“Music was a big part of my culture at home from a young age. My parents have an amazing record collection that I was listening to. And growing up in London, I had so much freedom. I travelled independently; I went to record stores on the weekends, went to shows by myself when I like…
THE GIRLPOWER ISSUE
“I’m very unapologetically female, and I want to talk about real things from a female perspective. We don’t live in the 1600s. You don’t have to dumb yourself down just to please the industry.” -Marina Diamandis In an age where gender pronouns are evolving, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the politics and lose…
I think being women is all we know. For both of us, it affects our work subconsciously all the time, more or less. Feminism, as a concept is something that has been incredibly important to us since we were kids.” -Say Lou Lou The complexity of womanhood is central to Elektra Kilbey-Jansson, one half of musical pop…
“You have to fight for what you want. You have to eat, sleep, breathe, dream fashion and entertainment if this is the life that you want to lead. It’s a constant uphill battle and you have to make sure that you’re willing to make the sacrifices and truly dedicate your entire existence to this industry…
“I think I’m cautious. Not because I feel too precious, but because I’m an observer,” says Aimee Osbourne, a.k.a. ARO, in referring to her noted reticence from media fame and the reality TV spotlight that has come to define her notorious family. As the daughter of Ozzy and Sharon, one might surmise that “doing your…
“We have to help women who don’t have freedom of speech.” -Arghavan For Iranian-born, Swedish-bred singer-turned-women’s rights champion, Arghavan, these words define her world. Both an activist and musician, she began garnering attention in the media after landing a spot on the British TV hit, Googoosh Music Academy. The London-based show, filmed by what is in…
“When we first started, having an all female line up felt like a hindrance. People were so negative towards us. Every review was about our gender; we encountered casual sexism at every show we played. We had to prove ourselves, and we did. We can play as well and as hard as any men. We’re…
“Adapt or die. You have to adapt, that’s just it.” -Roisin Murphy For Roisin Murphy, the Irish electronic singer-songwriter, adaptability is what she credits her double-decade spanning career to. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that she’s insanely talented. Murphy hit the scene in the mid-90s as one half of the electro duo Moloko with her…
“When they say, oh you can’t do blah blah blah, I’m like great, watch me do this!” -Alanna Masterson To Long Island native, Alanna Masterson, all the drama and backbiting that comes along with success in the acting industry doesn’t mean anything. The actress had previous stints waitressing, dog walking and working for a stylist…
“I was homeless, and my only hope in life at that time was MySpace. One day I was contacted by this manager, and he loved one of the songs that I wrote over this instrumental track. The next thing I knew, I was in New York, living a completely different life.” – Neon Hitch It…
She is strong, and goddamn badass. I miss her!” Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation star Rebecca Ferguson still feels attached to her character, Ilsa Faust. In describing her breakout role in the fifth Mission film, which opened on July 31st, she says, “The film is about the team of Mission Impossible, who’s trying to eradicate MI5,…
“I just drink champagne and have a good time!” For pop-punk phenomenon Charlotte Aitchison, aka Charli XCX, all it takes is some zebra print and a little liquid courage to rock the mic. And not just any mic – after years of paying her dues by performing at illegal underground London raves, Charli is now…
“I grew up a precocious, trouble-making, obnoxious, hell-raising child, who just wanted to sing and make loud noises and be on stage.” This being Perfect Pussy frontwoman Meredith Graves’ constitution, it makes sense that her interview with us would take place in the midst of an epic tattoo session during which she was receiving her…
“All people should just have the same opportunity to be who they want to be, and that’s not the case today.” -Tove Styrke The boldness exuded by twenty-two-year-old Swedish songwriter and electro-pop artist Tove Styrke inhabits more than her vocals and bass beats. She’s an unapologetic feminist using her gifts as a catalyst of change.…
“I always had a very active imagination. I had an imaginary friend called Fly!” English actress Ophelia Lovibond, best known for her role as Kitty Winter on CBS’s Elementary, is unique. Not only for her childhood imaginary friend, or her incredible name, but also for her genuine love for the art of acting. Born with…
“I want to uplift woman, and show them that we can be out here, and be successful, and have careers, and be alpha females. I want to show that it’s okay. We need women out there saying ‘It’s okay to be great. It’s okay to run businesses.’ ” -Sharaya J Hip hop darling, dancer, and…
“Being onstage for me is a war. Self-consciousness is the enemy. I don’t think about being sexy – I think about freedom.” -Isabella Manfredi Isabella Manfredi, front woman of The Preatures is all about rock ‘n’ roll. Not only because the Australian group crafts infectious rock jams, but for her intellectual and modern beliefs about…
“I did not plan to go on The X Factor. It was a very spur of the moment thing for me as I decided to audition a week before. The moment I realized that I might actually be getting somewhere gave me real motive to grow up. I wouldn’t say that the show gave me a…
“The album is basically just a storybook. Each song leads into the next, and it all tells the story of this girl Crybaby’s life… it’s kind of like the transition from her being this emotional vulnerable girl to being comfortable with being absolutely insane… kind of unapologetic for being crazy, because she’s embraced that.” Twenty-year-old…
“I think that if anyone takes a step back and looks at what’s considered the norm, it’s all jarring. I mean the lack of female characters, the single digit percentage of female directors in this industry. The fact that women get paid less than men, the fact that roles for women in movies for the…