This is a bit of a rushed post.
My room mate just told me that he doesn't listen to female artists that often because "all they usually sing about is love and stuff."
Obviously this statement is painfully and patently false. I need you all to help me prove it.
Hubskiers. Give me your power. Lend me your collective musical consciousness. Post your favorite songs by female artists. Let me make a playlist to destroy this false thinking. We can do it.
Lend me your power.
Almost any songs, with some exceptions but seriously most songs, are about human relationships. Human relationships tend to revolve around love. So if this roommate were to take the same approach to male songs as he does female songs I think he defined that they're on pretty equal footing. I'll not defend female songwriters/performers because that's just silly. But here are some of my favorite female performers/artists: Linda Thompson Gillian Welch: Nico: Neko Case (here with the New Pornographers)
There's no point in trying to prove him wrong. He's factually incorrect on several levels, and finding counter examples is so trivially easy that examining the statement on face value is pointless. You have to read the sub-text if you want to actually engage in this argument. The subtext is this: "Songs about love are unimaginative, boring and pedantic. I find women unimaginative, boring and pedantic. That's why women only sing about love." It's a statement of a not so self-conscious misogyny. If you want to engage with him on this topic, you should make it about women, not about music. Music is a red herring.
Also this. Instead a general discussion about music is likely more suitable.
Wow, that's an awfully ignorant statement to make. On mobile so I don't have much in the way of links, but show your roommate the wiki page for Riot Grrl (genre). Modern day bands: Tacocat, Perfect Pussy, Potty Mouth, Swearin', Colleen Green, Laura Stevenson & the Cans, and many many more.
The thing is that examples proving your roommate wrong are everywhere, literally from Nicki Minaj to Iggy Azalea to M.I.A. to Courtney Barnett. But if he wants to believe that all female artists sing about is love he is going to zone in on the love hits/songs of each album and ignore the rest. You wouldn't off the top of your head think "Nicki Minaj doesn't sing about love" but she raps/sings about how she's a badass plenty. Is sex love?
St. Vincent - and check out her album with David Byrne - or does Byrne's masculinity negate her contribution? The Kopecky Family Band (two lead singers one male one female) I see a lot of blues artists have shown up in this thread but we've neglected modern ones: what about Regina Spektor (no relation to Phil)?
like even Britney Spears sings songs that aren't about love/relationships, see her song "Lucky" for instance or (if it counts) she covered the Rolling Stone's "(Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and that's not about love; lust at most, and I think the song can be interpreted on a societal, not interpersonal, basis
the kills fuck even the spice girls : "wannabe" is as much about female friendships as it is about potential relationships; they sang a song about mothers for goodness sake what about 4 non blondes whose hit song is political what about the fucking cranberries
Perfect Pussy: Lower Dens: Beach House: Cyndi Motherfuckin' Lauper: MIA: Bat for Lashes: Joni Mitchell? Joan Baez? Janice Joplin? Stevie Nicks? Nicki Minaj? Beyonce? Solange? Come on, who is your room mate? Is he joking? Is this a joke?
Good thing I read all the posts first, I was just about to post this song. Inarguable proof that his statement is completely incorrect.Strange Fruit
I don't know if I'm going to be helpful or not. I've got a bunch of links, but I haven't listened to a huge amount of their catalogs, so the majority of their songs could be about love anyways (it's mostly pop/rock stuff, so it's a safe bet that they've got a bunch like that). Zoe Keating (although she may not count since she doesn't sing, as far as I know)
Heart
Stevie Nicks - Edge of Seventeen
Kawehi - Heart Shaped Box (Nirvana cover)
Pomplamoose - They have a lot of covers, so I don't know if your roommate will accept them.
Allanah Myles - Black Velvet (This one's kind of borderline. But it's a good song, dammit!)
Janis Joplin - Ball and Chain
I've saved the best for last though - JANELLE MONAE (okay, so it's from a concept album about an android in the year 3000 that finds love which has perpetually been on my 'to buy' list, but there's enough non-love songs on it.)