Girls In Music

 I think the best part of music is its versatility.  Anyone can sing anything, but sometimes, the way a musician plays or sings a certain musical piece or lyric can really hit you.

I'm very eclectic in my taste for music, and so I thought I would show a few of my favorite singing ladies in one long Hub.  Enjoy!

 Born in Dublin, Ireland, Kate Nash grew up in Harrow, North West London, England. She learned to play piano in school and became interested in music at an early age.  She learned to play the electric guitar after an unfortunate fall down a flight of stairs that broke her foot.  At this time she also focused on songwriting.  Her most famous album is "Made of Bricks."

I first heard Kate Nash on "Foundations," a song about a relationship frayed to the point of full destruction.  Not only is her voice beautifully clear, her song lyrics are very well written.  I discovered her music while trying to find Lily Allen songs on YouTube.  One song had accidentally been mislabeled, and it's true that Kate Nash and Lily Allen have similar vocal tones.  I'm glad, however, that there was such an small accident, because I can really relate to Nash's lyrics.

It's also very funny, because Kate Nash and I have birthdays exactly a month apart.  She is only one month older than myself! 

 Fergie was born Stacy Ann Ferguson in 1975.  She has been part of Black-Eyed Peas, a singing group, since 2003.  I prefer her vocal talent in her present solo career (although she is still singing with B.E.P.), and enjoy both her vocals and her lyrics thoroughly.

Researching Fergie for a personal project, I found she is a recovered crystal meth addict.  Here I applaud her for overcoming her demons, because that takes a lot of strength.

My favorite song of hers, to be honest, is "London Bridge."  It's a good song mainly for dancing and has a great groove.

Jessica Eden Malakouti began as a dancer.  In 2006 she began Shut Up Stella, a rock/rap band.  Epic Records dropped Shut Up Stella and thus began Jessie Malakouti's solo career.  In 2008 she produced, made music videos for, and released recordings of "Trash Me" and "Outsider."  People really began to take notice of her when she released her club anthem, "Standing Up For The Lonely," which is in fact my favorite track.

Malakouti has a very light, sweet voice and her vocals are true to the song lyrics.  In "Trash Me," you see quite a likeness to Britney Spears' "If You Seek Amy," which in fact came AFTER Malakouti released "Trash Me."  To this, Malakouti says, " I read on Perez Hilton that Britney had recorded a song that sounded exactly like a song that I wrote and I was shocked! I'd written Trash Me two years before and pitched it for Britney's Black Out album, but decided to keep it for myself... I blame the writers rather than her. I felt betrayed at the time, but now it feels good to know that I set the trend and it's a massive compliment."  (Quoted from "Company Magazine" January 2010.)

 Emily Osment was born in 1992, and is well known for her Disney acting roles.  She has been in two "Spy Kids" films, and played Lilly Truscott in the "Hannah Montana" series alongside Miley Cyrus.  She is just now breaking into the music scene, though I must say the first song I ever heard of hers, "All The Way Up," surprised me in its devil-may-care lyrics.  She has quite a good voice, although I would enjoy hearing her sing something softer.

 Born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson in 1984, Katy Perry was raised in a very uptight, strict Christian household.  She released album "One of the Boys" in 2008.  The first single from this album was "I Kissed A Girl."

What struck me about Katy Perry's voice was the honesty of it, and her songwriting boasts a quality of out-there, unapologetic frankness that almost makes me cringe.  I'm a songwriter myself, so I can certainly appreciate this.

 The band Angelspit is a very strange one.  The main singer, Destroyx (yes, she is female), sings through a vocoder.  The brutal honesty and controversy of their lyrics blast through insane-sounding electro-machinery instrumentals.  The first song that drew me to the band is "100%," a strange journey through commercialism.

Toril Lindqvist formed Alice In Videoland in 2002 with the idea of a unique sound.  She has a very edgy, almost little girl-like voice that makes the electroclash sound poppy.  She is from Sweden. 

 If there was ever an angel's voice, Sigrid Hausen, better known as Syrah, possesses that voice.  Qntal is a wondrous group that mixes ancient styles of music and current styles to give you a very trancelike state.  It has been called "electro-medieval."  Once listen to Syrah's voice will give you beautiful visions of ancient Rome...

 The band Spiral Dance has been around a while.  They are well-known in the pagan community for their magick, history, and legend based lyrics and folksy sound.

Adrienne Piggott fronts the band as a singer, and Hayley Purcell fiddles.  This combined with the light beats and great guitar-work of the remainder of the band makes for a hypnotic storytelling, especially with candles lit.

 Tiffany Lee Arbuckle was born in Indiana in 1975.  Her stage name is Plumb.  She is known for an almost hypnotic, deeply entrancing voice and beautiful lyrics pertaining to everything from self-mutilation to love, breakups, and spirituality.  Her lyrics are engaging, and along with her voice, you find yourself wondering how Arbuckle knew you so well.

 Sarah Brightman was born in 1960 and is a crossover soprano singer, a dancer, and a songwriter.  Her voice is melodic and hypnotic, and paired with the operatic and new-age sounding music, her song lyrics (and even the covers) sound like heaven in your bedroom.

 I am not a huge country music fan, but I can't help but love Taylor Swift.  She's got such a cute attitude, a wonderful way of carrying herself, and a great voice.  I love her songwriting and can definitely identify with a lot of her songs.  She's two years younger than myself, born in 1989, and is not afraid to write songs about the people in her life.  She really is "Fearless."

Bollywood music has a hero, a face, and a voice, and her name is Aishwarya Rai, one of the most well-known Bollywood actresses, dancers, and singers.  Her voice is impossibly high and her body incredibly lithe.  She was born in 1973 in Mangalore.  She started her career in modeling, but soon became well known for her voice and acting skills.