The Why Not Her? Collective have been publishing annual reports on Irish radio play highlighting years long gender disparity on the airwaves in Ireland.
Their latest report shows how gender imbalanced the Irish radio chart industry is through the top 100 most played artists on Irish radio, using data from Radiomonitor.
From January to July 2025, CMAT’s song ‘Take A Sexy Picture Of Me’ is only the third Irish artist to feature in the top 100 songs this year, a chart dominated by international acts.
CMAT joins Jazzy (who features three times) and Allie Sherlock as the only three Irish female artists to appear in the Top 100 chart, which is dominated by international acts.
Only 14 Irish acts feature in the Top 100 most played songs on Irish radio so far in 2025 — meaning 86% of the chart is made up of international artists.
“It’s the same pattern, different year. Three Irish female solo acts in the Top 100. That’s not just a reflection of programming choices — it’s a symptom of deep-rooted industry bias. And the bigger issue? Only 14 Irish acts are on the entire Top 100. In a country teeming with incredible diverse talent, that’s a national embarrassment.”
“This isn’t about artists needing to ‘work harder.’ They already are. It’s the system that’s failing them — and at the centre of that failure is a lack of oversight, governance, and willpower.
What is Coimisiún na Meán doing about this? So far, they’ve failed to address this disparity in any meaningful way. We contacted the Minister for Culture, Communications, and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan, months ago — and heard nothing back. It’s the same old, same old: women and artists of colour are sidelined. If they are serious about public service broadcasting and cultural sustainability, they need to act — not just ignore us or observe from their comfortable positions.”
says Linda Coogan Byrne, founder of the Why Not Her? Collective. “
Top 5 Most Played Songs on Irish Radio (Jan–July 2025):
- Gracie Abrams – That’s So True
- Lola Young – Messy
- ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – APT.
- Billie Eilish – Birds of a Feather
- Alex Warren – Ordinary
Irish Female Acts (3):
- CMAT – Take A Sexy Picture Of Me
- Jazzy – Giving Me (solo), High In The Moment (with Belters Only), Closer To The Floor (feat. Ankhoï)
- Allie Sherlock – How Love Works
Irish Male Artists (8 Entries):
- Hozier – Too Sweet
- Cian Ducrot – Little Dreaming, Who’s Making You Feel It?
- Dermot Kennedy – Giants, Let Me In
- Moncrieff – Hard Feelings
- KhakiKid & Saint Demarcus – Date Nite
- Amble – Schoolyard Days
Collaborations x 3:
- 1 Irish male/female collab: Belters Only x Jazzy – High In The Moment
- 2 international male/female collabs:
- Billy Gillies feat. Hannah Boleyn – DNA (Loving You)
- Jazzy feat. Ankhoï – Closer To The Floor
Why Not Her? conclusion:
This report paints a familiar picture: Irish male artists continue to dominate the domestic charts, while Irish women—and Irish artists in general—remain under-represented on their own airwaves. The Why Not Her? Collective remains committed to highlighting these imbalances and demanding structural change in radio programming and media accountability.
The Why Not Her? Collective calls on Irish radio programmers, music media, and Coimisiún na Meán to take meaningful action. Transparency, policy enforcement, and platforming under-represented voices must become a priority. We are watching, we are recording, and we will continue to speak the truth of what the data shows.
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, club promoter, event curator and producer of gigs, listening parties & events in Dublin.
