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 those who love husky voices: Female singers in Western music (1–10)
Midnight SkyMiley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus, the artist who became known for the popular Disney Channel series Hannah Montana, was initially promoted with a good-girl image, but she has since shifted to her true style—bold and sexy.
This might surprise those who remember her old image, but her voice is actually very husky.
In her recent songs, that husky tone has become even more refined, so be sure to check them out.
Red FlagsMimi Webb
Mimi Webb is a British singer-songwriter who debuted in 2020.
Her song “Red Flags” is a great pick even for beginners to husky-voiced vocals, letting you enjoy her natural husky tone.
True to its title, which means “danger signals,” the song is cool for its thrilling storyline—finding an ex’s things at his place, a broken-up couple trying to get back together, and so on.
The message of pressing forward even in a risky love and her powerful vocals are a perfect match!
CompanyRickie Lee Jones
Ricki Lee Jones, a singer-songwriter who represents America.
Since her album debut in 1979, she has had brief pauses in her recording activity over a long career, yet she has continued to release work consistently, and in 2019 she even held a special Japan concert to mark the 40th anniversary of her debut.
Her signature classic “Chuck E.’s in Love” is a song many people have probably heard at least once.
Her debut album “Rickie Lee Jones,” whose cover—nonchalantly smoking a cigarette—looks impossibly cool and features that famous track, is packed with the charm of her voice: a stylish blend of husky, grown-up allure and girlish spontaneity.
1234Feist
Feist, a singer-songwriter Canada is proud of.
She originally had a background in a punk band and also spent time as a member of Broken Social Scene, the celebrated Canadian supergroup.
The moment the world came to know the talent so beloved by her peers was with the classic 2007 track “1234,” from her album The Reminder.
Featured in an Apple iPod nano commercial, it became a global hit and even earned a Grammy nomination.
Rooted in sprightly folk, her wonderful songs—and her husky voice, often compared to Joni Mitchell—gently bring comfort to listeners’ hearts.
Fade Like A ShadowKT Tunstall
KT Tunstall is a singer-songwriter from Scotland.
She drew attention when she released her debut album, Eye to the Telescope, in 2004.
A little while after her debut, 2010’s Fade Like A Shadow is a standout track where you can revel in her husky, powerful vocals! It’s a highly driving pop-rock number, and her raspy voice matches the style so well—it’s irresistible!