The Runaways front-woman and solo artist Cherie Currie and Fanny drummer and singer Brie Darling were ‘70s icons who got the headlines. But they didn’t always get the credit they deserved as strong women holding their own and forging new ground in a rock & roll playing field then dominated by old-school masculine mores.

While Currie and Darling had a mutual admiration society, the two didn’t meet until 2017, when Darling reached out to Currie to contribute vocals to Fanny Walked the Earth, a reunion album from the trailblazing Fanny, the first all-female band signed to a major label (Reprise) in 1969. Now fierce friends and cool collaborators, their album ‘The Motivator’ is a 12-song album featuring nine classic covers by bands including T. Rex, The Rolling Stones, Buffalo Springfield, Stevie Wonder, and John Lennon, plus three powerful new originals, including the tough rocker “Too Bruised” and the topical “This Is Our Time”.

The two Californians, who grew up with similar influences and worked tirelessly to overcome similar obstacles in their pioneering all-women groups, vibed quickly. “It was truly a collaboration,” says Currie, who actually was ready to leave the music biz after years of grueling touring. “With us, there’s no ego, no push-pull. I don’t stand for that. I grew up with it, and I’m fed up with it. I’m into lifting people up, not putting people down.

Cherie Currie & Brie Darling’s ‘The Motivator’ is the end product of years of groundbreaking musical and personal work. But it’s also an album infused with a power, joy and enthusiasm that was forged—and doubled—thanks to the inspiring and exceptional Currie and Darling collaboration.