7 Women Essential To R&B: Aretha Franklin, SZA, Mary J. Blige & More

R&B music wouldn’t be the genre it is today without the heart and soul of its female stars. Early pioneers like Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, and Roberta Flack laid the groundwork, while icons like Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Janet Jackson brought pop sensibility — but there are countless more who played a pivotal role in the landscape.

While R&B’s roots stem all the way back to the 1940s and reinvented itself numerous times, the ’90s were arguably the first time it truly flourished. Acts like Aaliyah, Brandy, Monica, TLC, Mary J. Blige, Brownstone, En Vogue, Destiny’s Child, Deborah Cox, Erykah Badu, and Toni Braxton helped the genre take over the mainstream like it had never before. Then, in the early 2000s, Alicia Keys and her magic piano added a touch of sophistication to R&B, whereas Ciara‘s “Crunk&B” hit “Goodies” and Amerie‘s go-go-influenced “1 Thing” kept the genre fresh and interesting. 

Circa 2011, Beyoncé‘s 4 album helped bring R&B back into the mainstream at a time when it seemed to be getting drowned out by hip-hop and electronic music. In 2014, Jhené Aiko‘s quintuple-platinum song “The Worst” hit No. 1 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, making her the first woman to do so since Jazmine Sullivan in 2008. Ella Mai‘s sleeper hit “Boo’d Up” proved R&B’s viability as it cracked the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2018. 

The genre’s prominence has continued into the 2020s, with SZA achieving big feats on the all-genre Billboard 200 and Hot 100 and Victoria Monét winning Best New Artist at the 2024 GRAMMYs — the latter marking the first win for an R&B artist since John Legend in 2006. In fact, women are arguably leading the charge for R&B these days, thanks to the likes of Kehlani, Ari Lennox, Muni Long, and plenty more.

In honor of Women’s History Month, GRAMMY.com highlights seven women in R&B music who brought their own flair to the genre and helped blaze a trail for its ever-blossoming future.

While Patti LaBelle is heralded as the “Godmother of Soul,” Aretha Franklin’s expressiveness, mastery of melisma (multiple notes sung over a single syllable), juggernaut singles, and lasting influence on female singers for generations to come made her the undisputed “Queen of Soul.”

Born to a prominent preacher and gospel singer in Memphis, Tenn., Franklin grew up singing solos at New Bethel Baptist Church and learned to play piano by ear. She landed her first recording deal with J.V.B. Records at just 12 years old in 1954, before signing with Columbia six years later. Franklin’s first nine albums birthed modest hits like “Won’t Be Long” and “Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody,” but it wasn’t until she joined Atlantic that she found her voice and garnered commercial success.

In 1967, “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)” earned a then 25-year-old Franklin her first of 73 entries on the Hot 100 chart. Follow-up single “Respect” became her first No. 1 on the Hot 100, which simultaneously became the backdrop to the Civil Rights and women’s rights movements in the 1960s. The feminist anthem also marked the beginning of Franklin’s record-setting eight-year winning streak in the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance category at the GRAMMYs. “Respect” was inducted into Grammy Hall of Fame in 1987 and was added to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry in 2002 for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”

Boasting 100 entries on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, Franklin’s reign carried over into the ’70s and well into the ’80s, thanks to timeless tunes like “Spanish Harlem,” “Rock Steady,” “Freeway of Love,” and her “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” collaboration with George Michael, which stayed atop the Hot 100 for two weeks.

In 1991, the Recording Academy bestowed Franklin with a GRAMMY Living Legend Award and Lifetime Achievement Award three years later. She also made history as the first woman Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee in 1987. 

Throughout her illustrious career, Franklin earned 18 GRAMMYs with “Never Gonna Break My Faith,” a duet with Mary J. Blige, marking Franklin’s final win in 2008 for Best Gospel Performance. Even 17 years later (and 7 years after her passing), Franklin remains the third most GRAMMY-winning female artist.

Watch: How Aretha Franklin Ascended To Soul Royalty | Black Sounds Beautiful

Anita Baker‘s soothing and distinctive deep register has paved the way for the likes of Toni Braxton and Coco Jones. In fact, Braxton’s debut single “Love Shoulda Brought You Home” and “Give U My Heart” duet with Babyface were both originally penned for “The Songstress.” 

Alongside Sade, Baker’s breakthrough album Rapture helped usher in the “quiet storm” genre in the mid-80s — R&B music laced with elements of jazz for a romantic, silky smooth sound. Earning Baker one of the first of eight GRAMMY wins, “Sweet Love” remains etched in the hearts of music lovers everywhere; the song peaked at No. 8 on the Hot 100 chart and even made a splash across the pond in Ireland and the UK. From 1989-1991, Baker held claim on the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance Category at the GRAMMYs.

Paired with her rich contralto voice, Baker’s soulful catalog — which includes “Caught Up in the Rapture” and “Giving You the Best That I Got” — set her apart at a time when synth-heavy pop, glam metal and hip-hop dominated airwaves, especially during the golden age of MTV. Many of Baker’s songs are either covered as a sort of litmus test or sampled by other artists, from Beyoncé to Lil’ Wayne and Drake.

A true class act, Baker received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 BET Awards. She’s still celebrating her legacy today, even embarking on The Songstress Tour in 2023 to commemorate her debut album’s 40th anniversary.

Mary J. Blige’s ability to seamlessly marry R&B and hip-hop in early hits like “Real Love” and “You Remind Me” earned her the title of “Queen of Hip-Hop Soul” early in her now three-decade career. Since Blige’s 1992 debut, her experiences have been displayed front and center in her music, helping her connect with generations of Black women as they navigate life’s ups and downs together — from the brokenhearted “Not Gon’ Cry” and the resilient “No More Drama,” to the self-loving “Just Fine” and “Good Morning Gorgeous.”

Blige’s 1994 set, My Life, remains the most perfect example of her masterful dichotomy of strength and vulnerability, as the GRAMMY-nominated album chronicled the then 23-year-old’s battle with depression, drug addiction, alcoholism, an abusive relationship, childhood traumas, and suicidal thoughts.

“I was just in a vulnerable, horrible state of mind — depressed, ready to die. I just didn’t know what to do with this pain; it just all became too big for me and I needed to put it somewhere,” the nine-time GRAMMY winner recounted in a 2021 BuzzFeed interview. “So, it wasn’t strategically planned that I’d get vulnerable with my fans, I was just trying to help and heal myself. And that’s what happened — we created a movement based off of my health and wanting to be free.”

In 2024, Blige’s musical legacy was cemented with a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.

Read More: Songbook: How Mary J. Blige Became The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul Through Empathy, Attitude And An Open Heart

TLC: The ‘CrazySexyCool’ Trio

It’s hard to imagine a ’90s playlist without several TLC songs. Upon the arrival of their 1992 debut album, Ooooooohhh… On the TLC Tip, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, Lisa “Left-Eye” Lopes, and Rozanda “Chilli” Thomas introduced a new blueprint for female groups by having two singers and a rapper in its lineup.

Blending R&B, hip-hop and funk to create a sound unlike anything else the music industry had heard before, TLC’s Ooooooohhh… On the TLC Tip spawned three Top 10 hits: “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg,” “Baby-Baby-Baby,” and “What About Your Friends.” But their CrazySexyCool and FanMail albums catapulted them to global success — selling a combined total of nearly 35 million copies worldwide and earning all four of their career GRAMMYs, including the twice-won Best R&B Album. And while amassing a long string of platinum hits and accolades, TLC shined a light on important issues like safe sex amid the height of the AIDS epidemic and gang violence (“Waterfalls”), body image (“Unpretty”), and female empowerment (“No Scrubs”). 

In addition to holding it down as America’s best-selling female group of all time, the ladies of TLC also proved to be fashion icons with every era. In 1994, they graduated from baggy clothes-wearing newcomers to grown and sexy women who made silk pajamas look chic before transforming again in 1999 as they donned futuristic looks for the turn of the millennium.

T-Boz, Left Eye and Chilli’s chemistry and cultural impact remains unmatched to this day — inspiring SWV, Total, Blaque, 3LW, 702, and Xscape, just to name a few. As TLC’s longtime manager Bill Diggins said in 2023, “I remember LA Reid told me they were the closest thing to Rock-N-Roll that existed in Hip Hop and he was right. They are the definition of Rock-N-Roll.” 

Read More: 10 Ways TLC Shaped The Future Of R&B

Rightfully nicknamed the “Vocal Bible,” Brandy’s distinctive tone, stunning legato and brilliant vocal layering helped define the 1990s’ golden era of R&B. 

A 15-year-old Brandy burst onto the music scene in 1994 with her self-titled debut album, which produced Top 10 hits “I Wanna Be Down” and “Baby” before cementing her place in R&B with 1998’s Never Say Never. The ballad-heavy album saw Brandy exploring more mature themes subsequent to her and Boyz II Men singer Wanya Morris‘ breakup. “Have You Ever?” and “Almost Doesn’t Count” became instant classics; her GRAMMY-winning collaboration with Monica, “The Boy Is Mine,” was the second best-selling single of 1998 and is the most successful female duet of all time. (Even the remix of Ariana Grande‘s reimagined iteration, which featured both Brandy and Monica, earned a GRAMMY nod 27 years later.)

Though her Y2K-era projects Full Moon and Afrodisiac were deemed commercially disappointing, both LPs are credited for helping to pioneer modern R&B à la SZA, Tyler, The Creator, Childish Gambino, and the Weeknd.

“Brandy is a goddess in R&B to a lot of people,” Solange told NPR in praise of Afrodisiac. “Brandy is really the foundation of a lot of this very innovative, progressive, experimental R&B. Brandy really influenced a lot of that. Frank Ocean will say it. Miguel will say it.”

Dubbed as the “first Black Disney princess” for her portrayal of Cinderella alongside Whitney Houston, Brandy’s impact is undeniable in film and television as well. Amid back-to-back platinum hits, her top-rated TV show “Moesha” not only spawned two successful spin-offs “The Parkers” and “Girlfriends,” it also opened doors for a cascade of young Black female leads, including Raven-Symoné, Keke Palmer and Zendaya.

In early 2001, a then 20-year-old Alicia Keys’ masterpiece “Fallin,'” off her 2001 debut, Songs in A Minor, had music lovers and critics asking themselves, “Who is that?”

No one could forget Keys’ name, especially after she swept the 2002 GRAMMYs with five wins, including Best New Artist and Song Of The Year for “Fallin'” — tying Lauryn Hill‘s record for the most GRAMMYs won in a single ceremony at the time. The next year, Keys followed up Songs in A Minor with The Diary of Alicia Keys, which produced the megahit “If I Ain’t Got You” and three more GRAMMYs (including another for Best R&B Album) for the singer.

Throughout the years, Keys has churned out hit after hit, from 2007’s “No One” (which stayed atop the Hot 100 chart for five consecutive weeks) to 2012’s pulsating female empowerment anthem “Girl on Fire.” Bringing an impeccable level of musicianship to the 21st century, Keys’ majestic blend of classical piano and R&B has earned her 17 GRAMMYs, as well as respect among her peers and the legends who came before her. 

What’s more, Keys’ impact extends beyond music as the driving force behind Keep a Child Alive (an HIV/AIDS-focused non-profit organization) and the creator of the GRAMMY- and Tony-winning Broadway musical, “Hell’s Kitchen.” She also helms She Is The Music, an organization that empowers female songwriters, engineers, producers and other creators in the music industry. Her contributions to music and culture helped her become the first woman to receive the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award at the 2025 GRAMMYs.

Read More: GRAMMY Rewind: Watch A ‘Humbled’ Alicia Keys Win Song Of The Year For “Fallin'” In 2002

SZA: The Modern Hitmaker

SZA’s commercial success and genre-blurring musicality have flipped R&B on its head and shattered the tired trope that “R&B is dead.”

The five-time GRAMMY winner started out as an in-demand songwriter, penning Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé’s “Feeling Myself” and Rihanna‘s “Consideration,” which set the stage for SZA’s debut album CTRL in 2017. The LP produced five multi-platinum-selling singles, including “Drew Barrymore,” “Love Galore” and “The Weekend.” 

On a larger scale, CTRL positioned the then 28-year-old as the leading voice of her generation thanks to her no-holds-barred storytelling and relatability. Through chronicling her relationship woes and struggles with insecurity, SZA humanized Black women, whose romantic experiences are often overlooked or presented through a hypersexual lens. That diaristic approach has influenced Summer Walker, Tink, Ari Lennox, and countless others.

“I think R&B is finally becoming loved and appreciated again, and I think SZA kind of pioneered that,” Ari Lennox said. “She just blew the doors wide open and now all of us are just catching up.”

SZA’s career soared to new heights with the release of her sophomore album, 2022’s SOS — which became the longest-running No. 1 album on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart at 18 weeks, and still remains at No. 4 on the all-genre Billboard 200 after 117 weeks. Megahit “Kill Bill” spent 21 weeks atop the hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, while “Snooze” spent every week of 2023 on the Hot 100. What’s more, SOS won three GRAMMYs at the 2024 GRAMMYs, where SZA had the most nominations of any artist; its deluxe edition helped SZA earn another golden gramophone at the 2025 GRAMMYs, where “Saturn” was awarded Best R&B Song.

Ahead of SZA’s co-headlining stadium tour with Kendrick Lamar kicking off on April 19, she collected her third Hot 100 chart-topper as a featured artist on Lamar’s “Luther” — which shows that her reign isn’t letting up anytime soon.