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“Joan Jett is still alive?”

You bet she is, and the eighties superstar with a bad reputation is ready to jump back into the rock ‘n’ roll pond. 

When Joan Jett first entered the rock scene, as the lead guitarist in the all girl band The Runaways, it was clear that she wasn’t your typical seventies teenager. 

Sexually charged lyrics and a kiss-my-ass attitude defined her brand and set her apart from the typical world of female vocalists. 

Jett destroyed the rock business with chart toppers like “Bad Reputation” and “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll,” and made a statement that she wanted to change the patronizing way that women were treated in the music industry. 

“Other people will call me a rebel, but I just feel like I’m living my life and doing what I want to do. Sometimes people call that rebellion, especially when you’re a woman” (Reuters).

It’s been seven years since Jett’s last album and 25 years since she appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. 

Her newest album, “Unvarnished,” was released Sept. 30 and though it didn’t contain an iconic chart topper, she did prove that she will never give up on making music

This newest album differs from her past hits because half of the songs are talking about love (not sex) and the other half are talking about how hard life is (instead of how we can change it). 

This album really shows that she isn’t the spit fire teenager she once was and that now, at the age of fifty-five, she’s starting to slow down and reflect on her life. 

This softer side to the hard outer appearance of Jett doesn’t come close to diminishing how powerful and influential she is. 

Her feminist perspective and outspoken personality changed the way women were viewed in the rock industry and opened doors for so many other female rockers. 

“Unvarnished” reveals the layers and depth to Jett’s character and how her struggles in and out of the music industry made her the strong, determined woman that she is today. 

Buy “Unvarnished” now on iTunes for $12.99.