1. Alicia Keys
Alicia and her ever-present piano personified R&B in the 2000s. While many of her peers on this list gained success leaning toward pop sounds, Alicia’s best works were firmly rooted in the fundamentals of R&B.

2. Beyonce
Ever since the early days of Destiny’s Child, Beyonce Knowles was groomed for solo stardom. That destiny was fulfilled in the 2000s, when she stepped into the solo spotlight and unleashed dozens of ballads and girl-power anthems upon fans

3. Mariah Carey
The Emancipation of Mimi, one of the biggest albums in recent memory was a like callback to Mariah’s success in the 90s. But that wasn’t her only victory, MC blessed us with many more hits throughout the decade.

4. Lady Gaga
She has sold around 85 million records, a record setting concert tour and around 40 million followers on Twitter. Many argue that her actual vocal capabilities fall second to her publicity-seeking stunts but that is not true. She also has a jazz album along with Tony Bennett called Cheek to Cheek.

5. Rihanna
With the rise of her hit “Work” to number one, Rihanna is now the first artist with the third most chart-toppers of all time. Before the announcement about “Work” being at the top spot, Rihanna was tied with the legendary Michael Jackson with 13 number one singles, but she has now surpassed him, taking up a new place in the history books.

6. Adele
Adele's music career might be relatively new as compared to the other women on the list but she is definitely one of the greatest singers. Adele is also the holder of several Guinness Book of World Records. She is the first woman in Billboard history to have three simultaneously top ten singles and the first woman to have two top ten albums as well as two top ten singles on the Billboard chart at the same time.

7. Katy Perry
After scrapping Katy Perry's second solo album, she reinvented herself as a party girl popstar, breaking out with One of the Boys and  “I Kissed a Girl” and “Hot n Cold”. Follow-up Teenage Dream (2010) equalled Michael Jackson’s record of five chart-toppers on the same album, and made Perry even more ubiquotous in the pop landscape.

8. P!nk
P!nk has changed the sound of modern pop music irrevocably. Pink’s eclectic mix of rebellion, raw emotions, infectious beats, and humor with paving the path for many of today’s most popular modern female artists.

9. Björk
Since Björk's career beginnings in the 90’s, the Icelandic singer has released ten albums, and more than 30 singlesーmost of which had found its way onto the charts. A recognized member of the music scene for over four decades, Björk has received an uncountable number of awards and nominations form the industry throughout the years.

10. Norah Jones
Jazz singer, songwriter and musician Norah Jones has won five Grammy Awards for her debut album, Come Away With Me, in 2003.