it’s a femininomenon! the rise of girl bands and queer BAMFs in the music industry

Wednesday 4th September, 2024

A couple of weeks ago, I found myself sitting in my car, jamming out to Edge of the Earth by The Beaches, a forever anthem, when the idea for this article sprung to mind.

The song finishes, and another follows. It’s Win, by Nasty Cherry. Simple lyrics, yet the almost baritone colour of lead singer Gabriette’s voice has you completely entranced in the song – she really does “need to win”, and god-damn; she will.

Next up. Wet Leg’s Rhian Teasdale nonchalantly lets the words,

Hey you, over there

On the chaise longue in your underwear,

What are you doing sitting down?

You should be horizontal now

fall out of her mouth in the coolest way possible, and I realise;

Wait a minute, this is the third girl band I’ve listened to in a row - and I can’t get enough.

This prompted a scroll through my extremely long playlist, finding that a lot of similar artists have been appearing throughout as-of-late. Not just girl bands, but also queer artists that seem to possess the same cult following. What is it about these musicians that we’re all loving right now, and are we experiencing a queer renaissance in the music scene?

TikTok and social media is no deniable factor in the popularity of these artists and their ridiculously fast-growing fan bases. At the helm of these all-girl bands and queer artists is currently “your favourite artist’s favourite artist” and ultimate Femininomenon, Chappell Roan – an almost-overnight success, even having music dating back to 2017. The release of her single, Good Luck, Babe! earlier in April this year cemented her icon status, appearing inescapable to this day across social media, specifically TikTok. If you have the app downloaded on your phone, there’s no denying you can’t escape this song — for all the right reasons.

The success of this single caused a reverse domino-effect, with new fans scrolling back through Chappell’s discography and majorly popularising her previous singles, EPs and 2023 debut LP, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. Another song from the album, HOT TO GO! is also now smashing it, with a dance to go-with.

Who, and what was the catalyst for the sudden — and global — rise of these girl bands and groundbreaking queer artists? Did anyone come before them? Exiting the 2010s and 2020s where these groups and artists are finally commonplace in the music industry, let’s travel back in time.

It’s 2002. t.A.T.u, a female Russian music duo releases the single All The Things She Said, an English version of an initially Russian song they’d released two years prior. Controversy, everywhere. The duo are slated by the media, with ITV in the UK banning the music video and parents across the globe keeping their children from watching music programmes like Rage — the featuring of two girls kissing in the clip was just too taboo for this time.

Every element surrounding the music duo’s image was centred around the exploration of the media and the public’s reception to a female, and queer revolution — even their name, sounding like a shortened version of the Russian phrase meaning “this girl loves that girl”. It was like if the Spice Girls were only made up of two women, and were *actually spicy*.

A year passes, and the seemingly-queer façade of t.A.T.u finally fell apart - members Lena Katina and Julia Volkova were revealed to be a part of a publicity strategy by their label. Somehow remaining active until 2011, with controversy no stranger to the duo – Volkova once stated in an interview that “I want my son to be a real man, not a (slur)”. During the band’s active years, she also avidly expressed her religious beliefs, noting that she regularly visited religious confession to repent for her actions as a part of the music duo. The disbanding of t.A.T.u in 2011 left a hole in the music industry to be filled. The duo fulfilled an image for fans and a “je ne sais quoi” that wasn’t commonplace in the music industry.

Luckily, there were some other artists around and champing at the bit to get their music out there. The year 2011 also saw the formation of Canadian pop-punk quartet Done With Dolls — which later became The Beaches in 2013 after adopting a new alternative rock sound, consisting of sisters Jordan and Kylie Miller, with keyboardist and guitarist Leandra Earl, and drummer Eliza Enman-McDaniel.

Much like Chappell Roan, the all-girl Canadian rock band had also been releasing music long before their world-wide success. Although having released multiple EPs and an LP, the band didn’t see international fame until the announcement of their 2nd album, Blame My Ex and release of single Blame Brett in May 2023. After a snippet of lead singer Jordan Miller belting the first verse of the song was posted by the band on TikTok, The Beaches absolutely skyrocketed to international acclaim. Fast-forward to 2024, and they just missed out on Triple J’s Hottest 100 of 2023, landing in at #101 in the Hottest 200.

In May this year, their Aussie fans had the pleasure of seeing the band when they flew Down Under for their first Australian tour. While dropping into the Triple J studios, they blessed listeners with a live performance of Blame Brett and treated them to a cover of Djo’s End of Beginning for Like A Version, and they’re not showing any signs of slowing down — The Beaches have upcoming dates in the US, performing with rock legends Greta Van Fleet and *The* Rolling Stones.

Revealed back in December 2023 via an Instagram post, our very own G Flip announced a set of gigs to be played in Florida in May 2024 with The Beaches as a dual-show of both G’s Drummer and The Beaches’ Blame My Ex tours after fans bombarded socials asking for a collaboration between the two artists.

Music to Aussie ears, G Flip erupted onto the Australian music scene back in 2018 with their single About You, uploaded to Triple J Unearthed in February of that same year. G has done nothing but smash goals ever since, releasing a line-up of hit singles, followed by their first album About Us, and now their second, Drummer in 2023. The first single from the album, The Worst Person Alive, topped out at no. 2 in Triple J’s Hottest 100 of 2023, with a whopping 6 other songs of theirs appearing in the countdown from Drummer, breaking the record for the most number of songs in a single Hottest 100 countdown.

Over the past couple of years, G Flip has not only conquered our airwaves, but also our screens on an international scale. Their relationship with Selling Sunset’s Chrishell Stause has landed them a few appearances in the reality series, with a key storyline and feud between Chrishell and colleague Amanza centred around a design project at G’s Los Angeles studio in Season 7.

With The Beaches and G Flip attracting a significant overlap in their fan bases as noted by their joint shows, Los Angeles indie pop girl band MUNA also enjoys a substantial following from the same audience.

Saves The World, the band’s second studio album, totally changed the game. Released in 2019, the singles Number One Fan and Stayaway cemented the album’s success and garnered MUNA a cult following. Consisting of members Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson, relatability and a recognition of their fans and community through their lyrics and insanely cool sound allowed the band to simply rise through the charts.

The release of their self-titled album with Phoebe Bridgers’ independent label Saddest Factory Records was an industry-acclaimed hit and landed them a position as the support act in Australia for Lorde’s 2023 Solar Power tour. The lead single of the self-titled album, Silk Chiffon, features Phoebe Bridgers herself and remains as MUNA’s biggest song to-date, with its popularity still flourishing across social media.

One of the band’s biggest singles, I Know A Place, was released in December 2016 in quick response to the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, US. The lyrics,

But if you want to go out dancing

I know a place

I know a place we can go

Where everyone’s gonna lay down their weapons

resonated with the LGBTQIA+ community in unspeakable ways. The band has since noted that the idea for the song had been in the works over a few years with other societal factors in focus, such as bans on same-sex marriage and violence against transgender women.

Is it that this female and queer renaissance is a reactionary response to a traumatic past? It’s definitely a part of it — but hell, do these artists know how to make a celebration of it, in their true fashion. Anthems have been born. The undeniable cult following of these bands and artists has marked a cultural phenomenon in the music scene, all garnering their success from a very similar group of fans — both before and after the reactionary moments in time that threw them into their current international fame.

Artists like Chappell Roan and The Beaches are currently leading this music revolution, but there’s so much more to be said for other bands and artists out there, only adding to the path being paved. Of note are British duo Wet Leg, who toured with Harry Styles and made an instant hit with their 2021 single Wet Dream, as well as US’ Nasty Cherry, formed by “365 party girl” Charli XCX with an accompanying 2019 Netflix documentary — I’m With The Band: Nasty Cherry. t.A.T.u’s legacy may have had an unfortunate and rocky ending, but their music label’s creation of their image has led to an explosion of feminine and queer power in the alternative and indie music scene.

These musicians are pushing boundaries, empowering their listeners, and fostering a more inclusive and vibrant musical landscape – all while releasing some absolute bangers. With a bit of cheeky help from social media, we get to be a part of the moments these artists are skyrocketed to international fame – and the best part of all is that we get to bask in their soundwaves. The Femininomenon is real, and you’re a fool if you’re not coming along for the ride.