Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklyn had a career spanning over 60 years and over a hundred charting singles. She was well known both as a songwriter and an interpreter of other people’s songs. Among her best-known singles are “Respect”, “Chain of Fools”, “Think”, “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”, and “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)”, a duet with George Michael.
The Queen of Soul won the first eight Grammy Awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Those eight are not even half of the grand total of 18 Grammys under her belt. With 75 million records sold worldwide, she is one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
Adele
Even though this powerhouse singer is known by one name like Madonna, she is far from being a diva. She prefers the quiet life away from the spotlight and tries her best to create a normal childhood for her son. No diva mannerisms here!
Although it may not seem like it once she opens her mouth, releasing that amazing voice of hers, Adele admits that she still gets stage fright when performing, which actually gets worse the more successful she becomes. It’s never a surprise when Adele wins Grammy awards — after all, her music racks up awards every time she releases an album and so far has won 15 out of the 18 she was nominated for.
Celine Dion
In the 1980s, Celine Dion was a teen star releasing multiple french-language albums. She knew there had to be more — it was then that she learned to speak English. After learning English, she was signed by Epic Records in the United States. She released her debut album in English, "Unison", which was able to establish her as a pop artist in the U.S. and other English-speaking countries.
Her music has been influenced by rock, R&B, and everything in between. Her recordings, though mainly in French and English, also include Spanish, Italian, German, and a multitude of other languages. Her releases often receive mixed reviews but she is still known as one of pop music's most influential voices. She has also won five Grammy Awards.
Whitney Houston
Regarded as one of the greatest singers of all time, Whitney Houston held the Guinness Record for the most awarded female artist of all time. She has sold over 200 million records worldwide.
Her first album was released in 1985 and its success was immediate. It turned her into the first woman to have a debut album that reaches the first place in the Billboard chart. Her tragic death in 2002 left her many fans mourning the loss of her outstanding vocal cords.
Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson is the youngest child in the Jackson family. She got her career started with the television series "The Jacksons", in 1976. She went on to appear in other shows throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including TV hits such as "Good Times" and "Fame". In 1982, she signed a record contract with A&M Records, and the rest was history. She soon became a world-renowned pop icon.
Her widely known collaborations with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, which incorporated rhythm and blues, disco, rap, and funk, helped Janet’s crossover success in popular music. She has sold over 100 million records, which makes her one of the world's best-selling music artists.