MUMBAI: In a world where women from all walks of life are still striving to become equal to their male counterparts, some female musicians have stood out like diamonds. Hard beginnings and tough times in no way slowed their talents or their fire. As part of Radioandmusic.com’s International Women’s Day celebrations, here are some of the most powerful international female artistes in the music business today.

Madonna - The ‘Material Girl’ is one of the biggest cultural icons today, despite having a rough beginning. She lost her mother to breast cancer at a very early age and admitted to feeling very lonely at that time. In 1978, at the age of 20, Madonna dropped out of college and made her journey to New York with only $35 in her pocket, terming it the “bravest thing” she had ever done. While working as a backup dancer in NY, she was taken at knifepoint by a group of men one night, and in an alleyway made to perform fellatio; an incident she could never forget. It did nothing to slow her down. In 1982, she was signed to Sire Records and since then, has released hit after hit. A Grammy Award winner, Madonna is one of the best selling female artistes of all time and has already been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The original “queen of pop”, Madonna has been termed the “most influential female recording artiste” by CNN and a “cultural icon” by Forbes.

Rihanna - At 26 years old Ri-Ri still has a long way to go in her music career. But that is not to say that she has not achieved a great deal already. The Barbadian singer’s childhood was scarred with her father’s substance addiction and her parents’ tumultuous marriage, which ended when she was 14. With the help of record producer- Evan Rogers, Rihanna flew to New York in 2005 and auditioned for Jay Z. That very day she was signed to Def Jam Records on a six album deal. Her debut single ‘Pon de Replay’ was a worldwide hit, with her debut album ‘Music of the Sun’ getting a gold certification. She has so far released seven studio albums, won seven Grammy awards and is the youngest and fastest solo artiste to have 13 number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In addition to her music, Rihanna is known for her image and style. Even after her disastrous relationship with singer Chris Brown, who left her battered and bruised in 2009, Rihanna has managed to focus on her career and is committed to making great music. Last year she received the very first American Music ‘Icon’ Award, and it is certain that there will be many more accolades coming her way.

P!nk - Born Alicia Moore, she is known for being outspoken and down to earth, P!nk is one of the most successful female singers of her generation. In an interview she revealed that her parents started to have marital problems when she was just a toddler. She termed her house as “World War II”, where her parents hated each other, and a lot of her song writing is influenced by her life. However, the singer managed to put everything behind her when she was signed to LaFace Records. P!nk claims veteran female rocker Janis Joplin and pop superstar Madonna as two of her biggest influences. She has sold over 40 million albums, has three Grammy Awards and six MTV video music awards. In 2012 she made it to VH1’s 100 Greatest Women in Music list and last year was voted Woman of the Year by Billboard. Along with her music, the 34 year old singer is known for her style, is a supporter of PETA, LGBT rights and is involved with various charities like Human Rights, Save the Children and UNICEF among others.

Adele - The English singer/songwriter was only two years old when her father walked out on her mother and her, something she has not forgiven him for. Her mother, at the time, was only 20 years old and raised her single-handedly. At four years old, Adele started singing and her talent was encouraged by her mother who made costumes to make her look more urban contemporary. Influenced by UK girl group- Spice Girls, Adele began listening to Ella Fitzgerald and Etta James at 14 years. Her music career began in 2006 when a friend of her posted a demo tape on social networking site- MySpace. The success of the tape was so great that Adele soon got a call from XL Recording, and in September that year, was signed to the label. She broke into the international music scene with the track ‘Hometown Glory’, after which she released her debut album ‘19’. Adele has won a total of eight Grammy awards, with six coming in 2012 for her second album ‘21’. That night she equalled Beyonce’s record of most Grammys won by a female artiste in one night. In the same year she was listed as one of the Greatest Women in Music and named one of the world’s most influential people by Time magazine. Today, Adele is the first female artiste in history to have three singles in the top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100.

Beyonce - She is one half of the most powerful hip-hop couple in the music business today. A self described feminist, the 32 year old singer started her music career at a very early age. At eight years old, she joined an all girl entertainment group with her former Destiny’s Child mates- Kelly Rowland and LaTavia Roberson. The band, along with a new singer- LeToya Luckett was signed to Elektra Records and soon started recording a rather successful debut album under Sony Music. However, soon after winning her first Grammy with Destiny’s Child, ‘Queen Bey’ became depressed following the split of Luckett and Roberson from the band. Her depression continued for years, which lead to her refusing to eat sometimes. However, Beyonce a.ka.a ‘Sasha Fierce’ put it behind her and recorded three more albums with Destiny’s Child before embarking on her solo career. Her first solo recording came with her now husband- Jay Z for the track ’03 Bonnie & Clyde’. She released her first solo studio album in 2003 and with it became a commercial success worldwide. Beyonce has since then released four more solo albums and sold over 118 million records, which has made her one of the best selling artistes in history. She has a total of 17 Grammy awards and was voted one of the most influential people in the world in 2013 by Time magazine. Apart from music, she has acted in several movies, has endorsed some of the biggest brands and founded her own fashion line as well.