Disruptive Divas: Feminism, Identity and Popular Music

Disruptive Divas: Feminism, Identity and Popular Musicfocuses on four female musicians who have marked contemporary popular culture in unexpected ways. Tori Amos, Courtney Love, Me'Shell Ndegeocello and P. J. Harvey have impelled and disturbed the boundaries of "acceptable" female musicianship.Disruptive Divasgives close readings to individual, representative songs by each of these artists, in order to make general statements about the role of women in popular music. The artists and songs selected explore a range of textural themes and musical studies.Disruptive Divasshows how this material has disrupted the general expectations of popular music style, performance and marketing; in turn, it helps to empower women to be creative artists.

Lori Burns is Associate Professor of Music Theory at the University of Ottawa Melisse Lafrance completed a master's degree in twentieth-century French thought on the body and sexuality at Oxford University. She has published articles in Sports Stars: Public Culture and the Politics of Representation (Routledge) and Sport and Postmodern Times