Monday, September 22, 1997 Females riding wave of success in
music industry WOMEN: Several talented singers, songwriters gaining
recognition with strong sales, critical acclaim By Sandra Kim
Apple, Crow, Jewel – these names at first glance appear to be
part of a children’s magical fairy tale with armored knights,
beautiful princesses, old hags and save-the-day princes. Beautiful
princesses exist in this tale, but they project reality,
intelligence and artistic passion. Rather than sitting pretty by
the window, calling out for their handsome Romeos, these women sing
and yell with passion, empathy and eloquence. They sing about
life’s trials and tribulations, happiness and sadness. And as
talented women in love with their music, they are finally getting
the break they deserve, receiving praise and recognition from the
industry for their songwriting and vocal abilities. Fiona Apple,
Sheryl Crow and Jewel make up this coterie of successful female
artists. They follow in the footsteps of the female artists of the
’60s like Shangri-La and the Supremes, Joni Mitchell and Carly
Simon in the ’70s, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna and Whitney Houston in the
’80s, and finally Ani DiFranco, Erykah Badu, Tori Amos and Sarah
McLachlan in the ’90s. According to Merilee Kelly, a DJ at the Los
Angeles-based Star 98.7 FM, the popularity of women artists today
results from the influences of all female singer/songwriters in the
past. "Every moment, every decade," Kelly says, "contributed to
what we have now. It starts from the bottom. Once female artists
started winning awards, you began to see more media attention and
articles written on women and their music. Then it becomes that big
and is broadcast to millions, gaining that ‘seal of approval’ from
the general public". In recent years, female artists began to win
awards outside the "Best Female" arena, such as Alanis Morisette’s
Grammy-winning album "Jagged Little Pill." Record labels quickly
recognized this and immediately started signing talent that the
public wanted to hear. Kerri Kircheimer, an employee at Rhino
Records in Westwood and an ethnomusicology UCLA student focusing on
the progression of female rock bands, comments on the historical
trend. "It’s some sort of breakthrough but it will change formation
as the years go by," Kircheimer says. So who’s responsible for this
"breakthrough?" McLachlan, who organized the Lilith Fair, one of
the summer’s biggest musical events, con tributes to the recent
surge of females’ success. Featuring a variety of artists such as
Shawn Colvin, Cassandra Wilson, Paula Cole and new hip-hop artist
Badu, the Lilith Fair festival celebrated excellence in women’s
music. It was also a chance for women with unique talent to gather
in a non-threatening, coffee house-like atmosphere. "The Lilith
Fair is not aggressive," Kelly says. "The tone of the music makes
it more relaxing, mellow, ’60s-ish." Kircheimer says this attitude
is part of what makes the newer music successful. "They are
non-threatening, their songs are intelligent, they put their point
across and they are attractive. That is why they are mainstream,"
Kircheimer says. There have been countless top hit singles such as
Jewel’s "Foolish Games," Cole’s "Where Have All The Cowboys Gone"
and Colvin’s "Sunny Came Home." Then there’s DiFranco, who in
addition to writing and singing her own songs, created her own
record label called "Righteous Babe." James Kahn, the senior
buyer/product manager of Rhino Records in Westwood agrees with
Kircheimer. "Women’s talent, like Joan Baez – that’s here to stay.
They are talented," Kahn says. However, Kahn continues, "The
industry’s approval and support of this women’s music is marketing
ploy – that’s a passing phase." Tracy Hill, a freelance publicist
from the Press Company, who represents artists such as DiFranco,
agrees that the trend of women bands "will not stay as a fixture.
Record companies have latched onto it as a money maker. Every time
they find a trend, they want to milk it up. Marketability may come
and go, Kahn adds, but talent "demands to be heard." "Good talent
and good music will always be the same," Kahn says. "They’ve got
something to say, with a powerful voice." Hill also says that
female singer/songwriters of the ’90s share a "consciousness of
sisterhood" which differentiates them from the women artists of the
past. "With the folk rock singers, there is a kind of camaraderie,"
Kircheimer adds. With the "sisterhood" of the Lilith Fair, and
chart-topping success, female artists have become more than lonely,
solitary princesses. These singer/song writers are fresh,
invigorating, and have love and talent for music.
ARISTA NETTWERK RECORDS
Sarah McLachlan organized the all-female summer tour, the Lilith
Fair.
RIGHTEOUS BABE RECORDS
Ani DiFranco is among the field of talented female artists.