Meat-free options are becoming more and more popular around the world. Why? Many people now live an animal product-free lifestyle while others want to cut down on their meat intake and boost their other food groups. Whatever the case, KFC was onto something with their Beyond Meat chicken combination as they sold out in just hours.

Coming Together

We never thought we would see the day that KFC dropped chicken – almost. The fast-food chain teamed up with Beyond Meat as they revealed their Beyond Fried Chicken to the world on August 27. Beyond Meat uses plant-based substitutes in its food. It seems their chicken replacement was enough to send people into a fried food frenzy.

Setting Records

It wasn’t long before the line was apparently wrapping around the entire restaurant as people couldn’t wait to get their hands on some Beyond Fried Chicken. KFC has been a popular option for many over the years, but this took things to a new level. The restaurant later realized they sold more of the meat-free substitute in one day than they do all week with Popcorn Chicken.

The Next Step

Believe it or not, but diners only had five hours to try the new KFC menu item before they were completely sold out. So what’s next? KFC wants to study the results before it plans its next move. This could mean even larger trial, or even adding Beyond Fried Chicken as a permanent part of the KFC menu. Only time will tell.

Of course, if there is one thing that KFC is famous for, it’s fried chicken. However, it looks as though the fast-food chain could be about to bring even more people through the doors thanks to their partnership with Beyond Meat. Could this be the start of something great for fast food?

For a time, rock was a genre of music that was mostly dominated by men. However, that status quo didn’t last too long after the genre was popularized. There’s a ton of women in the rock scene that have done their part to shape the rock genre, though not all of them have received the recognition that they should. That’s why we’ve put together this list, which will cover some of the most influential female singers in the rock genre to date. Buckle up, because there’s quite a few of them, going from 30 to 1.

Sharon Van Etten is one of those rock singers who didn’t really get noticed by society until a couple of albums into her singing career. It was her third studio album, titled Tramp, that got her recognition in 2012. Maybe it was the raw emotionality, or maybe it was the song topics, which didn’t shy away from the hardships of love.

Either way, she released the album Remind Me Tomorrow in 2019, which is evidence enough that’s she’s still very much on the rock scene and has no intention of stopping anytime soon.

St. Vincent, also known as Annie Clark, is well-known for her guitar shredding skills and amazing vocals. She’s spent more than a decade experimenting with a huge variety of sounds one may not initially attribute to rock. She even writes songs, really proving her versatility.

With each album, the type of singer Clark is changes, a result of her musical experimentation. However, it was the 2017 album Masseduction that really cemented her place as a rock star worthy of being mentioned on this list.

Hayley Williams, lead singer for the group Paramore, is not a traditional rock singer, being more aligned with the pop-punk scene. Even so, she stepped up in a time when that genre was largely male dominated, inspiring many other women to follow in her footsteps and join bands.

With more than five albums and fifteen years of singing under her belt, Hayley Williams absolutely must have a spot on this list. Her music tastes have changed quite a bit since the beginning, but there’s no denying the impact she had on women joining the music scene.

One of the founding members of the The B-52s, Kate Pierson is a cult classic icon for the rock scene. Part of that has to do with her kind of campy image, but there’s no denying her downright infectiously mesmerizing voice had a big impact, especially with her band.

When she wasn’t touring with The B-52s, Kate Pierson had a solo singing career that was just as dazzling. If that’s not evidence enough of just how big she was as a singer, we’re not sure what is. Being able to go it alone is a whole different animal!

Donita Sparks of L7 renown is remembered for a particularly… unique reaction to an unhappy audience back in 1997. Aside from that, she of course was a member of an all female rock group, which was in and of itself quite unheard of.

Donita Sparks has always made a habit of defying the expectations of other people, in both her music and her everyday life. We feel that doing so is pretty rock and roll overall, which is just one of the reasons we’re including her on this list.

When the first wave of LA ’70s punk came about, Alice Bag was one of the only Latina musicians that was a part of it. That being the case, she swiftly became an icon in music. Being the lead singer of The Bags, she used her position to represent important issues.

Her powerful and unapologetic messages, combined with a great stage presence and fantastic music cements Bag’s place on this list, just a little higher than some of her competition. Not knocking on anyone else though, of course!

Gwen Stefani eventually became a pretty big name in pop music, but before that, she was part of the ’90s ska and punk rock band No Doubt. Songs like “Spiderwebs” and “Just a Girl” were part of the band’s breakthrough record Tragic Kingdom, letting the world know they weren’t going to conform to the conventional.

Of course, Stefani’s amazing vocals likely had something to do with the widespread success she had, and there’s no denying that those vocals are just as incredible today as they were back then. Some things never change!

With a Limerick accent that really set her apart from other singers, Dolores O’Riordan had a hand in some of the top rock songs of the ’90s, alongside her band The Cranberries. With hits like “Zombie” and “Linger,” a combination of O’Riordan’s range of emotions and Gaelic accent really helped her band make their mark.

Unfortunately, O’Riordan left us back in 2018, but the mark she made on the rock genre cannot be understated, nor can it be appreciated enough as it should be. As one of the most unique singers on this list, that can’t be denied.

Brittany Howard is best known as the lead singer for the Alabama Shakes, gracing the musical world with soulful tones. Even after the Shakes became successful, Howard started Bermuda Triangle, another musical project with Jesse Lafser and Becca Mancari.

She’s also the lead singer of a rock band with an inappropriate name that we can’t say, but the point is, Howard’s vocals have stood the test of time, and she’s definitely a big name in rock thanks to her abilities and versatility.

Jenny Lewis started her musical career over 20 years ago as the frontwoman of Rilo Kiley, but after that she went into a solo career that was far impressive. Once an actress, Lewis is great at telling stories with her music, and has often been praised for her songs about relationships, coming of age, and love.

Lewis has a ton of fans for many reasons: style, great lyrics, and a cool attitude. But more than any of that, she gets a lot of deserved attention simply by the merit of her singing and her skill with a guitar. Can’t get by without those!

The founder and lead singer of the band Against Me!, Laura Jane Grace has been a major player in the punk scene for about two decades. With music that confronts sensitive topics such as gender dysphoria and class struggles in her music, Grace has long used her platform to spread important messages.

One may think that singing about sensitive subjects isn’t very impressive, but personally we believe that the courage to confront difficult topics is what makes someone a truly influential member of the music community, and Grace fits the bill.

Kansas isn’t a place we often think of in regards to musical prowess, but Melissa Etheridge proved everyone wrong the hard way, dropping out of music college and making a living off of gigs in California until a deal with Island Records finally gave her a break.

While it wasn’t her first taste of stardom, Etheridge really took off with the multi-million-selling album Yes I Am, which included the popular hits “I’m The Only One” and “Come To My Window.” On top of that, her performance resulted in a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocalist in 1995.

Making her debut in the late ’80s as the bassist and co-singer for the Pixies before taking the leap and starting her own band, The Breeders, Kim Deal, along with her sister Kelley Deal, are rock icons. From “Gigantic” to “Cannonball,” Kim’s voice is the star behind some of the greatest hits of ’90s rock.

Continuing to represent the nature of indie rock while still presenting a true rock star’s magnetism, few female singers can make a combination of bass and vocals seem as easy as Kim Deal did in her prime.

Undoubtedly one of the best female singers in the genre, as leader of both The Creatures and Siouxsie And The Banshees, Siouxsie Sioux is also one of the most notable British singers in rock. That said, it was actually her songwriting that really elevated her.

With songs focusing on a variety of very serious and challenging issues, they resonated with people facing real struggles. With her huge amount of talent, she ended up collaborating with Morrissey and John Cale throughout her career, and to this day, she’s a rock icon.

Back when ’90s alt rock was at its peak, Polly Jean Harvey, otherwise known as PJ, took the world by storm with her amazing voice and over the top theatrics, which really helped separate her from the other female singers of the time.

Her music, often described as raw, is combined with blunt, unapologetic lyrics, making for an emotional ride. Taking all of that into consideration, she’s still a rock icon even today, known and admired by many.

Boisterous and frenetic, Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs was a major player of the early 2000s indie rock scene, in no small part to the loud and proud howling that was so popular back then. The success of Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ song “Maps” ended up being a major influence on O’s rise as one of New York’s favorite musicians.

It’s been a little while, but even so, O’s influence can still be seen and felt with the wave of female singers and songwriters that followed in her wake.

While the name of her band may be Garbage, Scottish singer Shirley Manson is anything but. Well known for brash, angsty lyrics and vocals that could never be mistaken for anyone else, she is both a rock music and feminist icon.

Perhaps most impressive is Manson’s vocal range. With hits such as “I’m Only Happy When It Rains” and “Why Do You Love Me,” she proved that she could go from deep growls to light and airy with almost no difficulty whatsoever, showing just how amazing of a singer she really is.

Courtney Love has been a huge rock icon on the grunge scene for approximately 40 years. That said, it was her time as the lead singer of Hole that ensured she would go down in history as one of the greatest female singers ever.

If you were to ask what has allowed Courtney Love to remain a big name in music all of these years, her fans would undoubtedly point to her style, passion for the craft, and wild but loveable antics. Great music as well, of course.

What is there to say about Pat Benatar? We all know who she is, thanks to those popular MTV hits like “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” and “Love is a Battlefield.” Popular though those songs may be, Benatar has graced the world with tons of amazing hits over the years.

Most notably, she’s living proof that a female singer can be a legend without the help of a band, inspiring many women to follow in her footsteps as they pursued their own aspirations in the music world.

Equal parts feminist and punk icon, Kathleen Hanna carved her niche out of the riot girl scene. She’s been the frontwoman for a number of bands, most recently The Julie Ruin, but also Le Tigre. Her tendency to push societal norms, as well as a gnarly snarl fit for the genre, captivated audiences.

Hanna is of course known for her music, but her activism in pushing feminism in society is another major reason she can be considered one of the most influential women in rock, as well as a perfect candidate for a high spot on this list.

As the main guitar shredding heroine for the all female rock band The Runaways, Lita Ford proved her mettle as a frontwoman that allowed her to go on an amazing solo career after that band met an untimely end. When hair metal was having its day, Ford was one of the few women that was actually the star of her own videos.

With the prowess to shred just as hard as any of her male comrades and the vocal ability to hit any power balled perfectly, everything about Lita Ford was larger than life, cementing her position as one of the top rockers on this list.

Everyone knows the name of Janis Joplin. She first got recognition as a member of the psych-rock band Big Brother, but it was all uphill from there. Joplin wasted no time in going from one of the best rockers of the ’60s to one of the best of all time.

It’s unfortunate that we didn’t get to keep Joplin’s amazing voice around even longer, but the fact that she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is proof enough of just how incredible a rock legend she was in and of itself.

Frontwoman of The Pretenders, Chrissie Hynde stood at the pinnacle of rock in 1978, and continued to be a major player on the scene in the decades that followed. Hynde has collaborated with a ton of big names, including Frank Sinatra and Cher.

She was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, and with titanic energy and presence, she managed to cement herself as a huge figure in the rolling fields of rock and roll, something not everyone can achieve.

With their band Heart, the Wilson sisters Ann and Nancy were major players in some of the most popular rock songs of the ’70s and ’80s, including the fantastic hit “Barracuda.” With an edgy aesthetic and a powerful voice, Ann Wilson easily made the transition to the new aesthetic of the ’80s.

With top tier power ballads such as “These Dreams,” Wilson proved that one doesn’t need to be formally taught to have an amazing singing voice the likes of which can’t be accurately copied by anyone else out there. There aren’t many who can claim that!

Since she joined the forward-thinking psych-rock group Jefferson Airplane way back in 1967, Grace Slick has been a name one can’t overlook in the rock genre. Slick worked together with Jefferson Airplane for years afterwards, and certainly had a big hand in some of their top hits.

Her career spanned for a whopping four decades and she lent her vocals to number of iconic hits including the likes of “Somebody to Love,” “We Built This City, “White Rabbit,” and “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.”

Tina Turner is well known for the way she was blended pop and soul-filled rock music together throughout her career. With her raspy voice, she not only crossed lines with music genres, but racial lines as well, something no one else managed to do in her field at the time.

Between putting together pop arena classics or giving classic rockers a run for their money, Tina Turner has and always will be a rock icon, not to mention one of the most noteworthy female rock singers aside from that in general.

What is there to say about Joan Jett? Her title is literally “The Queen of Rock’n’Roll.” Her legacy is impressive, having had a hand in founding The Runaways, not to mention Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Songs like “Bad Reputation” and a Blackhearts rendition of “I Love Rock Rock’n’Roll” further cemented her rock legend status.

Despite her title, it somehow took until 2015 for Jett to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. Why exactly it took so long for a legend like her to make the cut is something that we just don’t really understand.

No one can deny the influence of Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac renown. She’s practically a queen of rock herself. A somewhat mystic persona and a rare form of stage storytelling have made her particularly memorable in the minds of rock fans everywhere.

Stevie Nicks received recognition as a member of Fleetwood Mac when they were inducted into the Hall of Fame as a group in 1998, but it wasn’t until 2019 that she got the attention as a solo artist by receiving that same kind of induction.

Being the lead singer of Blondie is Debbie Harry’s primary claim to fame, with spunk and flair that helped make her a punk icon. Of course, she also has “Heart of Glass” and “Rapture” under her belt, so it’s no wonder she has a place in the history of top female singers.

It’s just too bad that Harry has been on hiatus every once in awhile, especially with Blondie as a whole being very on and off over the years. Either way, her status as a music legend cannot be disputed by anyone, anywhere.

Patti Smith. Number one on this list, specifically because no true music fan needs an introduction to her. Blending rock and poetry in her 1975 debut instantly cemented her unique nature and made her a rock icon for all time. She has several generations of fans that tout her as the best of the best, of all time.

Heck, Patti Smith is such a rock legend she even managed to turn that career into a writing one for an author. She of course has an induction in the Hall of Fame, and even today is one of the most respected female rockers, and just rockers in general, of all time.