Feel empowered to combat street harassment with NME’s x L’Oréal Paris Stand Up playlist

In partnership with L’Oréal Paris

Music has the power to uplift us, even when it feels like nothing else can. It can also be the perfect outlet for musicians who have a statement to make, or talk about their experiences. And when combined, it’s a force to be reckoned with.

This summer, L’Oréal Paris is continuing to drive awareness of their Stand Up Against Street Harassment programme. They’ll be onsite at Luno presents All Points East providing training to festival goers on what to do if they witness harassment, and offer guidance if you experience it.

In support of their campaign, we’ve put together some of the best empowerment tracks that highlight the issues women face on a daily basis, and bring the motivation to do something about it. From straight-talking punk to joyous feel-good pop, we’ve got you covered.

Ready to join L’Oréal Paris’ fight against street harassment? Listen to NME’s Stand Up playlist below.

Aretha Franklin – ‘Respect’

First penned and released by Otis Redding, ‘Respect’ would ultimately become The Queen of Soul’s defining anthem. Atop a strutting, shiny beat, she sings of her expectations and role in her relationship that lacks, well, respect: “When you come home/ Or you might walk in/ And find out I’m gone”. Speaking to the Detroit Free Press, Franklin would say the song’s message is clear and not revolutionary “I don’t think it’s bold at all. I think it’s quite natural that we all want respect – and should get it.”

Ashnikko ft. Kodie Shane – ‘Invitation’

Bubblepunk pop-star Ashnikko is uncompromising on ‘Invitation’, lifted from her debut 2018 EP ‘Unlikeable’. “This is not an invitation,” she repeatedly declares amidst barrages of the real female experience such as getting unwanted comments about your body and being put down for the most mundane reasons. Ashnikko and Kodie Shane combine needed conversation with the ultimate club-ready cut, putting female empowerment on the tip of everyone’s tongue. Nothing’s going to change without discussion being commonplace, and even the dancefloor isn’t out of bounds.

Rina Sawayama – ‘STFU!’

‘STFU!’ is Rina Sawayama’s declaration against microaggressions and fetishised stereotypes of Asian women. An initial shock with its nu-metal outlook, the rage-filled track has become Sawayama’s release with recent live performances seeing the Japanese-British singer-songwriter calling out her Dirty Hit label boss, The 1975’s Matty Healy, for controversial comments made on a recent podcast. Women often feel like they can’t voice grievances without fear of backlash, but if Rina can do it, then so can we.

Fugazi – ‘Suggestion’

Fugazi’s Ian Mackaye sings from the viewpoint of his female friend in vexed punk track ‘Suggestion’ as she ponders “Why can’t I walk down a street free of suggestion?”. Her experiences of being sexually assaulted on the way home are backed by the statements, “We sit back like they taught us / We keep quiet like they taught us”, and poses the question, 30 years on, why is everything still like this?

Bikini Kill – ‘Liar’

Bikini Kill have since spoken about the lyrics of ‘Liar’ (“Eat meat / Hate blacks /Beat your fuckin’ wife / It’s all the same thing”) and about how they regret how they spoke about intersectionality, but ‘Liar’ is still a gut-hitting expose on the silencing of women. From its childlike retorts to snide call-outs of musicians like John Lennon for their supposed giving “peace a chance”, ‘Liar’ was a necessary anthem that led to more progression in feminist conversation.

Beyoncé – ‘Run The World (Girls)’

On the single artwork ‘RUn The World (Girls)’, Beyoncé pulls a familiar and recognisable pose: one of power and righteousness. The 2011 song followed two similarly empowering songs – Destiny Child’s 2000 hit ‘Independent Woman’ and her 2008 single ‘Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)’ – and was blatant in her message: “I’m repping for the girls who taking over the world”. No wonder it’s one of her defining hits.

Diet Cig – ‘Tummy Ache’

Diet Cig call out the hypocrisy of the music industry in their lo-fi cut ‘Tummy Ache’. “It’s hard to be a punk while wearing a skirt” and “I’m starting to get real sick of trying to find my voice surrounded by all boys,” Alex Luciano declares with bandmate Noah Bowman’s impassioned backing allowing her anxieties to seep through. In a statement, Diet Cig explained: “I FEEL YA to all the femme folks creating space for themselves in a world that wants to keep us quiet.”

Janelle Monáe ft Erykah Badu – ‘Q.U.E.E.N.’

In 2013, Janelle Monáe teamed up with Erykah Badu for funk throwback ‘Q.U.E.E.N.’. An anthem of empowerment for the oppressed, Monáe explained in an interview with Fuse that the title is an abbreviation of “Queer, Untouchables, Emigrants, Excommunicated, and Negroid”. In a flow of truths, she asks “Why ain’t the stealing of my rights made illegal?”, giving hope to the ostracised that they’re not alone.

Doja Cat – ‘Boss Bitch’

Doja Cat’s contribution to the DC Comic’s Birds of Prey soundtrack, ‘Boss Bitch’, gives us all the confident boost we need. “I wear the hat and I wear the pants / I am advanced, so I get advance” she snaps against outrageous cowbell clapbacks and the synth-led chorus “I’m a bitch and a boss and I shine like gloss”. Doja really doesn’t care about the haters and is just about giving us yet another punching pop hit.

Taylor Swift – ‘The Man’

Given the level of misogyny that Tay-Tay has faced in her career, a song like ‘The Man’ felt inevitable. Released on 2019’s ‘Lover’, the song’s resonance and viral moments were found in the music video where her male alter-ego – voiced by Dwanye ‘The Rock’ Johnson – highlighted some of the double-standards faced by women: “They’d say I hustled/ Put in the work/ They wouldn’t shake their heads and question how much of this I deserve”

No Doubt – ‘Just A Girl’

‘Just A Girl’ was the first song Gwen Stefani wrote without her brother, and centres around having strict parents. More personal than their previous material, the ska-rock neo-feminist approach of ‘Just A Girl’ echoes the frustration of many. Why should young women be treated differently just for being themselves? Stefani’s stream of sarcasm (“Oh I’m just a girl, all pretty and petite / So don’t let me have any rights”) prods at stereotypes with such ease, it proves the ridiculousness from the offset.

Billie Eilish – ‘you should see me in a crown’

“I’m gonna run this nothing town / Watch me make ‘em bow,” Billie Eilish declares in ‘you should see me in a crown’. Sinister as a whole with opening knife sharpens (well, it does take its name from the ever-creepy Sherlock nemesis-meets-psychopath Moriarty), the track leans away from Eilish’s typical sad introspectiveness, instead opting for a sneering power grab. The trap-led single oozes the confidence its namesake holds, with her declaring her self-worth for all to hear.

Paris Paloma – ‘Labour’

With ‘Labour’, alt-folk singer songwriter Paris Paloma wants people to “feel like their anger is valid” as she chants “All day, every day, therapist, mother, maid / Nymph, then a virgin, nurse, then a servant”. With her upfront addressing of gender equality, the song went viral on TikTok earlier this year as users shared their own and historical experiences, from men not believing women’s success to the gradual increase in women’s rights in the past century. ‘Labour’ has sparked frustration across the board, with commenters pouring out their admiration for Paloma with “This song is a healing balm to my spirit”, one commenter wrote. The collective feeling of validity created by Paloma with ‘Labour’ is undeniable, and is a much-needed outlet for many whose qualms may have previously gone unheard.

To find out more about the Stand Up Against Street Harassment Training you can take the introductory ten minute online here or register for a more detailed hour long in person session with the Suzy Lamplugh Trust here.