The inspiration behind Women in Music

Introduction

As an aspiring musician myself, music has been a huge part of me throughout my childhood and my growing up process. Started to learn the piano at the age of 9, along with singing to several Hindi Bollywood songs and English country songs like Taylor Swift, it is a part and parcel throughout my childhood and adolescent life.

As March 2021, was Women’s History Month, this article is honoring women in the field of music. With the immense power of their voices, their participation in political activism through musical protest or breaking barriers in the music industry, female artists are inspiring throughout history.

Here are a few female artists which played a huge influence in my life.

Aretha Franklin(1942–2018)

Who was Aretha Franklin?

Aretha Franklin was a gifted singer and pianist. She toured with her father’s travelling revival show, and later visited New York, where she signed with Columbia Records. Franklin later released several albums and singles which are now considered classics.

2.Song: Respect

R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Find out what it means to me
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Take care… T-C-B*

This song was originally written and recorded by the American singer Chris Redding. In1961, Aretha Franklin rearranged and released it as her own single. It instantly became a huge hit and became her signature song. This interpretation of Franklin became an anthem for the feminist movement of the 70’s. It has been considered one of the best R&B songs of the era where she earned two Grammy’s.

Bette Midler:

Bette Midler (/bɛt/;[1] born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and comedian.[2] Throughout her career which spans over five decades, Midler has received numerous accolades, including four Golden Globe Awards, three Grammy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Tony Awards, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and a British Academy Film Award.

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Midler began her professional career in several off-off-Broadway plays, prior to her engagements in Fiddler on the Roof and Salvation on Broadway in the late 1960s. She came to prominence in 1970 when she began singing in the Continental Baths, a local gay bathhouse where she managed to build up a core following. Since 1970, Midler has released 14 studio albums as a solo artist, selling over 30 million records worldwide, and has received four Gold, three Platinum, and three Multiplatinum albums by RIAA.[3][4] Many of her songs became chart hits, including her renditions of “The Rose”, “Wind Beneath My Wings”, “Do You Want to Dance”, “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”, and “From a Distance”. She won Grammy Awards for Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “The Rose”, and Record of the Year for “Wind Beneath My Wings”.

Wind beneath my wings

Did you ever know that you’re my hero,
and everything I would like to be?
I can fly higher than an eagle,
’cause you are the wind beneath my wings.