Sadly, we still live in a society in which female musicians and artists are commonly maligned – at least when compared to their male counterparts. Because of this, I’ve decided to create a new playlist and round-up review series titled Girls to the Front. With this new project, I aim to shine a well-deserved spotlight on a selection of incredible female vocalists and musicians who deserve your attention at the moment.
I’ve always had a wide taste in music, so the artists and songs displayed here will cover numerous genres and styles. Who knows – you might just discover your latest musical obsession!
Review by Jane Howkins. Cover photo by Iri Antler
Iri Antler – Finish Line
First up we have German artist Iri Antler with her awesome new tune Finish Line. It’s a pretty unique sounding song in terms of genre and style, containing elements of dark-pop and electronica within its avant-garde surroundings. The energy stays raised throughout, with the huge bassline and drums reacting well together to ensure the song stays stuck in your head after the first listen. However, Iri’s ethereal vocals have a softer quality, creating a nice juxtaposition of sounds that works surprisingly well together. Both the backing vocals and lead vocals sound gorgeous when combined, playing out the remainder of the tune together until its beautiful ending,
Iri’s music is composed, written, produced and performed entirely by herself, as well as filming her own music videos on her iPhone, showing an artist with array iof stunning talents, promising great things for her future career.
Social media: Spotify, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok
Layla Kaylif – Black Is The Colour
Our next song up is Black Is The Colour, created by the talented Anglo-Arab singer-songwriter Layla Kaylif. It’s quite a different sounding song when compared with the previous song in this review. That’s by no means a bad thing though, as Black Is The Colour is a lovely piece of work. The little solo that open the song up has a haunting sound, melding well with the strummed acoustic guitar chords that make rhythm alongside the beat. The real stand-out moment for me though is Layla’s vocals, having a sultry quality that really draws you into her world.
Layla Kaylif is certainly one artist to keep your eyes on in future, as she’s been gaining a lot of traction within the music world of late, so keep your eyes and ears peeled for more from her in the near future!
Social media: LinkTree, Spotify, YouTube, Songkick, Bandcamp, Instagram
Stefanie Michaela – Carefree
Stefanie Michaela has returned to the music industry after an understandable period of time off to look after her five children. Now they’ve grown a little older, she has returned to the scene with her new pop banger, Carefree. Musically, it’s very much a pop song, seeing Stefanie use some slower, more contemplative verses to build up to the chorus, which is a real celebration of joy. It’s a real delight to see Stefanie sounding so happy in herself, leading up to the final chorus and the climax of the tune.
You can really feel the emotion in Stefanie’s vocals as she sings here, and she really does sound like she’s on the road to being Carefree – something I think we should all celebrate!
Social media: Website, Facebook, Spotify, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok
Sjana Rut – Tell Me
It’s pretty rare that we get to hear any music from Iceland, so I feel honoured to be able to share pop starlet Sjana Rut and her new single Tell Me with the world. It’s a pop tune but one that features an Afrobeat infusion, creating a unique pop song in a genre that can sometimes seem a little stale. There’s no threat of that here though, as Sjana’s vocals are great and her lyricism is clever, using a conversational style that exudes warmth and works well with the playful sound of the song.
Tell Me is the sort of track that sounds absolutely perfect for the summertime, so Sjana has clearly chosen the right time of year to release her new single – here’s hoping it finds its way onto your summer playlists!
Social media: Website, Facebook, Spotify, Soundcloud, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, LinkTree
The Bergamot – Tides
The Bergamot is another act that we’ve shared before on these pages, so I jumped at the chance to include them within this project with their new release, Tides. It’s actually a bit of an outlier here, as The Bergamot actually have two vocalists – the band is composed of husband-and-wife team Nathaniel Paul and Jillian Speece. Both members of the duo sing together here in a gorgeous way, singing equally and combining their vocals into one glorious harmonic sound. A pretty piano melody underlines the vocal harmonies, allowing them to truly shine through without taking too much attention away from the music itself.
We frequently share The Bergamot’s music here, so if you like Tides, be sure to check back soon for more content from them!
Social media: Website, Facebook, X, Spotify, Soundcloud, YouTube, Instagram, Songkick
Swamp Music Players feat Hilary Beckett – Run With Us
On Run With Us, Swamp Music Players team up with vocalist Hilary Beckett to create a really distinctive piece of music. One of the most interesting things about Run With Us is that it’s actually a cover of the theme song of a Canadian tv show called The Raccoons, so there’s a good chance that some of our readers might already be familiar with the tune. On this version, Swamp Music Players don’t change things up too much, but there’s some really cool guitar work going on and Hilary’s vocals truly sound fab.
Run With Us is a nostalgic 80s banger, so even if you’re not familiar with the original version, you could well find yourself falling in love with this one!
Social media: Website, Facebook, X, Spotify, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok
If you’ve enjoyed any of the songs on this page today, please have a look through the artist’s social media pages and take a listen to their music, give them a follow and/or make a purchase from them. You can also find the full playlist below:
Girls to the Front – playlist by York Calling | Spotify