Women of Rock: Nina Dopamine Lists Her All-Time Favourite Female Musicians

It’s been an interesting, unconventional journey for Nina Dopamine to where she is now. The New York-based singer-songwriter released her debut EP, dopamine rush, earlier this month. That seems conventional, until you consider the fact that becoming a musician was far from Dopamine’s childhood dream. After graduating from Harvard University, she worked as a software engineer in New York. She didn’t even write her first song until she reached her mid-20s. Music has always been important to her, but for most of her life, it wasn’t a creative outlet. It was more of an escape from the stress of everyday life, as well as a way to help process pain experienced in childhood. What began as an emotional getaway has turned into a full creative pursuit.

dopamine rush is an honest, well-articulated group of songs focused on love, emotional dependency, and the desperate hope that someone might help save you from yourself. Some of the lyrics are humorous and self-deprecating, but there is a vulnerability stitched throughout the EP. Within the despair, there are also moments of hope. Dopamine was inspired by memories of her youth and what it was like being a teenager confronting your feelings, fantasies, and fears. Throughout, she confronts these topics with candour and integrity.

There are many artists that were inspirational to Dopamine in the writing of this record. She joins us to share some thoughts on her influences in our latest Women of Rock feature.

Nina Dopamine ‘dopamine rush’ album artwork

1. Avril Lavigne

“If I had to identify the artist who most directly shaped my music taste in my formative years and inspired the kind of music that I’m making now, it would probably be Avril Lavigne. She was one of my earliest introductions to pop rock, and I fell in love with the combination of massive pop hooks, crunchy guitars, and unapologetic attitude. Songs like ‘Sk8er Boi,’ ‘Complicated,’ and ‘Girlfriend’ showed me that music could be emotional without taking itself too seriously. There was always such a strong sense of personality in her songs, whether she was heartbroken, angry, sarcastic, or all three at once.

“But I also love how Avril could pivot from energetic, rebellious tracks to emotional ballads without ever feeling like a different artist. That balance between vulnerability and bratty defiance has had a huge influence on my own music. Avril’s ‘Sk8er Boi’ was actually one of the production references for my song ‘make you weep,’ which borrows some of that aggressively fast-paced pop-punk energy. But I’ve also written slower, more vulnerable songs such as ‘broken boy,’ which draws inspiration from the emotional honesty and soaring melodies of tracks like ‘When You’re Gone’ and ‘I’m With You.’

“Of all my influences, Avril probably had the biggest impact on my vocal identity. When I first started singing, I found myself naturally gravitating toward the bright, energetic, and nasal-forward delivery she popularized in the early 2000s. I love the way she bends vowels, emphasizes certain consonants, and injects personality into every line. That vocal style comes very naturally to me, and it’s something listeners can probably hear in my own recordings.”

2. Hayley Williams

“Hayley Williams had an enormous impact on me during my formative years. I was listening to a lot of pop-punk, emo, and alternative rock in the early 2000s and jamming out to bands like All Time Low, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Hawthorne Heights, and We the Kings. While I loved the energy and intensity of that music, the lyrics often didn’t resonate with me as deeply because they were usually written from a male perspective. Paramore occupied a rare space in that scene where they delivered the same guitar-driven energy, huge choruses, and emotional intensity that I loved, but through the perspective of a young woman.

“Songs like ‘Misery Business’ felt explosive, fearless, and larger than life. Hayley never sounded like she was holding anything back, and her conviction made every emotion feel urgent and real. At the same time, songs like ‘The Only Exception’ showcased a completely different side of her artistry, one that was vulnerable, tender, and deeply introspective.

“What inspires me most about Hayley is her ability to move seamlessly between those extremes while remaining completely authentic. That duality has had a huge influence on my own music. Many of my songs live at the intersection of vulnerability and emotional chaos, and Paramore showed me that both can coexist within the same artistic voice.

“Paramore’s influence can also be heard directly in my production choices. ‘Misery Business’ was one of the primary production references for my song ‘make you weep,’ helping inspire its high-energy pop-punk foundation, driving guitars, and sense of cathartic release. More broadly, Hayley showed me that women could take up space in a genre that was often male-dominated and do so without softening their emotions or their point of view.”

3. Olivia Rodrigo

“Olivia Rodrigo has been one of the biggest influences on my songwriting, and she was the artist who most directly inspired me to start making music because she writes songs in such a similar way to me: just a girl sitting down with her guitar and processing her emotions in their rawest, most unfiltered state. What I admire most about her work is how diaristic and emotionally honest it is. She’s so open about her insecurities, flaws, heartbreaks, and humiliations, whether that’s crying on the bathroom floor after a breakup or comparing herself to other girls on social media. Her openness and vulnerability have inspired me to take a similar approach in my songwriting and encouraged me to lean fully into my own emotions, no matter how messy they are.

“My songs are all deeply personal and rooted in real-life experiences, and they explore things like the humiliation of being betrayed by someone, the petty rage of being discarded after a relationship, or the vulnerable and almost juvenile feeling of having a crush at an age when it doesn’t feel socially acceptable anymore. These are all topics that can feel awkward, uncomfortable, and even embarrassing to admit out loud, much less write down and dramatically belt in a song for the world to hear. But there’s something about writing a song about these experiences that helps me understand them, process them, and ultimately heal from them and make peace with myself.

“Although Olivia is often categorized as a pop artist, I’ve always thought of her as a remarkably rock-forward musician. Some of my favourite songs of hers are ‘good 4 u,’ ‘all-american bitch,’ ‘so american,’ and ‘Love Is Embarrassing,’ all of which combine massive pop hooks with guitars, live band energy, and a sense of emotional catharsis that feels deeply rooted in pop rock.

“I also love her newer songs like ‘the cure’ and ‘maggots for brains,’ which bring a distinct new wave influence to the production while still retaining the undeniably sticky choruses and euphoric bridges that I love so much as both a listener and a songwriter. As someone whose own music sits at the intersection of pop songwriting and rock instrumentation, that combination resonates with me deeply. Olivia showed me that you don’t have to choose between writing brutally honest lyrics, crafting undeniable pop melodies, and embracing loud guitars — you can do them all at the same time.”

4. Ashlee Simpson

“Ashlee Simpson was a huge influence on me because she showed me that pop rock could be both emotionally vulnerable and incredibly fun. I loved the sincerity of songs like ‘Pieces of Me,’ which felt intimate and deeply personal. ‘Pieces of Me’ was actually a production reference for my song ‘if you chose me,’ helping shape the softer, more tender side of my sound. But I was equally drawn to the confidence, attitude, and playfulness of songs like ‘Boyfriend’ and ‘La La.’ Her music always felt distinctly feminine while still carrying the energy and edge that attracted me to rock music in the first place.

“That balance has influenced my own approach to songwriting. Even when I’m writing about heartbreak, rejection, or obsession, I never want my music to feel one-dimensional. Some of my favourite songs to write are the ones that mix genuine vulnerability with a little bit of drama, humour, or self-awareness. Ashlee showed me that emotional honesty doesn’t always have to be so serious and heavy, and you can do it in a fun and playful way that still resonates with listeners.”

5. Taylor Momsen

“As much as I love fun, hooky pop rock, I’ve always been drawn to the darker and grittier side of rock music as well. I first knew Taylor Momsen through her acting career, but when she pivoted to music with The Pretty Reckless, I instantly fell in love. Songs like ‘Make Me Wanna Die’ and ‘Heaven Knows’ felt raw, rebellious, and unapologetically intense. Compared to some of my other influences, Taylor brought a level of darkness and danger that fascinated me. Her music wasn’t afraid to be angry, self-destructive, dramatic, or messy, and I loved that willingness to embrace emotional extremes.

“Taylor’s influence can be heard directly in my own music. ‘Make Me Wanna Die’ was a production reference for my unreleased song ‘runaway train,’ particularly in its heavier guitars, darker atmosphere, and sense of reckless emotional abandon. I was also inspired by Taylor’s deeper, more dramatic vocal register. Most of my music features a brighter, more nasal-forward vocal delivery influenced by artists like Avril Lavigne, but on ‘runaway train’ I intentionally leaned into a lower, darker vocal approach that was heavily inspired by Taylor’s performances.

“She also expanded my understanding of what a female rock artist could be. Beyond the music itself, I was captivated by the visual world she created through fashion, styling, and imagery. Taylor is a huge inspiration for me not just sonically, but aesthetically as well. I have countless photos of her outfits saved to my Pinterest boards. I love the way she combines traditionally feminine pieces like corsets and slip dresses with leather jackets, grungy flannels, platform boots, and dramatic eye makeup to create something that feels both beautiful and dangerous.

“Taylor Momsen taught me that there’s more to being an artist than just writing and performing songs. It’s about creating a complete identity and visual world that reinforces the emotions within the music.”

6. Taylor Swift

“Taylor Swift is probably the wildcard on this list, but her influence on my music taste and songwriting is impossible to overstate, especially her Speak Now and Fearless eras. Songs like ‘Mine,’ ‘The Story of Us,’ ‘Sparks Fly,’ ‘Better Than Revenge,’ and ‘Haunted’ combined vivid storytelling with huge emotional stakes, while still delivering unforgettable hooks. Those records showed me that a song could feel cinematic, emotional, and intensely specific all at once.

“What I admire most about Taylor’s early work is her storytelling. She had an incredible ability to turn ordinary moments into vivid narratives and to make every emotional experience feel larger than life. That’s something I think about constantly when writing my own songs. Whether I’m writing about obsession, heartbreak, fantasy, or longing, I want listeners to feel like they’re being transported into a story. I strive to be hyper-specific and descriptive in my songwriting, taking listeners through a complete emotional arc with a beginning, a climax, a twist, and a satisfying resolution at the end.

“Since her music was so ubiquitous in my formative years and I learned how to play so many of her songs on guitar at an early age, I really think Taylor fundamentally shaped the way I think about songwriting. Even though my own music leans heavily into distorted guitars and rock production, I’m ultimately a pop songwriter at heart. I need a huge chorus, a hook that gets stuck in your head after one listen, and a bridge that elevates the song rather than simply repeating what’s already been said. Taylor’s ability to combine storytelling, unforgettable melodies, and emotionally satisfying bridges has had a major influence on the way I write.

“Her music has also directly shaped some of my work on a production level. ‘Love Story’ was a production reference for my song ‘thirteen again’ and I wanted to borrow those romantic, fairytale-like elements like the sweeping string arrangements and sparkling acoustic guitars while also combining them with fast-paced drums and distorted electric guitars to create a love song that teeters between sweet and unhinged.”