March 8th is honored as International Women’s Day, a universal day to celebrate women’s accomplishments throughout our society. Today brings awareness of the need to take action, collectively, to press forward and advance gender parity. With this year’s theme of #PressForProgress in mind, we’ve chosen 5 songs from the Reservoir catalog to help motivate and encourage our communities through the power of music.

“Sorry Not Sorry”- Demi Lovato

The 3x platinum certificated single, “Sorry Not Sorry,” co-written by The Orphanage, has turned into this year’s female power anthem. The assertive and empowering track inspires self-love while standing up for yourself and not letting anyone put you down. Of the song, Rolling Stone noted, “Lovato is joyously unforgiving from the opening seconds here. ‘Being so bad got me feelin’ so good/ Showing you up like I knew that I would,’ she sings. She toys with the idea of letting this poor sucker off the hook, then decides against it: ‘It’d be nice of me to take it easy on ya, but nah.’”

“I’m Sorry (I’m Not Sorry)”

“Till the End”- Lucy Rose

As a strong believer in gender equality, Reservoir singer/songwriter Lucy Rose used the inspiration of her love of sports for the music video for her track “Till the End”. In the video, Lucy plays as a member of the Boiler Room ladies football (American Soccer) club, who verses an all-male team, illustrating her ideal acceleration in gender parity. Lucy promotes unity and harmony by breaking gender stereotypes and sending out a meaningful message to her fans.

“All my fear is running out/And I feel like I survived”

 

“Level Up!”- Agnez Mo

The upbeat track “Level Up!” from her international debut album X, co-produced by Reservoir’s Danja, turns Agnez Mo into a warrior when she sings, “Everywhere I go I’m a boss for sure” and “Every time you see me, yeah, you know I’m shinin[g]’”. The playful lyrics reveal a deeper meaning, as Mo inspires listeners to step outside of your comfort zone, finding inner strength and the self-confidence to metaphorically level up and be all you can be.

“Everywhere I go I’m a boss for sure/ Every time you see me, yeah you know I’m shinin[g]”

 

“This Body”- Baum

With inspiring themes of self-love and independence in mind, BAUM’s new single “This Body”, co-produced by The Orphanage takes on the insecurities and harassment that many women face. With lyrics such as “I got my tough, tough power/And I call this body my home” the catchy alternative-pop cut sends a global message to women everywhere that the most important strength comes from within.

BAUM expresses, “The severity and scale of assault have been swept under the rug; that I can speak out and inspire others to speak out with my music is not something I take for granted.”

“I got my tough, tough power/And I call this body my home “

“Strangest of Ways”- Lucy Rose

In addition to championing for women’s rights, Lucy Rose is a strong supporter of building awareness for and celebrating the differences that make us unique.

For her “Strangest of Ways” video, Rose met with one fan who suffers from physical chronic illness and spent four days traveling around the Irish countryside. Speaking to Refinery29, Rose says “It’s definitely given me a new perspective that I didn’t have before. I felt like my documentary about my travels in Latin America could be relatable to anyone, I had naively never thought about how unattainable it would make someone feel depending on their health and circumstances. Something I should have known but was too wrapped up in my emotions to have realized it. I’m sure I’ll approach music and life differently now with new insight.” Rose’s inclusivity in championing for change is the progress we all need.

“’Cause I’ve got everything but time on my hands/You see beauty in the strangest of ways”