Hearing Sexism : Gender in the Sound of Popular Music. A Feminist Approach

If pictures can be sexist, can analyzing sound reveal sexism, too? Where is the language to discuss sexism in music? LJ Müller tackles these important questions in their 2018 German book titled Sound und Sexismus, which was awarded the IASPM 2019 book prize. Analyzing the voices of Kurt Cobain, Kate Bush, Björk and others, Müller demonstrates how gender is performed vocally and interacts with gendered aspects of embodiment and affect. The book is written from a strongly positioned and personal feminist perspective and is appealing to readers from various backgrounds – singers, producers, music lovers, as well as academics and anyone with an interest in feminist takes on pop culture.

»Müller not only proposes theoretical approaches, but also applies them directly by examining popular musicians such as Robbie Williams, Kurt Cobain and Kate Bush, Kylie Minogue and Björk.«

»LJ Müller''s work [...] brilliantly combines analytical musicological approaches with philosophical reflection, developing a musicological theory from a feminist point of view.«

»For the first time, this book looks at what happens in the production and reception of singers'' voices to validate masculine identity and experience.«