This month we’ve already celebrated International Women’s Day, so for the rest of March we’re turning our attention to the incredible female artists we have the honour of working with all year long. Here are just a few of the amazing women whose music we love to shine our Spotlight on! 

Dolly Parton

She is the queen of country, a legendary artist, pioneering philanthropist, prolific creative and formidable personality. With a career spanning over fifty-years, she’s sold one-hundred-million records worldwide and written over three-thousand songs. As an actress, she’s starred in multiple films including 9 to 5 and Steel Magnolias, earning two Golden Globe nominations across her career. She’s been nominated for fifty Grammys and won eleven, including the Lifetime Achievement Award.

A businesswoman, she co-owns The Dollywood Company and even runs Doggy Parton, her own canine apparel line. In 1986 she founded The Dollywood Foundation, supporting numerous non-profit organisations that aim to improve the quality of life of children and others in need. When it comes to inspirational women, Dolly is one of a kind. 

Leona Lewis

Born and raised in North London, Leona Lewis is a singer, songwriter, actress, and model. Leona left school at seventeen determined to make a career for herself in the arts. She juggled several jobs while saving up for recording sessions, and landed her big break at the age of twenty-one as a contestant on the third series of The X Factor.

Leona became the first ever woman to win the series. Her debut album, Spirit was certified ten-times platinum in the UK and became the fourth best-selling album of the decade. She’s released five albums and sold over thirty-five million records worldwide. At the start of the year, Leona was awarded an OBE for her services to music and charity.

Paloma Faith

Paloma Faith is a British fashion icon, a celebrated singer, songwriter and acclaimed actress. Turning ten this month, her third album, A Perfect Contradiction, has been certified twice platinum in the UK for sales over six-hundred-thousand. The career-making record also gave birth to the monumentous, heartrending single Only Love Can Hurt Like This, penned for Paloma by legendary songwriter Diane Warren.

Alongside her music, Paloma has graced screens small and silver in the likes of St. Trinian’s, Batman origin series Pennyworth, and as the voice of Portia the goth poodle on 101 Dalmatian Street! Having just released new record The Glorification of Sadness, and with a huge UK tour kicking off next month, Paloma’s talents have no limits. 

Sade

One of the most successful British female artists in history, Sade’s influence on contemporary music around the world is as tangible today as it was when she formed her band in the early 80s. She’s been praised and name-checked by the likes of Beyoncé and Missy Elliot and in 1986, Sade became the first Nigerian-born artist to win a Grammy when she was named Best New Artist. Released in 1984, their debut album Diamond Life went top five in the UK and US, and has since been certified four-times platinum in both countries.

Together, the band have released six studio albums and sold close to seventy-five million records. Last year she was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and named one of Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone. She was awarded an OBE in 2002, promoted to a CBE fifteen years later. An incredibly talented woman, Sade continues to shine. 

Kesha

With ten top-ten US singles and two US number one albums under her belt, Kesha is one of the biggest and most prolifically successful artists of recent time. Born to a singer-songwriter in LA, she moved to Nashville as a child after her mum secured a publishing deal. With music so firmly rooted in her upbringing, it’s no wonder she’s gone on to pen such hits as Tik Tok and Timber, as well as writing for the likes of Britney Spears, Ariana Grande and Miley Cyrus.

After her career was halted due to a legal dispute with her former producer, she released the highly-emotive and empowering album Rainbow in 2017 to critical acclaim. An advocate for animal and LGBT+ rights, she was also an avid supporter of the Time’s Up movement. She’s sold over fourteen-million records worldwide, been nominated for two Grammys and released five albums. There’s no stopping Kesha. 

Dido

Dido’s first two albums are among the best-selling albums in UK chart history. Her debut record No Angel in 1999 sold over twenty-one million copies and won her two Brit Awards for Best British Album and Best British Female Artist. Her follow up, 2003’s Life For Rent, continued her success selling over twelve-million copies, going nine-times platinum in the UK and winning Dido two more Brit Awards for stunning single White Flag and again as Best British Female.

Dido’s music has been used to accompany countless memorable scenes in film and TV shows over the years from Love Actually and Sliding Doors to Roswell and Grey’s Anatomy. Her hit single Thank You was sampled by US rapper Eminem for his 2000 anthem Stan, while her 2011 duet with A. R. Rahman, If I Rise, from the Danny Boyle film 127 Hours, was nominated for the Best Original Song at the Grammys. She’s released five records and in 2019 received the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song Collection. An outstanding achievement by an inspirational woman.

Natasha Bedingfield

When writing her 2004 single Unwritten, there’s no way Natasha Bedingfield could have foreseen the timeless anthem she was creating. It became the title track from her debut record and won a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. She’s sold over twenty-million records and was named by VH1 as one of the 100 Greatest Women in Music. Over the years, Unwritten has experienced resurgence after resurgence, re-entering UK singles charts as recently as this January!

Alongside releasing three further records and flirting with the world of acting, Natasha is an ambassador for Global Angels, an international children’s charity founded by her mother, Molly. Mixing talent and promise, there’s no doubting the rest of Natasha’s journey is still to be set out.