March is Women’s History Month, and we’ve been celebrating at The Music Studio! We started off with a little crossover with Black History Month, with 4 African-American Women Who Changed the World of Music, and continued last week with Female Musician that Paved the Way.

This week, we’re diving right back in, with more influential women who have left a lasting impact on the world through their music!

Annie Lennox

As half od the dynamic British duo the Eurythmics, and then with a hugely successful solo career, few musicians have reached the same heights of success as Annie Lennox. Today, her ongoing success has many people calling her “the most successful British artist in UK music history.” And that’s saying something when you remember The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Queen, Eric Clapton…etc., etc…

Janet Jackson

Stepping out of the shadow of her older brother, Michael Jackson, Janet has spent her career proving she can be just as successful and legitimate an artist all on her own. Throughout her musical career, she has explored provocative themes, including sexuality and women’s empowerment, through her work. She has worked hard to distance herself from her family, and in doing so has attained critical and commercial success on a massive scale.

K.D. Lang

Inspired to start her own musical career by her admiration for Pasty Cline, K.D. Lang has gone on to become an award-winning pop and country singer and has won multiple Grammys for her work. In addition to her powerful stage presence, she became an icon in the LGBTQ community in 1992 when she can out as homosexual. She has since become one of the most prominent, influential, and successful lesbians in the music industry.

PJ Harvey

PJ Harvey has never been afraid to experiment. The multi-instrumentalist is the only musician who has ever been awarded the Mercury Prize twice for two of her albums. She’s tried her hand in a variety of genres, including everything from rock, to folk, to electro – and her success speaks volumes.

Mary J. Blige

Mary J. Blige’s incredible ability to merge hip hop and soul in the early 1990s earned her album, My Life, the honor of being called one of the greatest albums of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine. She would go on to collaborate with artists like Method Man and Ghostface Killah in what has become the blueprint for the vast majority of collaborations between singers and rappers.

Björk

With an unmistakable voice, deeply personal lyrics, and an undeniable talent, Björk has earned her critical and commercial success across her long career. She, along with her band The Sugarcubes, has gone on to earn unparalleled international success for an Icelandic act, and as a solo artist, she continually innovates and pushes the boundaries of her art.

The Spice Girls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDX8eTORFCo

Following in the footsteps of the girl groups that came before them, like the Shirelles and the Temptations, the Spice Girls’ meteoric rise is still breaking records: their debut album is still the bestselling album by a female group in music history. Through them, “girl power” came to the British music scene – and beyond! They explored the themes of equality between the sexes and can only be described as a phenomenon that influenced millions of young girls along the way.

Lil’ Kim

Born Kimberley Jones, Lil’ Kim became highly successful in the mid-1990s as one of the first prominent female rappers. Her album The Naked Truth didn’t do all that well on its initial release, it has become widely renowned as a hip hop classic and is sometimes considered the best album by a female rapper ever produced.

Beyoncé

As an original member of the best-selling girl group Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé shone bright, and now, as a solo musician, her career has taken to the stratosphere, breaking records all over the world. She has since been named as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine, and has controversially called herself a “modern-day feminist” and has experimented with themes of female sexuality and empowerment in her music.

Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse’s success was instrumental in laying the foundation and opening the doors for a new generation of women musicians. She was a controversial and deeply troubled icon, who, in the eyes and ears of her fans, could do no wrong with her music. Her distinctive contralto voice, raw, and often heartbreakingly personal lyrics, along with a refreshingly vintage style to her melodies and rhythms, helped to earn her a place as one of modern music’s most acclaimed artists.

Adele

Since Hometown Glory was released in 2007, Adele’s stripped-down, organic sound has proven to be a tonic to the crowded music industry. She proved this when she matched the record for most Grammys won in a single night by a female artist (the other person was none other than Beyoncé). Since then, she has become one of Britain’s elite female artists and has earned tons of success in North America as well, proving you don’t need big stage shows or even bigger diva personalities to win the hearts of fans.

Lady Gaga

Born and raised in New York City, Lady Gaga has been breaking down and through barriers with her catchy tunes and crazy outfits since her debut single “Just Dance” in 2008. The self-proclaimed “Mother Monster” has earned a frighteningly devoted legion of fans with her powerful lyrics, alternative image, and her allegiance with anyone who may feel like they are on the outside looking in.

With so many amazing women to choose from, there’s no way we’ve hit all the most influential women in music! Which of your favourite female artists did we miss? Let us know in the comments!

Are you looking to start your own musical journey? It’s never the wrong time to follow in these powerful women’s footsteps! Check out all The Music Studio’s online lessons, and start your musical journey today!