Female Empowerment (members section)
More Female New Wave Bands
Tthere were other new wave bands with a strong female presence, coming in at different angles. Give these a spin if you can:The Bangles
The Bangles carried ’60s jangle-pop into the ’80s with their own twist: harmonies as weapons of solidarity. Susanna Hoffs and company sang about love and longing, but always with agency. In Your Room and Hazy Shade of Winter frame women not as muses, but as voices directing the story.Berlin
With Terri Nunn’s icy-yet-sultry vocals, Berlin injected a female perspective into synthpop’s futuristic sheen. Songs like The Metro gave emotional depth to electronic landscapes, and No More Words framed romance as a negotiation of power. Nunn’s presence made the idea of a woman leading a synth band feel natural.Siouxsie and the Banshees
Siouxsie Sioux wielded her contralto like a weapon, marrying goth aesthetics with punk bite. In songs such as Spellbound and Christine, she turned vulnerability into theatrical power. Siouxsie’s influence stretched far beyond new wave — she made clear that a woman could be the architect of entire sonic worlds.Missing Persons
Dale Bozzio transformed eccentricity into empowerment. With her striking image and piercing vocals, she delivered songs like Words and Destination Unknown that captured both alienation and defiance. By making vulnerability sound bold, Missing Persons carved out space for women in the synth-driven LA scene to be weird, loud, and unapologetic.Discographies
The Pretenders
The Go-Gos
Eurythmics
Timelines
'80 to '85
'86 and Beyond
Related
Influencers
Followers
INFLUENCERS
The Pretenders
Bob Dylan : Lyrical sharpness and unapologetic personal honesty
The Byrds : Jangly guitar framework underpinning melodic toughness
Jimi Hendrix : Jagged guitar textures and unrestrained sonic attack
Patti Smith : Punk snarl fused with poetic female authority
The Go-Gos
Lesley Gore : Early girl-group empowerment, proto-feminist pop blueprint
Patti Smith : Punk credibility fused with uncompromising lyrical stance
Blondie : Punk-to-pop crossover model with female starpower
The Runaways : All-female rock band breaking industry barriers
Eurythmics
David Bowie : Androgynous theatricality and art-pop reinvention
Al Green : Soulful phrasing and emotional vocal authority
Roxy Music (Ferry) : Sleek sophistication blending style with substance
Gary Numan : Minimalist synth soundscapes, cold electronic textures
FOLLOWERS
The Pretenders
Concrete Blonde : Raspy vocals, gritty honesty, toughness with vulnerability
PJ Harvey : Raw defiance, poetic lyrics, fearless female authority
The Kills : Stripped-down swagger, guitar bite, commanding frontwoman presence
Savages : Icy intensity, punk snarl, confrontational female voice
Wet Leg : Witty irreverence, playful cool, subversive lyrical stance
The Go-Gos
The Primitives : Jangly pop hooks, punk energy, female vocals
The Donnas : Bratty guitar rock, unapologetic all-girl attitude
The Like : Retro pop style, all-female band solidarity
Bleached : California cool, surf-punk edge, sisterly harmonies
Rina Sawamaya : Genre-bending pop, feminist confidence, commanding presence
Eurythmics
Dead or Alive : Androgynous image, synth dance hooks, flamboyant pop spectacle
Bjork : Experimental electronics, theatrical vocals, fearless reinvention
Goldfrapp : Mystique, icy synth textures, commanding female presence
Christine and the Queens : Gender play, emotive contralto, art-pop sophistication
Rina Sawamaya : Genre fusion, bold theatrics, feminist pop authority
Expert & Fan Comments
The Pretenders
- Stewart Mason (Allmusic): "Chrissie Hynde mixed anger and defiance with melodic control, making Precious feel like a statement of ownership rather than a plea.”
- Record World: "Chrissie bares her heart and soul with a priceless vocal performance."
The Go-Gos
- donignacio.com (about This Town): “This track begins with some hypnotic guitars then it explodes into a catchy chorus. This Town constitutes one of the finer non-hits of the album!”
- Medium: “The chord progression is ‘unconventional,’ the piece argues, but that very musical friction undercuts any notion of the singer as demure — she’s structuring challenge, not simple compliance.”
Eurythmics
- Cash Box (about Who's That Girl): "Features the group’s trademark ethereal musical textures and Annie Lennox’s unique vocal stylings."
- Wikipedia (about Beethoven): “Stewart composed the song primarily on a Synclavier machine … repeated lines throughout the song to be repeated. the lyrics focus less on narrative and more on expression.”