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.
Calvin Harris' production of "We Found Love" feels prickly at first, then purely stimulating. It's an undulating landscape that gives Rihanna space to sing to the stars about the intangible but very real thing that connects us all: love. The relatable desperation and inescapably turnt energy of the song arguably made Harris into a pop superstar overnight, but it propelled Rihanna even further into the untouchable territory reserved for chart-dominating queens. The lyrics of the 2011 single are harmlessly enjoyable, perfect for dancing and fist-pumping the night away with both lovers and friends of all kinds. It's the love song of a generation that openly encourages every form of consensual affection. It's an anthem of inclusivity. —Kiana Fiztgerald
Valerie June's opened with this provocative feminist anthem, written in the style of
