Musical Heroines

Below are my paintings and sketches of eight of my favourite musical heroines. You can listen to some of the wonderful music created by these women on my AmiloFinn playlist Music Mistress Please.

Jazz is inspired by Ella Fitzgerald, apparently she was Marilyn Monroe's favourite female singer and Marilyn gave her a small helping hand in the early years of her career. Songs I love Ella singing are My Funny Valentine, Every time we say goodbye, The lady is a tramp and a host of other jazz standards.

My ultimate rock chick is Debbie Harry of Blondie. The first music album I bought was Parallel Lines. She is responsible for my lifelong obsession with New York City. She is wonderful to watch and to listen to. Sunday Girl was my favourite song for a long while, nowadays I really admire Atomic, Call me and Rapture.

There exists a lovely film of Jacqueline du Pre's life called 'Hilary and Jackie' about her complicated relationship with her sister, it stars Emily Watson as the cellist. Listen to Jacqueline du Pre playing Elgar's cello concerto for a really moving musical experience.

My alternative songstress is Enya. She is a visual and aural treat, just listen to Orinocco Flow or Carribean Blue and watch their accompanying videos and you'll see what I mean. I don't know if I'd guess she was Irish from her music, but I do think there's definitely something of the mysterious, emerald isle about her. My favourite Enya piece is Boadicea from the Celts.

My favourite folk songstress is Joni Mitchell. My favourite song is the very famous 'Both sides now'. Other lovely thoughtful pieces are Woodstock, Chinese Cafe and a Case of You.

My pop princess is Kate Bush. I've loved Kate Bush for as long as I've loved Debbie Harry. My favourite music by Kate is The Ninth Wave, the B Side of the Hounds of Love album. I recently bought her triple album 'Before the Dawn'; a new live version of The Ninth Wave fills the second disk as Act Two. It is my favourite music to listen to; it helps me get to sleep.

Punk rock was full of rude, scary men, although some of them were also quite attractive. Siouxsie Sioux looks a little scary, but also very appealing, with very artistic make-up and very strong, tuneful music. My favourite song is Spellbound. I also love Happy House, Israel and the Banshees' version of the Beatles' Dear Prudence.

Sade was quite a unique act in the 1980s, sophisticated and soothing, a real 'Smooth Operator'. Favourite songs incude Your love is King, The Sweetest Taboo and 'Why can't we live together'.

Maybe my tastes are getting a little old, I think my daughter's list of musical heroines would include, Adele, Florence Welch, Amy Winehouse, Rihanna and Lilly Allen, among others.