ARTIST TAKEOVER: No Destination (A Playlist) by Rania Khoury
Rania Khoury
I’m honored to be the first female artist to takeover!
As the pandemic continues to rage on, I’ve found myself taking many bike rides and random drives around town just to clear my head. I’ve started to think of it as a bit of a relaxing escape from the mundane day-to-day routine of staying home. These bike rides and drives vary in length, but they are definitely long enough to get lost in a good album or a playlist.
Since I have the honor of being the first female to do IndieWavves’ blog “Artist Takeover,” I wanted to highlight some of my favorite cruising songs by female artists. I’m focusing on female artists because, well, I’m a female, and I believe we need more exposure to all the amazing music women are creating, producing, singing, etc. I recently released a new EP that shares a darker and more sensual side to me, and I couldn’t help but think of all the amazing female artists that influence me every day.
The majority of these songs were released in the past five years, but some feel so relevant now more than ever. I thought through the order of the songs because, like driving, I wanted there to be different “speed limits” as you navigate the fifteen song playlist.
Here is a breakdown of some of the songs I chose for my playlist No Destination:
“Screwed” by Janelle Monae
This song really makes me happy. It’s such a great singalong song, and it speaks to how I think the majority of us feel right now. It’s just a perfect Summer tune to cruise around to while waving your metaphorical middle finger in the air.
“American Pie” by Shea Diamond
As the fight for LGBTQ rights continues, this song embodies the struggles experienced by a person who simply wants to live their life freely. Diamond, a trans woman, exposes the struggles she faces to live the American dream and “get her slice” of the American Pie. She soulfully sings “I need love, I don’t need money/After all these years baby I’m still running/Who’s gonna say a want is not a need?/ I get looks that get so dirty/ After all these years baby it’s still hurting/Who’s gonna say a want is not a need?/ Just want my piece of the American pie/ Got your slice, where is mine?”
“Supalonely” by BENEE, Gus Dapperton
It’s tough to not bob your head along to this song as she sings about being a “lonely bitch” with a simple, driving beat. Also, don’t we all feel a bit lonely these days???
“Guilty Conscience” by 070 Shake
I FUCKING love this song. It does something to my soul when it kicks into the chorus, and all I can do is sway my head back and forth. This song also gives me some “Sunflower” by Post Malone and Swae Lee vibes.
“Same Old Blues” by Phantogram
This song details the struggle with depression, and the words are so relatable. The gospel-like background vocals also bring a religious experience to the whole song. Definitely one of my all-time favorite Phantogram songs!
“I Owe You Nothing” by Seinabo Sey
Women are constantly told their whole lives how we need to behave. We are constantly made to believe that we owe society something. This song is a big “F you” to all those times you’ve been told by someone to smile, talk differently, or behave a certain way. It’s a powerful song with a simple beat and lots of beautiful gospel background vocals.
I hope you enjoy this playlist as much as I do and find it an escape from your mundane daily life. If you want to continue supporting women in music, please listen to my new EP titled Tired/Wired out now on all music platforms.
Written by Rania Khoury