“Women and girls in a lot of fairy tales have two main roles,” said singer Alexis Normand. “Either we’re damsels in distress or we’re witches.
“Why can’t we be king?” she said, before the group performed “I Wanna Be King,” adding, “We wrote a song about that to change the narrative.”
Rosie and the Riveters performed two sold-out shows in Stettler May 6 as part of their North American tour after releasing their latest CD “Ms. Behave” in April.
In their CD, the group encourages women to discard their habit of trying to please and be true to themselves.
The group started writing songs for this CD before the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault that went viral last fall. Their song, “I Believe You,” addresses these issues facing women. This video was featured in Billboard Magazine on International Women’s Day.
The Saskatchewan-based group, which consists of Allyson Reigh, Alexis Normand and Farideh Olsen, got their name from the Second World War’s Rosie the Riveter who embodied the women’s movement during that time.
The group invests 20 per cent of their merchandise profits – about $10,000 so far – into about 200 women’s projects around the world to help women become more self-sufficient through KIVA.org.
Rosie and the Riveters have performed for British Royalty and won a 2016 Saskatchewan Arts Award. They were also featured in Rolling Stone Country magazine.
See related story: https://www.stettlerindependent.com/entertainment/rosie-riveters-on-tour/