With so many new R&B artists emerging seemingly every day, it’s easy to lose track of your favorites from the 90’s. YouKnowIGotSoul has got you covered.
We recently put together guides on the current status of every 90’s Male Solo Artist, Female Group, and Male Group, and now we took a look at the Female Solo Artists.
We pride ourselves on being at the pulse on what is happening in R&B, so a lot of the information below we’ve ascertained from simply covering the genre over the past decade. For some of the artists who hadn’t really been on the scene in awhile we had to do some research.
Feel free to let us know if we left anyone out, and of course check out our other articles below. As a note, this article covers artists who debuted in the 90’s, or the late 80’s and had their primary success in the 90’s. That’s why you’ll see for example Shanice but not Janet Jackson. Have you ever found yourself wondering “Whatever happened to…”? Well you’ve come to the right place.
Check our other Current Status Lists: 90’s Male Singers (Click Here), 90’s Male Groups (Click Here), 90’s Female Groups (Click Here) 00’s Male Groups (Click Here) 00’s Female Groups (Click Here), 00’s Male Singers (Click Here) 00’s Female Singers (Coming Soon)
(Click any artist’s name to view recent news/music from that artist. This post was last updated January 2021)
Aaliyah
Singer Aaliyah was well on her way to global superstardom before her untimely death in 2001. As it stands, she left us with a timeless legacy that is still very much celebrated today. Her original label Blackground Records has re-launched, and it has been rumored that new music will be coming to streaming services in 2022.
Adina Howard
She made a name for herself with her debut album “Do You Wanna Ride?” and hit single “Freak Like Me” in the mid 90’s. Her fourth studio album “Resurrection” arrived in 2017, and she has continued to tour since.
Adriana Evans
The singer broke out with her self titled debut album in 1997 featuring the hit singles “Love Is all Around” and “Seein is Believing”. She has released five albums to date, but has been quiet since her last one in 2010.
Angie Stone
Angie Stone has been one of the most consistent R&B/Soul artists over the past two decades since leaving her group Vertical Hold to become a solo artist in the late 90’s. Her debut album “Black Diamond” came out in 1999 and she most recently released her ninth album “Full Circle” in 2019.
Ann Nesby
The legendary Sounds of Blackness member released her solo debut “I’m Here For You” in 1996. Her most recent album is “Living My Life” from 2014.
Brandy
Brandy has carved out one of the most legendary careers of any artist coming out of the 90’s. The “Vocal Bible” most recently released her seventh album “B7” in 2020 and you can read our latest interview with her here.
Caron Wheeler
The British Soul pioneer and Soul II Soul lead singer released two solo albums in the 90’s including “UK Blak” and “Beach of the War Goddess”. However, she has not released solo material since aside from a few singles.
Chantay Savage
Chantay Savage made a name for herself on the R&B/Dance scene with three albums and a few hits during the 90’s. Her last album was in 1999, but she returned with a new single in 2020.
Chante Moore
Chante Moore emerged with her debut album “Precious” in 1992 and since then has released seven albums in total including “The Rise of the Phoenix” in 2017. She also joined us for a recent episode of the SoulBack R&B Podcast to discuss her career. She also released a new single called “Right One” in 2021.
Cherokee
Cherokee made a name for herself in the 90’s and early 00’s especially with her album “Soul Parade”. Unfortunately commercial success did not follow, but she’s released a few projects to date including an EP called “Just a Brooklyn Girl” in 2019.
Debelah Morgan
The singer is known for her biggest hit “Dance With Me” from her third album of the same name which released in 2000. Her most recent album was “Light at the End of the Tunnel” in 2005.
Deborah Cox
Deborah Cox made a name for herself in the 90’s with hits like “Sentimental”, “Things Just Ain’t the Same”, “Nobody’s Supposed to be Here”, and “We Can’t Be Friends”. It’s been over 12 years since her last album “The Promise” arrived in 2008, although she’s been involved in acting in the time since.
Erykah Badu
A pioneer of the Neo-Soul movement along with D’Angelo and Maxwell, Erykah Badu remains elusive but also one of the biggest stars in R&B. Her last full length album “New Amerykah Part Two” arrived in 2010 and she also gave us the mixtape “But You Caint Use My Phone” in 2015. She released a new single back in 2019.
Faith Evans
One of the signature voices of 90’s R&B, Faith Evans has remained among the elite of her generation over the past couple of decades. She has released eight albums to date, including her duet album with the Notorious B.I.G. “The King & I” in 2017.
Gina Thompson
Gina Thompson was signed by Missy Elliott to her Goldmind label in the mid 90’s and released the two albums “Nobody Does It Better” and “If You Only Knew” along with releasing the massive single “The Things That You Do”. Her most recent album was “Missing You” in 2009. We recently caught up with her for an interview to discuss her industry journey.
Jasmine Guy
More known for her success as an actress, she also released a debut album in 1990 featuring the singles “Try Me”, “Another Like My Lover” and “Just Want to Hold You”. She has stuck with acting since.
Karyn White
Many consider Karyn White the “Queen of New Jack Swing” for the impact she had during that era. She had massive singles like “The Way You Love Me”, “Superwoman”, “Love Saw It”, “Secret Rendezvous” and “Romantic”. Her last album was “Carpe Diem” in 2012 following a hiatus from the industry, but she told us in a recent interview she has plans to return with her new label.
Kelis
Kelis burst onto the scene in 1999 with the help of star production duo The Neptunes who gave her debut album “Kaleidoscope” a sound like no other. She continued to be successful with massive singles into the 2000’s, and has released six albums to date with her latest being “Food” in 2014.
Kelly Price
Kelly Price is undoubtedly one of the most powerful voices of her generation. Her talents as an artist often overshadow her amazing songwriting skills, which is evident on the six albums she’s released to date. Her latest was “Sing Pray Love, Vol. 1: Sing” from 2014 but she let us know in a recent interview she has plans for a new album soon. She released a new EP in 2021 called “Grace”.
Lalah Hathaway
Lalah Hathaway has been one of the most prolific and successful singers of her generation. The daughter of a legend, her music is always well received and constantly awarded by The Grammy’s. Since her self titled debut album in 1990, she has released seven albums including “Honestly” in 2017.
Laurnea
The singer has released four albums to date including her debut album “Betta Listen” from 1997. She is known for singles “Can’t Let Go” and “Infatuation”, but hasn’t released an album since 2005.
Lauryn Hill
One of the most celebrated artists of all time for her success with The Fugees and her solo debut “The Mis-Education of Lauryn Hill”, we are still waiting on the sophomore album.
Mariah Carey
There is no doubt that Mariah Carey is among the biggest global superstars we have right now. She’s really embraced her role as “The Queen of Christmas” based on the yearly success of “All I Want For Christmas Is You”. Aside from that, her latest album “Caution” arrived in 2018 along with a rarities album in 2020. She also joined producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis on their single “Somewhat Loved (There You Go Breakin My Heart)” in 2021.
Mary J. Blige
The “Queen of Hip Hop Soul” has shown no signs of slowing down from adding to the legendary legacy she began with her classic album “What’s the 411?” Her latest album was “Strength of a Woman” in 2017 and she’s released a few singles since. Her latest album “Good Morning Gorgeous” is set to arrive in 2022.
Milira
The singer released two successful albums in the 90’s including “Milira” in 1990 and “Back Again!!!” in 1992. Her most recent project was “No Mo Pain” in 2019.
Miss Jones
Miss Jones made a name for herself as a radio personality on NYC’s famed Hot97 station and showed her talents as a singer with her debut album “The Other Woman” in 1998. The album is a sleeper that never quite got the attention it deserved, and still the only project she’s released to date.
Mona Lisa
Known for her debut album “11-20-79” in 1996, it remains the only album she’s released to date.
Monica
Another of the greats who have emerged from the 90’s, Monica still remains among the fan favorites. Her last album was “Code Red” in 2015 but she has often teased a follow up. Her most recent single was “Trenches” in 2020.
Monifah
Monifah made a name for herself with her debut album “Moods…Moments” and biggest hit single “Touch It”. She has not released an album since “Home” in 2000 and last gave us the new single “One Moment” in 2015.
Mya
Mya elevated to become among the biggest R&B acts of the late 90’s and early 00’s through a string of hit singles and stand out albums. She has been an independent artist for over a decade now and has been releasing music pretty frequently. You can read about that in our recent interview with her. Check out her latest single “Worth It” from 2021.
Nicole Wray
The debut album “Make It Hot” from Nicole Wray is often considered a cult classic for good reason. The music she created alongside Missy Elliott was some of the best we got in the 90’s. She has continued to make music and recently changed to the stage name Lady Wray. Her latest album “Piece of Me” released in 2022.
Shanice
Shanice actually released her debut album in the late 80’s, but her sophomore album “Inner Child” and timeless hit “I Love Your Smile” make her synonymous with the 90’s. Her last album “Every Woman Dreams” came out in 2006, and since then she’s released a bunch of singles.
Sparkle
The R. Kelly protege is most known for her 1998 self titled debut album which included “Be Careful”. Her last album was “Told You So” in 2000, but she released a new single in 2020.
Tamia
Tamia is another of the legendary R&B artists who came out of the 90’s. She has already given us so much timeless music and the quality is always on point. Her most recent album was 2018’s “Passion Like Fire” which was her seventh overall.
Taral Hicks
Taral made a name for herself as an actress with her most prominent role in “A Bronx Tale”. She went on to sign with Motown to release her debut album “This Time” in 1997. Unfortunately that’s the only album we’ve got from her to date, and she’s stuck to acting roles since.
Tatyana Ali
The former “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” star also made a name for herself as a singer with her debut album “Kiss the Sky”. She most recently returned with the outstanding EP “Hello” in 2014.
Terry Dexter
Singer Terry Dexter broke out onto the scene with the release of her 1999 self titled debut album. The album came via Warner Bros and featured moderate success on the heels of singles “You’ll Never Miss Me (‘Til I’m Gone)”, “Better Than Me” and “Strayed Away”. Her sophomore album “Listen” arrived in 2008, and she just put out a new EP at the end of 2020.
Terry Ellis
En Vogue member Terry Ellis released her first and only solo album “Southern Gal” in 1995. She has remained with En Vogue since and not released a follow up album, but did give us the single “Angry Black Woman” last year. You can read our recent interview with her here.
Tina Moore
Tina Moore had minor success with her 1995 self titled debut album and the singles “Never Gonna Let You Go” and “Nobody Better”. Her most recent album is “Time Will Tell” from 2002.
Tisha Campbell
The singer known for her time as an actress on the show Martin and other films, released her self titled debut album in 1993. She has released a few singles in the past decade, but a follow up album has not come.
Toni Braxton
Toni Braxton remains one of the most beloved singers to come from the 90’s. The legendary artist has plenty of classic albums and timeless hits on her resume. Her tenth album “Spell My Name” came out in 2020.
Tracie Spencer
The singer had a string of hit singles in the late 80’s and early 90’s, but unfortunately has seemed to step away from the spotlight following her third album “Tracie” in 2000.
Vanessa Williams
Vanessa Williams is another singer who began in the 80’s but found her biggest success in the 90’s. Her sophomore album “The Comfort Zone” from 1991 went 3X platinum and featured the hit single “Running Back to You”. Her last album “The Real Thing” came in 2009 and her daughter Jillian Hervey is the lead singer of group Lion Babe.
Vinia Mojica
This singer collaborated with some of the biggest hip hop artists throughout the 90’s including A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common and more. Eventually she released her debut singles “Guilt Junkie” and “Sands of Time” in 2003, but we are not aware of any official project that has come out.
Whitney Houston
The legendary Whitney Houston put together one of the most legendary careers of all time before her untimely death in 2012.
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