In honor of Women’s History Month, Atwood Magazine has invited artists to participate in a series of essays reflecting on identity, music, culture, inclusion, and more.

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Today, Nashville-based singer/songwriter Taylor Bickett shares the personal story that inspired her new song “The Crime” and her partnership with The Circle, an organization dedicated to preventing global violence against women, for Atwood Magazine’s Women’s History Month series!

Taylor Bickett is a storyteller at heart. Hailing from Indiana, she’s been writing music for as long as she can remember. With her intimate lyrics and impressive vocal range, she crafts introspective indie-pop tunes that resonate deeply with listeners. Following the success of her wistful anthem “QUARTER LIFE CRISIS” in 2022, which went viral on TikTok, Taylor quickly captured the attention of a generation struggling with adulthood. The song amassed nearly half a million fan-made videos and accumulated over 35 million streams, with notable celebrities like Drew Barrymore and Kevin Jonas sharing their own transformations to Taylor’s lyrics, “I swear 16 was yesterday, but now I’m closer to 28.”

Taylor’s 2023 EP ‘grown up and lonely’ continued her success, showcasing her raw, unfiltered songwriting. She began 2024 with the release of the fan-favorite “I Like Mondays,” and followed up with her EP ‘This Isn’t Me Missing You’ in the fall. Throughout 2024, she toured with artists such as Ron Pope, Blü Eyes, and Áine Deane.

In addition to her new single, Taylor Bickett is announcing a special solo acoustic tour with shows in Nashville, New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and Chicago. Tickets are now on sale. For all U.S. shows, Taylor has partnered with Plus One, an organization dedicated to building a more sustainable, just, and equitable world. For every ticket sold, $1 will be donated to The Circle.

Plus One is a registered 501(c)(3) organization that partners with artists and their communities to mobilize for meaningful advocacy and philanthropy. Since 2014, Plus One has helped raise over $30 million for more than 850 nonprofit organizations worldwide.

“The Crime” is now available on all digital platforms, providing a raw and emotional anthem that many women will find deeply relatable. Listen wherever you stream music, and read Taylor Bickett’s special Women’s History Month essay below!

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THE CRIME OF BEING A WOMAN

by Taylor Bickett

Trigger warning: Violence, Assault

If I engage, he might murder me. If I ignore him, he might murder me. 

In the fall of 2023, I was on a walk near my house in Nashville, Tennessee, when a man pulled up beside me, calling from the window. I’ve never known quite how to handle these things. Basically, any response I give could result in my rape or murder. This is something they teach you early. They put girls in self defense classes. They discourage walking alone at night. They teach you how to grip your keys like a weapon. They put a light purple pepper spray in your Christmas stocking next to the Reese’s Pieces and candy canes.

Immediately tense and vividly aware of my vulnerability, I opted to ignore him. With a slight shake to my legs, I kept walking, hoping he’d get the hint and drive away. They usually do.

Before I grasped what was happening, the man was hitting me with his car. I turned around just as he was speeding towards me, eyes locked and foot on the pedal. The rest, I don’t fully remember. My glasses were knocked from my head, my phone flung from my hands. I somehow ended up behind the vehicle, and everything snapped into focus. I grabbed my phone from the ground and ran like hell.

When the police arrived, my instinct was to shake it off, assuring them I was fine, begrudgingly climbing into the ambulance to be checked out. In fact, I had actually called the non-emergency number, afraid of making a big deal of nothing. Of being dramatic. The officer looked at me with wide-eyed concern. He asked, “Ma’am, do you understand that what happened to you was aggravated assault with a deadly weapon?”

That is a Class C felony in the state of Tennessee, a serious crime. And the only thing running through my brain was what I should have done differently. Well, maybe if I had said hello to him… Oh, if I had just smiled back, he wouldn’t have tried to hurt me… Looking back, the biggest shock is the mental acrobatics I put myself through, trying to find a fault that was mine.

My crime was only this: Being a woman.

I will never truly know what drove the man to attack me that day. It doesn’t matter. What I do know is that every woman I’ve ever met has felt that same fear. According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 3 women experience violence in their lifetime, most commonly perpetrated by an intimate partner. Due to low reporting rates, experts suspect that the actual number is even higher, particularly in impoverished communities. Violence or the threat of violence is a constant in the lives of women and feminine-presenting people. It is accepted as a fact of existence.

For so long, the burden has been on women to protect themselves. The media has found subtle (or not-so-subtle) ways to blame victims. Perpetrators have been given a slap on the wrist in court. But the tide seems to be shifting, with brave women like Gisèle Pelicot at the forefront, demanding accountability and refusing to give into shame. It is not shameful to be abused. It is not shameful to be attacked.

For months after my assault, I grappled with what happened, trying desperately to make sense of something senseless. Ultimately, I found healing through writing music, as I have so many times in my life. The song that was born from the incident, “The Crime,” was released on March 6th. “The Crime” explores my own pain, confusion, and anger as well as my understanding of the female experience, and it was produced, mixed, and mastered by women. It was important, throughout the process, to uplift women in the spaces where they are often passed over and outnumbered in the music industry. I also had the opportunity to create a music video with an entirely female cast and crew. It was an honor to film such an impactful project with a diverse group of supportive, passionate, and inspiring women.

30% of the proceeds from “The Crime” will be donated to The Circle, a global organization created by Annie Lennox that seeks to economically empower women and girls and end gender-based violence.

I am hopeful that through sharing my story and the song that brought me closure, I can help others heal and put to words an all-too-common feeling, while raising funds for an organization that is putting in the work to better the lives of women around the world.

Art is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal to inspire change. When we as women in music feel empowered to discuss our experiences, to create disruptive and meaningful art, we demand attention. We get our voices heard. – Taylor Bickett

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:: connect with Taylor Bickett here ::

:: stream/purchase “The Crime” here ::

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