Female Rock Musicians

Dolores O'Riordan went from being a church singer to becoming the lead vocalist of the Irish alternative rock band The Cranberries and a rock icon of the 1990s. She stunned her fans with her death as a result of accidental drowning due to intoxication at age 46.

Alanis Morisette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter and actress. Renowned for her mezzo-soprano voice, Morisette has been named by Rolling Stone as the Queen of Alt-Rock Angst. A recipient of 13 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, Morisette has released several successful albums, including Jagged Little Pill, which was named in Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.

Grace Slick is a retired singer-songwriter. Slick played an important role in the psychedelic music scene that flourished in San Francisco during the mid-1960s. One of the earliest female rock stars, Slick played a key role in the development of rock music during the 1960s. She was named among the Greatest Women of Rock N Roll by VH1 in 1999.

Tinged with themes of female sexuality, the lyrics of PJ Harvey have redefined the place women occupy in rock music. While she was initially part of a musical trio named after herself, she later charted her own path as a solo musician. She is only artist to have earned the Mercury Prize twice.

Named one among the 12 Greatest Female Electric Guitarists by Elle magazine, Australian musician, singer and songwriter Orianthi Penny Panagaris began playing the guitar at the age of three and moved to acoustic by six. At fifteen, she began her professional career, concurrently focusing on songwriting and released her debut independent album at the age of 20. 

English singer-songwriter Sandy Denny, considered a leading British folk-rock singer, performed as lead-singer of the famous folk-rock band Fairport Convention, and fronted it through many of its successful albums like What We Did on Our Holidays. Other notable works of Denny includes her solo-albums like Rendezvous; and her folk-duet The Battle of Evermore with Robert Plant for Led Zeppelin's album.

British folk singer-songwriter Laura Marling is noted for albums like I Speak Because I Can and Song for Our Daughter, which garnered her nomination for Mercury Music Prize. The latter and her sixth album, Semper Femina also earned her Grammy Award nomination for Best Folk Album. She has won the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist in 2011.

KT Tunstall is a Scottish musician and singer-songwriter. She came into prominence in 2004, when she performed Black Horse and the Cherry Tree in a music TV show called Later... with Jools Holland. KT Tunstall is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the European Border Breakers Award, Ivor Novello Award, Scottish Style Award, and Brit Award.

Santigold is an American singer-songwriter renowned for her mezzo-soprano voice. She achieved popularity after the release of her critically acclaimed album Santogold in 2008. The same year, she was named the Best Breakthrough Artist at the NME Awards USA. In 2009, she won the Vanguard Award at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards. Santigold's work has influenced artists like Bob Evans.        

Tammin Sursok is an actress and singer whose portrayal of Dani Sutherland earned her the Logie Award for Most Popular New Female Talent in 2001. Sursok is also known for her singing skills; her debut studio album Whatever Will Be peaked at number 13 on the ARIA Charts. Apart from acting and singing, Sursok has also been campaigning against bullying.

Julia Lennon was a British woman and the mother of popular singer-songwriter John Lennon. Julia helped John learn musical instruments like the ukulele and banjo. She also played an important role in his life and was the inspiration behind some of John's popular songs like Mother and Julia. She was played by Christine Kavanagh in John's biopic In His Life.

Nina Hagen is a German singer-songwriter and actress. She began her career as an actress and gained fame as a singer during the punk and new wave movements in the 1970s and 1980s. Her parents are also actors and singers. Hagen is a voice-over artist as well. She is involved in human and animal rights activism. 

Known as The Queen of Northern Soul, singer Gloria Jones soared to fame with the track Tainted Love. She also dated British rocker Marc Bolan and played the keyboard and sang for his band T. Rex. She was driving the car which met with an accident and killed Bolan.

Emily Haines is a Canadian singer and songwriter who is the lead singer, songwriter, and keyboardist of the rock band Metric. She is a member of the indie rock band Broken Social Scene as well and also performs solo. She is the daughter of the poet Paul Haines and was encouraged to pursue her musical passion from childhood.  

Brooke Fraser is a New Zealand singer-songwriter best known for her 2010 single, Something in the Water. Over the course of her career, Fraser has won several awards, including a Grammy for her song What a Beautiful Name. She has also won many New Zealand Music Awards. Also a philanthropist, Fraser was part of the 2012 charity song, Feel Inside.

Bat for Lashes is a British multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. She is best known for releasing albums like Fur and Gold, The Haunted Man, and Lost Girls. Bat for Lashes is the recipient of an ASCAP Award, Ivor Novello Awards, and UK Asian Music Award.

Award-winning Australian singer Kate Miller‐Heidke specializes in both contemporary pop and classical music. Apart from releasing multi-platinum hits such as Last Day on Earth, she has also composed the opera Rabbits and performed at various international music festivals. Her album O Vertigo! became the fastest crowdfunded project on Pledge.

Marketa Irglova is a Czech-Icelandic musician, singer-songwriter, and actress. She is best known for starring in the 2007 Irish musical drama film Once, which earned Irglová numerous prestigious awards, such as an Oscar under the Best Original Song category for her song, Falling Slowly. 

Australian singer-songwriter Missy Higgins is known for her chartbusting singles such as Scar and Where I Stood. She has also performed at international events such as TEDx. Her hit album The Sound of White made it to the top 5 of the End of Decade Top 100 Albums Chart in 2010.

Ximena Sariñana is a Mexican actress and singer-songwriter whose debut album Mediocre earned her international recognition and a Grammy nomination in 2009. Ximena Sariñana is also known for her humanitarian efforts; in 2020, she took part in a charity single titled Resistiré México in an attempt to help those in need in Mexico.

Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir is an Icelandic musician. She is the current guitarist and lead vocalist of a band named Of Monsters and Men. The band has released popular albums like My Head Is an Animal, Beneath the Skin, and Fever Dream. My Head Is an Animal was certified platinum and multi-platinum by many trade organizations.

Anouk is a Dutch singer widely regarded as the most famous rock singer in the Netherlands. She achieved popularity in 2013 when she represented her country at the Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden with the song, Birds. Anouk is one of the most decorated singers of her generation; she has won several awards like TMF Awards and Edison Music Awards.

Australian indie singer Laura Imbruglia is better known as the sister of popstar Natalie Imbruglia, who once rocked the charts with her global hit Torn. Known for tracks such as Looking for a Rabbit, Laura has also written the web series Amateur Hour and appeared in the TV series Crash Palace.

Gin Wigmore is a New Zealand singer-songwriter best known for her raspy and high pitched voice. Over the course of her career, Gin Wigmore has received several New Zealand Music Awards and a couple of nominations for the prestigious MTV Europe Music Awards.