Blog Post
Mia Zapata was a female artist from Seattle, who centered her music on her experiences with gender oppression. She expanded the music industry by playing music that represented women as strong, powerful, and standing in the spotlight instead of being forced to stay hidden. She played music in the Grunge genre, which was prominently thought to be a male genre. Her music was breaking expectations and any “music rules” that were set in the community. Unfortunately, Zapata was raped and murdered in Seattle and the music community did not stay silent. There was an outburst of how the music industry treats women, specifically those who break the rules as Zapata did. Two students of the University of Washington had a mission, “determined to make sure that the next generation knew about this unique collection of women” (Dawes, 2013). They wanted to rewrite the narrative as they had enough with how women were treated and represented. When the music community finds something that they deem unmarketable or not palatable for the White male audience of America, there is no hesitation to erase anything that stands as a threat.
Country music has a history similar to how Zapata was erased. “Most of the elements borrowed from Mexican musical styles go unnoticed in rock and country music” (Hurtado, 2019). Most of the world does not know of this musical history. The United States is infamous for not truly being united by excluding and alienating immigrants of color, with a specific target on Mexican immigrants. The musical origins of country music was not digestible for White America, this is why it has been erased and deemed as the sound of White people. We can see how the country disregards the work, the art, and the lives of those who are not cis-men or White, and this is clearly reflected in the music of this country.
References:
Dawes, Finally, Filmmakers Tell the Forgotten History of Seattle DIY Self-Defense Group Home Alive (Links to an external site.), Bitch Magazine
Ludwig Hurtado, “Country Music is also Mexican Music,” (Links to an external site.) The Nation, Jan 3, 2019
DJ selections:
Both Stevie Nicks and Pat Benetar are female rock artists who changed the genre that is viewed as masculine, and thought of to have no place for a woman.
Stevie Nicks: Edge of Seventeen
Pat Benetar - Hit Me With Your Best Shot
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