Female-Fronted Bands in Indie Music
Celebrating women-led bands in indie music and their inspiring accomplishments.

What’s your favorite band? Your answer might be different from mine but we all love band music, don’t we? I especially enjoy watching them play live. Some of the best indie bands out there are either all women or fronted by women. In an industry where men are the overwhelming majority, they’ve made their way to the top and find themselves among the very best.

In this article, I’ll talk about some of these amazing bands. As we continue to celebrate women in this month of March, I’ll celebrate ten top bands fronted by women. They continue to be the shining light in the dark that tells us that there’s a better day coming for women in music.

Warpaint

While everyone was reveling in the magic of Valentine’s Day love, Emily Kokal and her friends started a band. Originally named World War 4, they eventually became Warpaint after writing a song by that name and falling in love with the name. They released their first studio album in 2010 and have gone on to release three more albums since then.

Emily Kokal is still the front woman but some of the original members are no longer there. All four current members are women. Jenny Lee Lindberg plays bass and backs Emily up on the vocals, Theresa Wayman does everything from vocals to guitar and drums, and Stella Mozgawa is good at all the instruments.

Wolf Alice

Just after Warpaint released their first studio album, Ellie Rowsell and Joff Oddie played their first gig as Wolf Alice. Two years later, they recruited a drummer and a bassist in Joel Amey and Theo Ellis. It took another three years for Wolf Alice to release their first album, titled My Love Is Cool. It was an instant hit, earning Wolf Alice their first Grammy nomination. They’ve since released two more albums, the last one coming in 2021.

Surrounded by men, Ellie Rowsell has continued to be the face of one of the best indie bands of our time. Alongside their fans, I’m hoping for new music sooner than later.

Florence and the Machine

Before Warpaint and Wolf Alice, there was Florence and The Machine. If you haven’t already guessed it from the name, Florence Welch is the front woman. From the very beginning, they set out to be among the best. Their debut album remained in the top 40 of the UK Charts for sixty-five consecutive weeks, hitting first and second within that time. They continued to build on this success with their second and third albums. By 2015, Florence Welch became the first British woman to headline Glastonbury Festival.

With seven Grammy nominations, albeit no wins, Florence and The Machine have been a huge part of the music industry. Florence Welch herself continues to be proof that women can be among the best of the best.

Big Thief

Adrianne Lenker and her band of boys have been making music for about ten years. Their first album in 2016 was a statement arrival, with critics all over the place hailing its title, Masterpiece, as accurate. Big Thief continued to grow and improve, and their third album earned them a Grammy nomination. The fourth album earned two more nominations, albeit zero wins.

They have released five albums to date and earned six Grammy nominations along the way, but the prize itself has remained elusive. Here’s to hoping Adrianne Lenker and her men finally clinch it someday.

The Beths

I know it sounds like a band of people with “Beth” in their names, but unfortunately it's not. In fact, there's only one Beth in the band, lead singer Elizabeth Stokes. Founded in 2014, The Beths took four years to release their first album to critical acclaim. Two years later, they released their second album. Guess how many years it took to release their third album. That's right, two years. If the pattern continues, it means we're due a new album this year.

The Beths are one of the biggest indie bands in New Zealand, stretching even beyond their borders. Elizabeth Stokes continues to lead from the front and inspire young women all around the world.

Alvvays

Let’s travel to Canada where Molly Rankin and her team of musicians are creating magic. Molly formed the band alongside Kerri MacLellan, Alec O’Hanley, Abbey Blackwell, and Phil MacIsaac in 2011. They released their first album in 2014 to heavy acclaim. It flew to the top of US college charts and got nominated for several Canadian music awards.

Alvvays have since released two more albums, each more successful than the last. In all they have done, the most impressive part for me is the growth. They started from being a hit on college charts to winning Juno awards and earning Grammy nominations.

Japanese Breakfast

In 2014, while Alvvays were releasing their debut album, Michelle Zauner was at home taking care of her sick mother. Throughout that period, music was her escape. She wrote several songs to help her cope with the stress. Sadly, her mother eventually died. That grief pushed Michelle deeper into music. Two years later, those songs became the first album by Japanese Breakfast, Psychopomp.

For their second album, Japanese Breakfast created a game. The success of that experiment led to a collaboration with an indie game developer to write music for a video game called Sable. It’s been far from a smooth ride, but after three albums and two Grammy nominations, Japanese Breakfast are an established indie band. From caring for her mother to dominating the music industry, Michelle Zauner has been around.

Final Thoughts

Women are nowhere near equally represented in the music industry, but the progress is tangible. I always say that the current crop of female artists are laying the foundation for the next generation of women to rise above and beyond, and what a foundation it is. The best part is that this list is only a tip of the iceberg. There are many more women-fronted bands doing great things.

If you’re a woman trying to make it in the music industry, you can look up to the ones who have gone ahead of you. These women are some of the heroes you can research as you work to become the best at what you do.