80s Female Singers
The biggest 80s female singers were Madonna, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Cyndi Lauper and Tina Turner. Around them came Pat Benatar, Stevie Nicks, Gloria Estefan, Sade, Kate Bush, Paula Abdul and a wave of teenage stars led by Tiffany and Debbie Gibson. Between them they topped the charts in every year of the decade.
The decade women took over the charts
At the start of the 80s, most women on the pop charts were singers who recorded other people's songs. By the end, the biggest female stars wrote their songs, directed the look of their videos and ran their own careers. MTV helped. A striking video could make a singer famous in a month, and Madonna, Cyndi Lauper and Janet Jackson used it better than almost anyone. This page is part of our guide to 80s bands and artists.
Every singer below comes with two signature songs, and all of them play in the free player above. We picked songs you will not hear on our other pages, so this list goes past the obvious hits.
Who is on this list
This page covers solo women. Debbie Harry of Blondie, Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders, Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart and Annie Lennox of Eurythmics were just as important, but they recorded as bands. All-female groups like the Go-Go's and the Bangles have their own page: see our guide to 80s girl groups.
Singers are listed roughly in the order their 80s peak arrived, from the disco queens of 1980 to the dance-pop stars of 1989. For the megastars at the very top of the charts, see our 80s pop songs guide. Every song follows our song selection rules.
Donna Summer
The Queen of Disco opened the decade still on top. "On the Radio" reached No. 5 in 1980, and later that year she became the first artist signed to David Geffen's new label. She moved toward rock and pop as disco faded. "She Works Hard for the Money", her tribute to working women, reached No. 3 in 1983 and was a big MTV hit.
Signature tracks: On the Radio, She Works Hard for the Money
Diana Ross
Diana Ross started the 80s with diana, an album written and produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic. "I'm Coming Out" reached No. 5 and became an anthem of pride. She then left Motown for RCA. Lionel Richie wrote "Missing You" as a tribute to Marvin Gaye, and it reached No. 10 in 1985.
Signature tracks: I'm Coming Out, Missing You
Olivia Newton-John
The Australian star of Grease had one of the biggest runs of the early 80s. "Magic", from the film Xanadu, spent four weeks at No. 1 in 1980. "Physical" then spent ten weeks at No. 1 and was Billboard's top single of 1982. "Twist of Fate", from the film Two of a Kind, reached No. 5 in 1984.
Signature tracks: Magic, Twist of Fate
Irene Cara
Irene Cara sang two of the decade's biggest movie songs. She starred in Fame and sang its title song, which won the Oscar for Best Original Song. Three years later she co-wrote "Flashdance... What a Feeling" with Giorgio Moroder and Keith Forsey. It spent six weeks at No. 1 in 1983 and won both an Oscar and a Grammy.
Signature tracks: Fame, Flashdance... What a Feeling
Sheena Easton
The Scottish singer was discovered on a BBC documentary about trying to make it in pop. "Morning Train (Nine to Five)" went to No. 1 in America in 1981, and she won the Grammy for Best New Artist. She also sang a James Bond theme, "For Your Eyes Only". By 1984 she had a sharper, dance-pop sound, and "Strut" reached No. 7.
Signature tracks: Morning Train (Nine to Five), Strut
Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar was the decade's leading woman in hard rock. She won the Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance four years running, from 1981 to 1984, and her video "You Better Run" was the second ever played on MTV. "Love Is a Battlefield" reached No. 5 in 1983. "We Belong", a softer anthem with a children's choir, also reached No. 5.
Signature tracks: Love Is a Battlefield, We Belong
Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks stayed in Fleetwood Mac and built a solo career at the same time. Her solo debut, Bella Donna, went to No. 1 in 1981. "Stand Back" reached No. 5 in 1983, and Prince played synthesizer on it without a credit. "Talk to Me", from Rock a Little, reached No. 4 early in 1986.
Signature tracks: Stand Back, Talk to Me
Laura Branigan
Laura Branigan had a huge voice and a gift for turning European hits into American ones. "Gloria", an Italian song with new English words, made her a star in 1982. "Solitaire" reached No. 7 the next year. "Self Control" reached No. 4 in 1984, and its moody video was directed by William Friedkin, who made The Exorcist.
Signature tracks: Solitaire, Self Control
Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper's colourful look hid one of the best voices of the decade. She's So Unusual made her the first woman to have four Top 5 singles from a debut album. "She Bop" was one of them, reaching No. 3 in 1984. "I Drove All Night", written for Roy Orbison, gave her a No. 6 hit in 1989.
Signature tracks: She Bop, I Drove All Night
Madonna
No one used the 80s better than Madonna. She came out of New York's dance clubs, and "Borderline" became her first Top 10 hit in 1984. From there every album and every video was an event. "Express Yourself", from Like a Prayer, reached No. 2 in 1989, and its video was directed by David Fincher.
Signature tracks: Borderline, Express Yourself
Tina Turner
Tina Turner was in her forties and had been written off by much of the music business when Private Dancer made her one of the biggest stars in the world in 1984. Its songs won four Grammys. Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits wrote its title song, which reached No. 7. "The Best" closed her decade in 1989 and became one of her signature songs.
Signature tracks: Private Dancer, The Best
Bonnie Tyler
The Welsh singer's raspy voice made "Total Eclipse of the Heart" a No. 1 in 1983. Its writer, Jim Steinman, then gave her "Holding Out for a Hero", written with Dean Pitchford for the film Footloose. It reached No. 2 in the UK and has become one of the most-used songs in film and TV.
Signature tracks: Holding Out for a Hero
Sade
Sade Adu was born in Nigeria and grew up in England, and her band shares her name. Their cool mix of jazz, soul and pop was unlike anything else on the radio. "Smooth Operator" reached No. 5 in America in 1985, and they won the Grammy for Best New Artist. "The Sweetest Taboo" also reached No. 5.
Signature tracks: Smooth Operator, The Sweetest Taboo
Kate Bush
Kate Bush wrote, produced and sang some of the most original records of the decade. Hounds of Love went to No. 1 in the UK in 1985. "Running Up That Hill" reached No. 3 there and gave her an American hit, and in 2022 it went to No. 1 in the UK after appearing in Stranger Things. "Cloudbusting" has a video starring Donald Sutherland.
Signature tracks: Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God), Cloudbusting
Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston had the voice that other singers measured themselves against. Between 1985 and 1988 she had seven No. 1 singles in a row, a record that still stands. "Greatest Love of All" spent three weeks at No. 1 in 1986. "So Emotional" reached No. 1 early in 1988 and was the sixth of the seven.
Signature tracks: Greatest Love of All, So Emotional
Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson stepped out of her famous family with Control in 1986, made with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. "What Have You Done for Me Lately" reached No. 4 and set the tone. Rhythm Nation 1814 followed in 1989 and became the first album with seven Top 5 singles. "Miss You Much" spent four weeks at No. 1.
Signature tracks: What Have You Done for Me Lately, Miss You Much
Anita Baker
The Detroit singer brought jazz phrasing and quiet elegance to 80s R&B. Rapture, released in 1986, sold millions without a single dance track and won her two Grammys. "Caught Up in the Rapture" was a radio staple. "Giving You the Best That I Got" reached No. 3 in 1988 and won another Grammy.
Signature tracks: Caught Up in the Rapture, Giving You the Best That I Got
Belinda Carlisle
After the Go-Go's broke up, their singer went solo and got even bigger. "Mad About You" reached No. 3 in 1986. "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" went to No. 1 in America and the UK in 1987, and its video was directed by the actress Diane Keaton. Her sound moved from punky new wave to polished pop.
Signature tracks: Mad About You, Heaven Is a Place on Earth
Jody Watley
Jody Watley had been a dancer on Soul Train and a singer in Shalamar before going solo. Her 1987 debut made her one of the style icons of the late 80s. "Looking for a New Love" reached No. 2, and she won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1988. "Real Love" also reached No. 2 in 1989.
Signature tracks: Looking for a New Love, Real Love
Gloria Estefan
Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine brought Cuban rhythms to American pop radio. After "Conga" broke them in 1985, they kept growing. "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" reached No. 5 in 1987. "Anything for You", a ballad she wrote herself, became her first No. 1 in 1988. By then she was the undisputed star of the group.
Signature tracks: Rhythm Is Gonna Get You, Anything for You
Tiffany
Tiffany became famous by playing free shows in American shopping malls in 1987. Her cover of "I Think We're Alone Now" went to No. 1, and at 16 she became the youngest woman to top the album chart with a debut. "Could've Been", a ballad, followed it to No. 1 early in 1988.
Signature tracks: Could've Been
Debbie Gibson
Debbie Gibson wrote her own songs, which set her apart from most teenage stars. "Shake Your Love" reached No. 4 in 1987. "Foolish Beat" went to No. 1 in 1988, making her the youngest artist ever to write, produce and perform a No. 1 single. Her second album, Electric Youth, also went to No. 1.
Signature tracks: Shake Your Love, Foolish Beat
Taylor Dayne
The Long Island singer had a powerful voice and a run of big hits at the end of the decade. Her debut single, "Tell It to My Heart", reached No. 7 and was a hit around the world. "Prove Your Love" matched it at No. 7 in 1988, and the ballad "I'll Always Love You" went even higher.
Signature tracks: Tell It to My Heart, Prove Your Love
Cher
Cher made one of the great comebacks of the decade, winning the Oscar for Best Actress for Moonstruck and returning to the charts at the same time. "I Found Someone" reached No. 10. "If I Could Turn Back Time" reached No. 3 in 1989, and its video, filmed on a US Navy battleship, was one of the most talked-about of the year.
Signature tracks: I Found Someone, If I Could Turn Back Time
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman played an acoustic guitar and sang about poverty and hope, at the height of glossy 80s pop. Her set at Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday concert in London in 1988 made her famous overnight. "Fast Car" reached No. 6, her debut album went to No. 1, and she won the Grammy for Best New Artist.
Signature tracks: Fast Car
Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul was a choreographer for the Los Angeles Lakers cheerleaders and for Janet Jackson before she sang a note on record. Her debut, Forever Your Girl, produced four No. 1 singles. The title song reached No. 1 in 1989, and "(It's Just) The Way That You Love Me" reached No. 3 the same year.
Signature tracks: Forever Your Girl, (It's Just) The Way That You Love Me
Martika
Martika grew up in Los Angeles in a Cuban family and was a child actor on the TV show Kids Incorporated. "Toy Soldiers", a song about a friend's struggle with drugs, went to No. 1 in 1989. It was one of the last big hits of the decade, and one of its most serious.
Signature tracks: Toy Soldiers
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was the most popular female singer of the 80s?
Madonna and Whitney Houston were the two biggest. Madonna had the most hits and the biggest cultural impact, and Whitney Houston set a record with seven No. 1 singles in a row between 1985 and 1988.
Who were the best female rock singers of the 80s?
Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, Ann Wilson of Heart, Stevie Nicks and Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders are the names most often ranked highest. Pat Benatar won the Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance four years in a row.
Which 80s female singers won the Grammy for Best New Artist?
Sheena Easton (1982), Cyndi Lauper (1985), Sade (1986, as a band), Jody Watley (1988) and Tracy Chapman (1989) all won it. The award is given for the year before the ceremony.
Who were the teen pop singers of the late 80s?
Tiffany and Debbie Gibson were the two biggest, and both had No. 1 hits in 1987 and 1988. Martika, a former child actor, followed with "Toy Soldiers" in 1989.
Where are Blondie, Heart and Eurythmics?
They were bands, so they are covered on our 80s bands page rather than here. All-female groups like the Go-Go's and the Bangles are on the 80s girl groups page.
Last updated: September 25, 2026