{"id":354440,"date":"2025-12-17T16:58:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T16:58:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/354440\/"},"modified":"2025-12-17T16:58:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T16:58:11","slug":"how-women-are-giving-metal-guitars-a-mainstream-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/354440\/","title":{"rendered":"How Women Are Giving Metal Guitars A Mainstream Moment"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are some rules of guitar that most of us stick to. Rock<\/a> bands play Les Pauls<\/a>, Jazzmasters<\/a> and Telecasters<\/a> are for indie kids (and country<\/a> stars). Strats are for everything. And pointy guitars? Well\u2026 they\u2019re just for metal<\/a>, right?<\/p>\n

Well, if you cast your eye across the biggest festival stages over the last few years, however, you\u2019d have noticed something rather unprecedented happening. From Glastonbury to Coachella and beyond, a new generation of guitar-playing women have reclaimed the most aggressive and angry looking guitar shapes for a new generation. And for styles of music that have never seen such pointy and angular instruments before.<\/p>\n

We can probably trace this back to Phoebe Bridgers<\/a>. The Grammy-winning guitarist triggered an entire generation of angry guitarists when she smashed a BC Rich<\/a> Warlock \u2013 a model more associated with M\u00f6tley Cr\u00fce<\/a>, Slayer<\/a>, and Guns N\u2019 Roses<\/a> than with indie\u2019s resident sad-girl laureate \u2013 at the end of a Saturday Night Live performance in 2021, but it was clearly more than a stunt.<\/p>\n

The guitarist began using Warlocks almost exclusively in the coming years, including as part of the cultural phenomenon that was Boygenius<\/a>, but she would by no means be the last.<\/p>\n

\"PhoebePhoebe Bridgers performing with Boygenius at Oyafestivalen in 2023. Image: Per Ole Hagen\/Redferns via Getty Images<\/p>\n

At Glastonbury this year, Wet Leg<\/a> ditched the prairie dresses and neutral-toned Fenders<\/a> for a new and more confrontational stage presence. This shift was epitomised by frontwoman Rhian Teasdale, who ditched her trusty Telecaster for an even weirder BC Rich curio \u2013 a lime green transparent acrylic-bodied Warlock.<\/p>\n

And that wasn\u2019t the only pointy guitar around the neck of a guitarist at Worthy Farm that weekend. Fellow Wet Leg guitarist Hester Chambers was rocking the pointy headstock of the none-more-80s Kramer<\/a> Jersey Star.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, Turnstile<\/a>\u2019s Meg Mills was helping reinvent hardcore for a mainstream audience with her trusty pink Jackson<\/a> Soloist in hand, while over on the Pyramid Stage, Olivia Rodrigo<\/a>\u2019s co-guitarist Arianna Powell was another guitarist propelling the set forward with a Soloist in hand.<\/p>\n

By the end of the festival, it became clear that this isn\u2019t just a gear shift, but a key change away from the age-old archetypes.<\/p>\n

\"MegMeg Mills of Turnstile performing at Alcatraz in 2025. Image: Sergione Infuso\/Corbis via Getty ImagesSilver. Glittery. Crazy.<\/p>\n

So why is it that more and more women in pop<\/a> are reaching for pointy metal-adjacent guitars, and what does that say about gender, genre, and the evolution of our modern-day guitar heroes?<\/p>\n

Originally a P-bass player, Emily Smith from rapidly rising Welsh upstarts Panic Shack<\/a> never expected to pick up the Silvertone<\/a> Apocalypse bass \u2014 the four-string version of KISS<\/a> guitarist Paul Stanley\u2019s<\/a> early 2000s signature model \u2014 let alone be seen with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember typing in Google, \u2018Silver. Glittery. Crazy\u2019,\u201d she laughs from her home in Cardiff. For Smith, the shift isn\u2019t just about aesthetics: it\u2019s about subversion. \u201cIf you\u2019re a woman, people assume you\u2019ll gently play an acoustic guitar<\/a>, shy away, and not take up space. I love that these artists are like, \u2018No, I\u2019m gonna get that crazy guitar. I want to stand out!\u2019 It\u2019s not all dainty, cutesy guitars. It\u2019s \u2018look at my minging rock guitar\u2019. It\u2019s disgusting and I love it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Young women are no longer being put into a Daisy Rock-shaped box when it comes to guitar inspiration. There\u2019s nothing wrong with enjoying that of course, but a generation of new players are having their FYPs filled up with female musicians who aren\u2019t ashamed to break with conventions.<\/p>\n

\"EmilyEmily Smith of Panic Shack. Image: Press<\/p>\n

It\u2019s why you\u2019ll see Willow Smith<\/a> rocking a Jackson King V at Coachella, or you\u2019ll see Halsey\u2019s pop pyrotechnics backed up by seven-string Warrior-toting guitarist Vixen. A Jackson artist, Vixen has definitely noticed a shift in who uses the pointy stuff.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese instruments were traditionally designed for men\u2019s bodies, so I\u2019m seeing a lot of offsets and shorter-scale options,\u201d they explain. But for the skilled session musician, this shift is something deeper than gear choice. \u201cWhy try to be a slightly worse version of someone? Just do your own thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Vixen, the use of out-there shape guitars like the Warrior and the King V is key to that \u201cthing\u201d. \u201cThe pop scene requires drama,\u201d they explain. \u201cIt\u2019s about dynamics, ups and downs \u2013 so let\u2019s bring out the white V, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"WillowWillow Smith performing at Coachella in 2023. Image: Presley Ann\/Getty Images for CoachellaFull Circle<\/p>\n

In some ways, this return to the pointy, the dramatic, and the genre-agnostic is a full-circle moment. In the 70s and 80s when many of these weird and wonderful guitars were first designed, shred and metal had yet to claim them.<\/p>\n

Take a few minutes and look up Latin-pop legend Jose Feliciano posing in a suit and open-collar shirt with his custom Soloist with \u2018Jose\u2019 written in the Jackson font on the headstock \u2013 it\u2019s wonderfully incongruous, and can be filed alongside a similarly amazing shot of Wrecking Crew<\/a> legend Carol Kaye playing a BC Rich Warlock in while dressed a chic 70s housewife.<\/p>\n

But as Tim Hillier-Brook, who heads Artist Marketing manager for Fender\u2019s Specialty brands (Jackson, Gretsch<\/a>, Charvel<\/a>, and EVH<\/a>), puts it, today\u2019s revival isn\u2019t about irony; it\u2019s about reclamation.<\/p>\n

\u201cMen have had thirty years of playing guitars because they could,\u201d he insists. \u201cThe idea that you need a bullet belt to play pointy guitars doesn\u2019t exist anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"RhianRhian Teasdale of Wet Leg performing at the Royal Albert Hall in 2025. Image: Chiaki Nozu\/WireImage via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Rejecting the pressure to perform on a \u201ccorrect\u201d instrument resonates strongly with Smith, especially when confronted with purist opinions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf anybody said anything to me about using an instrument that\u2019s metal, I\u2019d be like, \u2018Oh, fuck off!\u2019\u201d he exclaims. \u201cIt\u2019s just a guitar at the end of the day; it\u2019s not that deep.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vixen is equally unfazed by this sort of mindset. \u201cIt no longer has to be, \u2018If I\u2019m playing this genre, I have to play this guitar.\u2019 It\u2019s cool to play something different and to make it work.\u201d<\/p>\n

And women are making it work \u2013 everywhere. Fender\u2019s 2019 study famously found that women made up 50 per cent of new guitar players. Their 2022 follow-up revealed that many bought guitars online to avoid the intimidation of traditional stores.<\/p>\n

As Danielle Haim puts it on the band\u2019s Women In Music Pt. III track Man From The Magazine: \u201cMan from the music shop \/ I drove too far \/ For you to hand me that starter guitar.\u201d And if the chart-topping LA sisterhood<\/a> is still fielding that kind of prejudice, what chance does a new, fresh-faced player have?<\/p>\n

\"AriannaArianna Powell performing with Olivia Rodrigo at BST Hyde Park in 2025. Image: Lorne Thomson\/Redferns via Getty ImagesScreen Idols<\/p>\n

With physical stores still feeling fraught in some cases, thankfully, digital spaces have become a lifeline. Just as Ableton<\/a> has equipped a whole new generation with access to studio gear and home recording opportunities, social media has made discovery democratic.<\/p>\n

\u201cArtists with huge followings like Willow Smith and Phoebe Bridgers,\u201d continues Hillier-Brook. \u201cPeople will see them and go \u2018Cool, I\u2019m going to buy that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, if someone is curious about picking up a guitar, they can simply find the model they want online, without being subjected to a character assassination.<\/p>\n

New players without that traditional knowledge curve through dad-focused guitar mags and gatekeeping open mic nights are coming to guitar, thinking less about their forefathers and more about how the instrument fits with their identity and lifestyle.<\/p>\n

When Vixen caught millennial musician Nai Palm of Aussie outfit Hiatus Kaiyote<\/a>, they were intrigued to find her picking up a Randy Rhoads<\/a> to play out the band\u2019s sultry sounds. \u201cNot only was it bad ass to have that guitar anyway, but to play it in a neo-soul way is like you really don\u2019t give a fuck,\u201d they explain.<\/p>\n

\"NaiNai Palm of Hiatus Kaiyote performing at Coachella in 2023. Image: Arturo Holmes\/Getty Images for Coachella<\/p>\n

Panic Shack\u2019s Smith agrees about her role within her brash and bold foursome, who recently brought their high-kicks and hotpants to the BBC\u2019s Later\u2026with Jools Holland.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all very out there,\u201d she agrees. \u201cIt makes sense to have a guitar that represents your style and personality.\u201d And in pop \u2013 a genre built on the razzle dazzle \u2013 that matters more than ever.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a conversation piece,\u201d adds Hillier-Brook. \u201cThe aesthetic of a show is arguably more important than it\u2019s ever been. You want people to leave thinking that was a complete spectacle!\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps that\u2019s why earlier this year, after a decade-long legal battle with producer Dr Luke, Kesha returned to the stage as an independent artist, wielding a Jackson Rhoads.<\/p>\n

It was, in many ways, the ultimate guitar power move: reimagining a guitar designed to be played with the Prince Of Darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne<\/a>, as a vehicle for a pop artist to celebrate her independence.<\/p>\n

\"EmilyEmily Smith performing with Panic Shack. Image: Press<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re a woman playing guitar, you\u2019re already doing something against the grain,\u201d Vixen agrees. \u201cSo why not lean into that?\u201d<\/p>\n

For Smith, the empowerment goes beyond the stage. Picking up that gleaming Silvertone every night means seeing herself \u2013 loud, unapologetic \u2013 reflected back.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole industry is intimidating as a woman or someone who\u2019s not a guy,\u201d she admits. \u201cI know that the other girls in the band, Romy and Meg, only now feel confident to say \u2018I\u2019m a guitarist!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

It takes more than talent to stand out; it takes courage. Because underneath the outrageous shapes, the bold finishes, and the sneers from traditionalists, most players want the same thing: to be heard.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust because you\u2019re standing there gurning doesn\u2019t make you look like a more serious musician,\u201d Smith says. \u201cIf you listen closely, we\u2019re doing the same thing as you are.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There are some rules of guitar that most of us stick to. Rock bands play Les Pauls, Jazzmasters…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":354441,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[88,1739,216],"class_list":{"0":"post-354440","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-metal","10":"tag-music"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=354440"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354440\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/354441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=354440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=354440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=354440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}