# Country Music Association Award for Female Vocalist of the Year

The following list shows the recipients for the Country Music Association Award for Female Vocalist of the Year. The award is based on individual musical performance on a solo country single or album release, as well as the artist's overall contribution to country music during the eligibility period.
The inaugural recipient of the award was Loretta Lynn in 1967. Miranda Lambert holds the record for most wins in the category, with seven, while she and four-time recipient Reba McEntire share a leading eighteen nominations. Anne Murray holds the record for most nominations without a win, with six. The current holder of the award is Lainey Wilson, who won at the 56th Annual Country Music Association Awards in 2022.

## Recipients

| Year | Winner | Nominees |
| 2024 | Lainey Wilson | Kelsea Ballerini Ashley McBryde Megan Moroney Kacey Musgraves |
| 2023 | Lainey Wilson | Kelsea Ballerini Miranda Lambert Ashley McBryde Carly Pearce |
| 2022 | Lainey Wilson | Miranda Lambert Ashley McBryde Carly Pearce Carrie Underwood |
| 2021 | Carly Pearce | Gabby Barrett Miranda Lambert Ashley McBryde Maren Morris |
| 2020 | Maren Morris | Miranda Lambert Ashley McBryde Kacey Musgraves Carrie Underwood |
| 2019 | Kacey Musgraves | Kelsea Ballerini Miranda Lambert Maren Morris Carrie Underwood |
| 2018 | Carrie Underwood | Kelsea Ballerini Miranda Lambert Maren Morris Kacey Musgraves |
| 2017 | Miranda Lambert | Kelsea Ballerini Reba McEntire Maren Morris Carrie Underwood |
| 2016 | Carrie Underwood | Kelsea Ballerini Miranda Lambert Maren Morris Kacey Musgraves |
| 2015 | Miranda Lambert | Kelsea Ballerini Kacey Musgraves Carrie Underwood Lee Ann Womack |
| 2014 | Miranda Lambert | Martina McBride Kacey Musgraves Taylor Swift Carrie Underwood |
| 2013 | Miranda Lambert | Kelly Clarkson Kacey Musgraves Taylor Swift Carrie Underwood |
| 2012 | Miranda Lambert | Kelly Clarkson Martina McBride Taylor Swift Carrie Underwood |
| 2011 | Miranda Lambert | Sara Evans Martina McBride Taylor Swift Carrie Underwood |
| 2010 | Miranda Lambert | Martina McBride Reba McEntire Taylor Swift Carrie Underwood |
| 2009 | Taylor Swift | Miranda Lambert Martina McBride Reba McEntire Carrie Underwood |
| 2008 | Carrie Underwood | Alison Krauss Miranda Lambert Martina McBride Taylor Swift |
| 2007 | Carrie Underwood | Alison Krauss Miranda Lambert Martina McBride Reba McEntire |
| 2006 | Carrie Underwood | Sara Evans Faith Hill Martina McBride Gretchen Wilson |
| 2005 | Gretchen Wilson | Sara Evans Alison Krauss Martina McBride Lee Ann Womack |
| 2004 | Martina McBride | Terri Clark Sara Evans Alison Krauss Reba McEntire |
| 2003 | Martina McBride | Terri Clark Alison Krauss Patty Loveless Dolly Parton |
| 2002 | Martina McBride | Sara Evans Alison Krauss Lee Ann Womack Trisha Yearwood |
| 2001 | Lee Ann Womack | Sara Evans Faith Hill Martina McBride Trisha Yearwood |
| 2000 | Faith Hill | Martina McBride Jo Dee Messina Lee Ann Womack Trisha Yearwood |
| 1999 | Martina McBride | Faith Hill Jo Dee Messina Shania Twain Trisha Yearwood |
| 1998 | Trisha Yearwood | Faith Hill Patty Loveless Martina McBride Lee Ann Womack |
| 1997 | Trisha Yearwood | Deana Carter Patty Loveless LeAnn Rimes Pam Tillis |
| 1996 | Patty Loveless | Faith Hill Martina McBride Pam Tillis Shania Twain |
| 1995 | Alison Krauss | Mary Chapin Carpenter Patty Loveless Reba McEntire Pam Tillis |
| 1994 | Pam Tillis | Mary Chapin Carpenter Reba McEntire Wynonna Judd Trisha Yearwood |
| 1993 | Mary Chapin Carpenter | Reba McEntire Pam Tillis Tanya Tucker Wynonna Judd |
| 1992 | Mary Chapin Carpenter | Reba McEntire Tanya Tucker Wynonna Judd Trisha Yearwood |
| 1991 | Tanya Tucker | Patty Loveless Kathy Mattea Reba McEntire Lorrie Morgan |
| 1990 | Kathy Mattea | Patty Loveless Reba McEntire Lorrie Morgan Tanya Tucker |
| 1989 | Kathy Mattea | Rosanne Cash Patty Loveless Reba McEntire Tanya Tucker |
| 1988 | K.T. Oslin | Rosanne Cash Kathy Mattea Reba McEntire Tanya Tucker |
| 1987 | Reba McEntire | Rosanne Cash Emmylou Harris Kathy Mattea Dolly Parton |
| 1986 | Reba McEntire | Rosanne Cash Janie Fricke Emmylou Harris Anne Murray |
| 1985 | Reba McEntire | Rosanne Cash Janie Fricke Emmylou Harris Anne Murray |
| 1984 | Reba McEntire | Janie Fricke Emmylou Harris Barbara Mandrell Anne Murray |
| 1983 | Janie Fricke | Lacy J. Dalton Emmylou Harris Barbara Mandrell Reba McEntire |
| 1982 | Janie Fricke | Rosanne Cash Emmylou Harris Barbara Mandrell Juice Newton |
| 1981 | Barbara Mandrell | Terri Gibbs Emmylou Harris Loretta Lynn Anne Murray |
| 1980 | Emmylou Harris | Crystal Gayle Loretta Lynn Barbara Mandrell Anne Murray |
| 1979 | Barbara Mandrell | Janie Fricke Crystal Gayle Emmylou Harris Anne Murray |
| 1978 | Crystal Gayle | Janie Fricke Emmylou Harris Barbara Mandrell Dolly Parton |
| 1977 | Crystal Gayle | Emmylou Harris Loretta Lynn Barbara Mandrell Dolly Parton |
| 1976 | Dolly Parton | Crystal Gayle Emmylou Harris Barbara Mandrell Tammy Wynette |
| 1975 | Dolly Parton | Jessi Colter Loretta Lynn Linda Ronstadt Tanya Tucker |
| 1974 | Olivia Newton-John | Loretta Lynn Anne Murray Dolly Parton Tanya Tucker |
| 1973 | Loretta Lynn | Donna Fargo Jeanne Pruett Tanya Tucker Tammy Wynette |
| 1972 | Loretta Lynn | Donna Fargo Dolly Parton Connie Smith Tammy Wynette |
| 1971 | Lynn Anderson | Loretta Lynn Dolly Parton Sammi Smith Tammy Wynette |
| 1970 | Tammy Wynette | Lynn Anderson Loretta Lynn Dolly Parton Connie Smith |
| 1969 | Tammy Wynette | Lynn Anderson Loretta Lynn Dolly Parton Jeannie C. Riley |
| 1968 | Tammy Wynette | Lynn Anderson Loretta Lynn Dolly Parton Jeannie C. Riley |
| 1967 | Loretta Lynn | Lynn Anderson Connie Smith Dottie West Tammy Wynette |

## Artists with multiple wins

Artists that received multiple awards :
| Awards | Artist |
| 7 | Miranda Lambert |
| 5 | Carrie Underwood |
| 4 | Martina McBride |
| 4 | Reba McEntire |
| 3 | Loretta Lynn |
| 3 | Tammy Wynette |
| 3 | Lainey Wilson |
| 2 | Barbara Mandrell |
| 2 | Crystal Gayle |
| 2 | Dolly Parton |
| 2 | Janie Frickie |
| 2 | Kathy Mattea |
| 2 | Mary Chapin Carpenter |
| 2 | Trisha Yearwood |

### Won on First nomination

In CMA history only nine women have won Female Vocalist of the Year the very first time they were nominated. They are:
* Loretta Lynn (1967)
* Olivia Newton-John (1974)
* K.T. Oslin (1988)
* Mary Chapin Carpenter (1992)
* Alison Krauss (1995)
* Gretchen Wilson (2005)
* Carrie Underwood (2006)
* Carly Pearce (2021)
* Lainey Wilson (2022)

## Artists with multiple nominations
### 18 nominations

* Reba McEntire

### 17 nominations

* Miranda Lambert
* Martina McBride

### 16 nominations

* Carrie Underwood

### 12 nominations

* Dolly Parton
* Emmylou Harris
* Loretta Lynn

### 9 nominations

* Barbara Mandrell
* Tanya Tucker

### 8 nominations

* Kacey Musgraves
* Patty Loveless
* Tammy Wynette
* Trisha Yearwood

### 7 nominations

* Alison Krauss
* Anne Murray
* Janie Frickie
* Kelsea Ballerini
* Taylor Swift

### 6 nominations

* Faith Hill
* Lee Ann Womack
* Maren Morris
* Rosanne Cash
* Sara Evans

### 5 nominations

* Ashley McBryde
* Crystal Gayle
* Kathy Mattea
* Lynn Anderson
* Pam Tillis

### 4 nominations

* Carly Pearce
* Mary Chapin Carpenter

### 3 nominations

* Connie Smith
* Lainey Wilson
* Wynonna Judd

### 2 nominations

* Donna Fargo
* Gretchen Wilson
* Jeannie C. Riley
* Jo Dee Messina
* Kelly Clarkson
* Lorrie Morgan
* Shania Twain
* Terri Clark