Black British women singers

Helen Folasade Adu CBE (Yoruba: Fọláṣadé Adú born 16 January 1959), known professionally as Sade Adu or simply Sade ( shah-DAY), is a British singer, songwriter, and actress, known as the lead singer of her eponymous band. She has been credited as one of the most successful British female artists in history, and is often recognised as an influence on contemporary music. Her services to music were recognised in the UK with an award of the OBE in 2002, and a CBE in the 2017 Birthday Honours.

Tahliah Debrett Barnett (born 16 January 1988), known professionally as FKA Twigs (stylised as FKA twigs), is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress. Raised in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, she became a backup dancer after moving to South London at age 17. She made her musical debut with the extended plays EP1 (2012) and EP2 (2013).

Leona Louise Lewis (born 3 April 1985) is a British singer, songwriter, actress, model, and activist. She was born and raised in the London Borough of Islington, where she attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology. Lewis achieved national recognition when she won the third series of The X Factor in 2006, winning a £1 million recording contract with Syco Music. Her winner's single, a cover of Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This", peaked at number one for four weeks on the UK Singles Chart and broke a world record for reaching 50,000 digital downloads within 30 minutes. In February 2007, Lewis signed a five-album contract in the United States with Clive Davis's record label, J Records.

Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey, DBE (born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Born in Tiger Bay, Cardiff, she began performing as a teenager in 1953. She became well-known for her expressive voice and for recording the soundtrack theme songs of the James Bond films Goldfinger (1964), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), and Moonraker (1979). In January 1959, Bassey became the first Welsh person to gain a number-one single on the UK Singles Chart. In 2020, with the release of her most recent album, I Owe It All To You, Bassey became the first female artist to chart an album in the top 40 of the UK Albums Chart in seven consecutive decades.

Alesha Anjanette Dixon (born 7 October 1978) is an English singer, rapper, songwriter, dancer, author, model and television personality. Dixon rose to fame in 2001 as a member of the all-female R&B/garage/rap trio Mis-Teeq. The group disbanded in 2005 and Dixon pursued a music career as a solo artist, signing a recording contract to Polydor Records. She began recording her debut solo studio album, Fired Up, in 2005, releasing her debut single, "Lipstick" and "Knockdown", she was dropped from Polydor. Retaining the rights to her album she released Fired Up in Japan with Lipstick going to number 1.

Melanie Janine Brown MBE (born 29 May 1975), commonly known as Melanie B or Mel B, is an English singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Scary Spice. With over 100 million records sold worldwide, the group became the best-selling female group of all time.

Leigh-Anne Pinnock (born 4 October 1991) is an English singer, songwriter and a member of the British girl group Little Mix. The group was formed on the eighth series of The X Factor in 2011, and became the first group in the programme's history to win the competition. They have since sold over 60 million albums and singles worldwide, making them one of the best-selling girl groups.

Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke (born 25 August 1988) is a British singer, songwriter and actress. She won the fifth series of the British television series The X Factor in 2008, and has been signed to Epic Records, RCA Records and Syco Music.

Rochelle Eulah Eileen Humes (née Wiseman; born 21 March 1989) is an English singer and television presenter. Humes began her career in British pop groups S Club Juniors and The Saturdays, and has gone on to co-present the ITV entertainment series Ninja Warrior UK. Humes regularly guest-hosts This Morning, and since 2019, she has co-presented the BBC game show The Hit List alongside husband Marvin Humes.