It's one thing to be a singer in music, and another to be a singer. It's someone who doesn't even need to play an instrument to make an iconic statement because their voice is that nuclear-impactful grade of weaponry - their Jimi Hendrix or Prince guitar, their Billy Joel or Elton John-level of piano, the type of vocal pipes that are guaranteed and certified dipped in otherworldly gold. Even the ones who took to the mic and couldn't make it last had, for a time, a tone that burned with raging fire.

That's especially true of female singers, with many who have and only continue to croon with the sweetest of nectar, the buzz of a live wire, the soaring grace of a songbird, or some combo of that entire triple. Male singers have done this as well over the years, but there's something more about commanding women on the center stage of singing. Those voices can stop a room like a quieted heartbeat and take the listener to the farthest reaches of the cosmos.

That's a rare gift we've experienced in moments of yesterday, and even still in contemporary times. The following 10 singers have, and some continue to, demonstrate that gift the best of anyone else.

10 Kelly Clarkson

A Contestant Standout

Texas-born singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson first came to national attention after winning the debut season of the singing competition show American Idol back in 2002. While questions have swirled off and on over the years about the legitimacy of reality show-based competition shows such as these and why so few of the winning talents have had such limited lasting cultural impact, that hasn't been the case with Clarkson.

She has long had a smoothly versatile voice that comes equipped with an effortless type of power attached to it. Whether it's pop, rock, R&B, gospel, country, or even Christmas music, Clarkson has shown she can do pretty much all genres under the sun. The results have led to widespread accolades, ranging from millions of album sales to multitudes of awards that include three Grammys. She's even hosted a popular daytime talk program called The Kelly Clarkson Show since 2019, showcasing a personality as charming as her competition-winning voice continues to be.

9 Lady Gaga

The Presence Of Royalty

When Lady Gaga first burst onto the music scene with her debut album The Fame in 2008, she was initially known for her ability to craft contagiously catchy pop songs and push the boundaries of her artistic image in ways reminiscent of creators such as Madonna. But as the years went along, Gaga began to aim less for shock value and more for rounding out her deep skillset with many varied sound explorations and even forays into acting.

She showed she was quite capable of jumping into just about anything.

She showed she was quite capable of jumping into just about anything, including two stellar jazz albums with the legendary Tony Bennett and a more plainclothes pearlescence with her breakout role in the film A Star Is Born. Gaga demonstrated that whether she was in the full depths of theatrical imagery or stripped down to her very roots, her soaring, swelling voice and flexing musicality were doing most of the heavy lifting. It's no wonder that 14 Grammy Awards and one of the highest all-time album sales marks of any artist have come her way as a result.

8 Christina Aguilera

A Multi-Octave Entertainer

A breakout star of the '90s, Christina Aguilera went from being a member of The All New Mickey Mouse Club in the early half of the decade to having a 1999 self-titled album debut that charted three number-one singles. By the early 2000s, Aguilera would look to shed her teen-centric image and push into more edgy material, with her four-octave vocal range leading the way through songs varying from pop-painted standouts to the build of big-time ballads.

In recent years, Aguilera's star hasn't burned quite as brightly as in her earlier days, but she still makes music, has done work on television, and continues to perform live. Her voice is still just as impressive as in her earlier days, something that sadly can't always be said about artists having to deal with the rigors and challenges of the music industry.

7 Beyoncé

Queen Bey Holds Court

Much like Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter first rose to prominence in the late '90s as a member of the highly successful girl group Destiny's Child. By 2003, Knowles-Carter debuted her first solo album, Dangerously in Love, and has gone on to conquer multiple musical genres while making it look effortless. Pop music has long been Knowles-Carter's specialty, of course, but she's also been able to do just about everything in between with the powerfully soulful grace of her vocal pipes.

That even includes country music with 2024's wildly successful Cowboy Carter. Add in Knowles-Carter's success in the business and acting world as well, and there aren't many bars that the so-called "Queen Bey" hasn't been able to thoroughly clear on making her way to the top of music royalty. She's made it look just as easy as all the directions her voice has been able to travel in over the years.

6 Mariah Carey

A Songbird Crooner Supreme

Mariah Carey and her five-octave vocal range first gained widespread attention with the 1990 release of her self-titled debut album. She became the first Billboard-charting artist to have her first five singles reach number one, and also became a Christmas music icon in 1994 with the single "All I Want For Christmas Is You." Carey has explored a variety of musical styles over the years since her origins, though her prowess with expansive ballads highlighting her massive voice has arguably always been at the top of the heap.

In recent times, it unfortunately seems as though Carey's voice has diminished from the spread of its once world-beating ways. The age of time and the power required to operate such heavy-duty machinery can, unfortunately, lead to such negative impacts and make things not what they once were. Thankfully, Carey's noted recording career and many live performances have forever preserved her peak angelic sound.

5 Adele

A One-Named Wonder

British singer-songwriter Adele Adkins (known simply as Adele) wasn't quite out of her late teenage years when she first broke into the mainstream in 2008 with her debut LP titled (aptly) 19. Her mezzo-soprano voice and sharpened knack for heavy, emotional lyrics quickly found an engaged audience that was able to connect their heartaches and life experiences to how relatable Adele's work has always been, right down to the very bare bones.

In a musical landscape so devoted to the overprocessed studio layers of the pop music world, Adele has always felt like a different type of entity. She's someone who's always had an undeniable strength, no matter how full or bare the cupboard of instrumentation of a song is behind her. She's also continued to evolve in her style and her richness of voice, always making her next releases so highly anticipated just to see what she's going to do next.

4 Ella Fitzgerald

A Perfectly Toned Queen

Making her initial rise to prominence in the mid-'30s, Ella Fitzgerald was and continues to be a guiding com when it comes to the art of jazz singing as well as the very croon of crooning itself. Despite a tumultuous stretch in her early years, music was able to create a steadying and guiding force for Fitzgerald that allowed her to ultimately create art with the likes of Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong, win 14 Grammys, and earn her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Even the texture of silk itself could never be as smooth and steady in the art of song when it came to Ella Fitzgerald taking center stage.

This was no accident or simple act of coincidental fortune, either. Throughout her life, Fitzgerald carried a sense of tone and technique to her singing sound that was simply unmatched. It might not have reached the power or sheer strength of later contemporaries or pop standouts, but even the texture of silk itself could never be as smooth and steady in the art of song when it came to Ella Fitzgerald taking center stage.

3 Celine Dion

A French-Canadian Ballad Slayer

Celine Dion has long been a treasure to the big-voiced musical community, beginning when she was discovered in the '80s as a teenager and became quite successful recording French-language studio albums. Eventually transitioning over to the English-language market with 1990's Unison (though she'd continue to record albums in French as well), by 1992, Dion had hit it big into North American superstar status and would never look back.

Soundtrack songs like 1991's "Beauty and the Beast" and 1997's Titanic movie theme song "My Heart Will Go On" only cemented this for Dion, who is still a staple of radio stations and ballad playlists alike with her big, expressionist vocals that make singing at such a high level almost look easy. Despite several personal tragedies and having to overcome a significant neurological disorder in recent times, Dion continues to wow with her performances.

2 Whitney Houston

A Tragically Too-Short Tower Of Song

Beginning with her 1985 self-titled debut album and throughout most of the '90s, there were few artists with a voice so gifted as when it came to Whitney Houston. Watching her turn the Dolly Parton song "I Will Always Love You" into something that was forever Houston's own was like watching the heavens open up and seeing angels pour down just through hearing the strength of her notes. It almost should have been clear even in those early days that her art was too beautiful to last for long.

Sadly, by the time the 2000s got underway, Houston's star had been diminished by various factors, including issues with drugs and a damaging marriage to singer Bobby Brown. In 2012, just a few years after recording her final (and seventh) studio album, Houston died of accidental drowning, reportedly brought on by heart and drug-related problems. While Houston was only on top of the world for a relatively short time, her voice will at least always keep her as a well-deserved legend.

1 Aretha Franklin

Respecting The Queen Of Soul

Aretha Franklin was first noticed for the strength of her gospel singing as a child, and by 18 had been signed to a recording contract. While Franklin didn't find immediate acclaim, by the latter half of the '60s, she recorded a string of iconic albums and songs that stretched all the way into the 2000s. "Chain of Fools," "Think," "Respect," "I Say A Little Prayer For You" - those were just the smallest few of the many songs now forever attached to Franklin's soulful vocal style.

Legends aren't just yesterday, today, and tomorrow; no, legends are forever.

Over the years, Franklin has sold millions upon millions of albums, won 18 Grammys out of 44 nominations, and became the first female artist inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Whether you appreciate Franklin's youthful, buzzing pulse of vocals or her older, more wizened, but just as fruitful croon, there's plenty of the "Queen of Soul" and her great work to go around. Legends aren't just yesterday, today, and tomorrow; no, legends are forever.