Hi Everyone,

After listening to the FDS playlists on repeat over the past month (Queen Sh** and Self Care Sundays are my favourites!) I wanted to give back to this amazing group who created this. I found listening to the FDS playlists daily undid a bit of the subconscious indoctrination I'd been absorbing through other popular songs.

Creating this list was revealing in itself - a lot of songs I love(d) or thought were empowering anthems were true pickmesha or chauvanist trash. I'm now going through the process of refining my own personal playlists.

I've googled the lyrics of all of these recommendations to make sure that no anti-FDS rule book songs slip through (but please let me know if you think otherwise and I'll modify!).

New Apartment | Ari Lennox - Celebrating the freedoms of living by yourself. A great reminder of the wonderful life ahead of you if you're going through the process of breaking up / moving out.

Put your records on | Corinne Bailey Rae - And then once you have your place to yourself, play this :)

Regular Touch | Vera Blue - This song got me through my divorce. My playcount must be in the hundreds! It reminded me that I am not 'lesser than' because I don't have a husband. It was ok to break away. This one touches my soul.

Give me my name back| Meg Mac - Another song that meant the world to me post-divorce. Whyyyyy I ever changed my surname to match my LV-ex IDK!

You Don't Own Me | Saygrace, G-Eazy - A great remix of the classic. So much attitude.

Weak | Flo Milli - She sets standards. And details them in this song. Love it.

Ungodly Hour | Chloe x Halle - Another one on setting FDS boundaries and standards.

Level Up | Ciara - We're about levelling up in all areas of our life here at FDS!

The song title is a direct reference to Ciara's tweet from January 2018 in which she told her fellow females to "level up" when it comes to marriage. She faced some serious backlash as some felt the singer blamed women. Ciara later posted a follow-up the message, explaining that she wanted to empower women as she felt at her "lowest moment" as a single mom to baby Future Zahir Wilburn, before learning to love herself.

Bottoms Up | Keke Palmer - This one is fun! It makes me dance around my apartment for the joy of it! No reference to men in the song at all which I love.

Respect | Aretha Franklin - Obviously a banger. And she's obviously a queen. I like to think that she's just absorbed FDS messages and is about to block/delete him.

I'm Good | Wafia - Why we keep vetting. And how life is good (better!) after a breakup.

Glad he's gone | Tove Lo - About being the friend giving the breakup pep talk. There's a few questionable suggestions in the lyrics... but I can ignore it because 99% of the lyrics are on point!

We’ve all been on both sides of the breakup pep talk with our friends and we know how good it feels to get your partner in crime back when they finally leave that idiot behind. It’s a song about a breakup, sure, but it’s a song about the strength and value of female friendship most of all.

New Rules | Dua Lipa - An oldie but a goodie. This is what it feels like when you're ending it with your LVM. I listen to this when I need the confidence and strength to block and delete.

Stronger | Britney Spears - QUEEN.

Scar | Missy Higgins - Pretty much my feelings when I found FDS!

High Horse | Kacey Musgraves - I find this song both soothing, energising and funny! Pop/country. Telling LVM where to go!

Don't call me up | Mabel - He's been blocked :D

Fuck You | Lily Allen - Bye scrote.

Told Him | Lenis - Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Needed Me | Rihanna - Buhhh byyyyeeeeee. (Note: I'm ok with the ONS implied in the lyrics as Rihanna has gone on record saying she's anti-ONS. But absorb the message with caution!)

"Tryna fix your inner issues with a savage / Didn't they tell you I was a savage / Fuck your white horse and your carriage."

Oh Bondage! Up yours! - I Shazamed this song because it played during the credits of one of the Handmaid episodes. So angry. And so hopeful. And powerful. BLASTING it as I'm typing it now!

Girlie Bits | Ali Barter - Another powerful feminist anthem calling out double standards. It riles me up and I love listening to it before meetings with my sexist management team.

Ur So F**kInG cOoL | Tones And I - Key message is: be true to yourself. I like that she's telling pretenders where to go.

The kids are coming | Tones And I - A little bit more political. But it's a good 'take that' type of song.

Already | Beyonce, Shatta Wale, Major Lazer - I couldn't have a list without Beyonce! Heard this on on one of the Spotify WOMN playlists and the intro said that this Queen is telling us that we're all Kings.

Binz | Solange - A boss babe flex anthem. Soul.

Balencies | Chika - Another boss babe flex anthem. Hip hop.

Clones | Tierta Whack - Another boss babe flex anthem. Hip hop / rap.

'Cuz I Can | Pink - Feel good song that makes you feel independent!

Who I Am | Latasha - The bass drills the message into your head.

I don't want it at all | Kim Petras - Kim Petras plus FDS ideology. Pop heaven.

Mad at Disney - Title says it all.

Consideration | Rihanna, SZA - I was reluctant to include this one considering a recent and really well considered post about SZA on RL. But I've triple checked the lyrics (it passes), and it's a great tune! Plus, Rihanna!

Chris Gerard of PopMatters stated that the lyrics deal with, "an issue that frequently arises when a young artist who is largely controlled by record label executives, managers and producers gets to the point where she can flex her own artistic muscles."

None of Dem | Robyn, Rapkysopp - Another song celebrating being above it all and independent.

So Done | Alicia Keys, Khalid - Gorgeous

I am my own beautiful woman, and I am in a space whether you like or you don't like it, it doesn't really matter to me. I definitely have to live in my truth and in my genuine authentic energy. So that's been a new discovery and I've been really loving getting to know these other sides of myself and that particular side of myself." Alicia Keys

Me - Tamia - Such a pretty song! Almost sounds like something from Disney, but with affirming lyrics.

Wolves | Jensen McRae - TW SA. A beautiful and haunting song warning us of men disguised as 'wolves'.

Inspiration can come from a variety of places. With “Wolves” specifically, it was when my producer Rahki and I were in the studio. The R. Kelly documentary had just come out, and he was talking to me about having watched it and discussed it with his male friends and the realization that they had about how the women in their lives move through the world and the things they deal with on a daily basis. So I was like, “Do you want me to write about that?” He was like, “I dunno, you could.” [laughs] I started writing the lyrics to “Wolves,” and as soon as I sang the first verse, he was like, “Yeah, yeah, keep going.” Obviously, those lyrics come from my own life a little bit but also from the experiences of every woman I know, and how we all have different versions of the same story — that fear and that anxiety and all those lessons learned about the dangers of the world. So my inspiration comes primarily from my own life, but I like to borrow from other people’s lives enough to make the song speak to as many people as possible. From 'An interview with Jensen Mcrae on WNR

Darling | Beautiful Chorus - So relaxing and beautiful and melodic that it's practically meditative.

Holy | Jamila Woods - Another beautiful song about self-love and being great on your own.

So much more | Clear Mortifee - Celebrate YOU! Everything about these lyrics is fire.

Lady Powers | Vera Blue, Kodie Shane - Again. These. Lyrics. Are. The. Best.

"about not having to use your sexuality to be respected as a woman and to be able to feel comfortable in your own skin without having to change for someone while knowing who you are, your worth and your strength" Vera Blue

Pretty Girl | Maggie Lindemann, CADE, Cheat Codes - A sweet (and mostly FDS-ok) tune celebrating women.

Most Girls | Hailee Steinfeld - Another cute song.