Long Island has contributed a lot to the music scene, be it metal, pop, or Country. The artists from the Island reflect the diverse communities and cultures. Many female music artists from LI have emerged as notable sensations in the industry.
Here is the list of 10 famous female singers from Long Island 1. Ashanti 2. Lindsay Lohan 3. Chrisette Michele 4. Mindy Smith, and six more.
Usually, it is difficult for females to make it big in the industry; however, it isn’t impossible too. The full realization and awareness of what you’re up against will definitely help in surging female artists in the industry.
That said, many female artists have made remarkable records and broke charts like male artists in the industry. If not, some have even excelled beyond male artists with their outstanding exhibitions.
The female artists mentioned in the article below are only the tip of the iceberg of the influential artists who have forged a name for themselves in the industry. They serve as an inspiration for rising female artists in the industry.
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1. Ashanti
Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas better known as Ashanti is a notable singer. She made her debut as a singer at the age of 22 in 2002 with the release of her self-titled album.
She signed the contract with Murder Inc. Records after getting discovered in her teenage years. Douglas landed the opportunity to get featured on Ja Rule’s song Always on Time and Fat Joe’s song What’s Luv in the same year.
Her self-titled debut album recorded sales of over 505K copies in the United States all in the first week of its release. It was a commercial success and earned acclaim from critics.
The singer dropped her debut album on April 2, 2002, via Def Jam Recordings and Murder Inc. She put out seventeen tracks in the album including Foolish, Happy, Rescue, Baby, and more.
Every so often not many music artists don’t make a huge influence from their debut project; however, Ashanti exactly did the same thing. Her debut album racked up various awards including a Grammy Award, 8 Billboard Music Awards, and more.
The 42-year-old singer made history as the first female artist to hold the top two positions on the chart of the US Billboard Hot 100 concurrently with Foolish and What’s Luv at numbers one and two respectively.
As of March 1, 2023, Ashanti has released six studio albums, three compilation albums, two video albums, twenty-three music videos, twenty-three singles, and six soundtrack albums.
Not to mention, Douglas is also an actress who made her feature film acting debut in the 2005 film Coach Carter. She possesses 77 acting credits as of now on her IMDb profile.
The singer boasts a gigantic number of monthly listeners currently at over 6.2 million on the mainstream streaming platform Spotify. She is also available on Apple Music.
Anyone of you can easily find the singer across various social platforms. She is religiously active on Instagram with over 7.6 million followers.
2. Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan born Lindsay Dee Lohan is a singer who debuted in the industry as a model. She is also an acclaimed actress.
Born on July 2, 1986, in New York City, Lohan was brought up in Long Island. The 36-year-old is a multi-talented individual who serves as a songwriter, singer, actress, and entrepreneur.
Unlike many public figures, Lohan kicked off her career when she was just three. She signed a contract with the established International modeling agency, Ford Models, as a model.
Even at such a young age, she modeled for renowned brands like Abercrombie and Calvin Klein kids. Landon also landed roles in the commercials for brands including Wendy’s, Pizza Hut, and more.
Lindsay was already making her way into the film industry by the time she was 10. Lindsay made her acting debut as a child actor in the early 1990s.
Speaking of her music career, Lindsay has dropped two studio albums and six singles as of March 1, 2023. She started recording songs for her films after starring in The Parent Trap, Freaky Friday, and Mean Girls.
The singer signed a five-album contract with Emilo Estefan, Jr., a prominent producer. However, later the pre-proposed deal was scrapped and she went on to sign a contract with Casablanca Records in 2004.
Lohan dropped her debut album titled Speak on December 7, 2004, via Casablanca Records. She promoted the album with three singles Rumors, Over, and First.
The album reached number 4 on the chart of Billboard 200 and later earned Platinum certification from RIAA. Whereas, her first single, Rumors, from the album, acquired gold certification.
In less than a year, Lohan put out her second debut album titled A Little More Personal on November 30, 2005. The only single from the album Confessions of a Broken Heart was released on October 18, 2005.
Anyone of you can listen to Lindsay on various streaming platforms including Apple Music, YouTube, and more. She possesses over 669K monthly listeners of Spotify.
3. Chrisette Michele
Chrisette Michele Payne professionally known as Chrisette Michele is a Grammy award-winning singer. She is widely known for her song Epiphany.
She was born on December 8, 1982, to a father and a mother who were a sociologist and a psychologist respectively. The singer grew up in a Patchogue.
Payne isn’t the first in her family to be indulged in the music industry but she is American soul singer Raheem DeVaughn’s first cousin.
The singer launched her own label named Rich Hipster after dropping from her previous labels Motown Records, Caroline Distribution, and Capitol Records in 2017.
Payne had developed an affinity for music from her early days. She led the gospel choirs during her high school days. The singer definitely did fulfill her dream of making it big in the music industry.
She has released five studio albums, one extended play, fifteen singles, and three mixtapes until March 1, 2023. Payne dropped her debut album titled I Am on June 29, 20007, via Def Jam.
‘Be Ok’ which was promoted as the third single from her debut album acquired Grammy Award for the category of Best Urban/Alternative Performance in 2009.
Her second studio album Epiphany recorded sales of over 462K in the United States and 83,000 copies sales in its first week of release. The album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Michele’s latest studio album Milestone was released on June 10, 2016, via Caroline Records and Rich Hipster. It was supported by three singles Equal, Steady, and Unbreakable.
The Standard edition of the album comprises of twelve tracks whereas the deluxe edition comes with extra seven more tracks including My Body, Black Girl Magic, Top of the World, Edge of the Bar, and more.
Michele is within easy approach across various social stages. The singer’s song A Couple of Forevers from her fourth album Better has over 18 million streams on her Spotify which has more than 252K monthly listeners.
4. Mindy Smith
Mindy Smith born Melinda Leigh Smith is an established singer. She rose to the spotlight after singing a cover of Jolene, a song by Dolly Parton.
She was adopted at birth by a Protestant minister and his wife. The singer and her father relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee from Long Island after her mother succumbed to cancer.
Later in the late 90s, Smith moved to Nashville in pursuit of making a career in music. Fast forward two years Mindy made it to the finals as a contestant with Big Yellow Dog Music.
Her appearance in the contest led her to sign a contract with Vanguard Records which helped her release her debut album titled One Moment More on January 27, n2004
The American singer has released five studio albums until March 1, 203. Her debut album, One Moment More, released on January 27, 2004, surrounds loss, struggle, and renewal.
One of twelve tracks from Smith’s debut album, Come to Jesus, earned a position in the Billboard charts. Whereas, a song titled One Moment More addresses the death of the singer’s mother.
The 50-year-old veteran singer has over 7K followers on her Instagram account. Whereas she has over 114K monthly listeners on the streaming platform Spotify.
‘Hurricane,’ by Mindy has the highest number of streams, currently over 7 million on Spotify. Likewise, Anymore of This has over 4 million streams on Spotify.
5. Caroline Rose
Caroline Rose born Caroline Elizabeth Rose is a singer who hails from Long Island, New York. Besides singing, Rose also serves as a songwriter and producer.
She was born as one of two daughters on October 19, 1989. The 33-year-old singer is a proud flag-waving member. She addresses her pronouns as they/she.
Rose developed a passion for music from an early age. Growing up in Center Moriches, Rose, initiated her music journey by writing poems and songs at the age of 13.
‘Feel the Way I Want’ singer has released four studio albums and nine singles until March 1, 2023. Rose dropped her debut album titled America Religious in 2012.
Her third album, Loner, descended on February 23, 2018, drew significant attention in the country and beyond. It earned acclaim from the critics, marking the success of the album.
Correspondingly, her fourth studio album, Superstar, released on March 6, 2020, via New West Records, reached number 20 on the chart of US Heatseekers Albums with 3000 units.
Metacritic, a review aggregate site, rated Superstar with 11 tracks 81 out of 100, based on 14 reviews. Like the previous album, it also garnered attention from music critics.
Caroline is soon to drop her fifth studio album titled The Art of Forgetting on March 24, 2023. The singer dropped a single titled Miami on January 19, 2023, prior to the official release of the album.
Miami already has cumulated over 346K streams on her Spotify which boasts over 832K monthly listeners. Whereas, Rose’s most notable song Feel The Way I Want has over 19 million streams on the platform.
6. Melanie Martinez
Melanie Adele Martinez better known as Melanie Martinez is a celebrated American singer. She is widely known for her song Playdate which blew up across various social platforms, especially TikTok.
Born to parents Mery and Jose Martinez on April 28, 1995, Martinez relocated to Baldwin, New York along with her family when she was four. She was into music from her childhood and grew up listening to artists like Tupac Shakur, Britney Spears, and more.
Initially, she rose to the limelight after appearing on The Voice, the famous American TV vocal talent show, in 2012. She went on to release her debut single titled Dollhouse following the show.
Martinez then dropped her debut extended play of the same name via Atlantic Records in 2014. A year later, the American singer released her debut studio album titled Cry Baby in 2015. It earned critical acclaim, and success, and was double-platinum certified by RIAA.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified Dollhouse and Pity Party gold. Some of her songs like Mad Hatter, Sippy Cup, Mrs. Potato Head, Cry Baby, Soap, and Pacify Her were all certified gold.
Melanie has released two studio albums, four extended plays, ten singles, two promotional singles, and twenty-six music videos until March 2, 2023.
Her second album titled K-12 also received a significant appraisal from music critics. It debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and made its way to the top ten in various countries including Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, and more.
Martinez is soon to drop her third studio album titled Portals on March 31, 2023, via Atlantic Records. Any one of you can listen to her songs across various platforms including YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and more.
The singer’s Spotify account has a colossal number of monthly listeners, currently over 12 million as of March 2, 2023. One of her most famous songs Playdate has over 669 million streams on Spotify.
7. Kalomira
Maria Kalomira Sarantis professionally known as Kalomira is a Greek-American singer. She came to the spotlight after bagging the title of the talent show Fame Story.
Born to parents Nikos and Eleni Sarantis on January 31, 1985, in Long Island, the singer had made up her mind that she would be pursuing a career in music since her childhood, unlike many kids who aren’t aware of what they’d like to pursue in the future.
She took lessons to play viola for nine years and even played in the school orchestra. Since her childhood, Maria participated in various music competitions which helped her hone her skills.
Kalomira bagged second place at a music competition organized by WBLI Radio in her teenage days in 2003. Following the contest, she performed opening acts for several live shows with celebrated artists like Jessica Simpson, and more.
The 38-year-old singer has released four studio albums until March 2, 2023. She dropped her self-titled debut album on September 1, 2004, via Heaven Music record label which was certified Gold.
She then went on to release her second studio album, Paizeis, on November 29, 2005. Whereas, Kalomira’s latest studio album, Secret Combination: The Album, released on May 29, 2008, has twelve tracks.
Besides the music industry, the singer has extended her career to the film industry too. In fact, Kalomira also serves as a model, television personality, songwriter, and host. She is indeed a multitalented individual.
She starred as Jennifer Drakou in the longest-running Greek TV series, Lampsi, in 2014. Kalomira has ten acting credits on her IMDb profile.
A 3-minute and 2-second song Secret Combination- Eurovision 2008 Mix has over 2 million streams on her Spotify account which has over 32K monthly listeners.
Kalomira is a married woman who shares three children; twin boys and a daughter with her husband, George Boosalis, a real estate developer. The couple tied the knot on September 26, 2010.
The singer occasionally shares photos with her husband and children on her Instagram. She is religiously active on various social platforms.
8. Lisa Matassa
Lisa Matassa is a famous county singer hailing from Long Island. I Don’t Feel Anything, Wouldn’t You Like To Know, I Won’t Ask are some of Matassa’s famous songs.
The singer isn’t the only one belonging to the music industry, in fact, her family is involved in music. Lisa’s mother used to sing in a doo-wop group whereas her grandmother was an opera singer.
Lisa signed a recording contract with a local band named Recovery right after she passed out from high school. The singer was discovered by a dance producer who overheard her perform.
She dropped her debut single titled I’ve Got the Hots for You in 1987 and Rock Me, Baby, in 1988, both of which earned national and international appraisals and made their way to the top ten on the Dance Music Charts.
Likewise, Lisa released a debut extended play Me Time in 2011. So far, the singer has put out four albums with the latest being Why I’m Here – Legendary Duets which was released in 2015.
Her style of music is a perfect consolidation of New York rock and roll with a new Country. She has released seven music videos to date. 2013 music video I Won’t Ask marks as her latest MV work.
9. Meredith O’Connor
Meredith O’Connor is a singer. She also serves as the celebrity Youth Activist for the NGOCSD-NY supporting the United Nations and communities globally.
She launched her career as a model and later in her teenage, Meredith emerged as a teen idol after the music video for the song titled ‘Celebrity’ made grand rounds and promptly became a radio hit.
The singer advocated mental health and bullying which drew her attention for its impact on the music industry. O’Connor dropped her debut extended play in February 2013.
Her genre of music is pop but previously had a country feel as she was in the musical theater world. The singer is available on various platforms which include Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and more.
You can listen to her debut album on iTunes. She is also approachable on Spotify with 1283 monthly listeners as of March 2, 2023.
10. Pat Benatar
Patricia Mae Giraldo professionally recognized as Pat Benatar is a veteran rock singer. She is the recipient of four Grammy awards and has five platinum-certified albums.
The established singer has recorded sales of over 35 million albums across the globe within the career span of over five decades in the music industry.
Patricia has released eleven studio albums, twelve live albums, twenty-seven compilation albums, seven video albums, thirty-six music videos, forty singles, and four tribute albums until March 1, 2023.
Her debut album, In The Heat of the Night, released in 1979, was her breakthrough in North America and particularly in Canada where it peaked at number 3 on the album chart.
Two singles titled Heartbreaker and We Live for Love drew significant attention and earned acclaim from music critics.
Crimes of Passion, her second studio album is Benatar’s best-selling album with sales of 4 million units in the United States, 500,000 units in Canada, and 100,000 in France.
Likewise, the success of her second album was followed by her third album too. The American singer released her latest album titled Go on August 12, 2003, via Bel Chiasso Records.
Not to mention, she has a supportive person who always has her back that is none other than Neil Giraldo, her lead guitarist, and her husband. They are one of the most stable couples in the music industry.
Speaking of her awards and accolades, Benatar has racked up various coveted awards including in the category of Inductee at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame event in 2022 alongside her husband.
Some of her famous songs like Hit Me With Your Best Shot, We Belong, and Love is a Battlefield have over 198 million, 133 million, and 111 million streams respectively on Spotify.