Today (March 8) is International Women’s Day and we want to celebrate it with the thing we love the most: music. The editorial staff of Billboard Italy took a journey back in time and selected eight artists who – in their own unique way – had an impact on the Italian music scene, regardless of eras and genres. Here they are.

Madame

Versatile and eclectic, fluid in both her flow and aesthetic, with her breakthrough single Sciccherie (2018) Madame changed the rules of Italian rap and rewrote them in her own way. She redefined the borders of the genre, contaminated it with pop and delivered a message: girls also play in the hip hop game.

Elodie

Over the last years, no other artist renovated themselves and changed their style (always convincingly) as much as Elodie, the most international among Italian younger artists. The melancholic elegance of a diva of the past and the attitude of an American popstar coexist in her. This is what makes her unique in the Italian music scene.

Anna

If Guè describes you as “the best new rapper we have in Italy”, that means something. Back in 2020, Anna just needed one single, Bando, to emerge in a market full of alpha males. And she did it without losing a millimetre of her femininity. One small step for a woman, one great impact on Italian rap.

Laura Pausini

More than anyone else, over her 30-year-career she has been bearing the flag of Italian music around the world. A globally renowned talent, Laura Pausini is an artist who never fears to challenge herself even though she reached every possible achievement.

Loredana Bertè

The “lady” of Italian rock, even though – as everyone knows – she does not like to use that word. Provocative, rebellious, strong and fragile at the same time, since the Sixties Loredana Bertè has been a living manifesto of freedom, nonconformity and women’s emancipation that will stay as an unmatchable example for future generations.

Mina

More than 150 million copies sold, a catalogue of over 1500 songs: Mina is a legendary figure of Italian music. Since when she decided not to appear publicly anymore, she has been surrounded by an aura of mystery that – together with her unmistakable voice – makes her an immortal diva.

Ornella Vanoni

If sophistication and elegance had a face, that would be Ornella Vanoni’s. From pop to jazz, over her long career she crossed all the phases of Italian music, catching and embracing the changes and becoming a reference for new generations.

Nada

A bold protagonist of Italian music for decades, even though she always did things her own way, Nada never had the fear to experiment and challenge herself. And she always did it impeccably.

PAOLOOO