


Her talents got her to be the first female performer in the music industry to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in addition to being the recipient of the National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Lovingly dubbed as the “Queen of Soul,” African American singer, songwriter, and actress Aretha Franklin started her career as a gospel singer in church before expanding into the popular Motown sound of the 1960s. She remains the highest-grossing solo touring artist of all time.Īmong her many achievements, Madonna has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Rolling Stone magazine added her name to their list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time. Madonna’s music has been well-received across the globe, and she has sold upwards of $1.5 billion in concert sales in the U.S. This American singer has been certified as the best-selling female artist of all time by Guinness World Records and is known as the most successful solo artist in the history of the U.S. She’s a female singer often referred to as the “Queen of Pop” and has reinvented her sound and image throughout the decades, creating an eclectic mix of pop, electronica, and rock music to incorporate in much of her anthem music. If Mariah Carey was the female artist of the 90’s, Madonna is arguably the top female artist of the 80’s when her career began. Mariah Carey has also won five Grammy Awards, 19 World Music Awards, and 15 Billboard Music Awards and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020. Throughout her career, she has nabbed the record for most number one singles by a solo artist, female songwriter, and female producer. During her rise to fame, she also debuted a holiday album, Merry Christmas, which featured one of her best-selling singles of all time, “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” The worldwide success of her debut album was only superseded by her follow-up albums, Music Box and Daydream. Carey was the first music artist in history to have their first five singles reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. When Mariah Carey hit the scene as a female singer with a five-octave vocal range, it was immediately apparent that she was a new force to be reckoned with. Here is Victrola ’s list of the top female artists, which spans various musical genres, styles, and decades. However, certain accolades, awards, and record-breaking album sales arguably cement the status of certain performers as the best in music history. The level of talent from female musicians that has emerged in our record store throughout the decades make it difficult to narrow down to a select few.
