The Most Famous

SINGERS from Australia

This page contains a list of the greatest Australian Singers. The pantheon dataset contains 4,381 Singers, 30 of which were born in Australia. This makes Australia the birth place of the 26th most number of Singers behind Brazil, and Austria.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Australian Singers of all time. This list of famous Australian Singers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Australian Singers.

1. Kylie Minogue (b. 1968)

With an HPI of 59.78, Kylie Minogue is the most famous Australian Singer. Her biography has been translated into 101 different languages on wikipedia.

Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fashion world as a major style icon. Her accolades include two Grammy Awards, four Brit Awards and eighteen ARIA Music Awards. Minogue is the highest-selling Australian female artist of all time, with sales surpassing 80 million records worldwide. In 2024, Time named her one of the most influential people in the world. Born and raised in Melbourne, Minogue first achieved recognition starring as Charlene Robinson in the Australian soap opera Neighbours (1986–1988). She began her music career in the late 1980s, releasing four bubblegum and dance-pop-influenced studio albums under PWL. By the early 1990s, Minogue had amassed several hit singles in Australia and the UK, including "The Loco-Motion", "I Should Be So Lucky", "Especially for You", "Hand on Your Heart" and "Better the Devil You Know". Taking more creative control over her music, she signed with Deconstruction Records in 1993 and released the albums Kylie Minogue (1994) and Impossible Princess (1997). By joining Parlophone in 1999, Minogue returned to mainstream dance-oriented music with Light Years (2000), including the number-one hits "Spinning Around" and "On a Night Like This". The follow-up, Fever (2001), was an international breakthrough for Minogue, becoming her best-selling album to date. The lead single, "Can't Get You Out of My Head", became one of the most successful singles of the 2000s, selling over five million units. Follow-up singles, "In Your Eyes" and "Love at First Sight" became hits as well. She continued reinventing her image and experimenting with a range of genres on her subsequent albums, which spawned successful singles such as "Slow", "I Believe in You", "2 Hearts" and "All the Lovers". In 2017, she signed with BMG Rights Management, leading to several number-one albums in Australia and the UK - Golden (2018), Step Back in Time: The Definitive Collection (2019), Disco (2020), Tension (2023) and Tension II (2024). She is the only female artist in the UK charts with chart-topping albums and a top ten single in five consecutive decades. In film, Minogue made her debut in The Delinquents (1989), and appeared in Street Fighter (1994), Moulin Rouge! (2001), Holy Motors (2012) and San Andreas (2015). In reality television, she appeared as a judge on The Voice UK and The Voice Australia, both in 2014. Her other ventures include product endorsements, books, perfumes, charitable work and a wine brand. Minogue's achievements include being an ARIA Hall of Fame inductee, Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), Officer of the Order of the British Empire, Chevalier (knight) of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and an honorary Doctor of Health Science (D.H.Sc.).

2. Joan Sutherland (1926 - 2010)

With an HPI of 59.77, Joan Sutherland is the 2nd most famous Australian Singer. Her biography has been translated into 46 different languages.

Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, (7 November 1926 – 10 October 2010) was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano known for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s to the 1980s. She possessed a voice combining agility, accurate intonation, pinpoint staccatos, a trill and a strong upper register, although music critics complained about her poor diction. Sutherland was the first Australian to win a Grammy Award, for the year 1961 Best Classical Performance – Vocal Soloist (with or without orchestra) presented in 1962. She was known as La Stupenda (Italian for 'The Stupendous One') and is widely regarded as one of the greatest sopranos of all time.

3. Johnny Logan (b. 1954)

With an HPI of 58.68, Johnny Logan is the 3rd most famous Australian Singer. His biography has been translated into 47 different languages.

Seán Patrick Michael Sherrard (born 13 May 1954), also known professionally as Johnny Logan, is an Australian-born Irish singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known for being the first performer to win the Eurovision Song Contest as a lead singer twice. Logan won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1980 with the song "What's Another Year", which topped the charts in eight countries. He won for a second time in 1987 with the song "Hold Me Now", which topped the charts in Israel, Ireland and Belgium and was a top ten hit in ten other music markets. For 36 years he was only solo artist to have won the contest twice, until Loreen's second victory in 2023. Logan has also composed two Eurovision songs for Linda Martin, "Terminal 3" in 1984 and "Why Me?" in 1992. The former placed second, while the latter came first; therefore making Logan one of only five people to have composed two winning Eurovision entries.

4. Nellie Melba (1861 - 1931)

With an HPI of 56.03, Nellie Melba is the 4th most famous Australian Singer. Her biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

Dame Nellie Melba (born Helen Porter Mitchell; 19 May 1861 – 23 February 1931) was an Australian operatic lyric coloratura soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early 20th century, and was the first Australian to achieve international recognition as a classical musician. She took the pseudonym "Melba" from Melbourne, her home town. Melba studied singing in Melbourne and made a modest success in performances there. After a brief and unsuccessful marriage, she moved to Europe in search of a singing career. Failing to find engagements in London, England, in 1886, she studied in Paris, France, and soon made a great success there and in Brussels, Belgium. Returning to London, she quickly established herself as the leading lyric soprano at Covent Garden from 1888. She soon achieved further success in Paris and elsewhere in Europe, and later at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, debuting there in 1893. Her repertoire was small; in her whole career she sang no more than 25 roles and was closely identified with only 10. She was known for her performances in French and Italian opera, but sang little German opera. During the First World War, Melba raised large sums for war charities. She returned to Australia frequently during the 20th century, singing in opera and concerts, and had a house built for her near Melbourne. She was active in the teaching of singing at the Melbourne Conservatorium. Melba continued to sing until the last months of her life and made a large number of "farewell" appearances. Her death, in Australia, was news across the English-speaking world, and her funeral was a major national event. The Australian $100 note features her image.

5. Helen Reddy (1941 - 2020)

With an HPI of 53.31, Helen Reddy is the 5th most famous Australian Singer. Her biography has been translated into 35 different languages.

Helen Maxine Reddy (25 October 1941 – 29 September 2020) was an Australian-American singer, actress, television host, and activist. Born in Melbourne to a show business family, Reddy started her career as an entertainer at age four. She sang on radio and television and won a talent contest on the television program Bandstand in 1966; her prize was a ticket to New York City and a record audition, which was unsuccessful. After a short and unsuccessful singing career in New York, she eventually moved to Chicago, and subsequently, Los Angeles, where she made her debut singles "One Way Ticket" and "I Believe in Music" in 1968 and 1970, respectively. The B-side of the latter single, "I Don't Know How to Love Him", reached number eight on the pop chart of the Canadian magazine RPM. She was signed to Capitol Records a year later. During the 1970s, Reddy enjoyed international success, especially in the United States, where she placed 15 singles on the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Six made the top 10 and three reached number one, including her signature hit "I Am Woman". She placed 25 songs on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart; 15 made the top 10 and eight reached number one, six consecutively. In 1974, at the inaugural American Music Awards, she won the award for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist. On television, she was the first Australian to host a one-hour weekly primetime variety show on an American network, along with specials that were seen in more than 40 countries. Between the 1980s and 1990s, as her single "I Can't Say Goodbye to You" (1981) became her last to chart in the US, Reddy acted in musicals and recorded albums such as Center Stage before retiring from live performance in 2002. She returned to university in Australia, earned a degree, and practised as a clinical hypnotherapist and motivational speaker. In 2011, after singing "Breezin' Along with the Breeze" with her half-sister, Toni Lamond, for Lamond's birthday, Reddy decided to return to live performing. Reddy's song "I Am Woman" played a significant role in popular culture, becoming an anthem for second-wave feminism. She came to be known as a "feminist poster girl" or a "feminist icon". In 2011, Billboard named her the number-28 adult contemporary artist of all time (the number-9 woman). In 2013, the Chicago Tribune dubbed her the "Queen of '70s Pop".

6. Natalie Imbruglia (b. 1975)

With an HPI of 52.32, Natalie Imbruglia is the 6th most famous Australian Singer. Her biography has been translated into 52 different languages.

Natalie Jane Imbruglia ( im-BROO-lee-ə, Italian: [imˈbruʎʎa]; born 4 February 1975) is an Australian-British singer-songwriter and actress. Born and raised in Australia, Imbruglia became widely known in the early 1990s playing Beth Brennan in the soap opera Neighbours. After leaving the series, she moved to the UK and began a singing career. Her debut single, a cover of Ednaswap's song "Torn" (1997), quickly became a worldwide hit, topped the US Billboard Radio Songs Chart for eleven weeks in 1998, and was listed on the 50 Best Songs of the 1990s by Rolling Stone. Her debut album, Left of the Middle (1997), was a commercial success, certified multi-platinum in the US, the UK and Australia and eventually sold seven million copies worldwide. Subsequent albums, including White Lilies Island (2001) and Counting Down the Days (2005), did not match the commercial success of her debut, but both albums still gained Gold certification in the UK. As of 2021, Imbruglia has released six studio albums and has sold more than ten million copies worldwide. Imbruglia has received various accolades, including eight ARIA Awards, two Brit Awards, one Billboard Music Award, one Silver Clef Award and three Grammy nominations. Imbruglia has appeared in several films, including Johnny English (2003) and Australian indie film Closed for Winter (2009). She has modelled for several brands, such as L'Oreal, Gap, and Kailis. Amongst other philanthropic work, Imbruglia served as a longtime spokesperson for Virgin Unite and campaigns to raise awareness of obstetric fistula.

7. Dannii Minogue (b. 1971)

With an HPI of 46.47, Dannii Minogue is the 7th most famous Australian Singer. Her biography has been translated into 53 different languages.

Dannii Minogue (; born 20 October 1971) is an Australian singer, television personality, and actress. She first gained recognition for her appearances on the television talent show Young Talent Time (1982–1988) and for her role as Emma Jackson on the soap opera Home and Away (1989–1990). Minogue began her music career in the early 1990s, achieving early success with her debut studio album, Love and Kisses (1991), which was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and included the singles "Love and Kisses", "Jump to the Beat" and "Success". Following the release of her second studio album, Get into You (1993), Minogue's popularity as a singer had declined, leading her to make a name for herself with award-winning performances in theatre productions. The late 1990s saw a brief return to music after Minogue reinvented herself as a dance artist with her third studio album, Girl (1997), and its lead single "All I Wanna Do". Her fourth studio album, Neon Nights (2003), became the most successful of her career; it was certified gold by the BPI and spawned the hit singles "Who Do You Love Now?", "I Begin to Wonder" and "Don't Wanna Lose This Feeling". In 2007, she released her fifth studio album, Club Disco. In the UK, Minogue has achieved nine Top 10 singles and 13 consecutive number-one dance singles, becoming the best-performing artist on the UK Dance Chart. In Australia, she has achieved 12 Top 30 singles and six Gold certified singles. As of January 2017, Minogue has sold over seven-million records worldwide. Minogue has served as a judge on multiple television talent shows, including The X Factor UK (2007–2010), Australia's Got Talent (2007–2012), Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model (2013), The X Factor Australia (2013–2015), Let It Shine (2017), and The Masked Singer Australia (2019–2021). As a television presenter, she has hosted It's Not Just Saturday (1996), Dance Boss (2018), Ultimate Beastmaster (2018), I Kissed a Boy (2023), and I Kissed a Girl (2024).

8. Judith Durham (1943 - 2022)

With an HPI of 45.57, Judith Durham is the 8th most famous Australian Singer. Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Judith Durham (born Judith Mavis Cock; 3 July 1943 – 5 August 2022) was an Australian singer, songwriter, and musician who became the lead singer of the Australian folk music group the Seekers in 1962. The group became the first Australian pop music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States and have sold over 50 million records worldwide. Durham left the group in mid-1968 to pursue her solo career. In 1993, Durham began to make sporadic recordings and performances with the Seekers, though she remained primarily a solo performer. On 1 July 2015, she was named Victorian of the Year for her services to music and a range of charities.

9. Iggy Azalea (b. 1990)

With an HPI of 45.32, Iggy Azalea is the 9th most famous Australian Singer. Her biography has been translated into 56 different languages.

Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea ( ə-ZAY-lee-ə), is an Australian rapper, songwriter, model and businesswoman. Born in Sydney, Australia, Azalea moved to the United States at the age of 16 in order to pursue a career in music. Azalea earned public recognition after releasing the music videos for her songs "Pussy" and "Two Times" on YouTube. Shortly after releasing those two songs, she released her debut mixtape, Ignorant Art (2011), and subsequently signed a recording contract with American rapper T.I.'s Grand Hustle label. Azalea's debut studio album, The New Classic (2014), peaked among the top five on several charts worldwide and eventually topped the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, making Azalea the first non-American female rapper to reach the top of the chart. The New Classic was preceded by Azalea's debut single "Work" and chart-topping single "Fancy" (featuring Charli XCX), which hit the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Record of the Year. Azalea was featured on Ariana Grande's 2014 single "Problem", which peaked at number two behind "Fancy". With these hits, Azalea became the second musical act (aside from the Beatles) to rank at number one and number two simultaneously on the Hot 100 with their debut releases on the chart. In addition, she achieved three top ten hits simultaneously on the Hot 100 with the aforementioned songs and the album's fifth single, "Black Widow" (featuring Rita Ora), which debuted later that year. After her debut album, Azalea released a slew of singles to build anticipation for her intended second album, Digital Distortion. However, a series of conflicts with her label, as well as personal conflicts, resulted in the project being cancelled. Consequently, Azalea switched labels, releasing the EP Survive the Summer (2018) under Island Records. Further disagreements led to Azalea becoming an independent artist and creating her own label, Bad Dreams, through a distribution deal with Empire. Her second album, In My Defense, was released in 2019, followed by another EP, Wicked Lips, that same year, and a third studio album, The End of an Era, in 2021. In 2024, Azalea seemingly announced her retirement from music as posted on her social media and reported on by Billboard. Iggy Azalea is one of the best selling female rappers in the world, and her accolades include two American Music Awards, three Billboard Music Awards, an MTV Video Music Award, a People's Choice Award, and four Teen Choice Awards, in addition to nominations for four Grammy Awards. Her YouTube channel together with other collaborators has accumulated 7 billion views, and 15 of her music videos have received over 100 million views on Vevo.

10. Lenka (b. 1978)

With an HPI of 44.81, Lenka is the 10th most famous Australian Singer. Her biography has been translated into 38 different languages.

Lenka Eden Kripac (born 19 March 1978) is an Australian singer-songwriter and actress best known for her song "The Show", from her debut album, Lenka. "The Show" has been used in numerous advertisements, most notably for Old Navy, as well as the Nickelodeon film Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging and the 2011 film Moneyball. Her song "Everything at Once" was used in a Windows 8 television advertisement and in a Disney Studio All Access commercial. Her fifth studio album, Attune, was released in 2017.

People

Pantheon has 36 people classified as Australian singers born between 1861 and 2006. Of these 36, 31 (86.11%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Australian singers include Kylie Minogue, Johnny Logan, and Natalie Imbruglia. The most famous deceased Australian singers include Joan Sutherland, Nellie Melba, and Helen Reddy. As of April 2024, 6 new Australian singers have been added to Pantheon including Judith Durham, Felix, and Tal Wilkenfeld.