She dated Graham Nash (but refused to marry him), then was involved with James Taylor for a while before Carly Simon swooped in and took him off the market. And lets face it, if anyone knows how to take out the trash, its Garbage. While Blur and Oasis were busy turning Britpop into a global brand, Justine Frischmann was fronting the female alternative to beer-soaked lads anthems. Support Free Mobile App She had been influenced vocally by Bessie Smith, Odetta, and Big Mama Thornton, but she brought an unchained, hard-rock energy to the scene, swigging her patented Southern Comfort whiskey onstage. Fond of beat poets, she read Jack Kerouac and all those other dope-smoking degenerates, as she put it. Online. Fleetwood Mac started as a hard-driving, macho blues-rock band in the 60s with the triple guitars of Peter Green, Danny Kirwan, and Jeremy Spencer. Brandy Hulton Archive / Alberto E. Rodriguez, Getty Images Then: Brandy was easily one of the most successful R&B singers of the '90s, with her albums 'Brandy' and 'Never Say Never' going. By the beginning of the 90s Kristin Hersh and her band Throwing Muses were already in the spotlight for their angular, kinetic pop and Hersh's raw and often stream of consciousness lyrics. They treated the opposite sex as objects to desire, but never denigrate unless they deserved it. As a classically trained pianist, she was composing music as an eight-year-old and playing jazz standards in her teens. 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival. No one said Ike was musically stupid (he played on what some consider the first rock record in 1951, Rocket 88), but his spousal abuse of Tina, as cited in her 1986 memoir, I, Tina, has rightfully tarnished his legacy. She was known as the Queen of Disco but was bursting with talent that ran the gamut from gospel to rock. She grew up in Detroit, where her dad was a nationally known gospel singer and also a minister at the large, 4,500-member New Bethel Baptist Church. In a world full of cookie-cutter singers, Sophies unique sound and quirky attitude made her stand out from the crowd. Stu Buchanan. It was laced with hits, including Buckinghams Go Your Own Way and Second Hand News, the bittersweet I Dont Wanna Know, and Christines rare ray of sunshine, Dont Stop.. Heart was soon victimized by their macho-dominated label, Mushroom Records, which in 1977 sent a controversial ad (the Wilson sisters werent told about it) to trade publications implying they were lesbians. By the time the wider world heard Elizabeth Fraser's transcendent tones on Massive Attack's Teardrop' in 1998, she had already established the hallmarks of her unique musical voice over a decade earlier. But, before then, we watched Ella perform with spunk and bags of energy on our music TV staples. Dan Condon. Hope Sandoval 15. Serious Mitchell lovers cite her best work as the Blue album in 1971, a confessional, singer/songwriter record that heavily influenced generations of artists. Their Temperamental album continued the band's steady rise in Australia, and now it was time for the world to discover this crowd slaying act. A. Nanase Aikawa; Aimer; Aimyon; Tsuki Amano; Anza (singer) Aya (Japanese singer) C. Chara (singer) Crystal Kay; E. Elisa (Japanese singer) F. But, by the end of the show, you'd realise she was unassuming and charming, like a friend who's been a part of your life for years. To her fans she was a poster-woman (never girl) for questioning, amorous misfits. You will find links to the music of most of these artists in the article, but we also recommend checking out our playlist. The band allowed Deal's songwriting to shine, with their debut Pod earning praise from Kurt Cobain, who remarked that Deal should have written more songs for Pixies. It showed them huddled together looking sexy, with the caption, It was only our first time! Ann hit the roof and went back to her hotel after a concert to write a scathing reply in the aggressive song Barracuda, which became a hit. Dolores O' Riordan 6. Contents: Top 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A [ edit] Tori Amos While the first two No Doubt albums rippled beneath the surface for the band, it was 1995's Tragic Kingdom that propelled them to superstardom. She even paid him for it and that helped inspire him to become a performer. Donna Summer had a huge career, but was perhaps unfairly typecast. The '90s saw a lot of females who fronted rock bands. After three decent albums, Blake Babies split in 1991 and Hatfield began a far more successful solo career. The best thing about Erykah Badu is that you never know where she's going to go next. And on Sonic Youth's first Australian tour, she stage-dived into the mosh pit playing her bass as the band covered I Wanna Be Your Dog'. Berklee is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education "NECHE" (formerly NEASC). Not only did she become an icon of the 90s but also paved the way for female rockers to come in the decades following. Jodi and Trisha showed us it can be a fascinating and revealing world worthy of exploring. Then the highly inconsistent Universal Mother. Gemma Pike. live, learn and work. The hits kept coming from the albums palette of aggressive, confessional pop-rockHand in My Pocket, Ironic, All I Really Want, and You Learn. But the most emphatic was the snarling, ranting You Oughta Know, which really caught a national mood of how some women felt after being rejected. Various members have also made solo albums, the most conspicuous by far being Nicks Bella Donna in 1981, which had three major hits, including two duetsStop Draggin My Heart Around with Tom Petty and Leather and Lace with the Eagles Don Henley. Mitchell grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and had polio at age 9. Tina also became a hotter-than-ever live act who played arenas and amphitheaters and was carried over the crowd in a cherry-picker, much as Mick Jagger used to do with the Stones. 1, Call Me, the theme song for the movie American Gigolo. This British singer-songwriter is still making waves today. Her breakthrough album Jagged Little Pill is still regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, and with hits like You Oughta Know and Ironic, its easy to see why. The sweetness of their melodies acts like the nectar of the pitcher plant drawing our senses inward and it's all too late before we realise we've slid down the slippery slope into a world filled with the surreal and the macabre. Murphy was like Catwoman; passionate and straight to the point, yet somehow aloof. Liz Phair 10. Madonna Born Madonna Louis Ciccone in Bay City, Michigan, Madonna is often considered one of pop culture's most influential figures. 1 record 5-10-15 Hours, and her early hits helped to establish Atlantic Records as a force to be reckoned with in the music business. Alison Mosshart 13. Beyonce Giselle Knowles-Carter is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. Beyonc 15. The album was one of the best-selling in history, staying at No. Some of the arrangements on those early-90s albums sound kinda dated now, but Thorn's voice is timeless; a perfect amalgam of jazz, pop, soul and something that's utterly unique. Their fourth No. Dan Condon. Her debut album Hey Babe was a solid start, but 1993's Become What You Are put her poster on the wall for every indie loving music kid of the 90s. She had been a teeny-bop singer in her native Canada as an early teen, but then suffered a romantic breakup and started writing very adult (and very angry) songs in the aftermath. As good as the singles are, and that Prince cover is truly magnificent, that song is the musical heart of the album and one of the best recordings of the 90s. Lauryn Hill, Bjrk and PJ Harvey Author: Scott Colothan Published 8th Mar 2022 Last updated 8th Mar 2022 To celebrate International Women's Day, Absolute Radio taken a look at some of the most inspirational female musicians of the 1990s. Couldnt go out, I didnt have keys. Hayley Williams 14. As you can see, the tabloids were kept busy, but the tensions were all poured into the Macs Rumours album of 1977. She shared the stage with Elvis Presley in the mid-'50s and became known as the Queen of Rockabilly. They eventually had four No. Stereolab's music always felt like the sonic equivalent of my recurring dream of the perfect op shop: a heavenly room filled with all the best records, clothes, dusty vintage synths and giant, mounted swordfish. Divinyls closed out the 80s strongly. It set the tone of Joni producing or co-producing each of her albums. Dan Condon. Dan Condon. Pat Benatar 11. They were always best listened to really loud so you could scream about girl stuff along with her. Stu Buchanan. However, the Mac became too self-indulgent with the Rumours follow-up, the double-album Tusk, in 1979. She grew up in New Jersey and was in a folk group called Wind in the Willows for a while in the 1960s. People laughed at them, but the B-52s became a party band that everyone wanted to see. Who could forget the image of Neneh Cherry in her music video for Manchild', from her 1989 record Raw Like Sushi? And the band became even bigger in the UK than the US. That disc was produced by Hugh Padgham, who had worked with the Police and Phil Collins. As a young girl I drank up every line she sang, learning not only about her experiences with love, friendship, jealousy, drug use, adultery, self-esteem but realising and rationalising my own. From Desperately Seeking Susan and portraying the ultimate Material Girl in the 80s, the 90s saw Madonna, The Queen of Pop, offend her critics more than ever. When she played, she exuded an untouchable coolness, like the older sister you'd never have the guts to talk to. It was the first album in rock history to top more than $1 million of studio time. Most importantly, because of her actions, the royalty payments system at Atlantic and other labels was reformed and many R&B artists of her generation benefited from her activism. One of the most remarkable comebacks in rock history occurred when Tina released Private Dancer in 1984. Albums like Bitch Epic and My Third Husband showed that she shone when writing intriguingly dark songs, while the short-lived Ultrasound project took her to a cinematic, more experimental place midway through the decade. Lance Ferguson. She continued to perform throughout her life, and at age 73 released a 2011 album with Jack White of the White Stripes. Debut also kickstarted her career-long methodology of collaborating with some of the brightest minds in alternative music, all of whom wisely allowed Bjrk's skills as a writer, vocalist, producer and arranger to sit centre stage. Ike & Tina had another big hit in 1971, with a remake of Creedence Clearwater Revivals Proud Mary., Their last big hit was Nutbush City Limits in 1973. Though a little less popular than their male counterparts, these female singers were no less talented and had a major influence on the alternative rock scene: Among the most well-known include PJ Harvey, Juliana Hatfield, Mazzy Stars Hope Sandoval, Courtney Love of Hole, and Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth. Dorothy Markek. Be it with their pop and rock anthems or their alternative sound, these female singers all brought something special to the table. At 18, she started Righteous Babe Records and was answerable to no one but herself. After playing in New York clubs in a folk duo with her sister Lucy, she debuted with a self-titled album in 1971. It wasn't until her seventh album that she achieved something of a breakthrough hit' with the swear fest Untouchable Face'. As Sounds magazine wrote, Cindy had a pink bouffant so high you could use it to sweep the ceiling in most houses. Even their name was taken from a Southern term for a bouffant hairstyle. The transformation of Kylie Minogue was one of the true wonders of the 90s. I even picked up a bass guitar once and tried playing it with a screwdriver, just like her. This is a list of female rock singers. And now that weve seen their incredible contributions, it can only be hoped that their work will continue to inspire more female rockers in the years to come. Leading the way, of course, was the iconic Courtney Love from Hole, Kim Deal from The Breeders, and Shirley Manson from Garbage. The duo ended in 1976, when a fed-up Tina ran away from Ike at a Dallas hotel with only 36 cents and a gas station credit card in her pocket. Myf Warhurst. Do you like my tight sweater? Let's forget the politics and just stick with the music. Joni Mitchell will forever be enshrined in rock history for writing Woodstock, the tribute song to the festival that was covered in a hit version by Crosby, Stills & Nash. But that year she also released a video of Lucky Star, where the camera got up close and personal with her navel. Although she's been nominated multiple times in the folk and rock Grammy categories, DiFranco has often extended her sound into jazz, hip hop and funk. Before the Spice Girls, TLC were the original poster children for Girl Power. After her peak years, Baker took a job managing an officers club in the Philippines for the US military from 1969 to 1991. Sporting dreads and midriff tops, Ella was a relatable teen role model, fronting a band that would never be the cool kids. It is also worth noting that she also became part of folk-rock royalty by marrying James Taylor in 1972 and having a son and daughter with him before they parted in the 80s. Scopitone, Dec 31, 2013. 1. She broke the mould and made a new one, all the while making us want to dance (Who can forget Get Your Freak On'? Over 100 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Female Singers Of The 1980s. released their second EP Clunk, which featured their breakthrough hit Ordinary Angels'. Richard Kingsmill. It had some rock in the songs Smackwater Jack and the funky I Feel the Earth Move., Carly Simon had a privileged upbringing as the daughter of Manhattan book publishing magnate Richard Simon, co-founder of Simon & Schuster. A particularly scandalous highlight was her coffee table book Sex, featuring provocative and explicit images at the same time as her fifth studio album Erotica was released. Myf Warhurst. Dan Condon. Formed in the mid-80s in the New York borough of Queens, the trio (don't forget DJ Spinderella!) While their first two albums had limited success, it was a remix of Sing it Back' which gave Murphy her breakthrough success at the end of the decade. Aretha, however, had her share of tragedies. She embraced all elements of being a woman and an artist, in her work and in her life and never shied away from it. She kept the alternative world close to her craft, even if the industry kept demanding more hits from her. With her mesmerizing voice and fierce attitude, Shirley Manson proved that redheads dont just have more fun, they also rock harder. For Artists Developers Advertising Investors Vendors Spotify for Work. But the 90s was when she made her mark on many of us unsuspecting music fans. But Hynde always fought through it, with the help of anchoring drummer Martin Chambers, a powerful player who had his own tempestuous side, having to cancel a tour once because he broke his hand while punching out a lamp in frustration. There's no one that defines 90s electronic pop music quite like Bjrk, and it's remarkable to think that she is now just as radical and relevant as she ever was, with an energy that shows no sign of waning. #16. Shes the quintessential rock star: shes cool, edgy, and doesnt give a damn about what anyone thinks. Her band Garbage became one of the most popular rock bands of the time and had a major influence on the alternative rock scene. These women have been belting out amazing tunes for decades, and none show any signs of slowing down. These women also founded the Rock For Choice concerts. The first album had the hits Our Lips Are Sealed and We Got the Beatsongs that are almost impossible to hear without cracking a smile. From smooth, chilled out R&B and soul, to hard-hitting experimental hip hop and mind-bending psychedelic jazz, her sound has never stayed the same.