As we gear up to celebrate International Women’s Day, it’s important to recognise and honour the groundbreaking achievements of women across all industries.
In the world of music, women have been making waves and breaking barriers left and right, proving time and time again that there is no limit to what they can achieve. From record-breaking chart success to historic Grammy wins, women in music have been making history in a big way, and we’re here to celebrate and showcase some of the most impressive feats of recent times.
So, let’s take a moment to shine a spotlight on the incredible women who are shaking up the music industry and making their mark on history.
Beyonce
The ‘First Lady of music’ Beyonce made history in February when she set a new record for most Grammy wins by anyone ever: 32, which means she also holds the record for Most Grammys won by a female artist. She is also now tied with her husband Jay-Z for the most Grammy nominations (88 each).
And this year Beyonce also has the honour of being inducted into the Guinness World Records Hall of Fame for her musical achievements and recognition of how she promotes “female empowerment, focusing on feminine issues, and telling stories from a woman’s perspective”.
She appears in this year’s Guinness Book of Records for multiple achievements including First act to debut at number one with their first first six studio albums (a record she’s already broken with the release of Renaissance) and Highest annual earnings for a female singer.
Fun fact: Beyoncé’s name has a special meaning! Her mother, Tina Knowles, chose the name Beyoncé as a tribute to her maiden name, Beyincé, and to honor her Creole heritage. The name Beyoncé is also said to mean “beyond others” in French.
Kylie Minogue
While she found stardom in the late 80s, on the Australian soap opera Neighbours, Kylie Minogue has forged a decades-spanning career in music, and currently shows no signs of stopping. Like most great artists, she has gone through many periods of stylistic and musical reinvention, from recording sugary pop confections to dropping cutting-edge dancefloor-detonators.
the “Princess Of Pop” is one of the best-selling Australian artists of all time, and a beloved icon in all corners of the globe.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift has been making headlines once again for her impressive achievements in the music industry.
In March of this year, the singer-songwriter had a whopping 10 albums charting at the same time in the Billboard 200 albums music chart, a rare feat accomplished by only five other acts since the 1960s.
Notably, Swift is also the most-streamed artist on Spotify, having recently overtaken Ariana Grande. With a total of 12 Grammys, an Emmy, 40 American Music Awards (the most ever won by an artist), and 29 Billboard Music Awards (the most won by a woman), Swift’s accolades speak for themselves. On top of all this, she’s also a massive advocate for artists to be fairly compensated by streaming giants.
Fun fact: Taylor Swift holds the record for the shortest song to ever chart on the Billboard Hot 100 with her song Stay Stay Stay, which clocks in at just two minutes and 59 seconds.
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt’s diverse career is a study in creative expression: she has conquered pop, country, rock, jazz standards, bluegrass and Spanish-language music. Her early hit with The Stone Poneys, Different Drum, put her at the forefront of the late-60s Laurel Canyon scene, and she was also an instrumental figure in the 1971 formation of Eagles, having recruited Don Henley and Glenn Frey to her band in 1970.
Christine McVie:
This Fleetwood Mac songstress has created some of the catchiest hooks in music history. Having cut her teeth playing blues piano before joining Fleetwood Mac, McVie merged her blues roots with Lindsay Buckingham’s pop production to create the standout Rumours singles You Make Loving Fun and Don’t Stop. A decade later, in 1987, she continued to ensure the group’s presence on the charts thanks to the standout Tango In The Night songs Everywhere and Little Lies, the latter’s magnetic hook and electronic instrumentation giving Fleetwood Mac their last Top 5 Billboard hit.
Other amazing achievements
The most awarded female artists
Recognising the most awarded female artists is no easy feat, given the numerous organisations that bestow accolades upon musicians. However, when it comes to the sheer volume of wins across a broad range of award shows, the top spot belongs to Taylor Swift, followed closely by Beyonce, Shakira, Celine Dion, Madonna, Carrie Underwood, Lady Gaga, Whitney Houston and Dolly Parton.
Notably, at the MTV Video Music Awards, the most coveted prize, the Moon Person, has been won by four trailblazing women: Beyonce, Madonna, Lady Gaga, and Taylor Swift, who have collectively amassed an impressive 79 awards.
And while several female artists have earned Grammys for album, record, and song of the year, only Adele has achieved this impressive feat twice – first with her album ’21’ and its hit single ‘Rolling in the Deep’ in 2011, and later with ’25’ and ‘Hello’ five years later.
Australian music wins
And looking at Australian music charts, Aussie singer songwriter and producer Tones and I still holds the record for a song with the most weeks at number 1, with her breakout hit Dance Monkey spending 24 weeks in the top spot.
Sales records
Madonna holds a Guinness World Record for being the “Best-selling female recording artist of all time” with 300 million or more records sold. Below Madonna – though no less incredible – sit six women who have sold 200 million to 299 million records: Rihanna, Maria Carey, Whitney Houston, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Celine Dion.
The best-selling albums of all-time by women are Whitney Houston’s The Bodyguard from 1992 with 45 million copies sold, and Shania Twain’s Come on Over with around 40 million copies.
Social media followings
And in terms of social media followings, on Instagram, Ariana Grande sits at #7 position for number of followers, closely followed by Beyonce at #9.
View this post on Instagram
Katy Perry is the most followed woman on Twitter, with more than 108 million followers (also sitting at #4 spot overall) followed by Rihanna at #5, Taylor Swift at #7 and Lady Gaga at #10.
Fairy 🧚♂️ godmother or Perry godmother? Vote below ⬇️ and then watch #idol on the west coast ✨🪄💫 pic.twitter.com/oVuOYE7GMW
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) March 6, 2023
In the words of Beyonce, Who runs the world? Girls!
These impressive achievements and record-breaking moments in music only further prove that women are an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.
From chart-topping hits to sold-out arenas, female artists have continuously made history in the music industry and paved the way for generations to come.
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, let’s remember to applaud the countless women who have shattered glass ceilings and made waves in their respective fields. And as we look to the future, we can only imagine the amazing accomplishments yet to come from the next generation of fierce, talented women in music.
