Author note: Some of the songs in this article contain profanity, or graphic/NSFW imagery in the accompanying music videos.
The energy of a great femme power anthem is grossly underestimated.
Music has had, and will always have, a special role to play in the revitalisation of strength for women, non-binary people, and femmes.
One only has to ask a group of women and femme-identifying people what their #1 empowerment anthem is, in order to be bombarded with a wondrous river of feminine joy as they happily recite the lyrics to the song that has gotten them through both the happiest and darkest times of their lives.
It might be the riot grrl song that they dance in their room to when they're angry at the world. It might be the dance track they rely on to psych themselves up before an important meeting.
Perhaps its the soulful power ballad that never fails to make them cry because it hits so close to home.
Maybe it's the song that they scream the lyrics to on a club dancefloor surrounded by friends, revelling in the moment of pure femme energy.
Whatever the genre may be may be, an empowerment anthem serves a important purpose for each individual - it helps them embrace exactly who they are, and revel in their power as a woman or femme.
We chat to a group of diverse young Australian women and femmes on their favourite empowerment anthem, collated for you below in a handy playlist.
Happy International Women's Day!
Source: Independent Women, Pt. 1 - Destiny's Child
'Milkshake' - Kelis
"'Milkshake' by Kelis is a classic banger because it is about being desirable but on your own terms." - Eliza Jane
'Nostril Tampon' - Crywank
"When I was first coming to terms with my gender identity, I listened to this a lot. The humour made the paranoia that came with dysphoria understandable in a way, plus it let me know I wasn't alone in feeling this way and could joke about it." - Bee Spencer
'Feelin' Myself' - Nicki Minaj ft. Beyonce
"I love it because it's so over the top confident in a way women - particularly women of colour - aren't often allowed to be." - Anita Senaratna
Splendora - You're Standing on my Neck
"Because Daria is awesome. I listen to that song and I instantly stop giving a f*ck [laughs]" - Eleanor Harrison
'Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves' - Eurythmics
"When I was 14, 'Sisters are Doing it for Themselves' by Eurythmics - [it] still gets me to be honest." - Sanja Katich.
'Not About You' - Haiku Hands
"Lately I've become obsessed with 'Not About You' by Sydney electronic group Haiku Hands. It gets me really pumped and I love the chorus: "It's not about you, SHUT UP!/It's not about me either/I am my sister's keeper/Chill." - Mel Campbell
'Independent Women, Pt. 1' - Destiny's Child
"I love 'Independent Women, Pt. 1' by Destiny's Child. Nine year old me was shook. Also, because it was part of the Charlie's Angels sound track and I'm pretty sure that was the first time I saw multiple women onscreen, literally and figuratively, kicking butt." - Tasnim Hossain
"This song was a modern day symbol for feminism about not needing a man to take care of them and also a girl power anthem for a new generation." - Carolyn A Cage
'Spellbound' - Siouxsie & The Banshees
"Gothic queen!" - Cyclone Louise Wehner
"This is the song that I put on whenever I'm stressed or angry; I dance around my room to it and it makes feel like a powerful witch that can do anything." - Chloe Sargeant
'Oh Freedom' - Shirley Verrett
"I love this song because I am a feminist with faith, and she connects me to my agency and my agency to my death in the most affirming and uplifting way, and articulates the exact state of mind I aspire to cultivate in hard times. It’s also just such an historically significant song, I find it incredibly profound." - Lana Joy
'Dick in the Air' - Peaches
"No explanation needed." - Charlotte Meredith
'The Opener' - Camp Cope
"Women in music are freaking fierce and get the raw deal." - Eliza Jane
'Sit Still Look Pretty' - Daya
"'Sit Still, Look Pretty' by Daya makes me feel very strong and unafraid. I have always worked in male-dominated industries and this song makes me feel stronger when my job gets me down." - Charlotte Lovell
'Good As Hell' - Lizzo
"I've got a lot of love for anything by Lizzo, but the melody in this one is super uplifting and the lyrics force me into a good mood. She's a powerful, confident fat woman and seeing her do her thing is the best." - Elyce Phillips
'Hand In My Pocket' - Alanis Morissette
"I must have listened to this song a million times when I was thirteen. In retrospect I think I was just so taken by the grunge pose of meeting uncertainty with extreme nonchalance." - Jessica Anne Friedmann
'Most Girls' - Hailee Steinfeld
"This is such a fun take on the very problematic "you're not like most girls". Heck yeah I'm like most girls! Because there's no such thing! We're all just trying our best and encouraged to be the exact version of ourselves that we want to be. It's a simultaneous anthem for the self and all of womanhood." - Tina Giannoulis
'Woman's World 2.0' - Okenyo ft. Miss Blanks and Jesswar
"It’s three awesome queer women from the Aus hip hop scene and it’s such a sick remix, but also for its totally in-your-face and unapologetic feminism: “I’m a very busy woman with a lot on my plate, so you’d better eat it up before I take it away'." - Adelaide Margaret
'The Greatest' - Sia
"It's my bisexual femme anthem, and it keeps me going whenever things feel overwhelming. "Uh-oh, see another mountain to climb but I, I got stamina."" - Ruby Susan
'Woman' - Kesha
"This is an anthem. The power in this woman’s conviction and strength in her own skin is infectious." - Cassie Walker
Entertain - Sleater-Kinney
"There's about a billion Sleater-Kinney songs that fit this brief, but 'Entertain' can't be beaten. Janet Weiss's drums are absolutely monumental, and Corin Tucker is an absolute banshee. The fact that it's an outright challenge to the mediocre men in the music industry just makes it [chef's kiss fingers] perfection." - Ginger Turner
'That Don't Impress Me Much' - Shania Twain
"That don’t impress me much” by Shania Twain. Something about that full leopard outfit in the film clip, the country twang and all that sass. Always picks me up." - Caitlin Donaldson
"First song I thought of [...] was 'That Don’t Impress Me Much'. Just something about the tone of that song that suggests so much more than what it appears to say on the surface." - Jessica Gately
'I'm Every Woman' - Chaka Khan
"I really appreciate how it wants to include EVERY woman. And when I’m out at women-only nights, whenever it plays - every single woman puts their hands up or wraps their arms around each other and scream the lyrics. It’s a very unifying song." - Marie Kelly
'My Neck, My Back' - Khia
"Nothing says ‘empowerment’ to me like reclaiming your sexual power! These songs help me find my inner goddess - strong, fierce, unstoppable - and I can’t help but feel that power overflow into other areas of my life." - Binky Mirage
'So Much Better' - Legally Blonde OST
"For those who've only seen the movie, it's the moment where Elle gets the internship in Professor Callahan's class and shoves it back in Warner's face. The song is about her realising that there are bigger, better things out there for her besides a man and while I've never defined my happiness by men, I think the wider themes of the song: breaking free of a mould, realising you're capable of so much more than other people (and even yourself) thought you were, personal growth and celebrating achievements, even small ones. It's such a sassy song too." - Georgia Kavanagh
'Get Right' - J.Lo
"This one especially always picks me up, not sure why (I think it’s partly the “Ride” sample to be honest) but J.Lo is enduring and an icon, in my opinion. The video brings up a lot of fond memories of my tías (and is amazing in general) too!" - Ruby Pivet
'Shake It Off' - Taylor Swift
"This tune always makes me feel instantly less tolerant of bullsh*t. Love how Taylor is basically saying “I don’t give a flying f*ck what you think about my life” - as someone who is very susceptible to feeling sh*t because of what others say and do, it really resonates with me." - Melissa Mason
'White Boy' - Bikini Kill
"A lot of people were turned off Bikini Kill because of Kathleen Hanna's transphobic statements BUT I still think that as an early riotgrrl band they played an important role in the history of womens' music, and this song in particular calls out the b/s of white cis masculinity unflinchingly, long before the days of social media feminism made the diss "white boy" a common turn of phrase." - Jess Cockerill
'Tomboy' - Princess Nokia
"This song celebrates unconventional women bodies and forms of gender expression. I love that Princess Nokia straddles both masculine and feminine sides of herself, always refusing to be defined and creating so many different characters through her music." - Jess Cockerill
If you feel so inclined to partake in this joyous aural display of power, here is the #Pressforprogress playlist that includes the above songs of feminine strength, plus some extra tracks that were also recommended by Australian women. Enjoy!
[AUTHOR NOTE: Any missing tracks were unavailable on Spotify - apologies.]
Aaaaaaaand, as a bonus: here's a playlist of songs that are exclusively about the taboo topic of female self-pleasure.
The playlist was created by Bridget Lutherborrow, who told SBS, "Given the relative silence surrounding female pleasure, I find even the mention of masturbation in these songs pretty empowering, but most of them outright celebrate having a maz." You can .
