I am almost a 100% certain that we as men, secretly, have a top 5 of our favourite male vocalists, but have you ever dared venturing into the world of female-fronted bands?
It’s a bit like the girls bathroom when you are a boy in primary school; you are afraid to go in there because you are afraid of what lurks behind the pink curtains and matching drapes (Why did girls have such nice bathrooms, while the boys bathroom was always a war zone?) only to realise once you’ve crossed over to the other side that it’s just a bathroom; it just looks prettier and smells better. What I’m trying to say is that these 5 female vocalists can go toe-to-toe with some of the best male vocalists of our time.
- Hayley Williams
The ginger wunderkind; that’s what I call her. Why? Did you know that Halley Williams was contracted at the age of 17 as a lyricist by Universal Studios?
She has it all…Stage personality, spontaneity, pipes for days and obviously she is a hottie.
I’ve seen numerous video clips of Paramore performing live and her interaction with the crowd is absolutely amazing. From jumping around on stage to actually getting people to go on stage and sing the chorus of their favourite Paramore song. Now, I’m not a massive Paramore fan but seeing a fan on stage getting the opportunity to jam a song with a band that they love is absolutely priceless.
- Lita Ford
Lita Ford is also known as the matriarch of metal. Before she started her solo career in 1980, at the age of 21, she joined an all-female band called The Runaways which included members like Joan Jett and Jackie Foxx.
It seems that Lita Ford was out to prove a point; anything a male metal guitarist could do, she’dl do better.
In 1984 she released an album called ‘Dancing on the Edge’ which was produced by Toni Iomi from Black Sabbath. In 1988 she became a client of Sharon Osbourne Management (Yes Ozzy’s wife) and she produced an album called Lita. She also co-wrote a song called ‘Falling in and out of love’ with Nikki Sixx from Motley Crue.
A total fox and killer on an axe!
Check out this video of Lita Ford randomly jamming guitar in a music shop in Los Angeles:
- Tarja Turunen
Ok, so Nightwish has had more vocalists than 911 calls made from Chris Brown’s house – oops, this might not be the best article to joke about Chris Brown hits…oops, I did it again. Done.
Anyway, Tara Turunen is the original vocalist for a band called Nightwish. I’m not really sure what genre Nightwish is classified as (my guess is it would be Goth?) but the vocal melodies are on another level. It entrances, much like I would imagine the Sirens in Homer’s The Odyssey would’ve sounded like if they were real. By putting Tara Turunen in this top 5 I’m not saying Annette Olsen and Floor Jansen (ex-Nightwish vocalists) suck, I just feel Tarja Turunen is the original.
Check out this video by Nightwish called Amaranth:
- Lacey Mosley
Also known as Lacey Sturm, she is the co-founder of a band called Flyleaf. If you are anything like me, a girl that sings like a nightingale and screams like Lacey Mosley will have you running for a cold shower all day son! I can’t put my finger on it but, there is just something about Lacey Mosley’s voice that attracts you. I know this sounds weird, but her voice is intriguing, almost like you want to listen to the next track just to see what journey she’s going to take you on next. Although Flyleaf isn’t in full swing anymore, Lacey Mosley is still one of my personal favourites when it comes to female vocalists.
Check out Flyleaf’s video for ‘I’m so sick’:
- Inge Beckman
Of course we have to throw in some local flavour. Inge Beckman is South Africa’s answer to Bjork, just better! She used to be in a band called Lark before she started her solo project. If you’ve ever had the privilege of seeing Lark or Inge Beckman live, you’ll know that it’s not your run of the mill “lets jump around and lose our shit” kind of show. It’s intimate, but intense at the same time. With an awe-inspiring vocal range at her disposal she controls the crowd from start to finish. Inge, you’re my boy Blue!
Check out this live video of the song ‘Heroin Mary’ by Lark: