Top 10 Best Female Singers in Concert

The Top Ten

Sarah Brightman

Sarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano, actress, musician, songwriter, conductor, and dancer. She rose to fame as the original Christine Daaé in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. Brightman is also known for her solo music career, having sold more than 30 million records... read more

I used to laugh at stories of 19th-century concert-goers who had to "take to the bed" because they were so overwrought. I no longer laugh - not since one November night in 2004 when I was electrified by the beauty and magic of Sarah Brightman and her art. Her concerts are an initiation into an enchanted realm of beauty and wonder.

A one-in-a-billion voice. Unlike the so-called divas like Spears and others who gyrate around on the stage like demented monkeys to hide their mediocre voices, this woman can sing. She can perform pop, opera, classical, folk, and all in the same song! If you've never heard her, treat yourself and look her up on YouTube.
Jackie Evancho

Jacqueline Marie "Jackie" Evancho is an American classical crossover singer who gained wide recognition at an early age. Since 2009, she has issued an EP and eight albums, including a platinum and gold album, and three Billboard 200 top 10 debuts. Evancho's latest album, The Debut, was her eighth consecutive... read more

She sings wonderfully, purely, and genteelly, with full emotion in her live performances. Her concerts, such as PBS Great Performances' Dream With Me In Concert and Music of the Movies, are unforgettable and have had many listeners. The Dream With Me In Concert event raised record amounts of money for PBS stations.
Not only are common visitors moved, but her angelic voice also brings feelings to soldiers who have been around her. I hope she preserves this great gift. She has shown us that she is serious about becoming a huge star in the classical crossover music scene, and she already is a real star.

What is the Jackie Effect? Many of us in her Facebook fan groups talk about it. We agree that when we hear her sing, we get choked up in the throat and usually become teary-eyed. We frequently become so mesmerized that we forget to breathe, especially when she holds a note for practically impossible lengths of time.
When she is finished, we tend to involuntarily shake our heads in utter disbelief at what we just experienced. That is the Jackie Effect. I've been listening to and watching concert singers since the 1950s. Her concerts have had a greater effect on me than all other performers combined. No exaggeration. Just a simple fact.
Ann Wilson

Ann Dustin Wilson (born June 19, 1950) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and songwriter of the hard rock band Heart. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Heart in 2013. Wilson has been listed by Hit Parader as one of the best metal singers of all time and is... read more

I agree with all the comments made about Ann Wilson. I've watched many of her live performances, and they never cease to instill great emotion. She has a simplistic concert setting because it is her voice people go to experience.

During the '70s, Heart was one of the top bands on the planet, and their lead singer was Ann Wilson. No one on this list comes close to giving the live performance that Heart/Ann Wilson gave during that period.

The most amazing female rocker vocals - Ann Wilson has been my favorite musician for a long time. I saw her and her sister Nancy in concert on their Baby Le Strange tour! That's when I decided I wanted to sing, play guitar, and be a rocker.
Shakira

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll is a Colombian-Spanish singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, choreographer, and model. She rose to international fame in the late 1990s with Latin pop hits and has sold over 85 million records worldwide. Shakira is also known for her philanthropic work through her... read more

The best female artist ever, in my opinion, has helped 500,000 kids worldwide by going from Spanish to English and even singing for the President! Nothing screams success like buying your own private island. Shakira donated 45 million dollars to rebuild a destroyed school in Haiti.

She's so down-to-earth, raw, and talented. Her voice is even better live than that of any other artist I've ever seen perform. She doesn't just take the spotlight. She shares it with her band and her dancers.

Watch her live in Paris and Singapore F1. She's the complete performer. She must be in the top ten. You get belly dance, samba, flamenco, songs in French, Spanish, English, guitar, harmonica - men cry watching her on stage. She's the ultimate pocket dynamite.
Madonna

Madonna Louise Ciccone, known professionally as Madonna, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. She has influenced many artists, including Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Beyoncé Knowles, and Britney Spears. Often referred to as the "Queen of Pop," she has played a significant... read more

She revolutionized pop concerts! All of her performances are a unique piece of performance art. Every song has a deep theme that is presented through a combination of amazing live music, awe-inspiring dancing, the latest in visual effects, and fantastic videos. The production is out of this world.

Saw her for the first time on HBO during an overseas world tour. She danced and sang for 90 minutes, only briefly stopping to change outfits. I will always give her her just props and prayers. That concert on HBO was back in the '90s.
Sarah Geronimo

Sarah Asher Tua Geronimo, also known as Sarah Geronimo or Sarah G., is a multi-talented and internationally recognized Filipino singer, actress, dancer, record producer, model, host, coach and judge, commercial endorser, and television personality. She can also draw and plays the piano. Geronimo is popularly... read more

She's really a concert performer. She can sing all genres. She's a good dancer too - a truly versatile performer I have ever heard. Whenever she performs on the center stage, she becomes something we never expected from her. She's truly a one-of-a-kind performer and entertainer I have witnessed in my entire life.

Well, this title goes to the record-breaker herself and the new concert queen as well. Sarah Geronimo is the only one! Bravo!

Sold-out concerts in so many jam-packed venues.
Idolized by many.
Ms. Pops Fernandez even said in one of her recent interviews that she could only foresee one person who could follow in her footsteps.
And that is Sarah Geronimo.
By the way, Pops Fernandez is the concert queen here in the Philippines.
Shania Twain

Shania Twain (born Eilleen Regina Edwards on August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. With over 100 million records sold worldwide, she is the best-selling female artist in country music history and one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Her 1997 album Come On Over remains the... read more
Patti LaBelle

Patricia Louise Holt-Edwards, better known under the stage name Patti LaBelle, is an American singer, author, actress, and entrepreneur. She gained fame as the lead singer of the group Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, later known as Labelle. LaBelle is widely regarded as the Godmother of Soul for her... read more

Patti LaBelle belted five octaves using her chest!
Anita Baker

Anita Denise Baker is a retired American singer-songwriter. She began her music career in the late 1970s with the funk band Chapter 8 and released her solo debut album, The Songstress, in 1983. Her second album, Rapture, released in 1986, achieved platinum status and featured the Grammy-winning single... read more
Whitney Houston

Whitney Elizabeth Houston was an American singer, actress, producer, and model. She holds the Guinness World Record as the most awarded female artist of all time, with over 400 career awards as of 2006, and was named the most awarded female act in 2009.... read more

Whitney never ever sings a song the same way twice. She is 10 billion times better live than in the studio, where she is perfect anyway.

The best thing that happened to the music industry. Her live performances often eclipse her studio versions.

The Newcomers

?
Idina Menzel

Idina Kim Menzel is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She rose to prominence when she originated the role of Maureen Johnson in the Broadway musical Rent, earning a Tony Award nomination in 1996. Menzel later won a Tony Award for her performance as Elphaba in Wicked and voiced Elsa in Disney's... read more
?
Dolly Parton

Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, actress, author, businesswoman, and humanitarian, primarily known for her work in country music. She has composed over 3,000 songs and received numerous awards, including 11 Grammy Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award.... read more

The Contenders

Nicole Scherzinger

Nicole Scherzinger, born Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente on June 29, 1978, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She first rose to fame as the lead singer of the pop and R&B group The Pussycat Dolls. Scherzinger has also appeared as a judge on various talent... read more

She can sing her face off in multiple genres!
Pink

Alecia Beth Moore, known professionally as P!NK, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. She rose to prominence in the early 2000s with her R&B-influenced debut album Can't Take Me Home (2000). P!NK is known for her powerful vocals, acrobatic stage presence, and numerous hit singles,... read more

Why? I have never seen any other live act with as much to offer as Pink. I mean, the girl gets stuck in cages and flies around the audience. She can even sing upside down. Who else can do that? Certainly not Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Selena Gomez, and many more who are ranked above her! I just think this is ridiculous, to be honest.

Never have any other performers achieved what Pink does in live concerts. From costumes to acrobatics, and most of all, vocals. Pink's vocals are always on point and, in my opinion, even better live. She actually sounds just like she does on record, just stretching her notes out and rocking it. Pink brings it every time.
Nelly Furtado

Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold 20 million albums worldwide and more than 20 million singles, bringing her total record sales to over 40 million globally.
Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey, born March 27, 1970, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She's one of the best-selling female artists in music history, with 19 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100.
She's often regarded as a sex symbol through her songs and videos, and has been noted in the press... read more

Mariah is an amazing touring artist. She interacts with her fans, flaunts her beautiful voice, and gives everything she has.
Kelly Price

Kelly Cherelle Price is a six-time Grammy-nominated American R&B singer and songwriter. She first gained fame as a backing vocalist for Mariah Carey and later signed with the Def Soul label. Price has released several successful solo albums, including Soul of a Woman and Mirror Mirror.
Lady Gaga

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress.
Early in her career, she performed at Lollapalooza on August 4, 2007, as part of "Lady Gaga & The Starlight Revue," where she was noticed by Interscope Records executive Vincent... read more

Dance hard, sing harder. She is one of the female artists with the best live vocal performance. You can check out her Super Bowl halftime show, for your information. I went to see her concert, The Born This Way Ball, once and she sounded not like the studio version, but far better and fascinating.
The way she uses her art to entertain the audience is really amazing. You suddenly fall into her world without knowing it, from the start to the end of the show. She has been in the music industry for a decade, but she's already a legend. From winning VMAs to an Oscar, that's not normal. Her winning speech at the Oscars really moved me, and I cry every time I watch it because it touches me so deeply.
Katy Perry

Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, professionally known as Katy Perry, was born on October 25, 1984, in Santa Barbara, California. She is a singer, songwriter, actress, and has served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2013.
She is among the best-selling artists ever, with four Guinness World Records... read more

To everyone who says that Katy can't sing live, she is perfectly fine live. Yes, during Teenage Dream and One of the Boys, she wasn't that good (besides ballads) live. That's because she didn't have enough experience yet. She honestly has a fantastic voice live, and she gets so much flack for making mistakes.

The phrase best female singer in concert and Katy Perry do not belong in the same sentence. She is awful live. Like many modern-day singers, and I use the term loosely, she surrounds herself with dancers who distract the audience from the fact that she cannot sing.
Cher

Cher is an American singer and actress. Described as embodying female autonomy in a male-dominated industry, she is known for her distinctive contralto singing voice and for having worked in numerous areas of entertainment. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has adopted a variety of styles... read more

Female singers don't come any better than Cher!
Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American singer, songwriter, and children's book author. She rose to fame in 2002 after winning the inaugural season of American Idol, which earned her a record deal with RCA Records. Clarkson's debut single, "A Moment Like This," topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and became... read more

She is the best female singer in concert and should be first. People like Madonna, Britney Spears, Shakira, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, and Hayley Williams do not belong on this list, because this is about the best female singers in concert, not the worst.

I've never seen anyone who can sing live like her. She sings with such emotion. I absolutely love her.

Kelly is amazing at concerts, with the wind blowing in her hair as she just sings her heart out.
Brandy

Brandy Rayana Norwood, known professionally as Brandy, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, model, and actress. She gained fame in the 1990s with her debut album Brandy and the hit single I Wanna Be Down. In addition to her music career, she starred in the television show Moesha and has... read more
K.S. Chithra

Krishnan Nair Shantakumari Chithra, often credited as K. S. Chithra or simply Chithra, is an Indian playback singer from Kerala. She also sings Indian classical, devotional, and popular music. Chithra has recorded over 25,000 songs in various languages and is a recipient of six National Film Awards.

K.S. Chithra has superb vocals that are amazing live. The genuine emotions are portrayed through her singing. Her studio versions are amazing, but her live performances are where it is really at. Awesome.

Chithra is one of the very few artists out there who don't lip sync. She has an amazingly beautiful voice that gives you a certain feeling.
Plus, when you go to her concerts she makes you feel free from yourself and free from all of your weaknesses. You also get to see her amazing performances.

To be honest, if you go to a concert with the expectation of light shows, pyrotechnics, dancers, and a synthesized, auto tuned, enhanced singer to add to the overall background entertainment, Chithra is not for you. Chithra's gift to her audience is her pure, uncompromising, natural voice.
Celine Dion

Céline Marie Claudette Dion is a Canadian singer and businesswoman. She's best known for "My Heart Will Go On," the theme song of the 1997 film Titanic, which was the first film in history to gross over $1 billion worldwide.

Celine Dion's Taking Chances Tour is the second highest-earning tour by a solo artist of all time, behind Madonna, and tenth overall. And yet, you people place her 36th. Please, show some more respect to this fine lady. She is a nice person and a wonderful singer, but she is never cited on any top compilation lists. I just wonder why.
Whoever agrees with me, please vote for her, because she rarely appears in the top ten good lists and can often be found in lists of overrated singers. Fix your brains, people. Please.

I was at the Taking Chances Tour in 2007, and I still think about that day and get chills. We were there early in the morning, and we even caught a glimpse of her warming up. This was the most memorable moment of my entire life.
Everyone just ran to get in and was so excited to see her and hear her. Her voice literally soared through the night air. We were standing, rocking, and dancing the whole night. It was such an unexpected show. It definitely made a mark. I love her.
Jennifer Hudson

Jennifer Kate Hudson is an American singer, actress, and spokesperson. She rose to fame in 2004 as a finalist on the third season of American Idol, coming in seventh place. Hudson went on to win an Academy Award for her role in Dreamgirls and has since earned an Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award, becoming... read more
K. Michelle
Keyshia Cole

Keyshia Cole is an R&B singer who rose to fame in the mid-2000s with songs like "Love," "Heaven Sent," "I Remember," and "Let It Go." Her music is known for its raw and street-influenced sound, which helped her stand out in the genre during that era. Much of that influence comes from one of her major... read more