19 Best Young Female Country Singers

RaeLynn

If you watched The Voice back in 2012, you might remember a young RaeLynn who was on Blake Shelton’s team. While she didn’t win that season’s contest, RaeLynn’s 2017 debut album, WildHorse would prove that her success didn’t need to rely on a win. 

By that point in time, RaeLynn’s popularity was so high that WildHorse actually started out at the #1 position at the time of its release. Since then, RaeLynn has continued to release music and has ventured into television. 

Kelsea Ballerini

Kelsea Ballerini’s career might be the epitome of meteoric when studying her first 3 albums. These albums have produced over a handful of smash hits, with Peter Pan being her biggest hit to date, racking up over 72 million plays on YouTube, alone.

Interestingly enough, Ballerini’s primary influences come from the world of late 1990s and early 2000s pop music, with Taylor Swift being her entry into the genre. 

Lainey Wilson

Every music fan has heard the stories of artists who were essentially living in destitution before making their big break. Lainey Wilson moved out to Nashville as a 19-year-old and began living in an RV camper, often wearing layers of coats to sleep during the winter.

It would be a few lonely years until Lainey’s music gained traction, and from there, Lainey was catapulted to country music stardom with her 2020 song, Things A Man Oughta Know, and cemented with her album, Bell Bottom Country. Lainey has also had a recurring role in the phenomenal television series, Yellowstone. 

Miley Cyrus

Considering that much of the world grew up with Miley Cyrus, it might be hard to believe she’s now in her 30s. Surely, some eyebrows might be raised by those who feel that the daughter of the man who sang Achy Breaky Heart isn’t actually a country singer.

It’s true, Miley Cyrus is a bit of a genre chameleon, which has only become more evident in recent years, especially when she collaborated with The Flaming Lips, among many others. Because Miley has released so much music, it can be easy to forget that her early career was steeped heavily in that country sound, with The Climb being a country radio hit.

Ingrid Andress

Ingrid Andress had an unusual childhood in that she often rollerbladed around empty baseball stadiums. The reason for this is that she was frequently traveling with her father, who happened to be the manager for the Colorado Rockies.

In fact, Andress primarily focused on sports before transitioning to songwriting after realizing that she could make a living from music. Her hit track, Lady Like, references her family and what their reaction might be upon meeting her new boyfriend after being such big fans of her ex-boyfriend.

Carly Pearce

Not too many singers have the ability to convince their parents to let them drop out of high school to pursue a music career. Carly Pearce was able to do just that while cutting her teeth singing at Dollywood numerous times per week. 

By the time she was in her late teens, she was living the stereotypical life of a musician waiting tables and cleaning houses until she got a chance to perform at the Grand Ole Opry at the age of 25. Now, Pearce is one of the biggest female singers in country music today and was officially inducted into the Opry as a member in 2021. 

Maren Morris

Thanks to karaoke and an encouraging father, Maren Morris got her start as a singer and songwriter when she was just 11 years old. By the time she was 21, Maren had already released 3 full-length albums.

It wasn’t until Morris released her track, My Church, that she began to experience mainstream notoriety. Since 2016, all of Maren’s major label albums have been considered the most popular releases of their time, 2 of which reached the #1 spot on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, and the other reaching #2. 

Cassadee Pope

Cassadee Pope is the only singer on this list to have been in a pop-punk band before venturing into country music. That band was known as Hey Monday, which became big enough to join the Warped Tour before calling it quits.

Soon after, Pope appeared on The Voice, eventually earning 3rd place before releasing her smash hit debut album, Frame By Frame. Cassadee has continued to release a steady stream of music, often featuring collaborations and a surprise visit back to pop-punk.

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift is one artist that needs no introduction. Having recently been named a billionaire following The Eras tour, Swift has accomplished more things by her early 30s than most could ever dream of. 

Taylor has been incredibly smart throughout her long career, and utilizes her massive fanbase with care, though she isn’t afraid to speak out against wrongdoings. She’s also shown an immense amount of tenacity in the fact that she’s willing to re-record her earlier catalog so many years later just to receive all of her royalties and to prove a point to the music industry as a whole. 

Without Taylor’s contributions, many of the singers in this article might not be in the shoes they are today. An overwhelming majority of the included singers have all cited Taylor as a massive influence. 

Top Young Female Country Singers, Final Thoughts

The music industry as a whole has largely been dominated by men, and it’s really only been in the last 30 years that women have been given any sort of artistic autonomy. Women have been an especially crucial aspect in the growth of country music’s popularity throughout that time. 

Today’s young women are helping to progress the genre while continuing to inspire the generations to follow. In just a few short years, many of the names on this list will have inspired country’s next up-and-coming artists.