Female Rock Musicians

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.

Sheryl Crow is an American musician, actress, and singer-songwriter. Over the years, Crow has contributed to several film soundtracks, including the iconic theme song for the popular James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies. After being diagnosed with intraductal carcinoma, a form of breast cancer, Sheryl Crow opened the Sheryl Crow Imaging Center by joining hands with her surgeon Kristi Funk.

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.

AJ Michalka is an American actress, musician, and singer-songwriter. She is credited with forming the popular pop duo Aly & AJ along with her sister Alyson Renae Michalka. Also a respected actress and voice actress, AJ Michalka has contributed to the success of several TV series, such as Steven Universe and The Goldbergs.

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.

Tash Sultana soared to fame with her phenomenally successful single Jungle, which was first posted on YouTube and went viral on social media, gaining a million views in 5 days. The non-binary Australian singer uses the pronoun “they.” She also made it to the 2019 Forbes 30 under 30 list.

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. 

Michelle Branch is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She is best known for her vocal performance on Santana's song The Game of Love, which received a Grammy Award under the Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals category. She is also credited with forming the now-defunct duo The Wreckers.

Australian singer-songwriter Jessica Origliasso is one-half of the Australian pop-duo The Veronicas that she formed with her identical twin sister, Lisa Origliasso. They rose to fame with platinum-certified studio-albums like The Secret Life of... and Hook Me Up, and singles like You Ruin Me. They have also acted in the television series Cybergirl and co-designed a fashion line for Target.    

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. 

Andrea Corr is an Irish singer, musician, songwriter, actress, and author. She is part of the popular Celtic pop-rock and folk-rock group The Corrs, where she plays the ukulele, piano, and tin whistle apart from being the lead singer. Also a humanitarian, Andrea Corr takes part in several charitable activities to raise money for various causes.

Jane Wiedlin is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She achieved popularity as the backing vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the popular band The Go-Go's. Jane Wiedlin is also an ardent animal rights activist; she works closely with organizations, such as PETA. An openly bisexual musician, Jane Wiedlin serves as an inspiration to the LGBT community.

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.

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.

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.  

Régine Chassagne is a Canadian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She is a founding member of the indie rock band Arcade Fire. She began her career as a jazz performer and met fellow musician Win Butler, with whom she started Arcade Fire. The couple got married and continue to perform together. She is a shareholder in the music streaming service company Tidal. 

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.