may not be overly familiar with but we can guarantee you’ve heard her hit single, “Stupid“, on the wildly popular platform Tik Tok. Released just last year, the track quickly went viral as Tik Tok-er’s [including Miley Cyrus] started using it to promote a shameless amount of female pride denouncing those stupid boys who think we need them. While the music video for “Stupid” currently has over 28 million views on Youtube, it’s important to note that Ashnikko has countless other hits that radiate a strong female power like “Manners” and “Hi, It’s Me“.

A name you may not have heard in a minute is Jojo – easily one of the most recognized names from our youth but someone we haven’t heard new music from since her 2016 release Mad Love, which came 10 years after her second full length album The High Road. But now that’s all about to change with Jojo’s fourth full length album, Good To Know, due out May 1st of this year. Over the past few months Jojo has taken to social media to talk about why she went silent and what made her come back louder than ever – from shady business practices [like finding loopholes around child labor laws] to her former record label ‘owning her voice’. Jojo is back to remind anyone who may have forgotten why she became the youngest solo artist in history to top the charts – pure talent and a fearless nature to take on the world.

Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts” was recorded and produced in 2017, but absolutely blew up a few years later in 2019 when Netflix featured the track on their original movie Someone Great. The song gained so much recognition that it received two Grammy nominations – Record of the Year and Song of the Year – for 2019. Not only did “Truth Hurts” receive Grammy nominations, but the record is officially the longest running number one by a solo female rapper on Billboard’s Hot 100. The record-breaking queen was also named TIME’s 2019 Entertainer of the Year. We adore you, Lizzo!

Snow Tha Product is one of the most groundbreaking solo artists of our time – starting her musical journey over a decade ago and with no plans on slowing down, Snow is still considered underground to the mainstream media but a Queen of the South on all social platforms. Snow Tha Product started her career by moving down to Texas and playing South By Southwest 2 years in a row, then quickly gaining notoriety from the likes of 50 Cent after winning a contest back in 2013, which caused Snow  to pop up on the radars of major labels like Sony, Universal and Atlantic. After years of being a featured artist of Atlantic Records, it became apparent that Snow was more than just a rapper killing the game – she was a businesswoman who knew how much she was worth. Since her start back in 2007, Snow Tha Product has gained millions of views on her videos, proudly moved from a major label to an indie label, tested the waters in acting and started a clothing line – if that’s not the definition of a powerhouse-female then I don’t know what is.

Kim Petras has been on the rise since 2016 under her own imprint BunHead Records. Kim has been a huge advocate and supporter on the LGBTQ community, because of her transgender background, and of her huge influence on the community. “Reminds Me” is her latest release, gaining over 1 million streams on Spotify in the first few weeks. Kim is always joking about her sexual identity and orientation because of how much she loves and accepts herself – now THAT is empowerment!

The female-fronted band, Hey Violet, have undergone many transitions with both their music and band as a whole. Starting off their music careers as Cherri Bomb, Rena Lovelis (lead vocals) and Nia Lovelis (drums/back-up vocals) moved from the punk-rock scene to, now, pop. The band has seen members come and go, starting with four main members, to five, then back to four, and now there are just three remaining main members. But these transformations have not altered their work ethic, because the band keeps dropping bangers! “O.D.D” is from the bands’ debut album From The Outside, and is the admitting and accepting anthem of their ‘odd’ side, which today is something to be proud of!

Hey Violet aren’t the only ones making a splash in music. Other female influential bands on our playlist include, Tonight Alive, PVRIS, Doll Skin, Glacier Veins, No Doubt and Paramore – each making ground breaking moves across the industry. Tonight Alive have been around for over a decade and continue to grow as both individuals and as a band. Lead by the incredible Jenna McDougall, Tonight Alive have gained a worldwide following, toured on nearly every continent, released a song with Benji Madden, had their song “The Edge” featured in The Amazing Spiderman 2, played a benefit show for the Australian brushfire relief – all while continuing to promote their message of self love and being a decent human in this world.

PVRIS have headlined countless festivals, have obtained millions of views, are currently gearing up to release their third full length album, Use Me, due out this May. Currently gearing up to play a sold out NYC show with another powerhouse female artist, Halsey.

Doll Skin are the unapologetically all female, pop-punk band who is breaking down walls and taking names. Doll Skin quickly gained a following after playing the last few years of the Vans Warped Tour – currently they are on tour with punk legends, Anti-Flag before they make their way to this year’s Slam Dunk Festival in the UK. Make no mistake though, Doll Skin aren’t just for the underground punk looking for something to jam to – Doll Skin have won a number of awards since 2016 including: Breakout Band Of The Year [2016/Heavy Metal Television Awards], [Stone Chrome Radio Listener’s Choice Awards] Female Fronted Band Of The Year [2016] Female Artist of the Year [2017] Song of the Year [2017], Best Rock & Alternative Songs of the Year [2019/ Billboard Magazine] and Best Punk Album [2019/Cryptic Rock]. Doll Skin may be flying right under the radar, but they are definitely not ones to sleep on.

Glacier Veins may be the newest artist on the list but they’ve quickly gained a rightful following for their unique sound. They just released their debut album, The World You Want To See via Equal Vision, and it is easily one of the best albums of the year. A dreamy, punk album that focuses on lessons shared and lessons learned.

This is definitely the year of woman – with countless albums and singles being released by some of the most influential female artists set to be released this year, one of the most sought after is by far Hayley Williams [solo and her work with Paramore]. For the last decade or so, Williams has been dabbling in solo work – pairing up with artists like ZED, B.O.B. and Sara & Teigen – but now Williams is showing off her true artistry with her debut solo EP, Petals For Amor. Throughout the EP’s promotion, Williams has made her storytelling skills overly apparent with the incredible imagery throughout her music videos released for this record. This summer, Hayley Williams will be embarking on the Petals For Armor Tour but does promise Paramore is far from over.

Whether you’re into pop, rap, alternative, rock, punk or something in between – this playlist has something for you. Celebrate your fellow woman, rock out with your femdom artists and enjoy anyone who promotes a safer and healthier world for all women across the board.