Billie Eilish, King Princess, Lizzo. What do these three people have in common? Besides the fact that they are all female musicians, they are also breaking countless gender, age, and racial stereotypes. In a field primarily dominated by males, these three are rising to new heights and spreading female empowerment across the world one song at a time. 

It may come to your surprise, but Billie Eilish is only 17 years old. At such a young age, she has already reached over a billion streams on her debut EP Don’t Smile at Me, sold out a world tour, and peaked number one three times on the Billboard 200 album charts. These are only a few facts that show Eilish’s growing popularity and influence on this new generation of music. Eilish is well known for her clear and soothing vocals and R&B-pop sound. However, in her newest album, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?, she has shown everyone that she is not limited to a specific genre. Her early songs were light and melancholy hip-hop productions, as seen in her debut single “Ocean Eyes”. Her recent songs, including “bury a friend” and “bad guy”, have experimental sounds, dark lyrics, and are often paired with grotesque visuals in aesthetically pleasing music videos. 

In a span of three years, Eilish has grown to an Instagram following of 32.5 million, and she is known and criticized for her “tomboy” appearance. Eilish fights back and says, “If I was a guy and I was wearing these baggy clothes, nobody would bat an eye. There’s people out there saying, ‘Dress like a girl for once! Wear tight clothes you’d be much prettier and your career would be so much better!’ No it wouldn’t. It literally would not”. To those who underestimate her age, Eilish says, “People underestimate the power of a young mind that is new to everything and experiencing for the first time,” she said. “We’re being ignored and it’s so dumb. We know everything.” Billie Eilish is only 17 years old, but she is already a powerhouse, breaking glass ceilings and creating her own identity. 

King Princess is also fairly young. She is 20 years old and is a rising singer-songwriter and genderqueer icon. She shot to fame with her debut single “1950”, which explores queer love and its past hidden existence. According to her, “Queer love was only able to exist privately for a long time, expressed in society through coded art forms. I [she] wrote this song as a story of unrequited love in my own life, doing my best to acknowledge and pay homage to that part of history”. She is using her voice not only for herself, but also for other gay people and the music industry. She does not want to hide in the shadows because, “This is the art we need right now. This is what we need right now. We’re in a renaissance, and we need people to rebel, come forth and bring messages into art”. King Princess is more than a singer, producer, and activist; she is an artist. 

Finally, we have Lizzo. Lizzo has recently popped off with breakout hits “Truth Hurts” and “Juice”. You may have seen her on Twitter playing the flute, preaching body-positivity, and connecting women and queer communities. As a plus-sized black woman, Lizzo has grown into a role model for those who struggle with confidence and loving their own bodies. Her charismatic and extroverted personality can be seen on stage with her backup dancers, who are all plus-size dancers. She is living proof of what it means to be a successful black plus-sized woman in hip-hop. Many are inspired by her energy on stage and her incorporation of the flute into her own music. For a long time, there has been the stereotype that playing classical instruments is inherently “white”. Lizzo addresses these issues of classism and racism through her live performances. You can check it out for yourself by watching the video down below. 

Ultimately, these are only three female artists that are making waves in the music industry. Although they are a small representation of the entire community, they are undeniably significant to music and society as a whole. You can support these women by streaming or listening to their music, and following other empowering female musicians like Hayley Kiyoko, H.E.R., Rico Nasty, Tierra Whack, Niki, and many more.