PLAYLIST: From Joni to Lorde: Magical women in music

Writing by Paige Mathis // Illustration by Will Lytle // A celebration of magical women in music

Writing by Paige Mathis // Illustration by Will Lytle

Growing up, I immersed myself in the musical work of Kate Bush and Joni Mitchell, and later Laura Marling, Florence Welch, and eventually Aurora. I was intrigued by female songwriters who possessed a sort of otherworldly presence; a magical musicianship, whether that was through their lyrics or image. Poetic writing and writings on mythology, literature, and darkness seemed empowering. I wrote my dissertation on Kate Bush and performativity, and I remember reading a book by Lidia Curti wherein she discussed her realisation of strange imagery entering female narratives. Thereafter, gothic aesthetics and ethereal natures in the music and image of these women were illuminated, and far more intriguing. These singer-songwriters are defiantly themselves: from Kate Bush and Florence Welch’s supernatural imagery to Joni Mitchell and Laura Marling’s literary songwriting. There’s a little bit of magic in all of them, and in all of these songs.

Kate Bush – Wuthering Heights