For lovers of husky voices: Female singers in Western music
From a slightly hoarse, smoky, soothing tone to a powerful voice that might make you think for a moment, “Is that a male vocalist?,” husky female vocals radiate a wide range of charms.
Many of my vocal training students admire husky voices as well.
This time, I’ve selected recommended works by female artists in Western music who showcase such captivating husky singing.
Some tracks are chosen from my perspective as a vocal producer, so I believe they’ll be helpful references for female singers with husky voices.
However!! No matter how wonderful a husky voice is, please never intentionally damage your own voice to get it, okay? I truly mean it—please be careful.
- [Western Music] A Recommendation of the Lady of Soul: Wonderful Female Soul Singers
- [Healing & Cool] Female Vocalists with Captivating Husky Voices
- [Cool Female Vocals] Badass Women Singers Around the World [2026]
- I Want to Be Healed from the Heart: Recommended Western Ballads Sung by Female Vocalists
- A male Western music vocal artist with an appealing husky voice
- Female Western music artists who are good singers
- Top 1980s Female Singer-Songwriters: Popular Songs Ranking [2026]
- Ranking of Commercial Songs and Popular Hits by Western Female Singers [2026]
- [Western Music] Female vocalists known for their beautiful voices
- Still Shining! Recommended Female Singers of 1980s Western Music
- Female vocal songs where women with low voices can shine
- Captivating female jazz singers who illuminate the history of jazz. Recommended jazz vocals from around the world.
- [70s Western Music] Timeless Masterpieces and Popular Songs by Female Singers
For lovers of husky voices: Female singers in Western music (61–70)
Doo-WopLauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill is a female singer widely known as a leading figure in neo-soul, a genre that blends soul music with hip-hop, funk, and jazz.
Anyone who loves Black music is surely familiar with her.
Because she often raps, many people may not realize it, but she is in fact a bona fide singer with a husky voice.
Her dynamic expressiveness is remarkable, and if you listen to her quieter tracks, you can appreciate her husky tone even more.
My Heart Goes BoomMiss Li
Miss Li is a singer-songwriter whose characterful singing voice is utterly charming.
Husky yet cute, her voice will leave you wanting to hear more after just one listen.
She began her music career in 2006 and has released nine albums through 2022.
Her songs blend genres like gypsy jazz, country, and pop, and they never get boring.
Highly recommended if you like singers such as Zaz or Lily Allen!
Stand BackStevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks, a member of the legendary rock band Fleetwood Mac.
With her distinctive husky voice, she can master everything from hard-rock tracks to moving, tender ballads.
She has also been ranked among Rolling Stone magazine’s “100 Greatest Singers of All Time.”
Lost On YouLP
LP is an American singer-songwriter who became internationally known after her 2015 release “Lost On You” became a massive worldwide hit.
Her voice is very husky and high, yet it carries an overall rugged, mature tone.
She is also an artist who has come out as a lesbian, and the way that aspect of her identity aligns with her vocal quality is one of her key appeals.
Good Morning GorgeousMary J Blige
Mary J.
Blige, an American female singer hailed as the “Queen of Hip-Hop Soul.” She was a hugely successful artist in the 1990s and is extremely well-known, so I think anyone who listened to Western music even a little at the time would be familiar with her.
She, too, has a husky voice, and as she has aged, her tone has become even huskier.
If you follow her career while listening, you might enjoy tracing the history of her husky voice.
Breaking Down The DoorBuika
Buika, the songstress from Spain.
Among the female singers we’ve introduced this time, she stands out with an unmatched husky voice.
Her two greatest charms are: first, her timbre.
Every register is husky, yet her voice has solid depth and richness.
Second, her vocal ability.
As a singer, her prowess is top-tier—based on my assessment of nearly 3,000 songs from over 80 countries annually, she’s the number one active vocalist in terms of skill.
In short, she’s an outstanding artist across the board, so be sure to check her out.
Put Your Records OnCorrine Bailey Rae
A singer-songwriter from Leeds, England, who shot to prominence among music fans after being ranked No.
1 in the BBC’s “Sounds of 2006.” Her second single, “Put Your Records On,” released in 2006, became a major hit, and her debut album of the same year, “Corinne Bailey Rae,” sold over four million copies not only in her home country but worldwide.
Her musical style is never flashy; it’s an organic neo-soul/R&B sound centered around the tones of acoustic guitar—perfect as background music that gently adds color to everyday life.
If you listen to her slightly husky, soft voice that never overstates itself, you’ll find yourself feeling calm.
