The 2000s were defined by hyperconnectivity and digital culture. We watched films like Mean Girls, Donnie Darko, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Avatar and The Dark Knight, while spending endless hours watching How I Met Your Mother, Skins or Gossip Girl with an iPod in hand and Converse on our feet. We opened accounts on MySpace and Facebook, downloaded music through Napster or LimeWire, and discovered a new online world through YouTube and Wikipedia.
A decade that began with burned CDs and portable CD players and ended with streaming, smartphones and social media taking over everyday life. Indie rock, emo, pop-punk, electronic music, R&B and hip-hop expanded globally thanks to blogs, music forums and the rise of broadband internet. The decade also saw the growth of fourth-wave feminist conversations online, with more women speaking openly about inequality, representation and the pressures placed on them by the music and entertainment industries.
Controversy followed many female artists during the era, from debates around image and sexuality to questions about artistic freedom and media scrutiny. Figures like Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse and M.I.A. constantly challenged expectations while reshaping pop culture in their own ways. Women in music became louder, more experimental and impossible to ignore.
The 2000s were an explosion of genres and scenes, producing an enormous range of female-fronted bands, solo artists and collaborations. This playlist celebrates that moment in time with 40 songs per year featuring standout bands, singers, songwriters, guest appearances and hits from countries such as Australia, Canada, Colombia, France, Mexico, Sweden, the UK and the USA, among many others. Not everything we wanted to include made the cut, but the selection was carefully curated to reflect the creativity, the diversity and the impact these artists brought to the decade.
This playlist celebrates women in 2000s music, because without them the decade would not have sounded nearly as bold, emotional and utterly unforgettable.
To all the women in music: thank you for everything you created and inspired during the 2000s. We truly appreciate you.