The past 100 years in popular music have seen a variety of female performers who have all helped not only pave way for those who came after them, but also helped shape popular music as we know it.
There are artists who have served as a blueprint with their singing styles, influencing the way female vocalists have learned to use their instruments, and then there are also those who have influenced or even recreated the image of what it means to be a global Pop star.
Artists like Madonna and Cher have heavily made use of their imagery, shock-value and visual appearances – to create a niche for themselves and also to create a way of longevity and relevance in the competitive world of Pop music.
Looking back at some of these pioneering artists, here are the Top 10 most influential female artists of all time:
10) Judy Garland
Judy Garland was just as much of a cultural phenomenon as great she was an on-stage enchantress. The troubled artist has often been called one of the most iconic and biggest stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Referred to as one of the greatest belters of her time, her vocal style went on to influence the likes of Barbra Streisand, LeAnn Rimes, Liza Minnelli – during her wake, and Ariana Grande, Sam Smith and Janelle Monáe – among present generation’s performers. As the first woman to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, her path-breaking career helped pave way for other female superstars of the time.
9) Dinah Washington
One of the most iconic voices in classic Jazz music, from the genre’s golden era – Dinah Washington’s influence has insidiously made it’s way through multiple decades, inspiring someone like the late, Amy Winehouse – who picked a lot of her incredible phrasing style from Dinah’s sublime ability to tell a story. Her success and musical style even inspired the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin – before she finally found solo success with her 1967 album, ‘I Never Loved A Man, The Way I Loved You.’ Dinah is certainly one of the best to do it, in the past 100 years.
8) Tina Turner
Tina Turner can be deemed responsible for a lot of what you see in Beyonce’s stage-presence, especially during the early phase of the singer’s career — so much so, that even the music video for the latter’s first solo song ‘Work It Out’ was reminiscent of Tina’s Proud Mary moves, look, hair and of coarse – the legs. Tina gave a new definition to female performers on-stage, that gave them the power to be their most fierce. Her power-packed vocals, her energetic moves and her short skirts and big wolf-y hair – Tina’s brand helped curate an international superstar, that inspired several female performers that came after her.
7) Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson was not just the greatest voice in the world of Gospel music, but she also became a significant face in the civil rights movement back in the 50’s and 60’s. Her social and community work, combined with her powerful soul-stirring vocal performances – made her a symbol of black empowerment. Her musical gift inspired not only the countless Gospel singers that came after her, but several other female artists of color who followed her footsteps.
6) Billie Holiday
Holiday formulated a new-style of phrasing with her vocals, influencing the way jazz was sung in her wake. Her ability to narrate a story through her singing style, her vocal expressions and intonation, inspired by jazz instrumentalists – made her a pioneer of the genre. Her success at the onset of civil rights movement in the United States, helped pave way for other female artists of color who arrived through the path she lay down. Holiday’s vocal phrasing style and her interpretative skills continue to inspire those who take notes about the art of singing from the great singers in Jazz and Blues area.
5) Janet Jackson
It is a rarity for two siblings with the same surname, to achieve worldwide success and popularity – in spite of each other. But Janet Jackson did just that, in the wake of her brother Michael’s already iconic status. In the mid 80’s, when Janet broke into the scene, her Pop tunes carried a message of social injustices, domestic violence, individual identity and feminism that made her an influence among the youth of her time. And her iconic dance-breaks, reminiscent of her ‘dance-virtuoso’ brother, were no less an influence on those female performers who came after her in the Pop music scene.
4) Diana Ross
One of the first black female superstars that Popular music came to know of. Diana Ross not only opened the doors for female artist of color in the Pop music scene back in the day, her gigantic influence also helped the world know about some other great talents like Stevie Wonder and Jackson 5 – the latter of which sprouted one of the all time great performers – Michael Jackson. Diana’s record-shattering #1’s as the front vocalist of The Supremes made her one of the most successful female stars of her time, while she gradually also became an icon for the LGBTQ community, representing the joyous, positive, youthful image of pride.
3) Madonna
Madonna’s place in the Pop scene is undeniable. The singer-songwriter created a niche for herself in the colorful world and era of the 1980’s, always managing to draw attention to her work, by shock value of either her music videos or her unfiltered self. Her flamboyant image and fierce persona, contributed to the creation of a Pop diva – that wasn’t afraid of being sexual, or depicting her sexuality unabashedly on celluloid. Her catchy dance-pop tunes, topped with eye-grabbing costumes and outlandish visual art – would later influence singers like, Britney Spears, Kesha, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus and several others — who have all made plenty usage of attention-grabbing imagery to expand the appeal of their work, just like Madonna did in her prime.
2) Aretha Franklin
The single most influential vocalist in the world of Soul music – a genre that itself has led to the birth of distinct artists across multiple styles. Aretha was the undisputed queen of it all. Her mesmerizing vocal abilities and her ability to take every song to church and interpret it from the depths of her soul, was something that led the likes of Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight and countless others to be influenced from her. The power in her music and the conviction in her deliveries, would influence several singers in her wake to step-out and use their gift for good, and would hence contribute to the creation of some of the best voices we know today.
1) Whitney Houston
No other female singer in contemporary music has inspired a broad spectrum of male and female voices as Whitney Houston had. Her influence has transcended genres and even geographic boundaries, considering her worldwide popularity and influence – so much so that the very style of her singing has contributed to the creation of multiple singing-talent shows, that you see today. As admitted by American Idol creator and music mogul, Simon Cowell – the idea behind the creation of a show like American Idol was to find a voice like Whitney. As an article on The Star-Ledger by Tris McCall once said :- ‘Popular singing since ‘Saving All My Love For You’ has been one long chase of her shadow.’ The same is reflected in the variety of artists that have been influenced by her namely – Beyonce, Adele, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Toni Braxton, Kelly Rowland, Leona Lewis, Robin Thicke, Usher, Monica, Brandy, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson – to name a few.
Apart from her infectious vocal talent, Houston’s impact on popular culture and music, particularly as a black female entertainer helped paved the way for others, as she became the first black woman entertainer in the 1980’s to be played on heavy rotation on a predominantly white primetime MTV, making way for the likes of Anita Baker and Janet Jackson. Her place in Pop music is often worshipped by those who’re marginalised in the mainstream, and yet continue to dream of achieving something big, like she did.
While the list could be shuffled to some extent and would still make sense, a lot of what is put together here is quantitative.
Either way, the world of music wouldn’t be the same without, at least, these 10 extraordinary performers.