I have always been a fan of the female singing voice. Singers like Karen Carpenter and Nina Simone have always been favorites of mine. I’ve always noticed a lack of female musicians in the hard rock/metal genre, though. We have our Madonnas and Lady Gagas in pop music, and we even have the tougher sounds of Pat Benatar and Joan Jett in the rock genre, but there haven’t been too many that have gotten aggressive enough for the metal genre until now.
In recent years there has been an abundance of female musicians infiltrating the battlefields of metal music. These leather clad warriors are not only using their voices, but many of them are talented guitar players and drummers venturing into a predominantly male genre of music.
I recently spoke with international touring artist Taylor Momsen, singer and guitar player for the up-and-coming hard rock band, The Pretty Reckless, about being overlooked as a musician because of being an attractive female.
“It is what it is,” she said. “Marketing is marketing, and people judge from image first I’m sure, but the music should hopefully overtake the image.”
My son Nathaniel recently started a band with a female bass player. They are both products of the Grammy-winning Neuqua Valley music program, and that training is something that is making a difference.
Females are more confident in their abilities, and are more respected than ever because of their involvement in music programs. The girls of today are unafraid to stand up with the boys, and the boys are a little more afraid of getting outplayed, and that’s a challenge that benefits all of us.
