What if 2021 was the year female indie artists finally get the recognition they deserve? Because yes, there are some insanely talented artists in the indie scene that will rock your soul. Here are 18 female musicians who will hopefully get more coverage soon.
Just like in any other industries, the music sector is moving towards greater gender equality. We hear many more women on the radio and see many of them in the charts. Pop female artists are breaking the charts and the number one worldwide artist is Taylor Swift, closely followed by Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga in the top 10. Mainstream pop is becoming more equal every year. Indeed, the top 50 of the best albums of 2020 was 50/50.
These female pop singers have been around for a very long time now, and they have paved the way for a new generation of female singers. This army of self-confident women is asserting herself more and more in the face of the old society which transformed them into sexual products to sell more records. Now, they’re happily leading a new movement where they are men’s equals and can sing and record whatever the f*** they want!
In this piece, I’m very happy to introduce you to 18 new female indie pop artists and female indie rock artists that deserve to make much more noise than what they actually do! These are the ones to look out for and I’ve no doubts they will turn your brain and soul upside down. As usual, here’s a Spotify playlist to help you tag along.
Wolf Alice
We can start this top female indie artists list with the unreal female-fronted band : Wolf Alice! Listening to them is like freeing yourself from a weight that you’ve been carrying for way too long. It’s liberating and exciting at the same time.
Ellie’s voice is so pure and every intonation that comes out of her month is so precise. She has improved so much as a singer over the years and so did the whole band. They proved that women have their place in the indie rock culture.
Their songs are the definition of being bold, going after their ideas even if that’s not what is currently selling. Experiencing and trying things out is their ideology and that’s definitely a win. They deliver both intense and soft rock in such a short time, which makes their tracks so powerful and brave.
To resume, listening to Wolf Alice is a rollercoaster of pure euphoria, joy and you’ll want to kick your foot the hardest you’ve ever done. Lastly, their last single The Last Man on Earth was a preview of their next album and it was featured in the best new music of February 2021. It was the first preview of their next album due on June 11th, which makes us all very impatient!
- Genre : Indie Rock, Alternative Rock, Dream Pop
- Favourite tracks : Giant Peach, Beautifully Unconventional, Don’t Delete the Kisses, Sky Musings
- Members : Ellie Rowsell, Joel Amey, Joff Oddie, Theo Ellis
- Origin : London, England
- Active Years : 2010 – now
GIRL IN RED
GIRL IN RED is a successful norwegian singer songwriter that uses indie pop to share her emotions about queer culture, relationships and mental health. But GIRL IN RED also is Marie Ulven, a shy and fragile girl with a vision and high ambitions.
She is not the first one to talk about queer issues, but she quickly rose as an icon of the LGBTQ+ community, through very intimate songs, and a personality and shyness overflowing with charm.
- Genre : Indie rock, Indie Pop, Bedroom Pop
- Favourite tracks : we fell in love in october, rue, bad idea!, i wanna be your girlfriend
- Origin : Horten, Norway
- Active Years : 2017 – now
Anna Calvi
Anna Calvi isn’t only an incredible singer, she also owns the stage with her guitar skills. Her haunting performances never fail to take the crowd to a new, uncharted territory every time she steps on the stage with her traditional red outfits.
In her last album Hunted, she offers innovative and experimental rock sounds, whispers and high notes. To resume, she is one of a kind and you just cannot leave this article without checking her live video of Love Won’t Be Leaving.
- Genre : Alternative Rock, Experimental Rock, Indie Rock
- Favourite tracks : Love Won’t Be Leaving, Wish, Strange Weather, Morning Light
- Origin : Twickenham, United Kingdom
- Active Years : 2007 – now
Laurel
Laurel is nothing live you’ve ever heard. She is one of my all time favourites, and for good reason! Her unique voice sounds heavenly and you can feel her artistry and musicality in everything she does and sings. Each of her songs is so well built and produced.
As she entirely composed and recorded her last album Dogviolet in her room, she definitely had a word to say on the whole creation process. Her light shines like no one else and her musicality will feed your heart and spirit.
- Genre : Indie Pop, Chamber Pop
- Favourite tracks : This Must Be the Place, Scream Drive Fast, Adored, Crave, Life Worth Living
- Origin : Southampton, England
- Active Years : 2013 – now
Maggie Rogers
Maggie is the human version of the word ‘authenticity’, both in the ways she sings and moves. Her voice tone and capacities are gorgeous and remarkable. She perfectly knows how to use them to create bangers like Fallingwater and Light On.
Her live performances are about feeling alive and giving it all, feeling the music living through her veins and dancing like no one is watching. Her energy is insanely communicative and she gives me a Michael Jackson vibe when she’s turning on herself and moving like crazy. Definitely a rising star in the new female indie artists!
- Genre : Indie Pop, Art Pop, Folk Pop
- Favourite tracks : Say it, Burning, Give a Little
- Origin : Easton, Maryland, USA
- Active Years : 2012 – now
The Last Internationale
Looking for a new female lead rock band to listen to? The Last Internationale has everything you could look for in a band : a deep and scratchy voice, a real presence, unique style and impressive electric guitar riffs. Delila’s voice is like no other, she’s got that tone that takes you by the guts at the very first second.
- Genre : Indie Rock, Alternative Rock, Punk Blues
- Favourite tracks : Wanted Man, Soul on Fire, Hard Times
- Members : Delila Paz, Edgey Pires
- Origin : New York, USA
- Active Years : 2008 – now
Men I Trust
All I can say about Men I Trust is how inspired I am everything I put one of their songs on. Especially the ones with unreal guitar solos, like in All Night! The voice of Emmanuelle Proulx is soft like silk and the bass, guitar and keyboard sounds are glassy and intriguing as we like them.
And I’m definitely not the only one to feel this way about their last albums Oncle Jazz and Forever Live Sessions. This upcoming band inspires many others, including Draumr, the new figure of parisian dream pop. The video I chose to share with you is the one who introduced me to the band. Enjoy!
- Genre : Indie Pop, Dream Pop
- Favourite tracks : All Night (Garage Session), Norton Commander (Garage Session)
- Members : Emmanuelle Proulx, Jessy Caron, Dragos Chiriac
- Origin : Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Active Years : 2014 – now
Florence and the Machine
This one is most definitely the most known of the list. And for good reason ; she earned her place among the best female indie artists a long time ago and hasn’t left it ever since. Florence Welch is the absolute queen of vocals, and she spreads her magic with a disconcerting ease and powerfulness. She performs with her band, created in the outstanding south London. With her impressive voice range, long red hair and unreal band, it’s hard not to believe that a real witch is on stage.
- Genre : Indie Rock, Art Rock, Baroque Pop, Neo Soul, Folk
- Favourite tracks : South London Forever, Big God, You’ve Got the Love, Hunger
- Members : Florence Welch, Isabella Summers, Robert Ackroyd, Tom Monger, Loren Humphrey, Cyrus Bayandor, Hazel Mills, Aku Orraca-Tetteh, Dionne Douglas
- Origin : London, England
- Active Years : 2007 – now
Sigrid
Norway is one of the biggest producers of indie pop singers, right? Sigrid was one of the biggest female indie artists 2017 because of the success of her debut single and EP called Don’t Kill My Vibe. The queen of synth pop and electro pop sure knows how to entertain a crowd and even a global pandemic won’t stop her. She released a new EP on 2nd April 2021, whose name echoes her first album, Chill My Vibe.
- Genre : Scandi Pop, Synth Pop, Electro Pop
- Favourite tracks : Don’t Kill My Vibe, Strangers, In Vain, Dynamite
- Origin : Ålesund, Norway
- Active Years : 2013 – now
Daughter
This international trio is led by the soft and emotionally heavy voice of the english singer songwriter Elena Tonra. She is wonderfully accompanied by guitarist Igor Haefeli from Switzerland and drummer Remi Aguilella from France. Their songs are always a safe bet, delicate and charming.
- Genre : Indie Folk, Shoegaze
- Favourite tracks : Love, Youth
- Members : Elena Tonra, Igor Haefeli, Remi Aguilella
- Origin : London, England
- Active Years : 2010 – now
JJ Wilde
If you like rock n roll and broken voices, you’ll love JJ Wilde! This canadian singer songwriter elevated herself at the top of the charts of her country with her single The Rush. Her success recipe is composed of high notes, rock rhythms, a huge vocal chest and a very lively guitar. There’s absolutely no doubts about her musical genre : she’s 100% rock’n’roll! Her songs are perfect to let off steam and tear your own voice apart.
- Genre : Modern Rock
- Favourite tracks : Cold Shoulder, Best Boy, The Rush
- Origin : Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
- Active Years : 2019 – now
Lorde
We couldn’t not include Miss Lorde, the out of the world magical New-Zealander witch sent from heaven. Because yes, when she sings, Lorde is anything but human. You know how you travel off the beaten path and discover the most epic place all to yourself?
Lorde is the music version of this feeling. She writes, sings and dances according to the tones and the colors of her emotions of the moment, just like the waves that retreat and come back stronger thanks to the tide.
Her songwriting is so related and pure that it’s hard to describe with words. Her last album Melodrama was number one in the 20 best albums of 2017. It was her most complete masterpiece so far, and it definitely impacted the music industry for the better.
So, when is Lorde coming back? Is Lorde going to release new music? The creation process of such mesmerizing work takes time. But she already released the first single of her new album Solar Power, and it’s a bop. If you’re not familiar with the Lorde universe yet, hop on the next wagon!
- Genre : Indie Pop, Art Pop, Dream Pop, Electro Pop
- Favourite tracks : The Louvre, Buzzcut Season, Tennis Court, Green Light, Writer in the Dark, Sober
- Origin : Auckland, New Zealand
- Active Years : 2009 – now
Nina Nesbitt
Nina Nesbitt is a pure gold Scottish made talent. Her songwriting and “niightwatch studio” went beyond the borders of the United Kingdom and got her to tour the world, sometimes for her own shows and other times as an opening act for big names of the industry like Ed Sheeran, Example, Jake Bugg.
Her audience is constantly growing and unlike other fanbases, is never too far when Nesbitt releases a new song or comes up with another crazy lockdown song idea. One thing is for sure, she will keep innovating with her songs.
- Genre : Indie Pop, Pop Folk, Acoustic
- Favourite tracks : the Hardest Part, The Moments I’m Missing, Take You to Heaven
- Origin : Livingston, Scotland
- Active Years : 2011 – now
CHVRCHES
I would say CHVRCHES is a live band. Their concerts are always so good, there’s absolutely nothing fake, it’s just them living their music and sharing it with the crowd. Pure happiness! They found the perfect combination between Lauren’s smooth voice and a perfectly mastered electro background.
- Genre : Indie Pop, Synth Pop
- Favourite tracks : Clearest Blue, Get Out, Miracle, Never Say Die
- Members : Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook, Martin Doherty, Jonny Scott
- Origin : Glasgow, Scotland
- Active Years : 2011 – now
MØ
MØ is a rough diamond, who needs no autotune to deliver stunning performances. You might think it’s not her real voice in Lean On, but all the live performances of the song prove otherwise! This danish singer is gifted, and her hard work has finally paid off. I highly recommend listening a little further than her main single.
- Genre : Indie Pop, Electro Pop, Synth Pop
- Favourite tracks : Sun in Our Eyes, West Hollywood, Way Down
- Origin : Ubberud, Denmark
- Active Years : 2006 – now
Låpsley
Låpsley belongs to the “why the hell are they not more known!?” artists group. I can’t really can’t my head around the fact her songs aren’t way more played in parties or venues in general. She has an insane voice tone, songwriter skills and a harmonious musicality.
- Genre : Indie pop, R&B
- Favourite tracks : Cliff, Hurt Me
- Origin : Southport, England
- Active Years : 2013 – now
Fletcher
The confident voice of Fletcher transports us to her universe in less time than it takes to say it. She was part of the best female indie artists 2015 and won’t stop since until her ambitions and relatable songwriting get her to the top of the charts.
- Genre : Indie Pop
- Favourite tracks : Shh… Don’t Say It, I Believe You, Undrunk
- Origin : Asbury Park, U.S.
- Active Years : 2015 – now
Sody
Last, but not least. Sody got an unwavering determination to pursue what she is so good at : singing and writing songs. She tries to tell personal stories in a raw and comprehensive way for everyone to understand and get they’re not alone. Her honesty serves her amazing voice tone perfectly. Definitely a rising star and an indie female artist to follow from close!
- Genre : Indie Pop
- Favourite tracks : Is Your Bedroom Ceiling Bored?, Hold It Together, Maybe It Was Me
- Origin : London, England
- Active Years : 2016 – now
And that’s a wrap! There are obviously many more talented female indie artists than those listed here, but we’re off to a good start with those 18 indie rock and indie pop warriors. This media aims to promote passionate indie artists and the female scene is growing and gaining media coverage day by day. We can’t wait to make more listening and album reviews of the golden records that are yet to be shared with the crowds.
