LOS ANGELES – FEBRUARY 12: Beyonce Knowles at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center on February 12, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vince Bucci/PictureGroup)
BBC Radio Four’s Woman’s Hour have unveiled their top 20 ‘Women In Music Power List’ for 2018 – featuring the likes of Adele, Beyonce, Sia, Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift and Wolf Alice‘s Ellie Rowsell.
Beyonce tops the list of the music industry’s ‘most influential women’, thanks to her “feminism, activism and empowering musical messages”. Elsewhere, women from throughout the industry and behind the scenes are also celebrated for their dedication and impact.
“It’s a celebration of 40 incredible women but hopefully it doesn’t stop there,” broadcaster and judge Tina Daheley told the BBC. “A lot of the people on the list are coming on to the programme, and I think that’s where the conversation will start.”
Speaking of Beyonce’s top ranking, Daheley continued: “She’s one of those people who’s absolutely in charge of her own destiny and she’s using that platform in a way that makes a difference: empowering black people in America, addressing injustice head-on and championing women.
“It’s not just the lyrics and activism in her music which, you could cynically say, sells music,” she continues. “She puts her money where her mouth is and she’s contributed to Black Lives Matter and the people affected by Hurricane Katrina.”
Check out the full top 20 below:
Beyoncé
Taylor Swift
Vanessa Reed (PRS for Music)
Adele
Stacey Tang (MD of RCA Records)
Gillian Moore (Director of music at Southbank Centre)
Rebecca Allen (President of Decca Records)
Marin Alsop
Chi-chi Nwanoku
Maggie Crowe (Director of events at BPI)
Olga Fitzroy
Annie Mac
Desiree Perez
Cardi B
Sia
Ellie Rowsell (Wolf Alice
Sarah Stennett
Nicola Benedetti
Hattie Collins
Dua Lipa
Sarah Stennett, who manages acts like Rita Ora, Ray BLK and Bebe Rexha and came in at Number 17, spoke of how gender is still very much a factor when it comes to advancing in the music industry.
“I never thought consciously of my gender as something that limited me in any way until this year,” she said. “I was just too busy trying to push forward and survive in the cut-throat environment of the male-dominated entertainment business.
[Read the whole article for other comments and videos on the Top 20]By Adam Trendell
https://www.nme.com/news/music/most-powerful-women-in-music-2018-2384363
[Thank you to Alex Teitz, http://www.femmusic.com, for contributing this article.]