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10 First-Timers on Billboard’s Charts This Week: Dasha, Yard Act, Ole 60, Charlotte Cardin & More

Billboard has more than 200 different weekly charts, encompassing numerous genres and formats.

While established artists often compete for a spot on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart and Billboard 200 albums ranking, which track the most popular songs and albums of the week, respectively, up-and-coming talents typically start off on genre-specific lists.

Here’s a look at 10 artists who appear on surveys for the first time on the March 16, 2024-dated charts.

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Dasha



The up-and-coming singer-songwriter reaches Billboard’s charts for the first time with her breakthrough viral hit “Austin.” The song, released in November on Version III, debuts at No. 31 on Hot Country Songs with 4 million official U.S. streams (up 28%) and 1,000 downloads sold (up 79%) in the March 1-7 tracking week, according to Luminate. She also rises 43-29 in her second week on the Emerging Artists chart.

The song appears on Dasha’s new eight-track LP What Happens Now?, released Feb. 16. Before that, she released Dirty Blonde in January 2023, via Quadio Records.

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Dasha is based in Nashville, via San Luis Obispo, Calif. Gains for “Austin” have been sparked by TikTok, where she boasts over 400,000 followers. Seemingly boosted by the rising wave behind Beyonce’s country crossover smash “Texas Hold ‘Em,” the song soundtracks a line-dance trend started by the artist. To date, the song has been featured in over 200,000 videos on the platform. Last week, Billboard reported that in the tracking week ending Feb. 15, in which Beyoncé released “Texas Hold ‘Em” midway through, “Austin” vaulted from 82,000 official on-demand streams the week before to over 830,000—up 916%. The next week (ending Feb. 22), the song grew 182% to 2.3 million.

Yard Act



The rock group, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, is officially a Billboard-charting act for the first time thanks to its sophomore LP Where’s My Utopia? Released March 1 on Zen F.C./Island Records UK/Republic Records, the set debuts at No. 23 on the Tastemaker Albums chart (which ranks the week’s top-selling albums at independent and small chain record stores).

The band preceded Utopia with its 2022 debut The Overload, which reached No. 2 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart. The group spoke to Billboard at SXSW in 2022 following the LP’s release and chart debut. “We put ourselves through the ringer that week because we got informed that we had a shot at a No. 1 album against Years & Years on their third album,” vocalist James Smith said. “He’s a sort of national treasure in the U.K., Olly Alexander, and rightly so, so we were the underdogs and we thought we’d give him a run for his money. We ended up at No. 2 and Meat Loaf threatened us with his passing, too. Hog passed us, but we kept Meat Loaf at bay, which was good. It was just funny. We didn’t expect to be getting a high charting album and then it all just started running off, and so it’s just loads of fun for us.”

Yard Act comprises Smith (vocals), Sam Shipstone (guitar), Ryan Needham (bass) and Jay Russell (drums).

Ole 60



The six-piece reaches Billboard’s charts for the first time with its debut four-track project Three Twenty Four: The EP. Released in August 2023, the set debuts at No. 25 on Heatseekers Albums (which ranks the most-popular albums of the week by new or developing acts) with 3,000 equivalent album units earned.

Ole 60, from Kentucky, released the EP via Grey Area/Red Door. Its single “Smoke & A Light” has recently gone viral on TikTok, as many creators have used the song to soundtrack their experiences of being cheated on in relationships. The song has been featured in over 10,000 clips on the platform to date and generated 2 million streams March 1-7, up 15%. The week before (Feb. 23-29), it surged from 808,000 streams to 1.7 million, a 115% gain.

The virality of the track helped Ole 60 sign with UTA for worldwide representation. The band comprises Colby Clark, Jarrett Davis, Dustin “Catfish” Fuqua, Ryan Laslie, Aden Wood and Jacob Ty Young. The group is slated to support Dylan Gossett on his No Better Time Tour, as well as Charles Wesley Godwin.

Will Moseley



The Hazelhurst, Ga., native arrives on Billboard’s charts with his breakthrough song “Gone for Good.” The track debuts at No. 13 on Country Digital Song Sales with 2,000 downloads sold in its first week of release, while Moseley himself opens at No. 49 on Emerging Artists.

Moseley performed his original track for his audition on ABC’s American Idol, which aired March 3. In a spotlight video on the episode, he described his upbringing and playing college football at Maryville College in Tennessee. “Football was a way of life,” he said. “It was eat, sleep, breathe, wake up, repeat. I loved it.” In the clip, he says he suffered three concussions in two seasons, forcing him to cut his football career short. The pivot inspired him to learn guitar. “It’s been a blessing in disguise,” he said.

His audition impressed judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, and his subsequent performance earned him a golden ticket to the next round. “We knew from the very first note,” Perry said of his performance.

Sheer Mag



The Philadelphia-based rock group lands on Billboard’s charts for the first time with its third LP, Playing Favorites. The set, released March 1 on Third Man Records, debuts at No. 17 on Tastemakers Albums. The set is Sheer Mag’s first release on Third Man. The group released two previous albums, Need To Feel Your Love (2017) and A Distant Call (2019), along with three EPs.

The band comprises Tina Halladay, Matt Palmer and Hart and Kyle Seely. The North American leg of its headlining tour kicks off March 29 in Washington, D.C. The act also has a string of European tour dates lined up in August.

Charlotte Cardin



The Canadian singer-songwriter is already a seasoned hitmaker in her home country, but she notches her first U.S. chart hit thanks to “Confetti.” The song, released on Atlantic Records, debuts at No. 34 on Adult Pop Airplay (up 170% in spins). The song appears on Cardin’s second full-length, 99 Nights, released last August.

Cardin, who records music in both English and French, has notched numerous chart hits in Canada. She has tallied 13 entries on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100—“Confetti” became her first top 10, reaching No. 10 last September. She has also charted 10 songs on Canada AC, six on Canada Hot 100 Airplay, four on Canada Top 40 and two on Canada Rock.

Cardin has won four Juno Awards, including artist of the year in 2022. She boasts six nominations—the most among all acts—at the upcoming ceremony, to be held March 24: artist and songwriter of the year; the Juno Fan Choice Award; album and pop album of the year, for 99 Nights; and single of the year, for “Confetti.”

Cardin, from Mount Royal, Quebec, has been releasing music since 2013. Before 99 Nights, she released her first full-length, Phoenix, in 2021.

Kitchen Dwellers



The Montana quartet arrives on Billboard’s charts with is new studio album, Seven Devils. The set, released March 1 on No Coincidence Records, doesn’t just become the band’s first chart entry, but it’s also its first No. 1, as it launches atop the Bluegrass Albums chart with 1,000 copies sold in its opening week. The band, whose music blends elements of bluegrass, folk and rock, also starts at No. 32 on Emerging Artists.

Kitchen Dwellers comprise Torrin Daniels (banjo), Max Davies (acoustic guitar), Joe Funk (upright bass) and Shawn Swain (mandolin). The band has released three other albums—Ghost in a Bottle (2017), Muir Maid (2019) and Wise River (2022)—along with several live LPs. The group has a run of North American tour dates lined up through September.

BrhyM



The high-profile group scores not just its first overall Billboard chart entry, but its first No. 1, as its debut LP Deep Sea Vents debuts at No. 1 on the Classical Crossover Albums chart. The group released the set via Zappo Productions/Thirty Tigers.

BrhyM is a new collaboration between Bruce Hornsby and American chamber ensemble yMusic, which comprises Hideaki Aomori (clarinets), Gabriel Cabeza (cello), CJ Camerieri (trumpet), Rob Moose (violin), Nadia Sirota (viola) and Alex Sopp (flute).

Hornsby has a longstanding history on Billboard’s surveys. He has charted nine songs on the Billboard Hot 100, including his 1986 No. 1 “The Way It Is,” as well as two other top 10s (all with the Range). Plus, he has logged 10 albums on the Billboard 200, all since 1986; he and the Range won the best new artist Grammy Award in 1987. Over his career, the Virginia native has traversed numerous styles, leading to appearances on Billboard’s Americana/folk, bluegrass, country and rock charts, among others. With Deep Sea Vents, he earns his first No. 1 since Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby topped Bluegrass Albums for 15 weeks in 2007.

As for yMusic, the collective has charted four sets on Classical Albums since 2014, including the No. 1 So There, with Ben Folds, in 2015.

BrhyM has a string of North American tour dates that run through April. Hornsby has even more dates, with The Noisemakers, scheduled through October.

Autone



The Sydney-based DJ/producer (real name: Brett Austin) is scaling Billboard’s charts for the first time thanks to his collaboration with Dannii Minogue, “Thinking ‘Bout Us.” The track, released Feb. 2 on Central Station Records, debuted at No. 36 on the March 9-dated Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart and rises to No. 31 on the latest list (up 25% in spins).

Autone has previously collaborated with Jolyon Petch, WasteLand, Amanda Wilson and Kelvin Wood. He is also a member of DJ duo Oxford Hustlers.

Do2



The duo arrives on Billboard’s rankings with its breakout single “Mi Fortuna.” The song, released in September on Garmex Music, debuts at No. 25 on Tropical Airplay (up 3,933% in audience). Do2 comprises brothers Jose Juan and Mario Lora. The pair has released over two dozen songs on streaming services, all since 2018.

PinkPantheress Receives Producer of the Year Award & Kenzie Ziegler Shows Off Custom Earbuds | Billboard News

Billboard and Bose honored PinkPantheress with the Producer of the Year award at Billboard Women in Music 2024. Before the event, Kenzie Ziegler showed off her custom pair of Bose Ultra Open Earbuds designed by Maggie Simpkins.

Rania Aniftos:
PinkPantheress received the Producer of the Year Award presented by Bose at Billboard Woman in Music. Since introducing herself on TikTok in 2020, PinkPantheress has toured the world, made her Hot 100 debut, and now joins Rosalía as the second artist to receive this prestigious award.

PinkPantheress:
I’m just happy that I have the opportunity to be recognized in a specific field by the Billboard Women in Music Awards. I watched Rosalía get this last year and that’s my queen.

Rania Aniftos:
Billboard and Bose partnered to present PinkPantheress with the Producer of the Year honor, and are dedicated to creating spaces for women in production. Before the show, social media star and emerging musician Kenzie Ziegler stunned on the red carpet wearing a custom pair of Bose Ultra Open Earbuds designed by Maggie Simpkins. Ziegler talked to us about the design and what the night means to her.

Kenzie Ziegler:
First of all, they’re awesome. I actually got to try them before tonight, which was so nice. I’ve been using them, but I worked with this amazing designer named Maggie Simpkins. And then my amazing stylist, they coordinated this so well. We wanted to go for a really classy look, but also kind of more edgy up top and I love how it turned out. I feel so cool right now.

Rania Aniftos:
For more from Billboard’s Women in Music, visit Billboard.com

Illenium On Making the ‘Anti-Hero’ Remix, How Kaskade Influenced Him & More | Billboard Cover

Illenium talks about making the “Anti-Hero” remix, his love for Taylor Swift, making the TRILOGY concert series as big as possible, how Kaskade has inspired him to stay sober in the EDM community, how his fans connect with his music, how he got his start making music, how he wants to continue impacting his fans and more!

ILLENIUM
I love Taylor Swift like she was back in high school. One of her songs was like top 25 on iTunes most played.

ILLENIUM
I feel like I’ve always been very inspired by my shows. The first time I played a 500-person venue room was so inspiring. And then I feel like that going all the way up to playing football stadiums has just been like, continuously inspiring. And I think I got a little like, you know, two or three years ago, I got a little worn out of like, really dance music, focus stuff. That’s why I wanted to really experiment with the rock, dance music blend on my album, which was super fulfilling as like an artist. And now I’m really inspired by more electronic stuff again, there’s something so special about like a dance focused anthem, just like feels so good. And like there’s just really good positivity and energy around that type of song that I really miss, you know, and I want to return to. It was random, just like our teams had randomly talked about “Anti-Hero.” My A&R Ryan was like, hey, what do you think about “Anti-Hero?” I was like, love that song, he was like remix? I was like, Yeah, I’m down. They sent me stems that night. I finished it in like 36 hours. And I sent it to him on like a Monday night the after. They responded Tuesday night. Hey, this coming out tomorrow? It was crazy. Yeah, I was like, okay, like, do you do whatever you want. I think her fans really enjoyed the remixes like the remix for sure. And I think I did it because I mean, I love Taylor Swift. Like she was back in high school, one of her songs was like top 25 on iTunes most played.

Watch the full video above!

Tracee Ellis Ross Shares That She Used to Intern for Arsenio Hall & More | Billboard Women in Music 2024

Billboard Women in Music host Tracee Ellis Ross shares she used to intern for Arsenio Hall and five things you didn’t know about her backstage at the 2024 Women in Music event.

Tracee Ellis Ross
My name is Tracee Ellis Ross, I’m the host this evening. Five things you don’t know about me: One, I love olives. My favorite olive is a green olive — not with a pimiento; with a pit. Couldn’t think of the word. Another thing that you should know about me that other people don’t know that’s very important for you to know about me is I love gum, chewing gum. Very big on chewing gum. I love chewing gum. I eat chewing gum like it’s going out of style. And I like to eat the gum, spit the gum out, stick it somewhere, hopefully in a garbage can. And then eat more gum. It’s a problem. What’s the next thing you should know about me? My favorite of all beverages? Water. What’s the fourth thing you would know about me? Oh, I’m extremely organized. And when I say organized, I mean problematic. And before I was acting, I used to go into companies and organize them. My first job was at a bank. I was organizing files. Oh, I’m sorry, a sixth one. I worked for Arsenio Hall. I interned for Arsenio Hall. Exactly. I was reading scripts. I mean, I didn’t really think I was doing anything but they told me that I was like, you know, helping make sense of things. In all honesty, it was my idea. Right, that’s what people don’t know about. Now you know.

Watch the full video above!

PartyNextDoor Opens Up About His Childhood, Biggest Fears & More in 5 Things | Billboard Cover

PartyNextDoor reveals five things you didn’t know about him to Billboard!

PartyNextDoor:
This is Party, and here’s five things you don’t know about me.

No. 1: I used to play football and I was a defensive tackle.

No. 2: I have a fear of heights, so I won’t go on any roller coasters or anything like that. But I’ll fly — that’s easy.

No. 3: I’m Trinidadian and Jamaican, and I lived in Jamaica as a child for a little bit with my grandma.

No. 4: When I was a teenager, I tried out for Canadian Idol. I got cut around the second round, something like that.

No. 5: I suck on my thumb.

And that was five things you didn’t know about me.

Christian Nodal on Creating His Own Lane, Unlikely Collabs, Fatherhood & More | Billboard Cover

Regional Mexican megastar Christian Nodal opens up about carving his lane in the genre, challenging the norm, collaborating with artists outside of the genre, fatherhood, new music, stepping into new creative endeavors and more on the cover of Billboard.

Christian Nodal:
Well, he was a young kid with a guitar, I think of all the genres …

Off Camera:
OK, let’s wait a little bit.

Christian Nodal:
It’s just we’re invading their home.

Yes, it was always on my mind that I wasn’t satisfied with what Regional Mexican music was doing. I always envisioned it with the potential to become bigger and mainstream, it’s just no one had tried. We have great musicians, great songwriters, great arrangers, great singers, great everything, and I felt I had been typecast in a stereotype of an audience as well, and I wanted to break through everything, and something I was taught was that love can break through everything.

I consider myself an important part of what’s going on now because of all the changes I was bringing into this genre — they weren’t well-received. I remember when I started getting tattoos or when I started wearing clothes that were a different style or my music videos, which weren’t the typical video of the genre resembling a soap opera. As I started making all those changes, I think that opened doors for new talents, and it’s very nice, but it also feels weird, as they’re the same age as me and they tell me, ‘I used to listen to you when I was in junior high or high school,’ and it makes sense. When I was that age I didn’t present my mom with a high-school or college diploma — I was presenting her with Grammys.

Watch the full interview above!

How PartyNextDoor Created Hits ‘Work,’ ‘Come and See Me’ & More | Billboard Cover

In this episode of How It Went Down, singer-songwriter and producer PartyNextDoor explains how he created some of his biggest hits, such as “Work” with Rihanna, “Come and See Me” with Drake and more during his Billboard cover shoot.

PartyNextDoor:
The guy who signed me to my publishing deal, Ryan Press sent me to, I guess Rihanna’s house or she had a big mansion where everyone who was working at, everybody in the industry was there. Me and Rihanna got introduced, we spoke. They sent us into this, like, tiny room outside that, like, maybe fit five people who open up this beat. And the song came like this, like, the song came in max 20 minutes. And the rest of the times you’re doing background and stuff like that. It was very organic, and very quick. It was a crazy experience. Everyone around me was telling me that it was going to be a hit, but I didn’t know that it was gonna do, what it’s gonna do.

PartyNextDoor:
I went to see Drake in the studio in Toronto and he just said like, ‘Yo, I want to play this record,’ and the 40 beat … that beat was amazing. Like, you know, you just felt it right away. And he had a hook idea on it. So we took it back maybe, like, it was maybe two months later, I was like, ‘You know what, like, I gotta find something for this.’ Me and Prep locked in an Airbnb, and I recorded that song on the edge of a bed in an Airbnb. And yeah, I just didn’t know it was gonna be that …. I love that record. It’s one of my favorite records. And that was just magic.

Watch the full video above!

Sherine Accepts The Global Force of Arabia | Billboard Women In Music 2024

Sherine accepts the Global Force award from Billboard Arabia at Billboard’s Women In Music 2024.

Sherine
Thank you Billboard for the award. Thank you, I am proud to be receiving it, I’m so proud that you enjoyed my work. And of course I’m thrilled and proud that there is a music award specifically for women, is something that makes me very happy. And I hope that my work reaches the entire world, that’s always been a dream of mine. Thank you so much again.

TWICE & LE SSERAFIM Make History as First Two All-Woman Groups at Nos. 1 & 2 on Top Album Sales Chart

TWICE and LE SSERAFIM make history on Billboard’s 32-year-old Top Album Sales chart (dated March 9), as the South Korean female pop groups debut at Nos. 1 and 2 — marking the first time two all-women groups have been in the top two positions at the same time.

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Top Album Sales’ chart history dates to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate.

TWICE’s With YOU-th launches at No. 1 with 90,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending Feb. 29, according to Luminate. LE SSERAFIM’s Easy starts at No. 2 with 34,000 copies sold. The majority of each album’s sales come from CD purchases in assorted collectible editions, as is usual with major K-pop releases

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Also in the top 10 of the new Top Album Sales chart, the latest albums from French Montana and Ace Frehley arrive, while BTS’ former No. 1 Love Yourself: Tear re-enters the chart in the top 10 following its release on vinyl.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

For TWICE, With YOU-th marks the fourth No. 1 on Top Album Sales and fifth top 10 overall. For LE SSERAFIM, Easy is the act’s third top 10 set.

At No. 3 on Top Album Sales, French Montana’s Mac & Cheese 5 debuts with 22,500 copies sold. Of that sum, physical sales comprise 19,000 (9,000 on vinyl — his best week on the configuration, 10,000 on CD) and digital sales comprise about 3,500. Sales were boosted by the album’s availability across six CD variants (three alternative covers, and three signed editions each with a different cover) and three vinyl variants (all with alternative covers) — and all were sold through the artist’s webstore. The physical albums were deeply discounted to $5 for standard vinyl and CD editions, and $10 for the signed CD editions. The digital album was also issued in three variants: a standard album (clean and explicit), a deluxe edition (with one bonus track, clean and explicit) and a super deluxe edition, dubbed the “Versions” variant (with all of the album’s standard explicit tracks, plus versions of each song in clean, sped-up, slowed-down, instrumental and acapella mixes).

Mac & Cheese 5 is French Montana’s fourth top 10-charting effort on Top Album Sales and his highest-charting set yet, surpassing the No. 4 peak of his three earlier top 10 sets.

Ace Frehley logs his highest-charting album ever on Top Album Sales, as his latest release, 10,000 Volts, charges in at No. 4 with 13,000 copies sold. Of that sum, vinyl sales comprise 5,500, marking the former KISS guitarist’s biggest sales week on vinyl since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991. In total, 10,000 Volts is Frehley’s fifth top 10-charting set on Top Album Sales.

BTS’ former No. 1 Love Yourself: Tear re-enters Top Album Sales at No. 5 with about 9,500 sold — nearly all from vinyl sales, as the album was released on the configuration for the first time during the tracking week. With nearly 9,500 copies sold on vinyl, the album also bows at No. 1 on the Vinyl Albums chart, BTS’ second leader on that list, following Love Yourself: Her in 2023.

Four former No. 1s, all from Taylor Swift, are next on Top Album Sales. 1989 (Taylor’s Version) falls 3-6 (9,000; down 19%); Lover dips 4-7 (7,000; down 22%); Midnights slips 7-8 (6,000; down 19%); and Folklore descends 8-9 (nearly 6,000; down 21%). Bob Marley and The Wailers’ Legend: The Best of Bob Marley and The Wailers, rises 11-10 (nearly 6,000; though down 17%), marking the set’s first week in the top 10 since April 17, 2021, when it ranked at No. 9. (The album earlier peaked at No. 5 on the Sept. 20, 2014-dated chart.) The hits album returns to the top 10 on the latest chart following publicity and promotion generated by the release and success of the Marley biopic film Bob Marley: One Love.

In the week ending Feb. 29, there were 1.276 million albums sold in the U.S. (up 9.4% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 976,000 (up 13.8%) and digital albums comprised 300,000 (down 2.9%).

There were 533,000 CD albums sold in the week ending Feb. 29 (up 30.6% week-over-week) and 438,000 vinyl albums sold (down 1.7%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 3.875 million (down 29.9% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 4.197 million (down 47.3%).

Overall year-to-date album sales total 10.783 million (down 35.3% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 8.113 million (down 40.2%) and digital album sales total 2.669 million (down 13.7%).

Karol G Accepts Woman of the Year Award | Billboard Women in Music 2024

Karol G accepts the Woman of the Year award at Billboard’s Women in Music 2024.

Karol G:
First of all, it’s an amazing surprise that Sofía Vergara is giving me this award, I love it. Buenas noches a todos. I’m super honored to be here today. Oh my God, [this] might be the most significant and important recognition of all my career, this is super special. This is Woman of the Year, but this is the first time ever a Latina is named the Woman of the Year. So, I have to give my speech in Spanish, of course.

Well, this is Women in Music so I’m going to talk about us. I have to start first by telling you that for years and years, I lived very disappointed with the fact of being a woman. I found myself on the road with so many rejections and so many lost opportunities. Because of that, I wondered why I was not born a man to exploit all this love, this desire and passion I felt for music. Where would all this desire I had to eat the world have gone if it was assumed that, as a woman, I could not achieve it? For a long time, I believed that story. I believed that this was not for me. So many times I was told that I could not make it and I always think of the number of people who leave their dreams behind and leave their dreams aside for that reason, for the perception of others but not for the real dream they have and the desire they have inside. In the midst of my desire, in the midst of wanting to make music even if it was just for me, I decided that if my environment did not change, I was the one who had to change and I was the one who was going to do it. And that I wasn’t going to let being a woman be an obstacle or define my capabilities, but that it was going to be my strength, it was going to be my motive and my reason. And every time I was told no, I found the strength and the desire and everything I needed to say: yes I can. In my mind I changed the “a woman can’t do it” to “look at this woman how she does it, look how a woman does it.”

Watch the full speech in the video above!