March is the month of many awesome things: St. Patrick’s Day, First Day of Spring (though it did NOT feel like it), Free Rita’s Day, and, the holiest of days, my birthday. But above all, March is Women’s History Month. Haters will say that, like Black History Month and any other cultural recognition month, we don’t need a women’s history month. We’ve got the vote, we can work or not work, we’ve made it!
Well, not yet. Like those other aforementioned months, this is a time to recognize a part of our society whose oppression has resulted in consistent dismissal of their personhood and contributions both historically and currently. It’s also a time to amplify those voices that are doing what they can for community now, and to celebrate the fact that this “minority” is not only surviving, but thriving despite all that is done institutionally and socially to keep us down.
Music may be the universal language, but the music world isn’t immune to sexism and misogyny. So this mix is to celebrate the ladies who are making waves by making noise in the most popular genres.

Group/Band: Girl in a Coma, Say
We ladies are best when we stick together, and this band is proof. Sisters Nina and Phanie Diaz teamed up with their friend Jenn Alva to become San Antonio’s breakout indie rock band. They even managed to impress living legend Joan Jett so much that she signed them to her Blackheart Record label. And this was the single that started it all.

Rock: St. Vincent, Birth in Reverse
Another Texan makes the list! Annie Clark, a.k.a St. Vincent, is clearly influenced by the likes of Bowie and the Talking Heads, but she has made her music her own with her growling guitar riffs and lyrical focus on the digital age and being a woman. Both her focuses combine here, as she ruminates on life as a lady today in America. I swear she’ll be one of the handful of musical legends of our age.

Pop: Dua Lipa, New Rules
Do I want to sound like a hipster when I say what I’m about to say? No. Am I going to? Probably. So here it goes: I heard this song the summer before the radio put it on blast and played it out. I refuse to listen to it on the radio so I can still cherish it as the poppy situation-ship anthem it was intended to be. Listen and adore.

Alternative: Mitski, Happy
You know you’re listening to something remarkable yet out there when the singer starts personifying an emotion as a lover who ghosts frequently. It’s one hell of an imaginative way to describe just how fleeting happiness can be– and Mitski’s just the artist to do it.

Musical: Renee Elise Goldsberry, Satisfied
I will always thank Lin Manuel Miranda for bringing this woman into my life via her role as the outspoken yet dutiful Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton. I will never forgive him for cutting “Congratulations” from the show, robbing us of yet another raw, powerful solo from such a fierce performer. Still, you get that Renee means business in this song. (And for those wondering, yes, you can find “Congratulations” performed by Renee on YouTube.)

Rap: Sa-Roc, Forever
The first 3 bars in this song should not only set the tone for what you’re about to hear, but hopefully for your day— and maybe your life:
“When I wake up, no makeup, half naked, I feel like I’m the sh**/Pardon my language, but hang ups do not define the kid/No, I’m not flawless, I’m scarred up and I’m fine with it.” As somebody who isn’t down with all these poppy “empowerment” anthems (think Katy Perry’s “Roar”), this is one empowering testimony I can get down with. She and Busta Rhymes could— and should— go toe to toe.

R&B: Jamila Woods, Holy
Another testimony I appreciate: “I’m not lonely, I’m alone/And I’m holy/By my own.” Jamila’s work is all about the beauty of the neighborhood she’s grown in, the relationships she’s had, and her own inner monologues, like this one. This song’s important for reminding all people, especially women, that you’re valid even in a world that discounts you. Her album HEAVN is constantly on my rotation, and I can’t wait for her follow-up.

Country: Margo Price, Hands of Time
Margo Price has been through it. Not only did she witness her family lose their farm and survive her own addictions, but she’s lost a child. This heart wrenching story is handled here with the calm clarity of a woman who has nothing left to lose, and everything to give. She’s continuing the tradition of great country storytellers, like Loretta Lynn and Johnny Cash before her. Her whole album, Midwest Farmer’s Daughter, is worth your time even if you aren’t crazy for country.

Folk: Dog Years, Maggie Rogers
To be truthful, Maggie Rogers’ folk is not the typical, sparse, stringy folk you’re used to from the likes of Mumford & Sons or Avett Brothers. Maggie layers hers richly with R&B rhythms, giving folk a modern edge without taking away from its earthy aesthetic. The title may seem funny, but the song, like Maggie herself, is sincere. That should be her subgenre: sincere, future folk.

Timeless Diva: Whitney Houston, I Will Always Love You
I’m unsure if anybody else randomly misses Whitney Houston like I do, but some days it just gets me that we lost such a legendary talent to some very personal demons. This is her signature song, and rightfully so: it’s a masterful display of her vulnerability and vocal power (hello, that last chorus?!). So please, listen and unabashedly belt it out at the top of your lungs. We’ll always love you, Whitney.

Listen to the ladies on Spotify by searching “AM#5_Herstory: