5 Female Artists Who Break Musical Boundaries

Music is a powerful force that can speak to us and affect our emotions, and women in the industry have played a big part in sharing important messages of female empowerment. Recently, we've seen more and more female artists breaking the glass ceiling in the music industry, by overcoming boundaries and restrictions – just like underwear brand sloggi, who are constantly breaking bodywear boundaries with new and innovative products like the Zero Feel bra…

1. Lady Gaga

Known for her outlandish outfits and catchy pop songs, Lady Gaga is one music artist who definitely pushes the boundaries in everything that she does (and we mean everything!). She shatters the stereotype of what female pop artists are traditionally expected to sound and dress like, and we are SO here for that. Gaga is also notably known for pushing the gender and sexuality boundaries in music, by supporting and championing the LGBT community in her music and in her choice of gender-neutral outfits for performances. Gaga also recently broke into Hollywood with her latest role in A Star is Born, performing alongside Bradley Cooper.

2. Ella Eyre

Award-winning British singer and songwriter Ella Eyre continually pushes boundaries in her fun-loving music and style choices. Her eclectic, laid-back fashion style goes hand-in-hand with her music, and she often merges the two entities together when shooting her fun-loving music videos. Take her song Ego, for instance: even though she's often featured in sporty chic outfits, Ella rocked unashamedly girly ensembles on set to represent her upbeat pop song, and in doing so, blurred the boundaries between fashion and music.

You can listen to Ella share six pieces of life advice - including how to step outside of your comfort zone, express yourself unapologetically, and surround yourself with the right people - on Grazia's podcast in partnership with sloggi and their Zero Feel bra.

3. Rihanna

Rihanna bags a spot on our boundary breaking list for a few reasons. Firstly, her 'bad gal' attitude is super refreshing, and we love that she really doesn't care what people think of her. Secondly, even though she's an icon in the American music industry, she's still kept her Barbadian culture and upbringing close and embraced it in her songs. Take, for example, her song 'Man Down', which showcases her strong Bajan accent, or her hit dancehall melody 'Pon De Replay' which pays homage to her Caribbean heritage.

4. Beyonce

This spot is dedicated to the woman who has broken down all of the boundaries, she is extremely talented and ambitious. Starting out in the kick-ass girlband Destiny's Child (who later became one of the world's best-selling girl groups in history), and then as a solo artist embracing her alter ego 'Sasha Fierce'. She's sold over 17 million albums in the US, and over a whopping 100 million records worldwide, which makes her one of the best-selling artists of all time. Plus, she's the most-awarded artist in Video Music Award history. Yep, she isn't called Queen B for no reason.

5. Jess Glynne

British singer Jess Glynne recently became the first British female solo artist to have seven number-one singles on the UK Singles Chart, and that all comes down to her hard work and boundary breaking entry into the industry. The 29-year-old star took the scenic route to get to this point in her career, after turning down a place on The X Factor and instead working her way up by performing at gigs, song-writing and making industry connections. Interestingly, before breaking the pop scene, Glynne collaborated with house and electronic artists - namely Clean Bandit (on 'Rather Be'), and Route 94 (on 'My Love') - a untraditional genre she had to dip her toe into to secure her space in the music industry.

Want to follow in these women's footsteps and break boundaries? Start by trying sloggi's Zero Feel bra for total uninhibited, boundary breaking comfort! Shop these products here, and see Grazia's edit of the must-have Zero Feel pieces, below: