We were just as horrified as you when the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative released their annual stats about inclusion in the music industry at the start of the year.

The USC think tank's findings were unfortunate; in 2017, the research showed that men were dominating pop music, with women representing only 16.8% of popular artists on the top charts. It was a six-year low, showcasing how "women are pushed to the margins or excluded from the creative process" in music-making.

To combat this bleak statistic, we found we actually didn't have to look far at all for strong examples of women in the pop sphere — encompassing stylistic diversity that includes genres like R&B, hip-hop, and electronic — who were pushing boundaries and shaking things up with their virtuosic art.

Below, 100 women across all spectrums who are revolutionizing pop, and the face of music as we know it for the better, this year and beyond. Click through and listen to a special playlist curated by PAPER editors, featuring all 100 pop stars.

Kacey Musgraves Kacey Musgraves brings country music to entirely new audiences. She addresses topics not often heard sung about by the genre's more conservative artists like sex and weed usage. She also artfully delves into the wild ecstasy surrounding a burgeoning crush, the cosmic awe of long-term love and marriage. Her voice is twangy and bright, uplifted by banjo, pedal steel guitar, and disco beats. — Vrinda Jagota (Photo via Kacey Musgraves)