Women wow at Lollapalooza: Four to know

CHICAGO — Save for Rihanna's surprise appearance with Eminem, Phantogram and hometown favorites Krewella, the majority of Lollapalooza's closing sets were male-dominated. Yet many of the weekend's memorable performances came by way of engaging women, from electro-pop act Chvrches to red-hot rapper Iggy Azalea. And Lorde's riveting set made a case for headliner status.

Here's what a handful of those acts had to say backstage at this year's Lolla.

CHVRCHES

The band generated big Internet buzz even before 2013 debut album The Bones of What You Believe. With the fan adoration also came serious online misogyny, which singer Lauren Mayberry addressed in a profound and powerful essay for The Guardian. Mayberry discussed new music and the positive reaction she's received since speaking out.

Writing on tour: "We can make notes of ideas here and there, like I can roughly record a vocal idea or lyrics and (bandmate) Martin (Doherty)'s been writing some things on his computer, but the way that our songwriting works is we need to all be at the same place at the same time. Those will help as kind of bookmarks that we can look at when we get back. But we'll probably start writing in December, when we wind up the touring."

Lolla first-timers: Over two years, "we've checked a lot of the big (festivals) off the list. Lollapalooza is something we've all heard of, like even in Scotland people know about it. But it's never something you think you'll actually get to play, so it's pretty exciting."

On nerding out at festivals: "Just to see how other people make music and translate that live is really cool. The whole side-of-stage access is really good because if you can watch them from behind and see what they're playing on the keyboard or what they're playing drums, that's really exciting on a nerdy level."

On her 'Guardian' essay: "This happens to bands who have women all the time, but there's a kind of 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy about it. We had quite a heated debate between the band before we wrote The Guardian thing just because they were worried how I would be interpreted, but to me the only people who would disagree with that are (jerks)."

The feedback: "There's kind of a community feeling about it, it's nice. I'm sure there was a negative reaction, but I don't seek it out on the Internet because that's what we're talking about: Don't look for the trolls, don't feed the trolls."

COURTNEY BARNETT

The Melbourne artist released The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas in America earlier this year, and her wry lyrics and folk-pop garage style have been charming fans ever since. With a talk-sung delivery and frank and humorous style in which she addresses everything from masturbation to anxiety, the singer/songwriter has also been selling out shows. The former bartender talks surprising inspiration, journaling and why oversharing can be good.

Inspiration in the mundane: This is really embarrassing, but when you're doing stuff around the house, you make up a stupid song, like, (singing) 'I'm doing the dishes and it's really fun!' Sometimes songs come out of that and it's like, 'Ah, don't ever tell anyone that' — that's basically how I write my songs. Everyone's like, 'Oh, she's so clever,' and I'm like, um, 'No, she's not, she's just writing stupid songs.' "

Journaling for song lyrics: "It may be one line out of 20 pages that might be usable, because, yeah, some of it is really personal, but some of it is bad writing or when you're having a moment. Sometimes you read back things and you feel like a 13-year-old you."

On 'Avant Gardener': "I got a lot of e-mails from people that were like, 'I have really bad anxiety and your song made me feel good.' I realized afterward that sharing makes people feel less alone. Even if it's the tiniest thing that seems relevant to you, it may relate to someone else."

LUCIUS

Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig have been honing their girl group-mining, '60s-vibe music since forming at Boston's Berklee College of Music in 2005, but the fully realized band only came together with debut Wildewoman, released in 2013. Fresh off a much-touted performance at Newport Folk Festival, the stylish ladies dished on the band's symmetric visuals (the pair dress identically and sing in unison, with two sets of drums flanking each of them onstage), jingle writing (Lucius' Mercedes ad aired during the Breaking Bad finale) and how they bonded over being bullied.

The importance of visuals: "Doing something visual just sucks people into this other world, and sucks yourself into this other world, and that's the main goal," Wolfe says. "Just A) have fun, B) transport ourselves and transport the audience."

How jingles differ from personal songwriting: "They give you certain parameters and it becomes more of like an exercise, you know?" Laessig says. "You're trying to make something cool and what fits in certain guidelines."

On 'Genevieve': "Genevieve became a kind of the moniker for both of our bullies," Laessig says. "Yeah, it wasn't the easiest thing, but it also makes you who you are." Adds Wolfe: "It's a big reason why a lot of girls and boys relate to us. We're on the other side now and we've seen the light, we're in a much better place as individuals and as a unit. And being able to reflect and see (past) those difficult times has made us stronger people."

MEG MYERS

Myers, whose music is flavored by both alternative/grunge as well as singer/songwriter fare, says she turned to music as a way to get through a difficult childhood, growing up as a Jehovah's Witness and moving around a lot. She's working on her full-length debut album, expected next year.

Expressing herself musically: "I had a need to do something creative, you know, and music was just in me. I started playing bass and guitar and writing songs and teaching myself."

Juxtaposing her sexually charged lyrics with her upbringing: "Isn't there something they say, like you go completely opposite? I think a lot of people just go wild, which I did definitely for a few years. I've always wanted express the darkest, must uncomfortable places of myself."

On 'Make A Shadow': "It's such a deep feeling of becoming jaded and just wanting to see a little beauty and wanting someone to take you away and just say, 'Take my hand and make a shadow, let's just be kids again.' Not to be cheesy, but it's like you still always want to be a kid again."