Women in Music

WHITNEY HOUSTON

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Whitney Houston is the most awarded musician of all time. She has broken numerous records and inspired millions, even after her untimely death in 2012. Her trademark soulful vocals, credited with popularising the 'vocal gymnastics' style of singing, have inspired countless artists including Mariah Carey and Beyonce Knowles.

BEYONCE

As a member of best-selling girl group Destiny's Child Beyonce shone, and now as a solo artist, her career has broken records all over the world. Named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, Beyonce has controversially described herself as a "modern-day feminist" with themes of female sexuality and empowerment in her music

DIANA ROSS

Billboard's "Female Entertainer of the Century" was named the most successful female artist in history due to her having a total of over 70 hit singles, both with the Supremes and as a solo artist. The Supremes are credited with spawning a generation of black girl groups like Destiny's Child, TLC and The Pointer Sisters. She has been cited as an influence by stars such as Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Beyonce. Ross is also one of few recording artists to have two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

BRITNEY SPEARS

Britney Spears is the youngest female to have first three albums debuted at the top of Billboard 200. She then proceeded to break her own record a 4, 5, and 6th time with the release of her albums Circus, Femme Fatale,and In the Zone. Spears is ranked as the eighth best-selling female recording artist in the United States with 3 million sold albums certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Billboard. Britney has now sold over 200 million records worldwide making her the 5th biggest selling female artist ever. Britney Spears is the second most famous female in the world(behind Madonna)85% of the worlds population knows Britney Spears Spears is the biggest selling musician worldwide this decade (2000-2010) with global album sales of over 100 million as of 2010.

CHER

Cher has been innovating and reinventing herself since her career took off as part of husband and wife duo Sonny & Cher. The high-school dropout is recognised as one of the best-selling artists of all time, and her single 'Believe' pioneered the use of auto-tune, use of which later became known as the 'Cher effect'. She is the only act to have a No.1 single in every decade since the 1960s and she also influenced the fashion world with her flamboyant style and daring wardrobe choices.

Intro

In what has historically been a male-dominated industry, there have been a number of innovative and ground-breaking female musicians who have paved the way for women in modern music. In the absence of any female role models for them to aspire to, women in the music industry have created and popularised their own individual identities - breaking records, destroying barriers and changing the entire landscape of music as they did so. Without these women we wouldn't have musical techniques we consider as standard or songs we define as classics today. No matter what genre, from jazz and soul to punk and and hip hop, these are just a few of the women who have trailblazed their way through their careers and carved out their own paths in music, inpiring whole new generations of female musicians. Here's to them.

JOAN JETT/THE RUNAWAYS

Joan Jett considered an originator, innovator and visionary, Joan Jett is highly influential in the sphere of female rock artists and the story of her band the Runaways has spawned a successful biographical movie adaptation. She is also one of only two women on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time - the other being Joni Mitchel

MADONNA

Madonna is the best-selling female recording artist of all time and has arguably set the gold standard for being an independent, controversial and successful female artist. Constantly reinventing herself and maintaining a distinctive identity both with her music and appearance;

GWEN STEFANI

She is the lead vocalist for the rock band, No Doubt. She sang with the band and released three albums before deciding to go solo.'Love. Angel. Music. Baby.', her first solo album was inspired by music of the 1980s. The album's third single, Hollaback Girl, was the first US digital download to sell one million copies. Her solo studio album, has sold more than forty million albums worldwide.

P!NK

She's had five platinum albums in five tries, with over 10 million sold total in this country and far more abroad. She's had 12 top ten singles, three of them going all the way to #1, spanning the course of 12 years and counting. She's won three Grammys, five Video Music Awards, and both a Kids' and Teen Choice Award. At the end of the '00s, Billboard named her the artist of the decade.

ADELE

Since she released 'Hometown Glory' in 2007 Adele provided a much needed tonic to the crowded music industry with her stripped down, organic sound. This led to her equalling the record for most Grammys won in a single night by a woman (the other being Beyonce). She has become one of an elite crew of British female artists to garner huge success in the US, proving that you don't need elaborate stage shows or a diva persona to win the hearts of millions.

ARETHA FRANKLIN

The Memphis-born Queen of Soul has sold over 75 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling female artists of all time. Her song 'Respect' bolted straight to No.1 and is still recognised as a feminist anthem today. Her distinctive, soulful voice coupled with a long and illustrious career has her pegged in the industry as peerless.

THE SPICE GIRLS

The Spice Girls' meteoric rise to prominence is still breaking records; their debut album Spice is still the bestselling album by a female group in music history. They brought the notion of 'girl power' to the British music scene and the theme of equality between the sexes was prominent in their work. They became what can only be described as a phenomenon and influenced millions of young girls in the process.

TINA TURNER

The eight-time Grammy award-winner has led to Tina Turner being dubbed the 'Queen of Rock'. She has sold more concert tickets than any other solo artist in history - largely due to her trademark powerful, rasping vocals, awesome stage presence and intimidating back catalogue of hits. Overcoming years of physical and emotional abuse from husband Ike Turner, she stomped her way to acclaim and over 100 million records sold.

JANET JACKSON

The little sister of late icon Michael Jackson has, throughout the course of her career, proven herself a successful and legitimate artist in her own right. Exploring provocative themes such as sexuality in her body of work, she distanced herself musically from her brothers and, in doing so, achieved commercial and critical success.