Women Pianists

Widely regarded as the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin was a singer-songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Aretha was ranked number one on Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Singers of All Time list in 2010. Having sold over 75 million records, she is also one of the best-selling musicians ever.

Norah Jones is an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. Having sold over 50 million records worldwide, Jones is one of the most successful and best-selling singers of her generation. She was ranked 60th on the artists of the 2000s decade list published by Billboard magazine. Norah Jones has won several prestigious awards including multiple Grammy Awards and Billboard Music Awards.

Australia-born singer-songwriter Helen Maxine Reddy moved to the USA when she won a ticket to New York City, eventually remaining there, struggling to establish herself until she got her first hit, I Don’t Know How to Love Him. However, her best remembered song was I Am Woman, which went on to become a feminist anthem, making her an international star.

Part of the award-winning girl band Girls Aloud, Irish singer-actor Nadine Coyle began her career with the show Popstars and later launched a solo career, with songs such as Go To Work. She has also been a model and has launched an Irish pub, which was later run by her family.

As one half of the Swedish pop rock duo Roxette (with Per Gessle), singer and songwriter Marie Fredriksson enjoyed international fame in the 1980s-1990s with albums like Look Sharp! and Joyride. Their single It Must Have Been Love was featured in the movie Pretty Woman. Earlier, in Sweden ,she had also enjoyed success as a solo artist releasing numerous albums.

Diana Krall is a Canadian jazz singer and pianist. With several gold and multi-platinum albums under her belt, Krall is regarded as one of the best-selling artists of her generation. In 2009, Billboard called her the second-greatest jazz artist of the 2000–09 decade. In 2004, she was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.

Hélöise Letissier, also known as Christine and the Queens and Chris, often challenges gender stereotypes through her music. The queer electropop and indie artist was inspired by drag queens in London, after she quit theater school following a break-up. Known for her chart-busting debut album, Chaleur humaine, she identifies as pansexual.

Keren Peles is an Israeli pianist, singer-songwriter, and poet. Over the course of her songwriting career, Peles has contributed immensely to the success of other popular singers like Shiri Maimon and Miri Mesika by writing the lyrics of some of their hit songs. She has also found success as a singer as many of her albums have been certified gold.  

Maria Brink is a singer and songwriter best known as the lead singer of the rock band In This Moment.  She developed an early interest in performing and received encouragement from her mother. She began her musical career as a young woman and played with numerous other bands before forming In This Moment. She is also an aspiring artist.

Courtney Barnett is an Australian musician, singer, and songwriter. Renowned for her witty lyrics and deadpan singing style, Barnett achieved international recognition after releasing her highly successful EP, The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas. Over the years, she has won several important awards, such as APRA Music Awards, ARIA Music Awards, and AIR Awards. 

French and American writer, journalist, and pianist Ève Curie was one of the daughters of scientists Marie Curie and Pierre Curie. She was the only one in the Curie family who did not choose a career in science. She authored her mother’s biography and was actively involved with UNICEF, helping women and children in developing countries.

Judith Durham is an Australian musician, singer, and songwriter. In 1963, she became the lead singer of the popular folk-influenced pop quartet The Seekers, which became the first Australian pop band to achieve major sales and chart success in the United States and the United Kingdom. Her services to music earned her the title Victorian of the Year in 2015.

Swedish indie-pop singer Lykke Li was born into a musical family, her father being a member of the band Dag Vag. Known for her award-winning tracks such as I Follow Rivers and Sadness Is a Blessing, she is also an advocate of transcendental meditation. She has a son with musician Jeff Bhasker.

Former lead singer of the hard-rock band Flyleaf, Lacey Sturm is known for her trademark screams and her tracks such as I'm So Sick and All Around Me. Her album Life Screams made her the first solo female performer to top the hard-rock album charts. She has also penned a memoir.

Ofra Haza was an Israeli actress and singer who achieved great popularity in the Western world where she came to be known as the Madonna of the East. An influential cultural figure in Israel, Ofra Haza played a major role in popularizing the Mizrahi culture. During her illustrious singing career, Haza earned several gold and platinum discs.

Khatia Buniatishvili is a Georgian-French pianist. Buniatishvili has been playing since the age of three and gave her first concert when she was just six years old. She then went on to play at an international stage at the age of 10. Buniatishvili is known for her association with Sony Classical, which has produced many of her solo piano albums.