Happy International Women's Day!

For International Women's Day, I've decided to do a post celebrating some of the women who have particularly inspired me over the last year (and hopefully, I'll still be blogging next year and can do the same thing again!).

1. Carrie Brownstein

I was lucky enough to see Carrie Brownstein twice last year - once with Sleater-Kinney, who were every bit as amazing live as I dreamt they'd be, and then again, as part of her book tour. I've loved Sleater-Kinney for years, and consider all three members to be among my favourite musicians, so to finally see them play live was such a great experience.
Carrie also released her memoir late last year, Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl, and after reading it, I admire her even more. I'd definitely recommend reading it.

2. Jessicka Addams

Jessicka is someone I've admired since I discovered Jack Off Jill when I was 15. Jack Off Jill are another band I was lucky enough to see last year, and getting to finally meet Jessicka didn't disappoint at all!
Jessicka also put together a great zine called After Grrrl, featuring contributions from so many other great women, including Allison Wolfe, Molly Soda, Camille Rose Garcia and Tara McPherson.

3. The Tuts

The Tuts are one of the most exciting bands around right now, and I've seen them live twice over the last 12 months. They always put on an amazing show, and treat every fan like a friend; the fact that they hit 100% on their PledgeMusic campaign so quickly is a testament to how much they mean to people.
They are also completely DIY in everything they do, from booking shows/tours to recording, and are always so encouraging when others ask them for advice on doing their own thing.

4. Maureen Herman

I've always admire all three members of Babes in Toyland, but I can't pretend I'm not disappointed about the way Maureen was kicked out of the band. I'm so glad I was able to see them live before any of that happened, and meet them all. I admire Maureen not only as a bassist, but also for the way she handled the circumstances around her being kicked out of Babes in Toyland, and her refusal to stop talking about sexual assault.

5. Charli XCX

Charli has been using to rising popularity to speak up about sexism, particularly in the music industry. Last month, she also launched her own record label, and has already released music from her ex-bassists solo project Cuckoolander, and female-fronted band RIVRS. She also writes for other artists behind-the-scenes too, such as Icona Pop and Selena Gomez.

6. Claire Boucher

Claire Boucher aka Grimes released her self-produced new album Art Angels late last year, and it pretty much cemented her place on my list of favourite musicians/artists ever. It's some of her most creative work to-date, featuring collaborations with Janelle Monae, and also Aristophanes, a Taiwanese rapper she disocvered on SoundCloud. Not only is every song amazing, she uploaded a piece of her own artwork to accompany each one.

7. Lauren Mayberry

The CHVRCHES vocalist has never been afraid of speaking her mind - whether it's calling out sexist audience members, responding to internet trolls on 4Chan or writing about sexism for The Guardian. She is also one of the founding members of Glasgow feminist collective TYCI.


Which women have inspired you over the past year? Let me know in the comments below!