The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+
This list is part of Turning the Tables, an ongoing project from NPR Music dedicated to recasting the popular music canon in more inclusive – and accurate – ways. This year, our list, selected by a panel of more than 70 women and non-binary writers, tackles history in the making, celebrating artists whose work is changing this century's sense of what popular music can be. The songs are by artists whose major musical contributions came on or after Jan. 1, 2000, and have shifted attitudes, defied categories and pushed sound in new directions since then.
Our list includes songs performed by women and non-binary artists. The use of the term "Women+" is part of our engagement in a movement to recognize a wide spectrum of gender identities coming to greater light in the 21st century.
In 2005, won the songwriter lottery when Faith Hill recorded three of McKenna's songs, effectively ushering the New England folk singer into the Nashville country music writing fold. Since then, McKenna has penned dozens of hits, including her magnum opus "Humble & Kind." Tim McGraw released his version of it in 2016; McKenna recorded her own version for herthat same year. The song is a list of what McKenna wants to tell each of her five children, with the most important piece of advice at the end of each refrain: "Always stay humble and kind." The authenticity of her writing rings through the song's wonderful simplicity, making it one of the best country tunes to come out in the last 18 years.
