Top 10 Female Artists of the 90s

BY: TYLER M.

10. LeAnn Rimes

Margaret LeAnn Rimes started her career at the age of 11 with her debut album Blue being commercially released in 1996 making her the youngest woman in country music since Tanya Tucker. From the years following her debut, she saw an immense spike in world-wide success following up to the year 2000. After this, her career seemed to fly slightly under the radar. Though she may not be as popular as she once was, her impact and the graceful stride she made in the mid-nineties cannot be denied. She places last on my list, however, simply because I am not the biggest country/pop crossover fan.

9. Shania Twain

Though I mentioned my dislike for country/pop crossover in my last entry, there is one person whom I will make an exception for. That person is Shania Twain. She’s sold over 100 million records worldwide and in the year 1997, she had the highest-selling female album of all time at over 40 million copies with the album Come On Over. Her most popular songs were from said albums, You’re Still The One, From This Moment On, and Man! I Feel Like A Woman. Each of these songs won her four different Grammy Awards. The reason she didn’t place higher on this list, is simply because I just wasn’t as interested in her music growing up. I did, however, get to stand next to her in fourth grade when she came to visit my school for a charity benefit tour, so...that's pretty cool at least.

8. Aaliyah

This entry is undoubtedly deserved, yet still manages to make me a little nostalgic and still a little bit sad. Aaliyah was an amazing artist who out the gate carved her own path in the world of RnB while still paying homage to the amazingly influential artists that came before her. She was a staple of every young performer’s playlist and is still one of mine. Though her passing was untimely and she will forever live on in the soul of her music and her RnB influence continues to last and will last for generations to come. The reason she doesn’t place as high on my list is that I did not have the fortune of growing up along with her music as many other classic RnB fans did and that she left us entirely too soon.

7. Alanis Morissette

Alanis Morisette lived and breathed in the 90s. She helped to pioneer one of the greatest eras in music history and had one of the highest-selling female albums of all time. Songs like You Oughta Know and Ironic help make up the fabric of the 90s pop culture. Everyone jammed to her music at one point and most people still listen to the classics today. While her impact was and is undeniable, she has most assuredly had some ebbs and flows with her career and unfortunately, she has hit a major slowing point as of late. That more than anything keeps her from reaching higher on my list that and I just don’t have as much cumulative experience with her music or career as the other entries.

6. Cher

What could possibly be left to say about one of history’s greatest performers? She has it all. The Music, The Stage Presence, The Attitude, The Fashion. So many amazing things that Cher has done, yet, I felt the need to put lower on this list because, while it is mostly opinion, I did look towards who or who didn’t have as much of an impact on the decade. And Cher thrived in the 70s, Dominated in the 80s, but didn’t really find much success in the 90s till late into the decade with the literal Song of the Year in 1999, Believe. While she did also have some other semi-successful songs during this decade, she really focused more on different aspects of her career at this time, but regardless, she still made it clear that in no matter what field you find her in, she will continue to be successful.

5. Madonna

Ah yes, the Queen of Pop. Madonna has been breaking boundaries since the start of her career, using the best strategical performance moves in order to hook people in and get people’s attention. Her music is known all around the world, and sometimes her controversy outlasts her artistry. However, you know of her, Madonna’s name and impact are undeniable. During the 90s she may have not been able to meet the high expectations she set for herself in the 80s, but her success is still staggering. She had the highest-selling compilation album of all time with the immaculate collection. She had some of the most iconic 90s songs ever like Vogue, Justify My Love, Frozen these are all songs many people can’t imagine their 90s without. To this day, she continues to be a boundary-breaking, attention-grabbing, artist whose career is the stuff of legend.

4. Janet Jackson

Nowadays, most people remember “Miss Jackson if you’re nasty” for her unfortunate Superbowl performance. But during the 90s, Janet was near unstoppable. With her foot already in the door with her family name, Janet released two albums that were...less than successful. But with her third Album Control, Janet opened a whole new door of possibilities. She signed a 33 million dollar contract, the highest-paid contract for a black woman at the time, and the highest for a woman in her time. With her songs like Nasty, What Have You Done for Me Lately and Control itself, She continued to break barriers and redefine what it meant to have a voice in this world, and to stand up for what you believe.

3. Celine Dion

This list would be incomplete without the Queen of Power Ballads. Miss Celine Dion! Her career is filled with some of the vocally greatest music we’ve ever seen as humans. With consistency, grace, and stamina, it’s no wonder how she became apart of the world-famous “Vocal Trinity” along with our next two artists. (Stick around to find out who!). Not only that but she also had one of the best commercial careers with her most popular song My Heart Will Go On from the Titanic soundtrack, the third highest-selling soundtrack in history. From better-than-the-original covers like All By Myself to beautifully written original songs like The Power Of Love. The French singer always delivers music, vocals, and emotion every time she stands on a stage.

2. Whitney Houston

We can’t talk about Whitney without first mentioning the highest selling song by a female artist of all time. Whitney’s cover of I Will Always Love You sold over a million copies in just one week. That song also helped it’s accompanying album become one of the highest-selling of all time. Ever. And did I mention that it was the soundtrack for 1993’s “The Bodyguard”? Anyway, I Will Always Love aside, Whitney did some incredible things in both the 80s and 90s. Some of the greatest songs of all time came from her catalog during that decade. I Have Nothing, I’m Your Baby Tonight, It’s Not Right (But It’s Okay) and of course I Will Always Love You. So, with a top-selling song, best selling soundtrack, and an absolutely flawless and unforgettable voice, of course, I gave this spot to Miss Whitney “The Voice” Houston. Love you forever, Nippy!

1. Mariah Carey

This may be a list full of personal opinion, but there can be no denial of the amazing impact that Mariah Carey, the Songbird Supreme, has had on the decade of her debut and from then on. Mariah’s Debut Album gained her four #1 hits and 3 Grammy awards. She was awarded the Song of the Decade Award with her song with Boys ll Men One Sweet Day. She left the decade with a total of 4 #1 Albums with Mariah Carey (debut) in 1990, Music Box in 1993, Daydream in 1995, and finally Butterfly in 1997. She had more number 1’s than any other solo artist from the decade and her vocals forever remastered the blueprint for what it meant to be a singer’s singer! Not to mention the fact that she's been recognized for excellent songwriting abilities. She wrote and co-produced 15 of her 18 number ones hits, and the two of the ones she didn’t write were because they were covers. She is also credited with inspiring some of the biggest singers that came after her. Christina Aguilera, Demi Lovato, Kelly Clarkson, Rihanna, and even Beyonce who once said: “Mariah Carey was the person who made me want to sing.” So, in other words, if there was no Mariah, we wouldn’t have Beyonce! That is enough accomplishment in of itself. Not only do I believe Mariah’s accolades help claim her spot on this list, but I put her here because out of all the other artists, Mariah’s music, voice, videos, but most importantly her words have helped inspire me to keep believing in who I am and to never let anyone change that.

Honorable Mentions go to the excellent girl groups of the decade (Spice Girls, Destiny’s Child, TLC.) Iconic duos like Brandy and Monica, to other artists who were around before the year 2000 but didn’t gain major popularity till then. (Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez.), and a special shoutout to Gwen Stefani while she was still in the band No Doubt. More shoutouts are necessary for artists like Tori Amos, Vanessa Carlton, Courtney Love, and Gloria Estefan, who unfortunately didn’t rank this list.