Midlothian, Texas, U.S.A. – I love music. I love music so much that sometimes it feels like I cannot live without it, a sentiment that I am sure many other people living in an industrialized Western society or other culturally defined regions can sympathize or empathize with.
I also care about women and their struggles and prioritize giving women their own voices or using my own voice to help them in any way I can. I do this year-round, mind you, but it is March, the month when large parts of the world stop what they are doing to recognize the accomplishments and excellence of more than half the population that they should have probably recognized before.
RECOMMENDATIONS
– McGlauthon Fleming IV’s picks
Weyes Blood – Titanic Rising
Weyes Blood – In the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
Little Simz – GREY Area
Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
Fiona Apple – Tidal
Mitski – Bury Me At Makeout Creek
The Last Dinner Party – Prelude to Ecstasy
BROODS – Space Island
Cleo Sol – Rose in the Dark
Cleo Sol – Mother
Joy Crookes – Skin
Pixx – Small Mercies
Sunflower Bean – Headful of Sugar
Dreamer Isioma – Sensitive
Rina Sawayama – RINA
Since I love music and care about women, I began a tradition to make sure that I am honoring them both in a way that I do not during the rest of the year.
I only listen to music made by women during the month of March.
I am not doing this to prove something to myself or the people around me because I have nothing to prove except you can survive on music made by women who are not the obvious choice for an entire month.
Do not get me wrong, I listen to music made by women during the entire year, but as a male who listens to a variety of different genres, my draw toward more relatable music with people who had me in mind can cause female artists to get kind of lost in the shuffle (pun not intended).
So I make a conscious effort to only listen to music made by women in order to both widen my horizons and give shine to artists that some people may be overlooking in exchange for their male counterparts.
The sheer amount of music that I have discovered that is genuinely amazing can be very frustrating because of how little these artists get recognized for the quality that they are producing.
Everyone can name a Taylor Swift song, but not many people can name a Weyes Blood or Little Simz song, although those two made two of the greatest albums of the 2010s.
It’s a problem that is more systemic than you would think.
I also feel a strong sense of satisfaction for supporting not only lesser-known and indie artists, but just female artists in general with the money from my subscription and streams for a solid month – more than the male artists who are overshadowing them.
If this has inspired you to do the same to celebrate this Women’s History Month, check out my suggestions to start.
McGlauthon Fleming IV is a Junior Reporter with Youth Journalism International who wrote this commentary.
İpek Eser is a Reporter and Senior Illustrator with Youth Journalism International who made the illustration.
