Women in music don't just take up space; they define it. They set the trends, move the culture and rewrite the rules in real time. As we gear up for Billboard Women in Music 2025, happening Saturday,

In 1966, Simone wrote and performed “Four Women,” a musical portrait of different stereotyped Black women who were exploited or subjected, yet still stood strong. Despite Simone’s intention to criticize racial prejudice, “Four Women” was sometimes misinterpreted as racist itself and banned on radio stations.

Kim Ji-won and Mina Jung-min Choi of SM Entertainment and Seo Hyun-joo of Starship Entertainment were acknowledged as influential female figures in the entertainment sector with their inclusion on the "Billboard Women in Music" list.