20 Best Female Singers of All Times

Photo by Graham Crumb. Wikimedia commons

20 Best Female Singers of All Times

Music is medicine to the soul and perfect for relaxing your mind and blowing off steam from the day’s workload and the female singers have given us nothing less than perfect. Music is not just music without the sweet vocals of the women. Female singers have stood out in recent times releasing some of the most sensational records and performances. Furthermore, music would not be so great without the input of women who move crowds with their gracious vocals. Countless singers play several music genres, however, some have stood out in their work and outshined the others. Walk with us in this article and discover some of the best singers of all time.

1. Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin. Photo by Cecilio Ricardo. Wikimedia Commons

Aretha Louise Franklin is regarded as the Queen of Souls for her outstanding work of art in the soul genre. She was an American pianist, songwriter, and sensational singer of all time. She lived between 1942 and 2018. However, she was active in music from 1954 to 2017. She began her singing career at New BethelBaptist Church as a child. she was successful in her career releasing several hits from R&B, gospel, and countless souls. She was placed twice in the ninth position in rolling stone’s “100 Greatest Artists of All times” and one of the world’s best-selling artists. She has won several awards including Grammy awards and inductions into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, Rock Hall of Fame, and Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

2. Kate Bush

Kate Bush. Photo by Bruce. Wikimedia Commons

Kate bush is an English singer, dancer, and producer born on the 30^th of July 1958. She however was active in music since 1975. She is so outstanding in her skills and this saw her go to higher heights of becoming the first female artist to achieve UK position one with her self-written song.  Her sensational talent was at pick in the 1980s when she topped the UK album chart becoming the first British solo female artist to enter the chart album at number one. She is more pronounced in art pop, progressive pop, experimental pop, and art rock.

3. Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston. Photo by PH2 Mark Kettenhofen. Wikimedia commons

Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American actress and singer born in 1963. She was nicknamed The Voice for her melodious voice which made her so popular. She is with over a hundred million sales worldwide making her among the best-selling music artist of all times. She has made a record in history for being the only artist to have had consecutive number-one singles on the billboard Hot 100. She is outstanding in the genres of R&B, soul, pop, dance, and gospel. She is an award-winning artist with many awards including 28 Guinness World Records.

4. Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse. Photo by Rama. Wikimedia Commons

Amy Winehouse is one of the most glamorous English singers and songwriters of an electric mix of musical genres which include rhythm, blues, Jazz, and soul. She lived between 1983 and 2011 but her beautiful voice is live to date. She was able to showcase her outstanding voice through her debut album. She was able to win five records for the then record for the most wins by a female artist in a single night. She also managed to win about five Granny awards making her the first British woman to win. However, she died at a young age which makes it one of the greatest losses in the music industry.

5. Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey. Photo by Filipe Vicente. Wikimedia Commons

Mariah Carey is also referred to as the “Queen of Christmas” or “Songbird Supreme”. She is an American actress, singer, and record producer born on the 27^th of March 1969. She is known for her magical five-octave vocal range with outstanding singing style. She has excelled greatly in the music industry. She managed to have her first singles reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. She is one of the most celebrated songwriters making sales of over two hundred million records making her one of the best-selling music artists of all times. She is so popular in R&B, soul, pop, and pop.

6. Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Fitzgerald. Photo by Riksarkivet. Wikimedia Commons

Nicknamed “First Lady Of Song”, Ella Fitzgerald was an American Jazz singer popular for her vocals in the genres of Jazz, bebop, soul, rock, and roll among others. She was born on 15^th June 1917 and became active in music in 1929. She won more than thirteen Grammy awards and made sales of over forty million albums. In her lifetime, she produced some of the most iconic jazz songs of all time. She was so outstanding in her music and ended up as the first African-American female to win at the inaugural show.

7. Tina Turner

Tina Turner. Photo by Philip Spittle. Wikimedia Commons

Tina Turner is a Swiss singer also referred to as the Queen of Rock and Roll. She gained fame from her role as a lead singer of the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. She made her solo debut “A Fool in Love” in 1960. She was indeed a star in her musical career in the rock genre as well as R&B and soul. She won several awards including the Granny award for Record of the year in 1984. She also had her song on the Billboard Hot 100 in the same year. She was ranked among the 100 greatest singers of all time.

8. Billie Holiday

Billie Holiday. Photo by William P. Gottlieb. Wikimedia Commons

Billie Holiday is considered one of the pioneers of women in jazz. She was an American Jazz and swing music singer who lived between 1915 and 1959. She was referred to as Lady Day by her fellow musicians. She was also an instrumentalist who played several musical instruments. She made a name for herself out of her sensational influence in pop and jazz music. Out of her outstanding efforts in music, she won 4four Grammy Awards as well as induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Grammy Hall of Fame.

9. Madonna

Madonna. Photo by Chrisweger. Wikimedia Commons

Madonna Louise Ciccone commonly referred to as the Queen of pop, is an American songwriter and singer of all times. She became active in music in 1979 and has since grown to greater heights for her exceptional work. She rose to prominence in the 1980s with her solo albums. She sold over thirty million records worldwide becoming the most successful solo artist in the history of the U.S. She was one of the best female singers in the 80s whose relevance has proceeded to date for her outstanding music. She achieved number-one hits as a woman on the Billboard Hot 100.

10. Etta James

Etta James. Photo by Louis Ramirez. Wikimedia Commons

Etta James’ full name is Jamesetta Hawkins born in 1938 and passed in 2012. She was an American singer who became active in music in 1954. She performed in several genres including gospel, jazz, R&B, blues, and Rock. Her deep voice come out so melodiously and she was able to bridge the gap between roll and rocks and rhythm and blues. She was ranked position sixty-two in the rolling stone list of 1oo Greatest Artists of all Time. Her music was her passion and she put it all together to win several Grammy Awards as well as inductions to different walls of fame.

11. Adele

Adele. Photo by marcen27. Wikimedia Commons

Adele is an English singer and songwriter born on the 5^th of May 1988. She is one of the world’s selling artists with over one hundred and twenty million sales. Her debut album was in 2008, ‘Chasing Pavements’ proved her worth as it was among UK’s top five singles. Her second album stood out and was ranked among the best-selling album of the 21^st century. It made sales of over thirty-one million copies. She topped the Billboard 200 for 24 weeks making her the longest female artist ever to top for most weeks.

12. Beyonce’

Beyonce. Photo by Erin McCormack. Wikimedia Commons

Beyonce has surprised the world with her magical voice of masterly talent. She is referred to as Queen B and is among the best-performing artists of all time. She was born on the 4^th of September 1981 and began her singing career in the 1990s. She began her career in a group of R&Bs girls group Destiny’s Child. However, she moved out in 2003 to pursue solo albums. Her debut album was Dangerously in Love. Some of her most popular songs are Crazy in Love, Baby boy, Irreplaceable, and Love on Top among many more. She has won several awards in her music journey making her among the selling music artists worldwide.

13. Bonnie Raitt

Bonnie Raitt. Photo by John Edwards. Wikimedia Commons

Bonnie Raitt is an American guitarist and blues singer born on the 8^th of November 1949. She is considered one of the best vocalists of all times. Her magical voice is so outstanding among other singers. She was into music since she was young and began her music career in a band where she played guitar and stand–up bass. This lead her to be known as the best female guitarist in the music industry. She has also won several awards including ten Grammy awards and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

14. Dionne Warwick

Dionne Warwick. Photo by Raph PH. Wikimedia Commons

Dionne Warwick is an American television host, singer, and actress born on the 12^th of December 1940. She is popular for her musical career in R&B, pop, soul, and gospel music genres. Having sold more than 1oo million records worldwide, she is among the best-selling female artists of all times. She has been awarded six Grammy Awards and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Awards. She has been inducted into several walks and the hall of fame. Her song “Don’t Make Me Over” among other have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

15. Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell. Photo by Capannelle. Wikimedia Commons

Joni Mitchell is a Canadian-American painter and songwriter. She was born on the 7^th of November 1943 and became active in music in 1964. She also plays guitar, and piano among other instruments. She records different genres from pop to jazz, rock and folk. She has stood out as one of the most influential female artists of the late 20^th century. She won several awards including Grammy Awards and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She is termed one of the greatest songwriters ever by Rolling Stone.

16. Linda Ronstadt

Linda Ronstadt. Photo by Carl Lender. Wikimedia Commons

Her full name is Linda Maria Ronstadt born on the 15^th of July 1946. She was interested in music at a very young age and at fourteen she was performing folk trio with her siblings. She is famous for her musical talent in rock, country music, and folk. One of her sensational hits is “you are no Good” among others. Her magical voice and magnificent talent have led her to win several awards including the Academy of Country Music Awards, and Grammy Awards among others.

17. Stevie Nicks

Stevie Nicks. Photo by Ralph Arvesen. Wikimedia Commons

Stevie Nicks is one of the famous American singers and songwriters are known for her exceptional talent in music. She was born on the 26^th of May 1948 and began singing in 1975. She began in the role of a lead singer in a rock band called Fleetwood. She later moved to perform solo albums which included “Talk to me” among many others. Her outstanding talent has however not gone unnoticed as she has been awarded severally. She was the first woman to be inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

18. Nina Simone

Nina Simone. Photo by Roland Godefroy. Wikimedia Commons

Nina Simone is one of the greatest black female artists of all times. She was born on the 21^st of February 1933. Her musical career began while singing and playing piano in a nightclub. She was, however, more popular in classical music, pop, and mixed gospels. She made her debut album in 1959 which was called Little Girl Blue. Since her debut, she has significantly excelled in her musical career. She also managed to win the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and other awards.

19. Diana Ross

Diana Ross. Photo by Raph_PH. Wikimedia Commons

Diana Ross is an American actress, performer, and singer born on the 26^th of March 1944. She was very talented in her vocals which rose her to fame as a lead singer of a vocal group called The Supremes. The group was so vibrant in the 1960s and it was one the best-selling girls’ groups at the time. After some time in the group, she left to go solo and was very successful in her career. One of her hits “Love Hangover” lead her to fame as an R&B soul singer.

20. Rihanna

Rihanna. Photo by oouinouin. Wikimedia Commons

Rihanna is a Barbadian singer and actress who was born on the 20^th of February 1988. In her childhood, she loved music and grew up listening to reggae music. Her passion for music led her to pursue a music career. Her vocals are on another level and this led her to release her first debut album in 2006 called ‘Music of the Sun’. she has been ranked the second-best-selling female artist of all time and named among the top 100 most influential people in the world both in 2012 and 2018. She has been graced with over two hundred and fifty million sales worldwide.