Blasting Feminine Rage

For the past few years, metal music has taken over my Amazon Music custom-built playlists. Some playlists go hard, screaming, growling, shredding guitars, while some lean more on the pop-metal or punk-metal side. One playlist in particular has been catching my attention more than the others. This playlist is titled Feminine Rage. What makes this playlist different from the others is that it features all female voices. Not only are all the singers women, but they sing about women-specific topics, like violence, sexual abuse, and the overall female experience. For now, the playlist features three artists: Scene Queen, Dalilah Bon, and the band In This Moment. 

Of these artists, I first heard In This Moment. They fall under the categories of Nu-Metal and Industrial Metal. The lead singer, Maria Brink, has said she wants to empower women and that she travels with an all-female crew, including management and background dancers. The first song I heard by them was “Dirty Pretty,” which comments on how women are supposed to dress and present themselves and society’s obsession with beauty. The song begins with a line from a well-known fairy tale that is all about youth and beauty: “Mirror mirror on the wall / Who’s the fairest of them all / Tell me I’m the perfect queen” going on to sing, “I know I am more than they see / I won’t be what you want me to be / I don't want to be your dirty pretty.” The song continues explaining that there is more to women than what is on the outside. This one is especially cathartic to scream on full blast when dressed in pjs and bed hair.

The next artist I discovered was Scene Queen, and she comes with a warning for anyone who wants to check her out. She is intense, chaotic, vulgar, and her songs are incredibly sexual and explicit. She defines her music as “Bimbocore,” which is a mesh of Metalcore, Pop, Trap, and chaos. Most of her songs are about calling out misogynist behavior, rape culture, and pedophiles, while also promoting positivity of queer love and female empowerment. One of the first songs I heard of hers advocates against abuse in the music industry, titled “18+”. It is about the allegations that male band members have been having inappropriate relations with teen girls. The song starts with her announcing, “All my idols are f***ing losers,” then goes into a pop-like chorus, “Pink wristbands on the guest list / bras hanging on the bus / Yeah, you get a lot of girls / but not one is eighteen plus.” I was in shock the first time I heard it and was immediately obsessed with this pink chaotic queen. Her genre meshing is chaotic, and the juxtaposition between pop vocals and death metal screams paired with lyrics standing against the violence against women makes my ADHD and feminine rage very happy.

Delilah Bon was the newest artist added to my playlist since she is a fairly recent discovery. She coined her style of music as “Brat Punk”, which is a fusion of punk, hip-hop, pop, nu-metal, rap, and alternative. As with the others on this list, her music is very political by promoting women, queer relationships, and bringing attention to abuse and violence. “Maverick” was the first song of hers that I heard and immediately connected with. She sings about self-confidence and self-love. The song goes, “Who’s that bad b***h in the mirror? / Who is she? She is me. I wanna be her. / I’m a maverick, I’m a leader. / Who is she? She is me. I wanna be her.”

As a mom of daughters, I am so appreciative of these artists, what they stand for, and wish them every success. I think they are great role models, and when my daughters reach an appropriate age, I hope they listen to these artists to feel inspired, build self-confidence, and find the strength to hold their heads up high.