We have heard all about their love lives, individual personalities, where they began to where they are today, and of most importance we have heard the voices that led them to their rise to fame. That’s right; B-Sides is providing you with our Top 11 Most Influential Female Artists of Today! Coming from all different music genres, we are giving you our picks of the top ladies we feel have created the most impact in today’s music industry.
11.) P!nk
American pop rock singer Pink, began her musical career back in 2000 when she left the all-girl group Choice to perform as a solo act. Her debut album Take Me Home went double Platinum in the United States with its release that year, she also received her first Grammy Award that year for covering “Lady Marmalade” for the Moulin Rouge movie soundtrack. In 2001 she released her most profound album to date known as M!ssundastood, with over 12 million album sales. Her singles “Get the Party Started,” “Don’t Let Me Get Me,” and “Just Like A Pill,” charted in the top for the United States and the United Kingdom. The singer released 5 more studio albums from 2003-2013. She has become one of the most successful female artists of her generation, with over 40 million albums and 70 million singles sold worldwide! Throughout her music career she has been awarded 3 Grammy Awards, 1 BRIT Award, and 5 MTV Music Awards, and has also achieved 19 top twenty hits on the Billboard Hot 100!
10.) Selena Gomez
Young American actress and singer Selena Gomez began her start into fame through acting in Disney television shows and films. Her start began in 2002-2004 on the hit children’s TV show Barney and Friends. Soon after she had cameo roles in the 2003 Spy Kids 3D: Game Over film and the 2005 Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial By Fire film. In 2006 she guest starred in Disney shows The Sweet Life of Zack and Cody and Hannah Montana. Soon after she starred in the new TV series Wizards of Waverly Place, in which the show became a big commercial success gaining recognition for the young starlet. In 2008-2009 Gomez appeared in more Disney TV series and films before releasing her first studio album Kiss & Tell in 2009 under the name Selena Gomez and The Scene. The album reached in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200. Gomez took a musical hiatus until October of 2012 when she confirmed that she had been working on her own solo album. In April of 2013 she released her single “Come and Get It,” which reached in the Top 10 on the Hot 100 and received Gold by the RIAA. Her second single, “Slow Down” was released this past June and Gomez has plans for another musical hiatus after the July release of her new album Stars Dance.
9.) Demi Lovato
American singer and actress Demi Lovato had a similar success to fame as our number 10 pick Selena Gomez. Lovato also began her fame into stardom by first appearing on the children’s TV show Barney and Friends. It was not until 2008 when she starred in the Disney movie Camp Rock. During that same year she was signed to Hollywood Records and released her debut album Don’t Forget in September 2008. She was awarded Gold by the RIAA for the album and in 2009 she received her own TV show called Sonny With A Chance. She also released her second album Here We Go Again, and topped the Billboard 200. Due to personal struggles Lovato was going through at the time, she did not release her third album Unbroken until 2011. The album talked about the struggles she was going through, especially in the single “Skyscraper.” Her fourth album Demi released in 2013 featuring her latest single “Heart Attack.” Her musical career has earned her awards and nominations such as a nomination for the Teen Choice Awards and she has received 1 MTV Music Award.
8.) Lily Allen
Spunky English singer Lily Allen, made her way to fame starting in 2005 when she uploaded some of her own recordings on her MySpace page, which led to their airplay on BBC Radio 1 and a record deal with Regal Recordings. Her first single “Smile” made it to number 1 on the UK Singles Chart in July 2006. Her debut album Alright, Still sold over 2.6 million copies worldwide upon its release and received nominations for the Grammy Awards, BRIT Awards, and the MTV Video Music Awards. She released her second album, It’s Not Me, It’s You which had a shift in musical style from reggae to more electropop. The new album received number 1 on the UK Album Charts and the Australian ARIA Charts, and in 2011 Allen went on to create her own record label.
7.) Katy Perry
American pop singer Katy Perry, began her start into music by pursuing a career in gospel music in her teen years by releasing her own self-titled studio album and in 2007 she signed with Capitol Records. Perry made musical success with her first mainstream pop album One Of The Boys that released in 2008. Her singles “I Kissed A Girl,” “Hot n’ Cold,” and “Waking Up In Vegas” on the album aided in the albums commercial success. Perry went on to drop her second album Teenage Dream in 2010, which became an instant success and topped the charts in several countries including the United States. The album had 5 number one hits that reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Perry’s album is the first in history for a female artist to accomplish this! The singer has also received many awards and nominations for her music including the nomination for 9 Grammy Awards, and being named Billboard’s 2012 “Woman of the Year.” To this day she is the only musician to spend 69 consecutive weeks in the top ten of the Hot 100!
6.) Lady Gaga
New York City native and singer/songwriter Lady Gaga broke into stardom back in 2007 when record executive and producer Vincent Herbert signed her to Streamline Records. In 2008 Gaga came out with her debut album The Fame which earned her both critical and commercial success. The album had international number 1 hits including “Just Dance” and “Poker Face.” In 2009 she released her extended release of the album known as The Fame Monster, that had hit singles “Bad Romance,” “Alejandro,” and “Telephone.” With the album release Gaga had The Monster Ball Tour which became one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time. Her second album Born This Way dropped in 2011 and topped many album charts in major markets and also released more chart topping songs including, “Born This Way” and “Judas.” Lady Gaga plans to release her third album Artpop sometime this year.
5.) Nicki Minaj
American rapper Nicki Minaj began her road to stardom as a young child when she attended performing arts school in Queens, New York. She had success with 3 mixtape releases between the years of 2007-2009, and was then signed to Young Money Entertainment. Her debut album Pink Friday was released in 2010, peaked on the Billboard 200 and was awarded Platinum by RIAA one month after its release. Her hit single “Super Bass” has been labeled quadruple-Platinum and has sold over 4 million copies becoming one of the best-selling singles in the United States. Minaj became the first solo female artist to have 7 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time. Her second album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, released in 2012 and topped charts internationally. The album was one of the best-selling albums of 2012 and sold over one million copies worldwide. In 2013 Minaj was named the most-charted female rappers in the history of the Billboard Hot 100.
4.) Taylor Swift
Country pop singer Taylor Swift moved to Nashville, Tennessee at age 14 to pursue her dream of becoming a country music singer. She was signed to Big Machine Records and was the youngest songwriter to ever be hired by Sony/ATV Publishing House. Her 2006 self-titled debut album with the hit “Our Song,” made her also the youngest singer to write and perform a number one song on the Country Chart. In 2008 she received a Best New Artist nomination at the Grammy Awards. In 2008 she released her second album Fearless, which became the best-selling album of 2009. With this album she won 4 Grammy Awards, and was the youngest winner of the Album of the Year award. In 2010, Swift released her third album Speak Now, which sold over one million copies in the United States within its first week of release. Her fourth album Red was released in 2012, during its release in the United States it sold 1.2 million copies, the highest recorded in a decade. She is also the only female artist to have two million-plus opening weeks. Swift’s Red Tour will continue in North America until September 2013.
3.) Lana Del Rey
American singer/songwriter Lana Del Rey started songwriting at age 18, and signed her first recording contract at the age of 22 with 5 Points Records in 2007. Soon after she released her debut album Lana Del Rey aka Lizzy Grant digitally in January 2010. In April of 2010 she bought out of her contract with 5 Points and signed a joint record contract with Interscope, Polydor, and Stranger Records in July 2011. She released her debut single “Video Games” in June of 2011 as well as her own music video for the single, which was posted on YouTube in August 2011. The song then became a viral internet hit with over 20 million views, her second studio album Born To Die, was released in January 2012. The record sold over 3.6 million copies worldwide, making it the fifth best-selling album of 2012. Her third release in 2012 was her EP Paradise, which became her third top ten album in the US. It debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200 with 67,000 copies sold within its first week of release. She has won a Q Award for “Best New Thing,” a GQ Award for “Woman of the Year,” a BRIT Award for “International Breakthrough Act” and “International Pop Female Solo Artist,” and an EMA for “Best Alternative Act.”
2.) Beyonce
American R&B singer Beyonce Knowles, began her music career as the lead singer in R&B girl group Destiny’s Child from 1997-2001. In 2003 the singer went solo with her debut album Dangerously in Love, which established her as a credible solo singer worldwide by selling over 11 million copies, earning 5 Grammy Awards, and acheiving Billboard number one singles with songs “Crazy in Love” and “Baby Boy.” She released her second album B’Day in 2006, as well as delved into the world of acting in such movies like Dreamgirls and The Pink Panther. In 2008 she released her third album I Am…Sasha Fierce, and was awarded 6 Grammy Awards in 2010. The singer then took a short hiatus from music to manage her career and explore other musical styles including Rock N’ Roll as well as African and Funk styles. Her fourth album 4, was released in 2011 and has a more traditional R&B sound to it. In 2012 Beyonce gave birth to her daughter Blue Ivy Carter. Throughout her 15 year music career she has accomplished earning 17 Grammy Awards, and has sold over 13 million albums in the United States alone, and 75 million worldwide.
1.) Adele
English singer/songwriter Adele Adkins, was offered a recording contract from XL Recordings after a friend of hers posted the singer’s demo on MySpace in 2006. The following year Adele received the BRIT Awards’ “Critics Choice” award and won BBC Sound of 2008. Her debut album 19, was released that year as well and was certified four times Platinum in the United Kingdom as well as double Platinum in the United States. Her career in the United States rose when she appeared in an episode of Saturday Night Live in late 2008. In 2009, she received the Grammy Awards for “Best New Artist” and “Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.” She released her second album 21 in early 2011, the album earned her 6 Grammy Awards in 2012, equaling the record for most Grammy wins by a female artist in one night. She is the first artist to sell more than 3 million copies of an album in a year in the United Kingdom. Due to her first two albums and first two singles on 21, “Rolling in the Deep” and “Someone Like You,” Adele has become the first living artist to achieve having two top-five hits both in the UK Official Singles Chart and the Official Albums Chart since The Beatles in 1964. Her third single release on the album “Set Fire to the Rain” became her third number one hit in the United States, and she has become the first artist in history to lead in the Billboard 200 consistently with 3 Billboard Hot 100 number one songs.
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