A recent headline from an American media outlet reads as follows: “Fans cast Jeremy Renner as Zelensky in fantasy Ukraine invasion film”– fans of what, the war? As things take a turn for the worse in Ukraine, we see social media encouraging a kind of engaged spectatorship in war – this, however, is not necessarily a new cultural development. War, tragedy, abuse – all have become spectator sports.
These past few years, feminism, too, has been molded into a hot commodity, a significant buzzword that’s being employed to sell merchandise and launch skincare lines instead of pushing a political agenda. While women and non-binary people still struggle with abuse in their daily lives, brands found a way to capitalize on the universal acclaim of female empowerment to push their own products, watering down “girl power” to a print on a shirt or “My Body, My Choice” to a hashtag.
Still, now, more than ever, feminism is recognized at a larger scale. Gender equality is not an exclusive club anymore, as European artists care deeply about getting this balance right. In this piece, we will be taking a look at the underground musicians positioned at the vanguard of Europe’s strongest feminist wave so far.
Romania – A Room Of Their Own
by Eliza Nita
Alexandra Stan’s song, ‘Mr. Saxobeat’ has become somewhat iconic musically over the past decade. Back in 2013, Stan was physically and mentally abused by her manager, and then-partner, Marcel Prodan. The Romanian public was ruthless: “Well, she must have done something to upset him”; “It’s because she always wears those skimpy clothes”. The bottom line in the court of Romanian public opinion was – she deserved it.
By the end of 2021, ‘Mr. Saxobeat’ was trending again on TikTok; it was finally deemed a “certified bop” by Gen Z. At the same time, a contestant on a popular Romanian comedy TV-show, iUMOR, made a joke about her abuse. Delia, another renowned Romanian singer, and the only woman in the judge panel, called out his tonedeaf jokes, highlighting that abuse should not be a joke topic. The judge to her left stayed silent. Cheloo is a known rapper; he wore a “White & Proud” T-shirt in a music video and, back when both him and Delia were judges on X-Factor, told a gay contestant that he despises everything he represents and that this country (Romania) will send him home (vote him out). Amazingly, Delia and Cheloo still work together on the same show.
While speaking out does matter, then, it doesn’t put a bullet in the head of popular media’s misogyny and homophobia. The feminism we now see celebrated is white, hetero, cis, middle-class (at best) – a neo-liberal delicacy. These four musicians are currently carving out a niche for women and non-binary people in the Romanian underground, while maintaining a strong feminist voice in an industry that, unfortunately, still thrives on harmful norms and abuse of power.
Sofia Zadar luxuriates in their capacity for vulnerability. This can be seen in their first EP, ‘Lyra’, where they take us through the rooms of their subconscious, lacing their resilience and sensitivity into their oeuvre. They are an activist, and often act in plays that address the institutional changes that so many are fighting for. Another important activist figure is Oana Maria Zaharia, one half of electro-pop duo Poetrip. Oana is unconditionally sex-positive and boldly guards a woman’s right to sexual autonomy, without ever having patriarchy-approved sexiness at the epicenter of her performances. She is also an actress and a member of the Vagenta collective. In all her art, she has been seminal in reclaiming the language of her oppressors.
Teodora Retegan (of Zimbru fame)’s lyrics from ‘The Ground’ are a further testament to the way in which weather has soaked its way through everything, including music. The ballad, whimsical as it is, mourns the loss of humanity’s connection to the earth – an opening salvo in an environmentalist music upheaval. Corina Sucarov (+SHE) rooted her song ‘Mama’ in the same existential grief. Sucarov has also been a contestant on a fashion TV-show, an experience which sprouted songs such as ‘FAKE LIPS’ and ‘Social Media, With Love’. Railing against sexism, they convey the harsh truths about navigating media as a woman who does not conform to an industry ideal.
With the aughts showcasing apathy as a music trend, the times we’re living in demand interest and dedication. Whenever Sofia, Oana, Teodora and Corina perform, they create safe spaces where people can unapologetically be their own selves. This and their take-no-prisoners activist attitudes have become increasingly popular among young adults, who are on the frontlines when there’s a protest happening.
Here we see women and non-binary people favouring their own personal style and experiences over male-dictated standards. They are masters of their own design.
Greece – Divided Between Cultural Liberalism And Liberal Conservatism
by Maro Angelopoulou
The patriarchal systems are based on groundless myths rather than on biological data. Nothing justifies the universality of such a system, and although we see a general positive change, there’s still much to be done to reach equality at all levels.
Unfortunately, the Greek justice ministry data shows consistently low rates of prosecutions and convictions for domestic violence and gender-based abuse. When it comes to sexual harassment and abuse, while the debate has swept the globe in recent years, in Greece, the old reflex to keep silent on the issue has remained strong. That was until 2021, and the wake of the #MeToo movement, a movement which came from the sports community as a breakthrough in a socially conservative country where confronting such abuse has been rare. The chain of silence seemed to have broken, with people in the arts sector also speaking openly about their own similar experiences. Since then, there’s been an unusual spike viewed as a sign that people now, and especially women, feel increasingly compelled to report violence.
The current financial, political and social crisis in Greece has fueled the country’s solidarity and social movements, alongside artists in the pop, folk and rap scenes who are tackling complex issues in their music, like race, gender or human rights. But whether a musician writes primarily about politics, or a pop artist sprinkles cultural commentary in with more traditional subject matter, music can be a great conversation-starter.
The cultural landscape has afforded a new openness for artists who either don’t identify with gender binaries or want to express feminism through their music. Capétte is a Thessaloniki-based artist, experimenting with fusion/dark/queer music with Greek lyrics. His songs grow more and more concerned with human nature, putting the struggles of the people in his lyrics into a political or sociological context.
The track ‘O Yios me to Stemma’ (‘The Son with the Crown’) is dedicated to the victims of police brutality and political corruption especially during the recent pandemic in Greece. This is one of the very few examples in the pop/electro scene in Greece that tackle such a subject (usually, police brutality hits a nerve within rap music).
Someone Who Isn’t Me is established in the local underground scene by creating thought-provoking electro-pop, embedding serious messages of gender, sexuality and identity in their songs that penetrate the mainstream: “Please please woman of everything/Don’t give a fuck for what they say” (‘Pinku’, 2019). Originally from Greece and based in London, electro-pop artist VASSIŁINA explores themes of the human body and the ways its boundaries can be violated – “you always talk about my silhouette, you don’t even say my name” (‘Sexyless’, 2021).
The Greek/Danish pop songstress Danai Nielsen uses a DX7 synthesizer and pitched down vocals to create a male, alter-ego persona or a futuristic girl, like on her recent track ‘Who Are They’. Amalia & The Architects are a new act that already stands out from the folk-pop scene, mostly setting questions about love and identity rather than making statements.
We’re also seeing more and more female creatives claiming their place in Greece’s hip-hop landscape; especially in Thessaloniki there’s a whole scene emerging. Fem rappers like Penny, Expe, Sci-Fi River and the Albanian/Greek Kisla craft songs around empowering women to own their bodies, lives and work without waiting on men for permission. Semeli blends in a fascinating way rebetiko, rap and jazz to speak against racism, neo-fascism and various other issues. And SAW, with her 2021 track ‘Ftou Xeleftheria’, has addressed the longtime serious subject of being an artist in Greece and also having to have a second job to survive, since the fact that musicians are workers is often disregarded by organizations and the Greek state, that assumes artists will perform unpaid, merely for “exposure”. In a time of intense national debate, with important social issues driving the news cycle, music that dares to enter these deep waters is more vital than ever.
Germany – Girls Getting Noisy
by Dan Cole
The music scene’s gender gap is no mystery. Across the past decade, under 20% of tracks in the German charts were written or performed by women. Outside the commercial sector however, women are pushing back and making their voices heard.
At the heart of Germany’s capital, a new initiative called GRRRL-NOISY was established by a select group of musicians from the likes of alt-rockers 24/7 Diva Heaven, Riot Spears amongst others, in order to amplify FLINTA (a German umbrella acronym for Womxn, Lesbians, Intersex, Non-binary, Trans and Agender) voices and to provide an environment to create and perform.
“We were missing a place to connect and a safe space to put ourselves on stage,” explains GRRRL-NOISY co-founding member, and ISOSCOPE drummer Bonnie. “With monthly jam sessions, we wanted to create a safe space for FLINTA to experiment on stage and to connect off stage. The event quickly became a platform and a community for FLINTA musicians and music lovers in Berlin’s music scene.”
GRRRL-NOISY’s intent was primarily towards those interested in the alternative rock, grunge and punk fields. Styles of music that have been historically dominated by male musicians. But addressing the scene’s unbalanced diversity levels wasn’t the initiative’s only objective.
“In the music scene you still have to deal with sexism and ‘mansplaining’ all the time, and you still read terms like ‘female fronted’,” Bonnie explains about issues FLINTA musicians still have to deal with in the music scene.
GRRRL-NOISY events have been taking place at multiple venues throughout the city for several years now. Here, FLINTA musicians meet, jam, and watch other bands perform. There’s also an extended community of industry professionals, giving members the ability to network and grow.
The collective have also been invited to travel cross-country, hosting showcases at the likes of the Reeperbahn Festival, and in 2011 they were awarded a special prize by the Tag der Clubkultur initiative for their special commitment to Berlin’s club culture.
Along with other such initiatives – like Pathwaves, DICE, and musicBwomen – that promote and support female musicians within the country’s underground scenes, women are starting to take a more leading role in shaping Germany’s cultural output. In the past year alone, artists such as Sofia Portanet, Laura Lee and the Jettes and DENA have been achieving critical success within the rock and pop spheres. Within the German hip-hop scene alone, there have also been countless success stories (such as SXTN, Haiyti etc.) setting new standards for female emancipation.
For the GRRRL-NOISY community the work is ongoing, as they endeavor to encourage more and more members to sign up and experiment. “The response to our events and actions is consistently positive and that encourages us to continue to engage and expand our network,” Bonnie says of the team’s future plans. “We will continue to organize our jams and grow beyond the confines of Germany. Plus, we are currently planning a GRRRL-NOISY festival for fall 2022, which should be great!”
To support those affected by the humanitarian crisis in the Ukraine, the team behind GRRRL-NOISY put together a new solidarity-compilation in order to raise mon funds for marginalized communities displaced through the war. You can check it out HERE.
From standing up to bigotry and chauvinism, to sex and body positivity; from being champions for women-supporting-women, to growing communities to help marginalized people; from climate change awareness, to the fight against political corruption and police brutality – these artists should be reckoned with when talking about intersectional feminism and revered for carving a path to it. Everything they have done in their careers so far has fit into this narrative of feminine empowerment and gender equality – hopefully this will continue to be the nucleus of their art.
Just like them, we have to muster the courage to speak up and stand together – not only for ourselves, but for the generations to come as well. These are the days our future on Earth is being decided. We must take action and we need to work as one.
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