Female Classical Singers

Jackie Evancho is an American singer who achieved popularity at the age of ten when she finished second in the fifth season of the popular talent show, America's Got Talent. Subsequently, she became the youngest solo artist to release a platinum-certified album in the US. She is also the youngest person to give a solo concert at New York City's Lincoln Center.

M.S. Subbulakshmi was an Indian singer. Dubbed the Queen of Music, Subbulakshmi was the leading exponent of Carnatic music. In 1966, she became the first Indian to perform in UN General Assembly. In 1974, she became the first Indian musician to be awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award. In 1998, Subbulakshmi became the first musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna.

Noor Jehan was a Pakistani actress and playback singer. In a career spanning over 60 years, she is estimated to have sung around 20,000 songs. One of the most important Pakistani singers of all time, Noor Jehan is also widely regarded as one of the most influential and greatest South Asian singers of all time.

National Award- and Filmfare-winning singer Monali Thakur is best known for her hit tracks such as Moh Moh Ke Dhaage and Sawaar Loon. She first gained fame with Indian Idol 2 and later also acted in movies such as Lakshmi. She later secretly married a Swiss restaurateur she met on a trip.

Usha Mangeshkar belongs to the iconic Mangeshkar musical family of India and is the second-youngest child of Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar. She, and her famous siblings, Lata and Asha, once rocked the Hindi playback scene. Her song Mai Toh Aarti from Jai Santoshi Maa earned her a Filmfare nomination.

Gangubai Hangal was an Indian singer best remembered for her powerful and deep voice. Since Hangal's mother's family was regarded as people belonging to low social status, Gangubai Hangal had to fight against this prejudice to become one of the most revered female Hindustani classical singers of her generation. In 1996, she was honored with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship.

Shobha Gurtu was an Indian singer best known for her fame achieved by sticking to light Hindustani classical style, although she had indistinguishable control over pure classical style. Dubbed the Thumri Queen, Shobha Gurtu went on to win prestigious awards like Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Padma Bhushan, and Lata Mangeshkar Puraskar.

The first star in the history of opera, Italian singer and actor Anna Renzi soared to fame in the 17th century. After gaining attention with her Venetian debut as Deidamia in Sacrati’s La finta pazza, she also featured in poet and intellectual Giulio Strozzi’s writings. She was the highest-paid singer of her time.