Whilst International Women’s Day is being celebrated around the world, it has been announced that ‘Celebrating Women in Music’ will be the theme for this year’s National Album Day on October 16th. Having previously celebrated ‘The 80s’ in 2020, it will be the event’s fourth instalment.
As described on their website, “National Album Day was first celebrated in 2018 to praise the album format. After all, we’ve enjoyed over 70 years of albums; classic, life-changing, first, influential and even the ones we couldn’t live without. Albums mean different things to different people – but there is no denying the huge impact they’ve not only had on our lives but on British pop-culture as we know it.”
Supported by its official partners Bowers & Wilkins and BBC Sounds, National Album Day 2021 will celebrate the vast array of iconic albums released by British female artists, imploring the public to re-visit some of the classics that helped to shape modern music culture. Whilst more information on the event is set to come this summer, the Official Charts Company concurrently announced the UK’s best-selling albums by female artists since the turn of the millennium. Here is the list:
- 21 by Adele
- Back to Black by Amy Winehouse
- 25 by Adele
- Spirit by Leona Lewis
- Fame by Lady Gaga
- No Angel by Dido
- Life for Rent by Dido
- Come Away with Me by Norah Jones
- 19 by Adele
- Our Version of Events by Emeli Sande
With all but two artists being from the UK (Lady Gaga and Norah Jones), the projects of home-grown talent lead the way for the best-selling female albums since 2000. Notably, all three of Adele’s albums are featured on the list, with her iconic 2011 release ‘21’ topping the list with nearly six million copies domestically sold. Despite having only three albums to her name, the Tottenham-raised singer-songwriter was also announced as the UK’s best-selling female artist of the last two decades.
There is no doubt that National Album Day 2021 will also celebrate the countless number of classic albums produced by British female artists before 2000. Prime candidates might be: Dusty Springfield’s soul opus ‘Dusty in Memphis’ (1969); Kate Bush’s art pop classic ‘House of Rock’ (1985); and Sade’s progressive soul classic ‘Diamond Life’ (1984). Equally, it will also promote the albums of British female artists that are perhaps less likely to have received mainstream attention for their work within a genre. For instance, consider the undeniable impact that Ms. Dynamite’s ‘A Little Deeper’, released in 2002, had on the nascent UK R&B scene of the early 2000s.
Against the backdrop of a world still plagued with gender inequality, it is important to remember the vital contributions that women have made to a largely male-dominated industry. National Album Day 2021 will give all of us in the UK an opportunity both to honour a host of national musical talent and to celebrate the women that have helped to mould the country’s music scene.
HAPPY #INTERNATIONALWOMENSDAY! We asked you to stand up, speak out and use your #PowerToChange our world by supporting every woman—anywhere, everywhere.
There many ways to join the movement, celebrate, & support women. Thread: pic.twitter.com/dYJBKDJGtt
— Women for Women Intl (@WomenforWomen) March 8, 2021
