Earlier this year, The Linda Lindas went viral with their ragetastic punk song, “Racist, Sexist Boy“. Like so many other people, I watched their performance of this song with a gigantic smile on my face. There’s something so exhilarating about watching young girls not being afraid to scream their frustrations into the world. I received several recs for this song, but while I love it, it’s not the one I ultimately chose for today’s daily helping. That honour went to “Claudia Kishi“.
There is still a lot of screaming going on in this song, but this time it’s born from a place of joy instead of rage. And in case anyone didn’t know, Claudia Kishi is a character from the classic young adult series, The Babysitter’s Club. I adored these books when I was younger, and I loved Claudia for her artistic talents and free spirit. As a Japanese-American character, Claudia was also a prominent example of representation long before it was fashionable to do so. Clearly she meant a lot to The Linda Lindas, because this song is one big exuberant tribute her. And I love it.
The Linda Lindas are currently aged 10-16, which is fantastic, because I hope this means they have a long and fruitful career ahead of them. Personally, I’ll be listening every step of the way, regardless of whether they’re screaming out of frustration or joy. But I hope they have a lot of joy in their future.
Suggestions for artists I should check out? Please contact me with your ideas. I hope you enjoyed your daily helping of art!
