All-female, singer-songwriter collective, Song Suffragettes has teamed up with the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment which gave women the constitutional right to vote on August 26, 1920. As announced by The Tennessean this morning, the Commission will be sponsoring Song Suffragettes’ shows at The Listening Room Café on Aug. 3, Aug. 10, Aug. 17 and Aug. 24 along with high-production YouTube livestreams from those shows.

To heighten the centennial celebration, Song Suffragettes has invited special guests to participate in those August shows with Lindsay Ell (Aug. 3), Maddie & Tae (Aug. 10), Ashley McBryde (Aug. 17) and Runaway June (Aug. 24) joining members of Song Suffragettes’ ever-revolving and expanding roster which currently consists of over 260 female singer-songwriters.

“The Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission is thrilled to partner with Song Suffragettes in celebration of the congressionally designated National Women’s Suffrage Month in August 2020,” said WSCC Executive Director Anna Laymon. “Music holds an important place in the history of women’s fight for the vote -- like in all social movements, music helped to inspire and unify the suffragists who were dedicated to expanding American democracy. These activists not only secured the passage and ratification of the 19th Amendment, but they also broke barriers and opened up new opportunities for women for generations to come. By working to ensure talented women artists are represented and celebrated in the world of country music today, Song Suffragettes carries forward the legacy of the courageous trailblazers who fought for women’s right to vote 100 years ago. It is a privilege to join with Song Suffragettes to honor the sacrifice and courage of the suffragists.”

Based in D.C. and funded by the U.S. Congress, the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission is conducting suffrage inspired digital programming to commemorate August 2020 as National Women’s Suffrage Month. The Commission is a nonpartisan, nonpolitical federal agency with multiple initiatives that can be explored at www.WomensVote100.org.

“For over six years, Song Suffragettes has been fighting the good fight to support underrepresented female voices in music,” said Todd Cassetty, founder of Song Suffragettes. “We named Song Suffragettes as an obvious nod to the fearless women who faced a restrictive government and fought for seventy-two years to earn the right to vote. So it is a true honor to partner with the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission and be the musical component of their celebration of the 19th Amendment’s centennial.”

The livestream series titled Live From Nashville: Song Suffragettes will be available for free via the Song Suffragettes’ YouTube channel - YouTube.com/SongSuffragettes. A limited number of tickets are available to attend these shows in person and can be purchased at www.ListeningRoomCafe.com. 

All Live From Nashville: Song Suffragettes shows will start at 6pm CST. In addition to Lindsay Ell, the August 3 show will also feature singer-songwriters Carter Faith, Chloe Gilligan, Julie Williams and Raquel Cole with Mia Morris accompanying on cajon. Going forward, full show lineups will be announced the week prior to each show on Song Suffragettes’ Instagram, Twitter and Facebook accounts (@SongSuffragettes).

Taylor Swift posted a series of 10 black and white photos to her Instagram on July 23rd. The last picture she captioned, “Most of the things I had planned this summer didn’t end up happening, but there is something I hadn’t planned on that DID happen. And that thing is my 8th studio album, folklore. Surprise.” If anyone is able to surprise 137 million social media followers, it is the one and only Taylor Swift. 

While the rest of us were too busy trying out the latest Tik-Tok quarantine trends, Swift wrote and recorded 16 songs with Aaron Desner, Bon Iver, and Jack Antonoff. “Before this year I probably would’ve overthought when to release this music at the ‘perfect’ time, but the times we’re living in keep reminding me that nothing is guaranteed. My gut is telling me that if you make something you love, you should just put it out into the world.” folklore is an indie folk, alternative rock record. Announced only 16 hours prior to its release, it broke numerous streaming records including a Guinness World Record for the biggest opening day for an album by a female artist on Spotify. 

It’s common knowledge that Taylor Swift began her career on country radio. Before we had the cryptic “Reputation Era” and the dreamy “Lover Era” we had glittery guitars with sun dresses and headbands. Swift's ability to be able to fluidly switch genres is what allowed her to stay on top and be crowned “Artist of the Decade” at the American Music Awards. Taylor Swift was 16 years old when her self titled debut album was released in 2006. The past 14 years have brought so much growth and change as her fan base matures with her. Was there any indication that Taylor’s life was about to change with her first single release, “Tim McGraw”? 

The Pennsylvania native released five songs from her debut album as singles. “Teardrops on My Guitar,” “Should’ve Said No,” “Our Song” and “Picture to Burn,” in addition to “Tim McGraw.” Each song has been certified at least platinum. Swift is known for her massive cross country stadium tours, but back then even the massive success of her first album didn’t guarantee her a headlining tour. She continued playing radio stations, interviewing on talk shows, playing county fairs, and opening for other major country acts. She landed her first opening gig with Rascal Flats and George Strait before landing her dream opening slot for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. 

The “Fearless era” still maintained Taylor’s country sound. Her sophomore album was released in 2008 and featured her classic hits, “Love Story,” “Fifteen” and “You Belong With Me.” Fearless led to her first headlining tour in 2009 which included Kellie Pickler and Justin Bieber. By the way, it is also the most-awarded album in country music history to this day! Being only 18 when this album was released, made Taylor the youngest artist ever to win a GRAMMY for “Album of the Year.” In the albums sleevenotes Taylor wrote, ““Fearless is getting back up and fighting for what you want over and over again… even though every time you’ve tried before, you’ve lost,” she wrote. “It’s fearless to have faith that someday things will change.”
 
“Speak Now” was released on October 25th, 2010. It would go on to become the best selling self-written album in history. Taylor already had numerous awards under her belt at this point, but she was still establishing herself as an artist. She found herself thrust into the tabloids and at the center of celebrity feuds. She had dated notable young men at this point including, Joe Jonas, Taylor Lautner, and John Mayer. With the release of “Mean” we saw Taylor’s confidence and ability to stand up to the haters shine. Swift let the music do the talking rather than publicly addressing her relationships, per, “Dear John.” Billboard says, “In many ways, Speak Now is the last album Swift made before the “wide-eyed gaze” she’d sing about on Red standout “All Too Well” began to narrow into a cynical glare. 

Swift's fourth studio album, Red, was her last album to be considered country-pop by the majority. Some critics categorized it as a pop-rock record with indie influence. Taylor released, “We are Never Ever Getting Back Together” as the lead single. After only a minute of the single being released, it hit Top 50 on the iTunes charts. Other singles released off of Red are, “22,” “Everything Has Changed,” “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “The Last Time,” and “Red.” In recent years, Taylor’s music videos have been giant productions including anything and everything from elaborate CGI to guest performances from stars such as Brendan Urie, Adam Lambert, Ellen DeGeneres, Ryan Reynolds and more. “I Knew You Were Trouble” is about losing yourself and the music video at the time was uncharastically heavy featuring Taylor in a dystopian landscape. We know that she is singing about a troubled relationship, but it also represents Taylor losing sight of what made her America’s favorite princess - being authentically herself. 

2 years later in 2014, she released, 1989, followed by Reputation, and Lover. No matter how Taylor’s style, and sound evolves, it is evident that her incredibly loyal fan base loves her through it all. She talks more about this in her Netflix documentary, Miss Americana. So in the meantime, let’s grab some coffee and a cozy blanket and listen to her most recent masterpiece, folklore. 

Author: Haley Moloney​

Jena Rose, a singular new voice in pop music, has released the video for her lauded single “Forever Yours," featuring Latin superstar Casper Magico. With over two million streams, the song has quickly gained traction on digital platforms. The official music video, created as a tribute to New York City, was imagined after having witnessed the timeless character of the city’s people in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. With a striking, fresh sound, "Forever Yours" connects Rose’s timeless melodies to her Cuban roots, delivering on the promise Billboard and others recognized in her debut. 

US Weekly exclusively premiered the music video for “Forever Yours” on July 29th which received homepage placement, noting, “Rising pop star Jena Rose just joined the running for song of the summer with her latest single, ‘Forever Yours.’” 

Rose’s love for NYC took on a new dimension this year attending NY Fashion Week, where she was dressed by an array of top designers including Alice & Olivia, Anna Sui and Herve Leger. It was during that event that the concept of a dream takeover of Times Square took root for her upcoming video. Having already made waves in both music and fashion, she wanted to do something larger than life as a love letter to the place that has given her so much inspiration. 

Rose, is set to launch her upcoming EP, Baby, Maybe, later this summer which features five new songs by a roster of GRAMMY-nominated producers.

Originally drawn to musical theatre, it wasn’t until Daniella attended a Carrie Underwood concert when she decided to pursue music. After trips to LA to learn about the music business, she took to writing her own songs and finding her voice. Her sound blends pop country with EDM or “Dirt Road Meets DJ,” as Daniella calls it. Her new single “White Tee” has just that electrifying sound. Written in her RV while on a road trip cross-country, the song just poured out of her. About the feeling of first falling in love with somebody, the song leaves you happy.
 
With the opportunity to change someone’s life, Daniella plans to keep releasing music. Constantly writing, whether on her phone or in a co-write, Daniella plans to record next month. Now living in Nashville, she also wants to perform at iconic venues such as the Bluebird Café and Douglas Corner more often.
 
Don’t miss out and follow Daniella on Instagram at @daniellaofficial.