15 of the biggest British female singers and their respective profiles
The music industry has become global and gives its audience various sounds to enjoy. Sometimes, it may become difficult to pinpoint where a musical genre originated because it has become globally accepted and keyed. Without mincing words, some British female singers have helped to make different sounds popular within and beyond the enclave of their country.
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Most of the biggest British female singers have held their own with a microphone and captivating vocals. The list is inexhaustible, but it is worthy of note that as the music industry has evolved, so have the music genres and their representatives. This evolution of performers and their vocal genres has created a happy global experience for music fans.
Biggest British female musicians
Among several British female musicians that the world has known, Dusty Springfield and Kate Bush are a few names that have stood out. Find out 15 of the names in the industry below:
1. Dusty Springfield
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- Full name: Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien
- Nickname: Dusty Springfield
- Date of birth: 16th April 1939
- Date of death: 2nd March 1999
- Age at death: 59 years old
- Place of birth: West Hampstead, London, England
- Profession: Musician
Dusty is one most prominent of the British female singers of the 60s and 70s who rocked the music industry. She captivated audiences with her vocals while majoring in pop and blue-eyed soul music.
2. Kate Bush
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- Full name: Catherine Bush
- Nickname: Kate Bush
- Date of birth: 30 July 1958
- Age: 64 years old (as of 2022)
- Place of birth: Bexleyheath, Kent, England
- Profession: Record producer, singer, songwriter, dancer
Kate is one of the English women who dominated the music industry in the 70s, serenading her audience with strong vocals in the rock and pop genre. She has several award nominations in her country and outside of it and won a couple of them.
3. Sade
- Full name: Helen Folasade Adu
- Nickname: Sade Adu
- Date of birth: 16 January 1959
- Age: 63 years old (as of 2022)
- Place of birth: Ibadan, Nigeria
- Profession: Songwriter, singer
Sade Adu is a Nigerian-British singer whose rise to fame began after she joined a music band in 1980. She signed huge record deals with the likes of Epic Records. Her debut album was bestselling, and she continues to sing to date.
4. Olivia Newton-John
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- Full name: Dame Olivia Newton-John
- Nickname: Miss Goody Two-Shoes from Australia
- Date of birth: 26th September 1948
- Date of death: 8 August 2022
- Age: 73 years old
- Place of birth: Cambridge, England
- Profession: Singer, activist, actress
Olivia is undoubtedly one of the British female singers of the 60s whose voice gave new experiences to music lovers worldwide. She sold over 100 million of her records and has remained one of the best-selling musicians.
5. Adele
- Full name: Adele Laurie Blue Adkins
- Nickname: Adele
- Date of birth: 5 May 1988
- Age: 34 years old
- Place of birth: London, England
- Profession: Songwriter, singer
The talented singer released her debut album, 19, when she was 19. It achieved several feats, including being certified eight times platinum by the BPI. She is one of the young British female singers doing her nation proud globally.
6. Amy Winehouse
- Full name: Amy Jade Winehouse
- Nickname: Ames, Gemma, Cherry, Wino
- Date of birth: 14 September 1983
- Date of death: 23 July 2011
- Age at death: 27 years old
- Place of birth: London, England
- Profession: Songwriter, singer
She was a talented soul, jazz, and rhythm blue singer recognisable for her expressive vocals. She was only active in the music industry for about a decade between 2002 and 2011, when she passed away from an alcohol overd*se. However, she won several awards for her works, including five Grammys in 2008.
7. Shirley Bassey
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- Full name: Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey
- Nickname: Burly Chassis
- Date of birth: 8 January 1937
- Age: 85 years old
- Place of birth: Cardiff, Wales
- Profession: Singer
Shirley is a talented musician of Nigerian-English ancestry who started performing in the early 50s and is still actively involved in the music industry to date. Dame is a black female British singer who did not let the naysayers shut her inner voice down.
8. Ellie Goulding
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- Full name: Elena Jane Goulding
- Nickname: Ellie
- Date of birth: 30th December 1986
- Age: 35 years old (as of October 2022)
- Place of birth: Hereford, England
- Profession: Songwriter, singer
The British musician has been active since 2009 and made the spotlight after meeting popular music producers like Frankmusik, Starsmith, and Jamie Lillywhite at different points in her career. She majors in different kinds of pop music, and her works have done numbers on streaming platforms while also helping her receive several awards.
9. Rita Ora
- Full name: Rita Sahatçiu Ora
- Nickname: Rita
- Date of birth: 26th November 1990
- Age: 31 years old (as of 2022)
- Place of birth: Pristina, SFR Yugoslavia
- Profession: Actress, singer, songwriter
Rita is popularly known as one of the biggest UK female artists, but the fact is that she was born in Yugoslavia, now referred to as Kosovo. The family moved to the United Kingdom when she was just a baby. She started her music career in 2008 but didn't get a deserved breakthrough until 2014, and she has maintained that momentum against all odds.
10. Florence Welch
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- Full name: Florence Leontine Mary Welch
- Nickname: Flossy, Float, Flo
- Date of birth: 28 August 1986
- Age: 36 years old (as of 2022)
- Place of birth: Camberwell, London, England
- Profession: Singer, songwriter
Florence was born into a well-educated family. Although she was diagnosed with dyslexia and dyspraxia, which affected her spelling and coordination, she took solace in music and singing. She is the principal singer and major songwriter of an indie rock band, Florence and the Machine.
11. Julie Andrews
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- Full name: Julia Elizabeth Wells
- Nickname: Dame Julie Andrews
- Date of birth: 1 October 1935
- Age: 87 years old (as of 2022)
- Place of birth: Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England
- Profession: Author, singer, actress
This woman is an embodiment of art and entertainment who excelled in writing and acting apart from singing. She started performing for a large audience when she was 12 years old and has rocked the entertainment industry since then.
12. Annie Lenox
- Full name: Ann Lennox
- Nickname: Annie
- Date of birth: 25 December 1954
- Age: 67 years old (as of October 2022)
- Place of birth: Aberdeen, Scotland
- Profession: singer, activist, songwriter, humanitarian ambassador
Ann Lennox's name always appears in the best British female singers list. Annie kickstarted her career in 1992 with an album, Diva, with several hit singles. She has released six albums, including Medusa, which was dropped in 1995. The British singer has earned several titles and awards, making her fit easily on the best British female singers list.
13. Petula Clark
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- Full name: Petula Sally Olwen Clark
- Nickname: Singing Sweetheart
- Date of birth: 15 November 1932
- Age: 89 years old (as of 2022)
- Place of birth: Ewell, Surrey, England
- Profession: Singer, actress, composer
The singing sweetheart began her entertainment career on BBC Radio as a child entertainer during World War Two. Her music career started after she met Joe "Mr Piano" Henderson, who introduced her to Alan A. Freeman, a producer and co-founder of Polygon Records. She recorded and released several hit singles, including The Little Shoemaker, in 1954.
14. Dua Lipa
- Full name: Dua Lipa
- Nickname: Dula Peep
- Date of birth: 22 August 1995
- Age: 27 years old (as of 2022)
- Place of birth: London, England
- Profession: Songwriter, singer
This singer's mezzo-soprano vocal has helped cement her status as one of the young British female singers in the music industry. Her talent is evident in her several awards, including Grammys, Billboard Music, six BRIT Awards, and a spot on TIME's 2021 100 Next list.
15. MIA
- Full name: Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam
- Nickname: MIA
- Date of birth: 18 July 1975
- Age: 47 years old (as of 2022)
- Place of birth: London, England
- Profession: Music producer, rapper, singer, activist
MIA is of Sri Lankan descent and even relocated there with her parents for a while. She is most notable for critiquing policies on immigration, warfare, and racial and personal identity through her songs. MIA has been active in the music industry for over 20 years and has Grammy and Academy award nominations.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is one of the female pop singers who married a British comedian? Katy Perry is a popular American singer and songwriter who married British comedian Russell Brand in 2011.
- Who are some famous female singers? The list includes a blend of old and new generations artists such as Beyonce, Rihanna, Whitney Houston, Madonna, Dolly Parton, Dusty Springfield, and Kate Bush.
- Which female musician has the most beautiful voice? Whitney Houston, Maria Carey, and Beyonce, among others, will always feature.
- Who is the most famous singer ever? Michael Jackson is undoubtedly one of the most influential and famous musicians of all time, even in death.
- Who is the most popular female singer in the UK? Adele is one of the newest generations of musicians of English descent and is referred to as one of the biggest artists within and outside of her home country.
- Which British female singer has sold the most records? Adele holds the record of most records sold by a female British singer with her album titled 21.
- Who's the richest female singer? Rihanna holds this title with about $1.7 billion net value amassed from her career as a musician and fashionpreneur.
Several British female singers have helped to make various musical genres popular worldwide. The list is non-exhaustive, but it is instructive to know that the younger generation of musicians is building on the foundation laid by their predecessors.
As published on Yen.com.gh, in the 70s, some female singers rocked the entertainment industry, and their impact has remained to date.
Though they focused on different genres, their unique voices and creative delivery of their songs have set the pace that recent artists follow. So, who are some of these unforgettable 70s female musicians? Find out from the post.
Source: YEN.com.gh
