The very first woman in the music industry I will introduce in my essay is honored with the Woman of the Year 2018 award – Ariana Grande. In the music industry, she is representing women and fighting sexism. Once, she walked out of sessions. As she is saying, she is a small girl and people tend to underestimate that. But when she is singing, you can hear a beautiful and solid voice. In her opinion, there is plenty of women who can do some vocals and own sessions. Her single “God Is a Woman” is a perfect example of empowering women. In 2015 Grande critiqued the media’s habit of defining famous women by their relationship status. “I would just love to see a chart with as many women on top as men,” she says. “It’s just so male-dominated. It’s so easy for them. There are so many unbelievable female artists out there that try so much harder.” This 25-years old singer is the only artist ever which albums are No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 and to have lead singles from each of her album. Unfortunately, she had a really tough year behind her. Receiving the award for Woman Of The Year at Billboard’s annual Women In Music event, Ariana touched on the personal issues she’s experienced in 2018, including the death of ex-boyfriend Mac Miller and the breakdown of her engagement to Pete Davidson. Also, she had a bomb attack during her concert in Manchester. Within weeks, she came back to Manchester visiting survivors and hosting One Love Manchester benefit, which helped raise 23 million pounds (about $29 million) for the victims. She released a live version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from the benefit, and donated the proceeds to the Red Cross. “Our response to this violence must be to come closer together, to help each other, to love more, to sing louder and to live more kindly and generously than we did before”, she wrote at the time. After all sad experience this year, she is much stronger and she will never stop being an amazing person and artist.
My second choice is Beyoncé, also honored with the Woman of the Year award but in 2009. Beyonce (also called Queen), is on top of the list of the music industry’s ‘most influential women’, symbolises the role of black women, thanks to her “feminism, activism and empowering musical messages”. She is the most nominated woman in Grammy history, her songs are always on the top charts. Her beginning was with Destiny’s Child. It was one of the most memorable girl group of all time. They write their own material for songs and videos. Destiny’s Child also made own lane when it came to fashion. After 2006, all members resumed their solo careers and have experienced different levels of success. In 2013 Beyoncé released the album without any announcement. It was a surprise for her fans- she changed the way artists share their works. In 2016, her album ‘Lemonade’ (visual album) in less than 24hours was on the top of the lists – almost first top 10 on iTunes, was her songs.. Bey elevates the prevalence of hip-hop culture and black vernacular into her pop songs. Beyoncé also is an advocate for Black Lives Matter Campaign for years now. ‘Run the World (Girls)’ is an example, that she believes that women have power. In this song, she also shows the cutthroat ambition businesswomen. If a woman is making more money than a man in the business world, men getting jealous. It is important for her to not being about perfect, it is about purpose. In Beyonce point of view, we as a women, have to take care about us- our body, focus on mental health and have time for self, without feeling bad. In 2014, in her Mrs. Carter World Tour, she embraced her power in a new way—blazing the word 'feminist' in bold pink letters across stadium screens, during song ‘Flawless’. For Bey, feminist is “someone who believes in equal rights for men and women”. To start any changes, men and women need to understand that the double standards still exist. They need to make a real conversation. If society allows men to express their feelings – pain, darkness, sexuality and an opinion- women have the same rights. “If a man can do it, a woman should be able to. It's that simple.”- Bey said.
Third choice is Taylor Swift – the only one female, who was honored twice with the Woman of the Year award. Taylor Swift is an American singer and songwriter. She is one of the world's leading contemporary recording artist, known for narrative songs about her personal life, which have received widespread media coverage. For 13 years, she has been an artist for Big Machine Label Group, but a few months ago her contract finished and Swift is about to become the music industry’s biggest free agent. She will not only be negotiating about a blockbuster deal with a new label or her current one, but Taylor will also be able to negotiate the rights to her master recordings. Swift, whose ‘Reputation’ was the top-selling album of 2017, still holds a singular selling power in the digital age. No other top-selling artist of her generation has made this kind of business move, and it could mean a multi-million-dollar deal for Taylor Swift.