Presidential hopeful, former Secretary of State and all-around badass Hillary Clinton has penned an exclusive essay for Billboard about the role of women in the music industry.
Beginning with a quote from the legendary country singer Loretta Lynn, Clinton describes how difficult it is for female artists working in an industry in which "you either have to be first, best or different."
In the essay, Clinton praises female artists like Lady Gaga and other Billboard Women in Music honorees for their tireless energy and their art.
"I've been listening to some of these women for years. Others I recently discovered. Now I'm a fan of them all. Their talent is dazzling. So is their work ethic. None of these women had success handed to her," Clinton writes. "They knew their stories and points of view were worth sharing. And they were absolutely right about that."
But it's not just about what these women bring to the music industry; It's what they bring to others around them. Clinton briefly discusses how many female artists have gone on to help others through charity work and notes their effect on the women who look up to them.
"My hope is that women and girls around the world will hear these artists' songs, learn their stories and feel a greater sense of possibility for their own lives. Maybe they'll recognize themselves in these women," she writes. "Maybe they'll stand a little straighter or speak a little louder because that's what Gaga and Missy and Brittany and Tori and Selena and Demi and Kelsea and Lana and Ally and Normani and Lauren and Camilla and Dinah and Loretta would do."
And the love is mutual, as artists like Ellie Goulding, Ariana Grande, Carole King, Jennifer Lopez and Katy Perry, among others, have publicly endorsed Clinton in the upcoming presidential election.
Billboard's Women In Music issue comes out on Dec. 12. Read Clinton's full essay here.
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