The 27 Most Iconic Canadian Women In Music

By JC Villamere. 8 Mar 2023 9:29 AM

In celebration of International Women’s Day, here are just a few examples of the many talented Canadian women who have made their mark in the music industry, inspiring future generations of artists to follow in their footsteps.

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Chachi Revah

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The Canadian Press

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Shania Twain
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She's not just on Post Malone's playlist and Harry Styles' stage. She has also won five Grammy Awards, including Best Country Album and Best Female Country Vocal Performance, and has been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
Michie Mee
Al Pereira/Getty Images/Michael Ochs Archives
The First Lady of Canadian Hip Hop released her debut album, Jamaican Funk —Canadian Style in 1988. It was the first full-length rap album by a Canadian artist and helped establish Canadian hip hop. Her work has paved the way for future generations of Canadian hip hop artists, particularly women. She has also acted in films and television shows, including "In Too Deep" and "Da Kink in My Hair".
Jessie Reyez
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This Torontonian's debut single, 2016's "Figures", was certified Platinum in Canada and Gold in the United States. She followed it up with EPs like "Kiddo" (2017) and "Being Human in Public" (2018) and took home the Breakthrough Artist Juno in 2018. Her debut album, 2020's Before Love Came to Kill Us was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album. In September, she released the record 'Yessie', with the smash single "Still C U". You've heard this two-time Polaris Prize nominee feature on Sam Smith's "Gimme", and she'll tour with the superstar this summer.
Celine Dion
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
She rose to international fame in the '90s with best-selling albums like Falling Into You and Let's Talk About Love. And of course, there's her chart-topping hit "My Heart Will Go On", which became one of the best-selling singles of all time. Her powerful vocals have earned her five Grammy Awards and the Order of Canada. She has also established the Celine Dion Foundation to help sick and underprivileged children.
Haviah Mighty
Photo: Yung Yemi
Her debut album, 2019's 13th Floor, won the Polaris Music Prize, making her the first Black woman and the first hip hop artist to win the prestigious award. She also picked up the Juno Award for Rap Album/EP of the Year in 2022, becoming the first woman to take home the prize.
Alanis Morissette
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Her iconic album Jagged Little Pill has sold over 33 million copies worldwide and earned Morissette five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. In addition to her music career, Morissette has also acted in "Dogma", "Weeds" and "The Great North". In 2021, she released Such Pretty Forks in the Road, an album which showcases her continued growth as an artist.
Tanya Tagaq
Kyle Gustafson / For The Washington Post via Getty Images
This Inuk throat singer and composer from Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, has gained international acclaim for her traditional Inuit throat singing. She won the Polaris Music Prize in 2014 for her album Animism. She has also collabed with artists from Björk to the Kronos Quartet.
Backxwash
Chachi Revah
This Zambian-Canadian rapper, singer, and producer is known for her unique blend of hip hop, metal and industrial music. In 2020, her debut album God Has Nothing to Do With This Leave Him Out of It won the Polaris Music Prize.
Emily Haines
Lorne Thomson/Redferns
She's best known as the frontwoman for indie rockers Metric, but this Juno winner has also released several solo albums, including Knives Don't Have Your Back and Choir of the Mind.
Charlotte Cardin
FEQ
This Montreal native first gained recognition on "La Voix" in 2013, and has since released several critically-acclaimed singles, including "Main Girl" and "Daddy." In addition to her music career, Cardin is also known for her fashion and modeling work, appearing in campaigns for Chanel, Dior and more.
Avril Lavigne
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This pop-punk icon has released several successful albums over the years, including Under My Skin and The Best Damn Thing. Chart-topping hits like "Complicated," "Sk8er Boi," and "I'm with You" have helped her bag eight Juno Awards.
Lights
YouTube/ CBC Music
Since winning the Juno for New Artist of the Year in 2009, she has dropped several hit albums, including The Listening and Little Machines. She was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2021 for her work in mental health advocacy and LGBTQ2+ representation in music.
Sarah McLachlan
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Geoff Robins
She has sold over 40 million records, won three Grammy Awards, and founded Lilith Fair, a music festival that showcased female musicians and promoted women's rights, which ran from 1997 to 1999 and again in 2010. The high-profile dog lover was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1999 and inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2017.
Jully Black
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
Whether you liked her choices or not, her controversial performance of "O Canada" at the NBA All-Star Game this year was fearless. Since her self-titled debut album in 2005, this Juno winner has collabed with Nas, Sean Paul, Destiny's Child, and more. She was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2022 and inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2021.
Carly Rae Jepsen
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Her breakthrough single "Call Me Maybe" topped the charts in over 20 countries and earned her two Juno Awards. Critics and crowds have loved her six studio albums, including Kiss (2012) and The Loneliest Time (2022).
Deborah Cox
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There aren't a lot of people who can hold their own against Whitney Houston or Andrea Bocelli, but Cox has collabed with both. Her 1998 hit single "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" spent 14 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. In 2022, this Juno winner made history as the first Black woman to be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
k.d. lang
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Here in Canada, we knew her before her international breakthrough album, 1992's "Ingénue". Since then, she has worked with Roy Orbison, Tony Bennett, Bonnie Raitt, and more. In addition to her four Grammys and eight Junos, she won an Oscar in 2012 for the soundtrack of "The Help." She was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1996 and inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2013.
Susan Aglukark
Denise Grant via Junos/CARAS
With albums like Arctic Rose (1992), which went gold in Canada, and This Child (1995), which went triple platinum, she has become one of our most successful Indigenous musicians. She has won four Juno Awards, including Best New Solo Artist in 1993. Aglukark was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2005 and received an Indspire Award in 2020 for her contributions to Indigenous arts and culture.
Alessia Cara
The Canadian Press
This Mississauga native won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2018. Her smash hit singles include "Here", "Scars to Your Beautiful", "Stay" (with Zedd), and "Growing Pains". She also picked up the Billboard Women in Music Award for Rule Breaker in 2016.
Buffy Sainte-Marie
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This lifelong activist for Indigenous rights won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1982 for "Up Where We Belong". Her 2015 album 'Power in the Blood' won the Polaris Music Prize and the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. She's a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Juno Awards Hall of Fame, and the Order of Canada. And she was the first person to breastfeed on television, on "Sesame Street" in 1977.
Serena Ryder
Photo: George Pimentel/Shutterstock
Hits like "Stompa", "What I Wouldn't Do", and "Got Your Number" have helped her win seven Juno Awards, including Artist of the Year in 2014 and Songwriter of the Year in 2014 and 2019. She's a regular at high-profile national events, performing at the 2010 Winter Olympics closing ceremonies, the 2013 Grey Cup halftime show, and the 2017 Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill.
Jann Arden
The Canadian Press / Nathan Denette
Listen, she's not just on TV. Sure, you've seen her on "Corner Gas", "Robson Arms", and her own show, "Jann", but she's also a singer! This nine-time Juno winner's hits include "Insensitive", "Good Mother", "Could I Be Your Girl" and "I Would Die for You".
Diana Krall
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When you're regarded as one of the best jazz pianists of your generation, you get to celebrate chart-topping albums like The Look of Love, perform sold-out shows around the world and collab with Paul McCartney. You also get ten Grammy nominations and two wins. Not a bad gig.
Feist
David Wolff - Patrick/Redferns
Remember when her song "1234" was in the iPod ad? Remember iPods? This indie-pop singer-songwriter has won eight Juno Awards, collabed with the Rolling Stones and in 2018, she was awarded the Order of Canada.
Joni Mitchell
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Last week, the "Big Yellow Taxi" singer was awarded the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for American Song, which is something they'll give to a Canadian if she's, say, regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time. Artists like Taylor Swift, Prince and Björk have cited her as an influence. In a career spanning over 50 years, she has won eight Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.
Nelly Furtado
Photo: Venturelli/Getty Images for Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation
Her 2000 debut album Whoa, Nelly! featured the hit single "I'm Like a Bird", which won Furtado the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. With hits like "Promiscuous", "Say It Right" and "Maneater", Furtado has also earned ten Junos.
Anne Murray
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This cultural icon has released over 30 albums and has sold over 55 million records worldwide. With a whopping 23 trophies, she has won more Junos Awards than Bryan Adams, more than Celine Dion, more than anyone! With songs like "Snowbird", "Danny's Song" and "You Needed Me", she has won four Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1993.

The 27 Most Iconic Canadian Women In Music

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