Year | Performing artist | Work | Nominees | Ref. |
1959 | | |
| |
1960 | | | Lena Horne — Porgy & Bess Peggy Lee — "Alright, Okay, You Win" Pat Suzuki — Broadway '59 Caterina Valente — "La Strada del Amore" | |
1961
| | | Doris Day — "The Sound of Music" Eileen Farrell — "I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues" Brenda Lee — "I'm Sorry" Peggy Lee — "I'm Gonna Go Fishin" | |
1961
| | | Rosemary Clooney — Clap Hands! Here Comes Rosie! Peggy Lee — Latin ala Lee! Miriam Makeba — Miriam Makeba Della Reese — Della | |
1962 | | | Ella Fitzgerald — " You'll Have to Swing It " Billie Holiday — Lena Horne — Lena Horne at the Sands Peggy Lee — Basin Street East Proudly Presents Miss Peggy Lee | |
1963 | | | Diahann Carroll — No Strings Lena Horne — Lena...Lovely and Alive Peggy Lee — "I'm a Woman" Ketty Lester — Love Letters Sandy Stewart — "My Coloring Book" Pat Thomas — "Desafinado " | |
1964 | | | Eydie Gorme — "Blame It on the Bossa Nova" Peggy Lee — I'm a Woman Miriam Makeba — The World of Miriam Makeba The Singing Nun — "Dominique" | |
1965 | | | Petula Clark — "Downtown" Gale Garnett — "We'll Sing in the Sunshine" Astrud Gilberto — "The Girl from Ipanema" Nancy Wilson — "How Glad I Am" | |
1966 | | | Petula Clark — Downtown Jackie DeShannon — "What the World Needs Now is Love" Astrud Gilberto — The Astrud Gilberto Album Nancy Wilson — Gentle Is My Love | |
1967 | | | Ella Fitzgerald — Ella at Duke's Place Sandy Posey — "Born a Woman" Nancy Sinatra — "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" Barbra Streisand — Color Me Barbra | |
1968 | | | Vikki Carr — It Must Be Him Petula Clark — "Don't Sleep in the Subway" Aretha Franklin — "Respect" Dionne Warwick — "Alfie" | |
1969 | | | Aretha Franklin — "I Say a Little Prayer" Mary Hopkin — "Those Were the Days" Merrilee Rush — "Angel of the Morning" Barbra Streisand — Funny Girl | |
1970 | | | Vikki Carr — "With Pen in Hand" Jackie DeShannon — "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" Brenda Lee — "Johnny One Time" Dusty Springfield — "Son of a Preacher Man" Dionne Warwick — "This Girl's in Love with You" | |
1971 | | | Bobbie Gentry — Fancy Anne Murray — "Snowbird" Linda Ronstadt — "Long, Long Time" Diana Ross — "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" | |
1972 | | | Joan Baez — "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" Cher — "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" Janis Joplin — "Me and Bobby McGee" Carly Simon — "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" | |
1973 | | | Roberta Flack — Quiet Fire Aretha Franklin — "Day Dreaming" Carly Simon — "Anticipation" Barbra Streisand — "Sweet Inspiration"/"Where You Lead" | |
1974 | | | Bette Midler — "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" Anne Murray — "Danny's Song" Diana Ross — "Touch Me in the Morning" Carly Simon — "You're So Vain" | |
1975 | | | Roberta Flack — "Feel Like Makin' Love" Carole King — "Jazzman" Cleo Laine — Cleo Laine Live at Carnegie Hall Joni Mitchell — Court and Spark | |
1976 | | | Judy Collins — "Send in the Clowns" Olivia Newton-John — "Have You Never Been Mellow" Helen Reddy — "Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady" Linda Ronstadt — Heart Like a Wheel | |
1977 | | | Natalie Cole — Natalie Emmylou Harris — "Here, There and Everywhere" Joni Mitchell — The Hissing of Summer Lawns Vicki Sue Robinson — "Turn the Beat Around" | |
1978 | | | Debby Boone — "You Light Up My Life" Dolly Parton — "Here You Come Again" Linda Ronstadt — "Blue Bayou" Carly Simon — "Nobody Does It Better" | |
1979 | | | Olivia Newton-John — "Hopelessly Devoted to You" Carly Simon — "You Belong to Me" Barbra Streisand — "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" Donna Summer — "MacArthur Park" | |
1980 | | | Gloria Gaynor — "I Will Survive" Rickie Lee Jones — "Chuck E.'s In Love" Melissa Manchester — "Don't Cry Out Loud" Donna Summer — "Bad Girls" | |
1981 | | | Irene Cara — "Fame" Olivia Newton-John — "Magic" Barbra Streisand — "Woman in Love" Donna Summer — "On the Radio" | |
1982 | | | Kim Carnes — "Bette Davis Eyes" Sheena Easton — "For Your Eyes Only" Juice Newton — "Angel of the Morning" Olivia Newton-John — "Physical" | |
1983 | | | Laura Branigan — "Gloria" Juice Newton — "Love's Been A Little Bit Hard On Me" Olivia Newton-John — "Heart Attack" Linda Ronstadt — Get Closer | |
1984 | | | Sheena Easton — "Telefone " Linda Ronstadt — What's New Donna Summer — "She Works Hard for the Money" Bonnie Tyler — "Total Eclipse of the Heart" | |
1985 | | | Sheila E. — "The Glamorous Life" Sheena Easton — "Strut" Cyndi Lauper — "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" Deniece Williams — "Let's Hear It for the Boy" | |
1986 | | | Pat Benatar — "We Belong" Madonna — "Crazy for You" Linda Ronstadt — Lush Life Tina Turner — "We Don't Need Another Hero" | |
1987 | | | Cyndi Lauper — "True Colors" Madonna — "Papa Don't Preach" Tina Turner — "Typical Male" Dionne Warwick — Friends | |
1988 | | | Belinda Carlisle — "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" Carly Simon — "Coming Around Again" Barbra Streisand — One Voice Suzanne Vega — "Luka" | |
1989 | | | Taylor Dayne — Tell It to My Heart Whitney Houston — "One Moment in Time" Joni Mitchell — Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm Brenda Russell — Get Here | |
1990 | | | Paula Abdul — "Straight Up" Gloria Estefan — "Don't Wanna Lose You" Bette Midler — "Wind Beneath My Wings" Linda Ronstadt — Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind | |
1991 | | | Whitney Houston — "I'm Your Baby Tonight" Bette Midler — "From a Distance" Sinéad O'Connor — "Nothing Compares 2 U" Lisa Stansfield — "All Around the World" | |
1992 | | | Mariah Carey — "Emotions" Oleta Adams — "Get Here" Amy Grant — "Baby Baby" Whitney Houston — "All the Man That I Need" | |
1993 | | | Mariah Carey — MTV Unplugged Celine Dion — Celine Dion Annie Lennox — Diva Vanessa L. Williams — "Save the Best for Last" | |
1994 | | | Mariah Carey — "Dreamlover" Shawn Colvin — "I Don't Know Why" k.d. lang — "Miss Chatelaine" Tina Turner — "I Don't Wanna Fight" | |
1995 | | | Mariah Carey — "Hero" Celine Dion — "The Power of Love" Bonnie Raitt — "Longing in Their Hearts" Barbra Streisand — "Ordinary Miracles" | |
1996 | | | Mariah Carey — "Fantasy" Dionne Farris — "I Know" Joan Osborne — "One of Us" Bonnie Raitt — "You Got It" Vanessa L. Williams — "Colors of the Wind" | |
1997 | Toni Braxton | | Shawn Colvin — "Get Out of This House" Celine Dion — "Because You Loved Me" Gloria Estefan — "Reach" Jewel — "Who Will Save Your Soul" | |
1998 | | | Mariah Carey — "Butterfly" Paula Cole — "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?" Shawn Colvin — "Sunny Came Home" Jewel — "Foolish Games" | |
1999 | | | Sheryl Crow — "My Favorite Mistake" Lauryn Hill — "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" Natalie Imbruglia — "Torn" Sarah McLachlan — "Adia" | |
2000 | | | Christina Aguilera — "Genie in a Bottle" Madonna — "Beautiful Stranger" Alanis Morissette — "Thank U" Britney Spears — "...Baby One More Time" | |
2001 | | | Christina Aguilera — "What a Girl Wants" Madonna — "Music" Aimee Mann — "Save Me" Joni Mitchell — "Both Sides Now" Britney Spears — "Oops!... I Did It Again" | |
2002 | | | Faith Hill — "There You'll Be" Janet Jackson — "Someone to Call My Lover" Sade — "By Your Side" Lucinda Williams — "Essence" | |
2003 | | | Sheryl Crow — "Soak Up the Sun" Avril Lavigne — "Complicated" Pink — "Get the Party Started" Britney Spears — "Overprotected" | |
2004 | | | Kelly Clarkson — "Miss Independent" Dido — "White Flag" Avril Lavigne — "I'm with You" Sarah McLachlan — "Fallen" | |
2005 | | | Björk — "Oceania" Sheryl Crow — "The First Cut Is the Deepest" Gwen Stefani — "What You Waiting For?" Joss Stone — "You Had Me" | |
2006 | | | Mariah Carey — "It's Like That" Sheryl Crow — "Good Is Good" Bonnie Raitt — "I Will Not Be Broken" Gwen Stefani — "Hollaback Girl" | |
2007 | | | Natasha Bedingfield — "Unwritten" Sheryl Crow — "You Can Close Your Eyes" Pink — "Stupid Girls" KT Tunstall — "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" | |
2008 | | | Christina Aguilera — "Candyman" Feist — "1234" Fergie — "Big Girls Don't Cry" Nelly Furtado — "Say It Right" | |
2009 | Adele | | Sara Bareilles — "Love Song" Duffy — "Mercy" Leona Lewis — "Bleeding Love" Katy Perry — "I Kissed A Girl" Pink — "So What" | |
2010 | Beyoncé | | Adele — "Hometown Glory" Katy Perry — "Hot n Cold" Pink — "Sober" Taylor Swift — "You Belong with Me" | |
2011 | Lady Gaga | | Sara Bareilles — "King of Anything" Beyoncé — "" Norah Jones — "Chasing Pirates" Katy Perry — "Teenage Dream" | |