It’s the same old story, or is it? The unruliness of male performers is seen as proof of their irrepressible genius while their female counterparts are dissected and interrogated for seemingly every move they make. Who gets to act like a proverbial rockstar and who doesn’t? Who gets recognized and written into the story of popular music? What kind of demands do we see placed on women in music today—in this era dominated by Beyoncé and Taylor Swift—compared to their forebears? And how have female artists past and present pushed against the boundaries of convention and shaken up the music world for the better with their glorious, unapologetic creativity? Join Ann Powers (Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell), Deborah Paredez (American Diva: Extraordinary, Unruly, Fabulous), and Allyson McCabe (Why Sinead O’Connor Matters) in this lively discussion moderated by music journalist and author Rob Sheffield (Heartbreak is the National Anthem).
Menu