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.
Few songs have left as indelible a mark on reggaeton as Ivy Queen's 2003 hit "Quiero Bailar." The Puerto Rican emcee roars that expressing her sexuality on the dance floor doesn't mean she's heading toward anyone's bed and, in one fell swoop, gives power and agency to every girl moving to the music. The track set Queen up as the outspoken matriarch of reggaeton while profoundly changing the conversation around gender dynamics in the genre. —Julyssa Lopez
The magic of "Girl Crush" was there from the start. When songwriter pitched the title to her partners in pen, had laid claim to the song, and the rest soon became history thanks to Karen Fairchild's smoldering vocal performance. Though media outlets fueled a fabricated backlash, claiming country fans were disgusted by the song's alleged gay agenda, they were wrong — as more than 2 million singles sold and 13 weeks at the top of the country chart proved.
