Women in Music

A Japanese goddess of Buddhist and Shinto tradition, Benzaiten is associated with music, the arts, wisdom, and water. Derived from the Hindu goddess Sarasvati, she was introduced to Japan through Buddhism around the 6th century. She is the only female figure among the Seven Gods of Fortune (Shichifukujin).

A twelfth-century German Benedictine nun, Hildegard of Bingen was at once a mystic, composer, naturalist, and theologian. She founded her own monastery and corresponded with the most powerful figures of her time, including popes and emperors.

First known composer, visionary, Doctor of the Church

A German Benedictine recluse and mystic of the 12th century, Jutta of Sponheim founded a community of women at the monastery of Disibodenberg. She is best known as the spiritual teacher and educator of Hildegard von Bingen.

Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, Anne Boleyn was the second wife of Henry VIII. Her marriage required England's break with Rome, giving rise to the Church of England. Mother of Elizabeth I, she was accused of adultery and beheaded at the Tower of London.

First wife of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, the great master of Roman sacred polyphony. She shared the composer's life for nearly thirty years before dying in the plague epidemic that struck Rome in 1580.

Maddalena Casulana (c. 1544 – c. 1590) was the first female composer to have her musical works published, notably two books of madrigals in 1568 and 1570. An Italian composer and singer, she explicitly asserted the artistic value of women in musical creation.

Anna Girò (c. 1710–1748) was an Italian contralto singer, pupil and close collaborator of Antonio Vivaldi. She created many roles in the Venetian composer's operas, becoming one of the most celebrated performers of her time.

A Venetian singer and composer of the 17th century, Barbara Strozzi was one of the first women to publish music under her own name. She composed more secular vocal works than any other composer of her era.

Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt and member of the House of Hohenzollern, he is best known as the dedicatee of Johann Sebastian Bach's six Brandenburg Concertos (1721). A music lover and patron of the arts, he embodies the aristocratic German culture of the early 18th century.

French harpsichordist and composer (1665-1729), a prodigy noticed in childhood by Louis XIV. She was one of the few women of her era to publish and have her musical works performed.

Italian composer, singer, and instrumentalist (1587–c.1641), Francesca Caccini is the first known woman to have composed an opera, La liberazione di Ruggiero (1625). Daughter of composer Giulio Caccini, she was the highest-paid musician at the Medici court in Florence.

Born Belle van Zuylen in the Netherlands in 1740, Isabelle de Charrière settled in Switzerland after her marriage and became one of the most remarkable women writers of the 18th century. A novelist, letter-writer, and composer, she advocated with great clarity for women's freedom and critiqued the social conventions of her time.

Austrian prodigy pianist and composer of the 18th century, elder sister of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Considered as talented as her brother in childhood, she toured the European courts before her career was cut short in adulthood due to her status as a woman.

Italian composer, singer, and pianist born in Vienna (1744–1812), pupil of Haydn and friend of Mozart. She was one of the few women of her time to be admitted to the Accademia Filarmonica of Bologna.

Russian pianist born in 1848, known primarily for marrying composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1877. Their union was brief and unhappy, with Tchaikovsky leaving her shortly after the wedding.

French composer and pianist (1857–1944), Cécile Chaminade was one of the first women to establish herself in the classical music world. Celebrated for her Concertstück for piano and orchestra and her Concertino for flute, she enjoyed tremendous international success during her lifetime.

German pianist and composer

Fanny Mendelssohn (1805–1847) was a German composer and virtuoso pianist, sister of Felix Mendelssohn. Despite exceptional talent recognized from childhood, the conventions of the era long prevented her from publishing her works under her own name. She composed more than 460 pieces, including lieder, chamber music, and piano works.

Giuseppina Strepponi was an Italian soprano, one of the leading bel canto singers of the early 19th century. She notably created the role of Abigaille in Nabucco and became the companion, then the wife, of the composer Giuseppe Verdi.

Nineteenth-century Swedish singer, a coloratura soprano of international fame nicknamed “the Swedish Nightingale.” She enjoyed immense success in Europe and then in the United States during a tour organized by the impresario P. T. Barnum.

A wealthy Russian widow and businesswoman, patron of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, whom she supported financially for thirteen years. Their relationship, kept strictly to letters by mutual agreement, produced more than 1,200 letters.

Nellie Melba (1861-1931) was the most celebrated Australian coloratura soprano of her time. Triumphing at Covent Garden and the Paris Opera, she embodied the prestige of bel canto and the grand operatic tradition of the Belle Époque.

French mezzo-soprano and composer (1821–1910), daughter of tenor Manuel García and sister of La Malibran. She was one of the great opera singers of the 19th century, muse to Ivan Turgenev and many Romantic composers.

French café-concert singer and *diseuse* (1865–1944), an icon of the Belle Époque immortalized by Toulouse-Lautrec. Famous for her long black gloves and her expressionist delivery of Parisian realist songs.

American singer and actress (1979–2001), nicknamed the "Princess of R&B." A revelation at 15 with her debut album, she profoundly influenced pop and R&B music of the 1990s–2000s before dying tragically in a plane crash.

American jazz singer, songwriter, and actress, a major figure of artistic commitment to the civil rights movement. Her expressive voice and her lyrics make her an emblematic artist of 20th-century jazz.

Adelaide Hall was an American jazz singer, later a naturalized British citizen, with an exceptionally long career. A pioneer of wordless singing, she rose to prominence in 1927 alongside **Duke Ellington** before becoming a star of the European stage.

Adele is a British singer-songwriter born in 1988 in London. She broke through to mainstream audiences with her album '19' in 2008, and has since established herself as one of the best-selling artists of the 21st century, known for her powerful voice and introspective lyrics.

Agnez Mo is an Indonesian-American singer-songwriter and actress born in 1986 in Jakarta. A pop star in Indonesia from childhood, she broke onto the international scene in the 2010s.

Alia Bhatt is an Indian actress and singer born on March 15, 1993, in Mumbai. The daughter of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, she has established herself as one of Bollywood's most influential actresses, balancing blockbuster hits with demanding dramatic roles.

American jazz pianist, harpist, organist and composer, a major figure of spiritual jazz. The wife of John Coltrane, she pursued a body of work blending modal jazz, Indian music and a mystical quest.

Alla Pugacheva (born 1949) is the most famous pop singer of the Soviet Union and Russia. Nicknamed "the Primadonna," she dominated the Soviet and then Russian music scene for over forty years. Her career illustrates mass culture and the entertainment industry under a communist regime.

Amina Annabi is a French-Tunisian singer and actress born in 1962. A figure of world music blending Arab-Andalusian influences with Western pop, she represented France at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1991 while also pursuing a parallel career in film.

Amy Beach (1867-1944) was the first American female composer to have a symphony performed by a major professional orchestra. A pioneering figure in American classical music, she composed more than 150 works, including the celebrated Gaelic Symphony (1896).

Anggun is an Indonesian singer born in 1974 in Jakarta, who became a French citizen in 1998. An international pop star, she broke through in France with her hit 'Snow on the Sahara' (1997) and represented France at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012.

American jazz singer (1919-2006), a major figure of swing and later bebop vocals. She rose to fame as the vocalist of the big bands of Gene Krupa and Stan Kenton, distinguishing herself through her rhythmic, percussive phrasing and her mastery of scat singing.

British-American jazz singer and actress, a pioneer of vocalese. A member of the trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, she is famous for setting lyrics to instrumental solos, notably her standard “Twisted” (1952).

American singer nicknamed the “Queen of Soul,” Aretha Franklin is one of the most powerful voices of the 20th century. A committed artist, she contributed to the civil rights movement and left her mark on world music with songs that became anthems.

Ariana Grande is an American singer, songwriter, and actress born in 1993 in Florida. She rose to fame through the TV series Victorious before becoming one of the most influential pop artists of her generation. Her response to the 2017 Manchester bombing earned her international recognition.

Brazilian-American singer born in 1940 and died in 2023, iconic figure of bossa nova. Her soft, understated voice on "The Girl from Ipanema" (1964) introduced this Brazilian style to the world.

Avril Lavigne is a Canadian singer and songwriter born in 1984 in Belleville, Ontario. She broke through in 2002 with her debut album 'Let Go', becoming an icon of alternative rock and pop-punk for an entire generation.

Barbara (1930–1997) was a French singer-songwriter, nicknamed “the Lady in Black.” A pianist and poet of song, she is known for intimate works such as “Nantes” and “The Black Eagle.”

Barbara Carroll (1925-2017) was an American jazz pianist and singer, regarded as one of the first women to play bebop on the piano. She enjoyed a long career in the clubs of New York.

American singer and actress born in 1942 in New York, Barbra Streisand is one of the most awarded artists in entertainment history. She has shaped American pop music and cinema across more than six decades of career.

Bessie Smith (1894–1937) was an American singer nicknamed the “Empress of the Blues.” A towering figure of classic blues in the 1920s, she helped popularize the genre and paved the way for Black American artists.

Betty Carter was an American jazz singer, famous for her art of vocal improvisation and scat. A major figure of bebop, she left her mark on vocal jazz in the second half of the 20th century with her rhythmic and melodic freedom.

African-American jazz singer

Swedish dramatic soprano (1918–2005), considered the greatest Wagnerian interpreter of the 20th century. Her voice, exceptional in both power and clarity, brought her triumphs at Bayreuth, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and the world's most prestigious concert halls.

Blossom Dearie (1924-2009) was an American jazz pianist and singer, recognizable by her light, delicate voice. A figure of intimate vocal jazz, she accompanied herself on piano in the clubs of New York and Paris.

French actress, model, and singer, Brigitte Bardot became a global symbol of femininity and freedom during the 1950s and 1960s. An icon of the French New Wave and popular culture, she retired from cinema in 1973 to dedicate herself to animal rights activism.

Britney Spears (born 1981) is an American singer, actress, and pop icon. Launched in the late 1990s, she became one of the best-selling artists in the world. Her career illustrates the excesses of the entertainment industry and the challenges of fame in the media age.

Carla Bley (1936-2023) was an American jazz composer, pianist, and bandleader. A leading figure of the avant-garde, she left her mark on free jazz and large-ensemble composition, notably with her jazz opera *Escalator over the Hill*.

Carmen McRae (1922-1994) was an American jazz singer and pianist, regarded as one of the greatest vocal jazz voices of the 20th century. Known for her phrasing that lagged behind the beat and her subtle, ironic interpretation of lyrics, she stands in the lineage of Billie Holiday.

American singer-songwriter born in 1942, Carole King is one of the defining figures of rock and pop from the 1960s–1970s. Her album *Tapestry* (1971) remains one of the best-selling records in history.

Céline Dion is a Quebec singer born on March 30, 1968, in Charlemagne, Canada. Discovered by the public as a teenager, she became one of the best-selling artists in the history of pop music. Her international career symbolizes the global reach of the French-speaking world and the influence of Quebec culture on the world stage.

Nicknamed the “Barefoot Diva,” Cesária Évora is the iconic voice of morna, Cape Verde's melancholic musical genre. Discovered late on the international stage in the 1990s, she brought Cape Verdean Lusophone culture to every corner of the world.

A British actress born in 1946, Charlotte Rampling established herself as one of the most distinctive figures in European cinema. Based in France, she collaborated with the greatest directors and embodied a certain idea of rebellious elegance.

Christina Aguilera is an American singer, songwriter, and actress born in 1980. Breaking through in 1999, she established herself as one of the most powerful voices of her generation, blending pop, R&B, and soul. She became a symbol of female empowerment in the music industry at the turn of the 21st century.

Cleo Laine is a British jazz singer and actress, famous for her deep timbre and an exceptional vocal range of more than three octaves. The lifelong companion of saxophonist and bandleader John Dankworth, she became one of the major figures of 20th-century British vocal jazz.

Clora Bryant (1927-2019) was an American jazz trumpeter, one of the very few women to establish herself as a soloist in bebop. A key figure on the Central Avenue scene in Los Angeles, she rubbed shoulders with the greatest musicians of her time.

Dakota Staton (1930-2007) was an American jazz and blues singer. She rose to fame in the late 1950s and enjoyed huge success with her album The Late, Late Show in 1957.

American singer (1924-1963), nicknamed the “Queen of the Blues.” A major figure in jazz, blues, and rhythm and blues during the 1940s and 1950s, she left her mark on African American music through her incisive phrasing and expressive voice.

American singer, songwriter, and actress born in 1946, icon of country music. Author of classics like "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You", she is also a philanthropist, founder of a children's literacy program.

Dorothy Ashby was an American jazz harpist and composer, considered one of the pioneers who established the harp as a fully-fledged solo instrument in jazz. Active from the 1950s to the 1980s, she blended jazz, world music, and soul.

An African-American actress, singer, and dancer, Dorothy Dandridge became in 1955 the first Black woman nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, for Carmen Jones. An icon of Golden Age Hollywood, she broke racial barriers in a deeply segregated industry.

Born Édith Giovanna Gassion in 1915 in Paris, Édith Piaf became one of the most celebrated French singers of the 20th century. Nicknamed 'La Môme Piaf' (The Little Sparrow), she is the defining figure of French chanson réaliste and achieved worldwide fame.

Ella Fitzgerald (1917–1996) is considered one of the greatest jazz singers of all time. Nicknamed the “First Lady of Song,” she revolutionized jazz singing through her mastery of scat and the exceptional range of her voice.

Spanish coloratura soprano, one of the great bel canto voices of the early 20th century. Having become a teacher, she was Maria Callas's singing instructor in Athens, passing on to her the art of bel canto.

A pioneering British composer (1858–1944), Ethel Smyth was the first woman to have an opera performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. A suffragist activist, she composed the suffragette anthem 'The March of the Women' (1911).

Ethel Waters (1896-1977) was an African American singer and actress. A pioneer of jazz and vocal blues, she broke racial barriers on Broadway, in film, and on American television, becoming one of the most famous Black artists of the first half of the 20th century.

A Lebanese singer born in 1934, Fairuz is considered one of the most iconic voices in the Arab world. A symbol of national unity, she refused to perform for either side during the Lebanese Civil War. Her repertoire, shaped alongside the Rahbani Brothers, blends classical Arab music, Levantine folk traditions, and modern compositions.

Flora Purim is a Brazilian jazz singer born in 1942 in Rio de Janeiro. A major figure in jazz fusion, she is celebrated for her remarkably wide vocal range and her pioneering role in bringing together Brazilian music and American jazz.

Florence Price (1887-1953) was an American composer and pianist, the first African American woman to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra. Her work blends European classical influences with African American spirituals.

Gala is an Italian pop and dance singer born in 1975 in Turin. She achieved international success in the late 1990s with hits such as “Freed from Desire” (1997), which have become classics of dance music.

Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983) was the only woman in the famous French musical collective known as 'Les Six'. A prolific composer, she created works for piano, orchestra, and opera, maintaining an elegant neoclassical style throughout a career spanning nearly seven decades.

Jazz pianist and singer of Trinidadian and American descent, a virtuoso known for her arrangements blending classical music and swing. A star of nightclubs and the silver screen, she was also a civil rights activist who refused to perform for segregated audiences.

Hebe Camargo (1929-2012) was an icon of Brazilian television, a singer and TV host who shaped Brazil's popular culture for more than six decades. She began her career in radio in the 1940s before becoming a fixture on Brazilian television from its earliest days.

Helen Merrill (born Jelena Ana Milčetić, 1929-2025) was an American jazz singer of Croatian descent. Known for her intimate, hushed voice, she established herself from the 1950s onward as a leading interpreter of standards and vocal jazz.

Ina Ray Hutton (1916-1984) was an American bandleader, singer, and dancer of the swing era. Nicknamed “The Blonde Bombshell of Rhythm,” she led the Melodears in the 1930s, one of the first all-female big bands, before hosting her own musical television show in the 1950s.

American rock and blues singer, icon of the countercultural movement of the 1960s. Known for her powerful voice and psychedelic style, she remains one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.

Jeanne Lee (1939-2000) was an American avant-garde jazz singer, poet, and composer. A pioneer of free vocal improvisation, she explored extended vocal techniques and the fusion of voice, poetry, and free jazz.

Jennifer Lopez, born in 1969 in the Bronx, New York, is an American singer, actress, and dancer of Puerto Rican descent. She established herself in the 1990s as one of the most influential Latin artists in the world.

African-American soprano considered one of the greatest operatic voices of the 20th century. Born in 1945 in Georgia, she rose to prominence on the world's most prestigious stages (the Met Opera, Bayreuth, Covent Garden). A figure in the civil rights movement, she performed *La Marseillaise* on the Champs-Élysées during the bicentennial of the French Revolution in 1989.

Joan Sutherland (1926-2010) was an Australian soprano regarded as one of the greatest lyric voices of the 20th century. Nicknamed “La Stupenda”, she was celebrated for her interpretations of the bel canto repertoire of Donizetti, Bellini, and Verdi.

Canadian singer-songwriter and painter born in 1943, Joni Mitchell is one of the central figures of folk-rock and jazz fusion. Her album *Blue* (1971) is considered one of the greatest albums in the history of popular music.

Judy Garland (1922-1969) was an American actress and singer, and one of Hollywood's most iconic figures. She rose to fame at 17 in The Wizard of Oz (1939), becoming the defining star of Hollywood's golden age of musical cinema. Her extraordinary voice and tragic life story made her a symbol of 20th-century popular culture.

June Christy (1925-1990) was an American jazz singer and a major figure of the cool jazz movement. After rising to fame within Stan Kenton's big band in the 1940s, she went on to establish a successful solo career with her soft, velvety voice.

Jutta Hipp (1925-2003) was a German jazz pianist, one of the few female instrumentalists in post-war European jazz. After emigrating to the United States in 1955, she recorded for the prestigious Blue Note label before abruptly abandoning music to become a seamstress and painter.

Born in 1959 in Mali, Kandia Kouyaté is a Mandinka griot singer nicknamed "the Diva of the Mande." From the renowned Kouyaté griot lineage, she is one of the greatest voices of the oral griot tradition, transmitting epic songs and the collective memory of the Mali Empire.

British singer, pianist, and composer born in 1958, Kate Bush burst onto the scene in 1978 with “Wuthering Heights”. A pioneer of experimental pop, she blends rock, classical music, and electronics with rare creativity and artistic independence.

Kate Winslet is a British actress born in 1975 in Reading, England. She rose to worldwide fame through James Cameron's Titanic in 1997 and is considered one of the greatest actresses of her generation. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2009 for her role in The Reader.

Katy Perry is an American singer-songwriter born in 1984 in Santa Barbara. She rose to prominence in the 2000s–2010s as one of the best-selling pop artists in the world, with global hits such as 'Roar' and 'Firework'.

Born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta in 1986 in New York, Lady Gaga is an American singer-songwriter and actress. A multi-faceted artist, she has established herself as one of the defining figures of global pop music in the 21st century.

Lana Del Rey, born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, is an American singer-songwriter born in 1985. Known for her melancholic lyrics and retro aesthetic, she blends pop, indie, and cinematic elements across acclaimed albums such as 'Born to Die' (2012).

Nicknamed the “Nightingale of India”, Lata Mangeshkar (1929–2022) is the most celebrated playback singer in Indian cinema. Over a career spanning more than 70 years, she recorded over 30,000 songs in some thirty languages, becoming a national cultural icon.

An African-American lyric soprano born in 1927, Leontyne Price was the first Black woman to achieve the rank of prima donna at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Celebrated for her interpretations of Verdi, she embodied both artistic excellence and triumph over racial segregation.

American pianist, composer, and bandleader, one of the first major female figures in jazz. A member of King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band and then a mainstay of Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven, she was also his wife.

French composer (1893–1918), Lili Boulanger was the first woman to win the Prix de Rome in 1913. Despite a brief life, she left a remarkable body of work marked by a personal and expressive harmonic language.

American singer-songwriter, Loretta Lynn is one of the founding figures of country music. Born into a poor family in the Appalachians, she authentically sang about the lives of rural American women, their joys and struggles.

American blues singer, known as the "Mother of the Blues." A pioneer of classic blues, she was one of the first African American artists to record records in the 1920s and influenced an entire generation of female singers.

American singer, dancer, and businesswoman born in 1958, Madonna emerged in the 1980s as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Nicknamed the "Queen of Pop," she constantly pushes the boundaries of artistic creation and asserts her independence in a music industry dominated by men.

Mahalia Jackson (1911-1972) was the greatest American gospel singer of all time. A powerful voice of Black Christian faith, she was also a major figure in the civil rights movement alongside Martin Luther King.

African American pianist and composer (1913–1972), Margaret Bonds was one of the first Black women to make her mark in American classical music. She blended gospel, blues, and European classical influences, and collaborated closely with Langston Hughes.

Marguerite Monnot (1903-1961) was a French composer, classically trained pianist who became one of the great musical forces of French song. She wrote many hits for Édith Piaf as well as the musical "Irma la Douce."

La Divina, the most celebrated opera soprano of the 20th century

An African-American contralto (1897–1993), Marian Anderson was one of the greatest operatic voices of her era. In 1939, barred from Constitution Hall because of her race, she sang before 75,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial. In 1955, she became the first African-American woman to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

British-American jazz pianist Marian McPartland made her mark on the New York scene from the 1950s onward. She is best known for hosting the radio show “Piano Jazz” for more than thirty years on the American public radio network NPR.

An American actress, model, and singer, Marilyn Monroe became one of the major cultural icons of the 20th century. A symbol of Hollywood glamour and American consumer society in the 1950s–1960s, her tragic life continues to fuel conversations about the treatment of women in the entertainment industry.

A German-American actress and singer, Marlene Dietrich established herself as an icon of Hollywood cinema in the 1930s. Refusing to collaborate with the Nazi regime, she committed herself to the Allied cause during the Second World War.

Mary Lou Williams (1910-1981) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. A major and influential figure across several decades, she moved through all the great jazz styles, from swing to bebop, and was a mentor to many musicians.

Mary Osborne (1921-1992) was an American jazz guitarist, one of the few women instrumentalists to make a name for herself in the swing and bebop eras. Inspired after hearing Charlie Christian, she became a much-sought-after studio musician in New York.

Melba Liston (1926-1999) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, and arranger. A pioneer as a woman instrumentalist in the big bands of the bebop era, she collaborated with Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, and above all the pianist Randy Weston.

Nicknamed “La Negra,” Mercedes Sosa (1935–2009) was one of the greatest voices in Latin America. An iconic figure of the Nueva Canción movement, she channeled through her music the struggle for social justice and the dignity of oppressed peoples.

Born in 1992 in the United States, Miley Cyrus is a versatile artist who has established herself as a singer-songwriter and actress. She first rose to fame through the Hannah Montana series (Disney Channel), before successfully transitioning to an independent and outspoken musical career.

South African jazz singer and political activist

Revue headliner and undisputed star of the French music hall, Mistinguett reigned over the stages of the Moulin Rouge, the Folies Bergère, and the Casino de Paris from the Belle Époque through the 1950s. Famous for her insured legs, her popular charm, and her song “Mon Homme”, she was the most popular French entertainer of the first half of the 20th century.

French pedagogue, pianist, organist, choral conductor, orchestral conductor, and composer

Natalia Oreiro is a Uruguayan actress and singer born in 1977 in Montevideo. She gained international fame through Argentine telenovelas of the 1990s and 2000s, and a music career that made her especially popular in Eastern Europe.

An Australian-American actress born in 1967, Nicole Kidman is one of Hollywood's greatest stars. She won the Academy Award in 2003 for The Hours, and has left her mark on world cinema through the range of her roles and her artistic commitment.

American jazz singer, pianist, composer, and civil rights activist for Black people

Norma Winstone is a British jazz singer born in 1941, a major figure in European vocal jazz. Famous for her wordless vocalises and her art of writing lyrics for instrumental themes, she has profoundly shaped contemporary jazz.

Umm Kulthum was an Egyptian singer and actress, one of the greatest voices of the Arab world in the 20th century. Nicknamed “the Star of the East,” she shaped generations through her radio-broadcast concerts and a repertoire blending love, patriotism, and classical poetry.

Patsy Cline (1932–1963) was a pioneering American country singer celebrated for her powerful, expressive voice. She was one of the first country artists to cross over to mainstream pop audiences with songs like 'Crazy' and 'I Fall to Pieces'. Her career was abruptly cut short when she died in a plane crash at the age of 30.

American singer, poet, and artist born in 1946, a pioneer of New York's punk rock movement in the 1970s. Her album *Horses* (1975) blends beat poetry with raw rock, making her an icon of the counterculture.

Peggy Lee (1920-2002) was an American jazz and pop singer, songwriter, and actress. Discovered with Benny Goodman's orchestra, she established herself as a soloist with hits like "Fever" and "Is That All There Is?".

Priyanka Chopra is an Indian actress and singer born in 1982 in Jamshedpur. Crowned Miss World in 2000, she became one of Bollywood's most popular actresses before breaking into Hollywood. She embodies India's cultural influence on the world stage.

A pioneer of American female hip-hop, Queen Latifah made her mark from the late 1980s with politically engaged and feminist rap. She went on to build a dual career as a singer and actress, becoming one of the most influential women in the entertainment industry.

Renata Tebaldi (1922–2004) was one of the greatest Italian sopranos of the 20th century, celebrated for the purity and power of her voice. She dominated the world's opera stages, most notably La Scala in Milan and the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and was the legendary rival of Maria Callas.

Rihanna is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman born in 1988. She rose to international fame in the 2000s and became one of the best-selling music artists in history. She is also the founder of the Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty brands.

Japanese politician born in 1961, member of the Liberal Democratic Party. She has held several ministerial positions in Japan, including Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications. Known for her conservative views and interest in Japanese pop culture.

American jazz singer (1924–1990), nicknamed “The Divine One” or “Sassy,” Sarah Vaughan is considered one of the greatest voices of the 20th century. Her exceptional timbre, vibrato, and technical mastery earned her international recognition.

An American-Danish actress and singer born in 1984 in New York, Scarlett Johansson established herself in the 2000s as one of Hollywood's most influential actresses. She is also a producer and an advocate for feminist causes.

Selena Gomez is an American singer and actress born on July 22, 1992, in Grand Prairie, Texas. Rising to fame through a Disney Channel series, she became a global pop icon and influential entrepreneur. She is also an advocate for mental health awareness and Latino representation in the media.

American singer of Mexican descent, nicknamed the “Queen of Tejano music.” A rising star of Latin pop, she was murdered at age 23 in 1995 by the president of her fan club, becoming a posthumous cultural icon.

Shakira is a Colombian singer, songwriter, and actress born in 1977 in Barranquilla. A global icon of Latin pop, she blends Arabic, rock, and Afro-Caribbean influences. She was the first Latin American artist to surpass one billion views on YouTube.

Sheila Jordan, born in 1928 in Detroit, is an American jazz singer. Shaped by bebop and the music of Charlie Parker, she is celebrated for her inventive phrasing and for having popularized the voice-and-double-bass duo.

Shirley Horn (1934-2005) was an American jazz pianist and singer. Famous for her intimate phrasing and very slow tempos, she accompanied herself on the piano and achieved late but dazzling recognition in the 1990s.

Siramori Diabaté (c. 1920–1989) was a renowned Malian griot woman from the village of Kéla, Mali, belonging to the Mandinka people. A keeper of the Sundiata Keita epic, she was one of the most celebrated transmitters of the griot oral tradition in the 20th century.

A Russian-Tatar composer born in 1931, Sofia Gubaidulina is one of the leading figures of contemporary music. Her deeply spiritual work blends Eastern and Western influences, and was long marginalized in the USSR.

Taylor Swift is an American singer-songwriter born in 1989 in Pennsylvania. She began her career in country music before becoming one of the most influential pop artists of her generation. Her work explores universal themes such as love, identity, and female empowerment.

Born Anna Mae Bullock in 1939 in Tennessee, Tina Turner is one of the greatest rock and soul singers of the 20th century. After surviving an abusive marriage to Ike Turner, she made a triumphant solo comeback in the 1980s.

Toshiko Akiyoshi is a Japanese American jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader born in 1929. The first Japanese student at the Berklee College of Music, she has led a celebrated big band since 1973, blending American jazz with elements of traditional Japanese music.

Valaida Snow (1904-1956) was an African American jazz trumpeter, singer, and bandleader. Nicknamed “the Queen of the Trumpet,” she enjoyed an international career between the two World Wars before the Second World War shattered her trajectory.

Vi Redd (1928-2022) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and singer, one of the few recognized women instrumentalists on the postwar jazz scene. An heir to Charlie Parker's bebop style, she pursued a dual career as a musician and a teacher.

Whitney Houston (1963-2012) is one of the greatest American singers of all time, celebrated for her exceptional voice. She dominated global charts throughout the 1980s and 1990s and starred in the blockbuster film The Bodyguard (1992).

Yoko Ono is a Japanese artist born in 1933 in Tokyo, a major figure in conceptual art and the Fluxus movement. A peace activist, she is also known for her artistic and political commitment alongside John Lennon. Her work explores audience participation, peace, and memory.

Abra is a contemporary Filipino rapper and a prominent figure in the Philippine hip-hop scene. He is known for his unique style blending rap with local musical influences.

British singer and songwriter born in 1983, Amy Winehouse is celebrated for her deep, distinctive voice and her style blending soul, jazz, and R&B. Her album *Back to Black* (2006) earned her five Grammy Awards in a single night. She died at the age of 27 in 2011, joining the infamous 27 Club.

Icelandic singer, composer, and artist born in 1965 in Reykjavík, pioneer of experimental electronic music and avant-garde pop. She is also an actress, awarded at Cannes in 2000 for Dancer in the Dark.

Italian mezzo-soprano born in 1966 in Rome, Cecilia Bartoli is one of the greatest opera singers of her generation. A specialist in baroque and classical repertoire, she has brought to light many forgotten works by Vivaldi, Salieri, and Agostino Steffani.

Iggy Azalea is an Australian rapper, songwriter, and model born in 1990. Having left for the United States at 16, she made her mark on American rap with her hit “Fancy” in 2014, becoming one of the few non-American female artists to break through in the genre.

Kaija Saariaho (1952-2023) was a Finnish composer and pioneer of spectral and electroacoustic music. Based in Paris, she collaborated with IRCAM and composed major works including the opera L'Amour de loin (2000).

Kelly Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She rose to fame as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the best-selling girl groups of all time, and later pursued a solo career and television personality work.

American singer, rapper, and producer, Lauryn Hill is one of the defining figures of neo-soul and hip-hop from the 1990s–2000s. Her debut solo album 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' (1998) won five Grammy Awards and remains a landmark record worldwide.

Lucy Durán is a British ethnomusicologist, producer and radio presenter, a specialist in the music of West Africa, particularly Mali. Her work is authoritative on the Mande griots and singers such as Siramori Diabaté.

American singer and songwriter born in 1969, Mariah Carey is one of the best-selling artists in history with over 200 million albums sold. Known for her exceptional five-octave vocal range and whistle register, she dominated the American charts throughout the 1990s and 2000s.

An American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer, Missy Elliott is a pioneer of hip-hop and R&B. She revolutionized the 1990s–2000s with avant-garde music videos and a unique musical style blending rap, funk, and electronica.

Nicki Minaj is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter of Trinidadian descent, born in 1982. A major figure in 2010s hip-hop, she established herself as one of the most influential and best-selling female rappers of her generation.

Sati is a contemporary Lithuanian singer. She is part of the Baltic music scene, bringing Lithuanian musical culture to the international stage.

Solange Knowles is an American singer, songwriter, and producer, a leading figure in alternative R&B and contemporary soul music. The younger sister of Beyoncé, she has established herself as a avant-garde artist celebrated for her album A Seat at the Table (2016).

Tegan and Sara Quin are Canadian twin sisters, musicians, and LGBTQ+ activists. Formed in Calgary in 1995, their indie pop duo evolved toward accessible synthpop, earning them international recognition.

Unsuk Chin (born 1961 in Seoul) is a South Korean composer of contemporary classical music. A student of György Ligeti in Hamburg, she has established herself as one of the most original voices in contemporary art music, blending Korean influences with the European avant-garde.