Ten Top Female Indie Artists Today
Celebrating women who shape the indie music scene, from legends to new talents.

They’ve had to fight their way to the limelight, but female artists are a huge part of the indie music industry. Women all over the world are pushing to have their voices heard and there’s nothing anybody can do about it. Not that we want to do anything about it, we love the music these queens are feeding us.

In this article, I want to celebrate some of the queens in the indie music industry. The title says “ten top” not “top ten” because I’m not saying these women are head and shoulders above the rest. Instead, I’ve chosen them to celebrate in this article. Let’s meet our queens for today…

Boygenius

Boygenius is so good that it’ll get into any indie list regardless of gender. Each of the women in this band could’ve been on this list by themselves, but then they decided to band together. Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker, and Phoebe Bridgers have come together to devastating effect in Boygenius. They first released an EP, boygenius, in 2018 then took a long break. Five years later, they returned with a bang.

The Record, released last year, was a massive success. The trio racked up seven nominations and swept three of the categories at the Grammys with only their first album together. This year, the trio announced we won't hear from them for “the foreseeable future”. I have no idea what that means, but if they’re making a habit of coming back from breaks with amazing albums, I’m all for it.

Highlyy

This woman is only on this list because her music excites me and I can’t wait for what she has coming next. She’s almost completely new to the public eye. She first turned heads on TikTok with a snippet of her most popular single, Soldier. People begged her to release the full song and she obliged.

She’s an amazing vocalist with wonderful range. She embodies 3 different cultures as she swings from English to Yoruba, then to French and all around again. She's taking her sweet time, but I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for new music, hopefully, sooner than later.

Annie Clark (St Vincent)

A true legend of the game, Rolling Stone named St. Vincent the 26th greatest guitarist of all time last year. She started her solo career as far back as 2006 and has continued to maintain very high standards. The Grammy winner released her last album in 2021 so the anticipation is growing that we might get something new in 2024.

Annatoria

This list wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t have an Afrobeats Gospel artist on it, and Annatoria has been turning heads. Originally from Zimbabwe, the UK-based artist is starting to make a name for herself in the Gospel space. She first became popular after winning the ninth season of the Voice UK in 2020. She signed with Island Records, a subsidiary of UMG, after winning but left the label the following year.

She released one album, Count My Blessings, with Island Records. Since leaving, she has released some singles and collaborated with artists such as Limoblaze. She has hinted on her social media that a new album is coming, however. I’m waiting patiently and hoping this album launches her indie career to the proper heights.

Lauren Spencer Smith

Another fresh face to the industry, Lauren Spencer Smith was born in 2003, only 3 years before St. Vincent started her solo career. She tried her luck at American Idol but only made the top 20. Unfazed, she continued to create music content online. She went on to start releasing her music and hasn't looked back since. One of her singles, Fingers Crossed, has made a ruckus on TikTok with over 30 million views.

Lauren Spencer Smith has released her first studio album and is making steady progress. This is just the beginning for her, and I’m excited to see what she has in store.

Sarah Lake

Sarah Lake brings up the country flank of things on this list with her soft vocals and relaxing lyrics. She contested in American Idol and managed to finish in the top 20. She has continued trying to build her career. She’s no Boygenius yet, but she’s a rising star in the country music scene, and you know I like to invest in stock early.

We’re still waiting for an album from Sarah Lake. I hope when it finally comes, it’s everything we know she can do and more. Who knows, alongside her Grammy-nominated producer of a husband, a country music power couple might be brewing.

Courtney Barnett

Maybe the only label owner on this list, Courtney Barnett started as a guitarist for some indie bands. Eventually, she released an EP of her own in 2012 through her label, Milk! Records. She finally caught the public eye with the release of her second EP in 2013. Two years later, she released her first album, earning a Grammy nomination in the process.

After several years of operation, Barnett announced that her label would be shutting down last year. She has a documentary about her life coming up, but we hope this isn’t the end as far as new music is concerned.

Girl in Red

Let’s take a trip to Norway to meet Girl in Red, a young indie artist who’s beginning to turn heads. In 2018, her single, I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend, pulled an impressive 40 million streams on Spotify alone. She has continued to release music from her home studio and has earned herself over 3 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

Angel Olsen

With six studio albums from as far back as 2012, Angel Olsen is no stranger to the indie music scene. Olsen started her music career even before 2012, however. She started out wanting to be a pop artist, but as she grew older and more reserved, her interests began to shift. Still a teenager, she even joined a punk rock called Good Fight.

Angel Olsen eventually signed with indie label, Bathetic Records, before releasing her first studio album. Two albums into her career, she signed a new deal with another indie label, Jagjaguwar, where she has remained to this day. Her last album was released in 2022 but she followed it up with an EP in 2023. I await what 2024 holds in store.

Amelia Webb

Her fans call her Mimi Webb and she’s yet another fresh face in the industry. She hasn’t done much yet, but the fire is growing. Her debut EP came in 2021 and ranked as high as 9th on the UK Albums Chart. Last year, she released her debut album, Amelia, and she’s been soaring since. Given that sophomore projects are usually the toughest, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for her.

Final Thoughts

Whether it’s legends like St. Vincent, powerhouses like Boygenius, or fresh faces like Lauren Spencer-Smith, women in the indie music industry are doing great things. I’m sure you have a list of your own that may not be the same as mine, please I’d love to discover more music.

For now, however, cheers to these ten queens.