Then and Now: 10 Greatest Female Pop Singers from ’80s

Madonna - Then and now 10 greatest female pop singers from ‘80s

The music industry has gifted us some of the most beautiful artists for decades. Some musicians manage to settle in and flourish for years, while unfortunately many of them fade away with time. 

This article looks into some of the popular female pop singers of the ‘80s — who had a crazy follower base — whose music was mesmerizing. We have also tried to find out about their current whereabouts, to our surprise, most of the musicians are still active in some form and still giving us entertainment in its purest form. 

1. Tina Turner

Tina Turner - Then and now - 10 greatest female pop singers from 80s
Image Pinterest / Distractify

Tina Turner, also known as the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, is one of the most famous musicians in the world. Her career stretched over six decades made the music world more profound with her voice and lyrics. Tina has won 12 Grammy awards, been inducted in Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, Hollywood Walk of Fame and so many more honors are in her name. Her contribution to music is beyond any measure.

Currently, a citizen of Switzerland, the singer in her eighties is busy writing books. Her latest book was ”Happiness Becomes You: A Guide to Changing Your Life for Good.” Although retired, she needs a reason to jump into another music as she did in 2018 when Tina collaborated on the remix of her popular song “What’s Love Got to Do with It.”

2. Debbie Gibson

Debbie Gibson - Then and now 10 greatest female pop singers from ‘80s
Image Commons / Findcelebritywiki

Debbie is one of the rarest talents in the American music industry who managed to pull off some exciting records. For instance, not only did her debut album was certified triple platinum but also she became the youngest female songwriter, singer, and producer to a Billboard Hot 100 number one single. Not stopping there, she got her second album Electric Youth double-platinum certification. In total her four decades-long careers have given us albums like Deborah, Body, Mind, Soul and so many more.

Debbie is still pursuing music as her career and in the last few years she has had a Billboard-charting at number 26, performed in a mixtape tour in Ohio, and finally released a single “Girls Night Out.” The single was ranked at fourth position in Billboard Dance Club Chart.

3. Whitney Houston

whitney houston Then and now 10 greatest female pop singers from 80s
Image Crfashionbook

Some names don’t need an introduction, neither does Whitney Houston. A global star of pop and R&B music, a recipient of hundreds of awards, a long career, all these are not enough to describe the magic of Whitney Houston. After Madonna and Janet Jackson, she was placed third in the list of “50 Greatest Women of the Video Era.” Whitney’s achievements are endless.

With millions of fans across the globe, the fairy tale princess’s life wasn’t full of roses. After a long pause in the 2000s, Whitney returned to music but couldn’t regain the kingdom once she reigned. The equal of Michael Jackson in terms of awards and popularity died an untimely death due to an overdose on Feb 11, 2012. The end of a star. 

4. Pat Benatar

Pat Benatar - Then and now 10 greatest female pop singers from ‘80s
Image Billboard / Biography

If you’re a fan of old ‘80s rock Pat Benetar is probably a familiar name to you. Starting her career in 1979, Pat successfully managed to become one of the most significant rock artists of the time. She delivered back-to-back hit albums like Crimes of Passion and Precious Time. The four-time Grammy winner was extremely popular in not only the US but also Canada, the Uk, and Australia. 

Although she isn’t much active now, Pat did release her single “Shine” in solidarity to the Women’s March in 2017. After that she recorded another song named “Dancing Through the Wreckage.” Pat Benetar was inducted in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2024.

5. Madonna

Madonna - Then and now 10 greatest female pop singers from ‘80s
Image icollector / Wionews

She is known as the Queen of Pop and rightfully so. Born in 1958, the hexagenerian star is still active in various places. Madonna’s debut single was released in the year 1982. It was an instant success unsurprisingly. After album after the album came and she pocketed one after another record. Madonna is the Guinness Record Holder for the best-selling female artist, she holds the record of highest-grossing solo touring artist, not in the female category but in general. She even has two performances where the audience attendance crossed 100,000.

The living legend of music is performing on stage on special occasions. She organized her Madame X tour in 2019 for her album of the same name. Madonna donated $1 million dollars for the research of a covid vaccine. It is speculated that soon we’ll see her biopic as well.

6. Celine Dion

Celine Dion - Then and now 10 greatest female pop singers from ‘80s
Image Vogue / Rollingstone

Celine Dion is probably best known for her song “My Heart Will Go On” in the movie “Titanic.” But if you’re a fan of her or pop music in general you’d know she has sung many more beautiful songs. Celine’s album Falling into You and Let’s Talk About Love were both massive hits in the US even before the aforementioned single. She has released a few French albums as well, her D’eux is still the best-selling French album of all time.

An artist of her level in both talent and training exceeds beyond praises. Celine’s husband’s death in 2016 shook her vigorously. Having regained the strength she went all into music creation and undertook a huge Asia-Pacific tour consisting of 22 shows. She has announced her next world tour “Courage” to take place in 2024.

7. Paula Abdul

Paula Abdul - Then and now 10 greatest female pop singers from ‘80s
Image Huffpost / Bloomberg

Paula Abdul is an accomplished multi-talented person who had a flourishing career as a pop artist. Besides singing she is also a famous choreographer and TV person. Paula was choreographing for famous singers when she decided to utilize her gift of music and signed Virgin Records. Soon after that, her debut album “Forever Your Girl” was released and people loved it. Almost all the singles were charted in the Billboard Hot 100 list. Paula is a recipient of the Grammy Award for Best Music Video and Primetime Emmy for Best Choreography. 

After retiring for two decades, Paula returned to live to perform. Starting with the Mixtape Festival, she has performed in several countries now. In 2019, she performed in the series finale of America’s Got Talent. 

8. Belinda Carlisle

Belinda Carlisle Then and now 10 greatest female pop singers from 80s
Image Mirror / Thewealthrecord

Belinda is famous in American pop culture for bringing a new kind of change- the introduced or to be more accurate reintroduced the new wave music. Belinda’s band Go-Go’s tasted initial success in this genre and became the first girl band to rank a no.1 album that had all their songs written, and recorded by themselves. In her solo career, she released her eponymous debut album. The singles performed extremely well on the radio. Later Belinda rejoined her band and continued her solo career simultaneously.

In the year 2010, Belinda published her autobiography “Lips Sealed” and it was an NYT Bestseller. The following year, she and her band were honored with the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Recently, in 2024 Belinda Carlisle was nominated for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. 

9. Janet Jackson

Janet Jackson - Then and now 10 greatest female pop singers from ‘80s
Image Billboard / Independent

Janet Jackson is probably the most popular female pop star after Madonna who has been in the game since the ‘80s. Starting her career as early as the  1970s. Since then, she has released superhit albums one after another gaining herself a global fanbase. Her albums like Control, Rhythm Nation 1814 and so many more have conveyed some strong messages to the public. The sex symbol of the’80s pop music, she was also one of the highest-paid artists in general. 

The winner of six Grammy awards is still involved in making music. Janet had scheduled a world tour for her upcoming album, Black Diamond, however, for Covid issues it was canceled. She was inducted into the 2019 Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. 

10. Joan Jett

Joan Jett - Then and now 10 greatest female pop singers from ‘80s
Image Pinterest / iheart

Joan Jett is another prominent figure of the ‘80s who has had a successful as well as impactful career and is still active in the field. The rock artist is known for her band “Joan Jett & the Blackhearts.” Songs like “Bad Reputation”, “Crimson and Clover” are the creation of Joan and her team. 

Over the last 30+ years, Joan has performed all around the world. She has been honored for her contribution to music and was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2015 along with her band. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts are set to perform in 2024 as well.

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