By 1998, Cher seemed fated to fade off into the pop sunset. Her time of being half of pop music's “It couple,” of releasing chart-topping singles, of having her own TV show, with starring in box office breaking movies, was coming to an end. But then Believe and a new invention called auto-tune changed everything.

Pop has always been a young person's game, especially for women, and a new dawn of that obsessive youth was in full swing in the late '90s. But Cher's return to inescapability at 52 years old-making her the oldest woman to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100-was a refusal to accept that model. Full of fire, cutting edge choices, and a strong advocacy for one's self, Believe was her giant musical middle finger to all those assumptions.

The album confirmed her place as a pop icon, a queer icon, a feminist icon, and reminds us that everyone should believe they can be strong enough.

Lior Phillips is a music and culture journalist. She writes about music, film, art, and more for international publications, including Dazed and Confused Magazine, The Grammys, Variety, Billboard, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, The Quietus, NPR, The Guardian, and The New York Times. In addition, she created, produced, and hosted This Must Be the Gig, a podcast dedicated to artists’ vital memories of their first gigs and passion for live music and performance. 

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