3 Female Singers With the Most Distinct Voices

If you close your eyes, you could easily count about a billion incredible female singers off the top of your head. From Adele to Whitney Houston to Lady Gaga to Aretha Franklin to Blondie to more and more and more. But there are a select few who have voices that go so far in one direction that they become incredibly distinct—even more than those listed above.

Here below, we wanted to explore three such singers. A trio of lady vocalists who aren’t necessarily the best singers ever (though they may be near the top of the list). But rather, three singers who are so unique and memorable they seemingly never leave your consciousness. Indeed, these are three female singers with the most distinct voices.

[RELATED: Behind the Name: Björk]

Macy Gray

Boasting an elastic, gravelly, throaty, and yet also seemingly high-registered falsetto, Marcy Gray is a marvel when it comes to her singing voice. When she released her hit single “I Try” in 1999, she burst onto the scene thanks to her relatable pop sensibilities and singing voice. When the chorus comes in, Gray sounds as if she is both friend next door and otherworldly vocalist. It’s like all aspects of singing coalesce into her voice to form some lovely, smokey bouquet of sound.

Björk

The Icelandic singer Björk is a force of both nature and sound. So much sonic TNT explodes out of a singing voice that more often than not sounds like it’s coming out of the mouth of a child. There is something innocent and especially youthful when it comes to the artist’s voice. It is not a big wall of sound, it is not operatic. Instead, it’s sharp and lovely. But also strangely diminutive for how strongly it enters your ears and mind. Still, she can sound industrial or rocking even despite her gem-like voice. It’s a remarkable achievement. She’s like a burst of rainbow coming out of a small prism.

Billie Holiday

Billie Holiday has a voice that could sound melancholy even if she was singing “Happy Birthday.” But that’s one of the things to love about her. Her voice is so distinct that it just sounds like a classic vinyl record. It’s the Platonic ideal of old blues music. Her voice bends to the brink but never breaks. There is so much pain in it, it’s like a soaked cloth of sadness. But again that is not a bad thing. It’s got so much emotion and personality in it that once you hear Holiday’s voice, it never leaves you. It’s the sonic equivalent of seeing a ghost.

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