Female vocalists have a way of turning a simple, decent EDM track into something extraordinary and phenomenal.
Sometimes, you hear a voice and it simply makes the world collapse around you. Everything around you drifts away, until all you’re left with is the soothing sound of a female vocalist speaking to you and igniting the fire in your soul.
There’s nothing better than female vocals, especially on an EDM track. If you love lyrical EDM, then here are 12 female vocalists to keep your eyes and ears open for.
Vassy
With a laundry list of achievements under her belt, Australian-Greek songstress Vassy is EDM’s reigning lyrical and vocal queen. Based out of Los Angeles, Vassy set her sites on a global audience and has swiftly become a sought-after collaborator by music producers in every genre.
You know her from tracks like, “Secrets” by Tiesto & KSHMR (which went # 1 on Beatport within 24 hours of the release), “Bad,” (which hit double platinum in 2014), by David Guetta and Showtek, “Today,” with Scooter, “We Are Young,” with Sultan and Ned Shepard, and “Tomorrow Never Dies,” with Markus Schulz. Her captivating songs have been featured everywhere from Target and Victoria’s Secret to Nickelodeon and Pepsi commercials to movies like Disney’s Frozen and T.V. shows like Grey’s Anatomy.
Most notable is that even with the flight of her music career, Vassy has always prioritized her philanthropic work with charity groups and civil rights organizations. Be it through her music, electrifying live shows, or her volunteerism, Vassy’s goal is to inspire people to fight for their dreams.
Delaney Jane
Based out of Toronto, Delaney Jane is a singer and songwriter whose voice is so enchanting, it can lift your soul up to “Heaven.” You know her voice from tracks such as, “Limitless,” by Adventure Club, “Shades of Grey,” by Shaun Frank and Oliver Heldens, “This Could Be Love,” by Shaun Frank and Borgeous, and “Air,” by Dzeko and Torres.
She currently works closely with Shaun Frank, so much in fact that her voice has become a part of his signature sound. “The first song we ever wrote together, we just clicked so hard on it,” said Frank. “The best thing in a collaboration is to have it be simple, easy and relatable, which is very hard to find and I don’t find it very often. With Delaney, writing songs comes naturally and there’s always going to be more.”
Emily Warren
Born and raised in New York City, Emily Warren has been breathing music since the day she was born. At age 11, Warren had already vigorously shocked those around her with her incredible knack for making music and writing songs. In Jan. 2009, the quirky 16-year-old singer and multi-instrumentalist decided she was ready to take the stage and put her band together called, “Emily Warren & The Betters.” Now, at the age of 23, she has once again shifted gears and returned to her love of writing and collaborating with the hopes of continuing to grow and progress as a songwriter.
Needless to say, she has done just that. She is the beautiful voice on The Chainsmokers’ and Tritonal’s track, “Until You Were Gone,” and has co-written several tracks such as, “The Right Song” by Tiesto and Oliver Heldens featuring Natalie La Rose, “Pass The Love Around,” by Krewella, “Gasoline,” by Karmin, and “Masterpiece” by Jessie J.
Christina Novelli
Born in Southampton England, Christina Novelli has amazed crowds all over the world with her powerful, infectious voice and amazing ability to engage the crowd while performing. As a child, all she wanted was to become a singer and has followed her dreams in order to do so. Novelli writes and co-writes all of her songs and is the daughter of Jean-Christophe Novelli, a French celebrity chef.
As an open bisexual and through the power of her singing, songwriting, and stage persona, Novelli has built a very large, loyal and fanatical gay and straight following, gaining momentum with every show. You know her stunning voice from “Concrete Angel,” and “Dynamite” by Gareth Emery, “Hold it Together,” by MaRLo, “Jar of Hearts,” by Dash Berlin, and “Sun is Rising” with Darren Styles.
Emma Hewitt
Australian born songstress Emma Hewitt is a voice instantly recognizable. As she continues to write and release music with some of the world’s most respected names in EDM, her haunting melodies, yearning lyrics and distinctive style have earned her a legion of passionate fans around the world.
“Music was a form of escape for me and not something I ever consciously set out to follow as a career path,” said Hewitt on her website bio. “As long as there’s a single person who may find something they are looking for or a feeling they need in my music, I will continue to write for that person.”
You know this gorgeous voice from songs like “Be Your Sound,” and “Calm Down” by Cosmic Gate, “Waiting” and “Disarm Yourself” by Dash Berlin, and “Alive Again” by 3Lau.
Heather Bright (Bright Lights)
Known as Bright Lights, Heather Bright is an American pop singer and songwriter who has recently let her light shine bright over the EDM world. With beautiful compositions and an extremely powerful voice, it’s no surprise she’s one of the most sought after vocalist for EDM.
As a songwriter, Bright’s first release came with Ashley Tisdale’s’ “Hot Mess” in 2009. From there, she’s written songs for major pop artist such as Britney Spears, and believe it or not, her most successful song written to date is none other than Justin Bieber’s “Somebody to Love.”
As a vocalist, she’s responsible for several career-defining hits, including Porter Robinson’s “Language,” “Stars Come Out,” by Zedd, “Never Say Goodbye,” by Hardwell, and 3Lau’s “How You Love Me.”
Daya
At only 17-years-old, Daya is a singer and songwriter from Pittsburgh, PA who has formed a deep passion for creating and performing music. She learned how to play classical piano at the age of three, and music has been central to her life ever since. By age 11, she moved to jazz piano, finding her stellar voice along the way.
You know her voice from the radio hit “Hide Away,” and more recently “Don’t Let Me Down” by The Chainsmokers. Though, her track record isn’t very long, with a voice like her’s, you can only expect many EDM artist wanting to collaborate and release music with her very soon.
Alana Watson
If you’ve ever heard of the British trio, Nero, then you’ve heard the spellbinding voice that is Alana Watson. Watson, along with producers Dan Stephens and Joe Ray created Nero as a straight drum n’ bass act, but have steadily evolved by mixing dubstep beats with classic house melodies and vocals.
Since their 2011 debut album, Welcome Reality, Nero have won a Grammy, (along with Skrillex for a remix of “Promises,”) collaborated on the Great Gatsby soundtrack with director Baz Luhrmann, and have toured all over the world.
You know the group best for tracks, “Innocence,” “Promises,” “Crush On You,” and “The Thrill,” all of which have been remixed by other EDM producers, such as Porter Robinson, Skrillex and Knife Party.
Zoe Johnston
If you’ve ever listened to Above and Beyond, then you’ve definitely heard the old school, angelic voice of Zoe Johnston. Johnston’s career began when she co wrote the song, “Swollen” by Bent, which was later proclaimed as, “one of the most romantic songs in chill music,” by British actor Michael Caine. She then went on to write and sing vocals for Faithless, Sleepthief and Delerium before contributing heavily to Above and Beyond’s albums, Group Therapy (2011) and We Are All We Need (2015).
You know her voice best on tracks like “We Are All We Need,” “Alchemy,” “Love Is Not Enough,” and “You Got To Go,” by Above and Beyond.
Fiora
Born in Australia and based out of Berlin, Fiora Cutler is a singer, songwriter, producer, and orchestral composer. In high school, she studied and played classical violin, but was very big into pop music. Drifting away from classical music, she later began writing songs for TV and soundtracks, gradually distancing herself from being only a classical performer.
Her big break came when she wrote the song, “Waiting For The Night” for Armin Van Buuren. From there, she worked on a series of collaborative tracks with Tensnake, ultimately making her the key voice on Tensnake’s Virgin EMI album, Glow.
“I was always drawn to the empathy you can find in music, and the way it can amplify your feelings,” said Fiora on her website bio.
Needless to say, when it comes to music, Cutler is very well-rounded. Her hypnotic voice can be heard on “Days to Come” by Seven Lions, “58 BPM” by Tensnake, “Take Me Away (Grand Finale)” by Arty and “Damaged” by Antillas.
Aruna
Born in New Jersey, Aruna Abrams is more than just the pretty vocalist you hear on your favorite dance tracks. She is a classically trained pianist, a formerly sought after studio musician, a singer, songwriter and DJ, and has collaborated with some of EDM’s biggest names. While pursuing a career as a singer and songwriter, Aruna’s early successes were featured on MTV’s hit shows, Laguna Beach and The Hills.
Her biggest break came when she cowrote “I Got Nerve” for Miley Cyrus, which was featured on the Hannah Montana Season 1 Soundtrack. From there, she’s gone on to record for a host of internationally recognized producers such as, Markus Schulz, ATB and Aly and Fila.
Above and Beyond’s Tony McGuiness has even referred to her as, “one of the most talented singer and songwriters around at the moment.”
You know her best from “Won’t Let You Go” by Armin Van Buuren, “Under Your Spell” by Cosmic Gate, and “Live Forever” by Ferry Corsten.
Skylar Grey
Skylar Gray is a five-time Grammy Award nominated singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has the rare ability to capture the most nuanced of feelings and then channel them into songs with a subtle cathartic power. At the age of 14, Grey wrote her first song and landed a publishing deal while still in her teens. Her first massive hit was “Love The Way You Lie” by Rihanna and Eminem. She later went on to cowrite songs for Kid Cudi, Zedd, Kaskade, David Guetta, Moby and many other well known artists ranging from hip-hop to pop to EDM.
Aside from her own albums, you know her voice best from “Room For Happiness” by Kaskade, “Shot Me Down” by David Guetta, “Coming Home,” with Diddy, and “Invisible,” which has received many EDM remixes.
