4 Female Country Artists Who Had Massive Pop Hits, Too

Having success at country radio, especially as a female country artist, is cause enough for celebration. But some female country artists released songs that were so good, they found success at pop radio as well. These four female country artists had massive pop hits, which also did very well at country radio.

Videos by American Songwriter

Faith Hill

Faith Hill broke all the rules when she released “Breathe“. Out in 1999 as the title track of her fourth studio album, the song was written by Stephanie Bentley and Holly Lamar.

Not only is “Breathe” a sexy, sultry song, a shock for country radio back then, but the video was daring as well. “Breathe” became a No. 1 hit on multiple charts, including Billboard’s Hot 100, Hot Country Songs, and Adult Pop Airplay.

“Breathe” is Hill’s first No. 1 hit at pop radio, but it’s not her only crossover single. She had a Top 5 hit at pop radio with “This Kiss”, which came out one year before “Breathe”. Other pop hits include “The Way You’ll Love Me’, which hit the Top 10, and “There You’ll Be” and “Cry”, which were also No. 1 hits.

Anne Murray

Anne Murray’s crossover success is one for the record books. Murray has numerous songs that were successful both in her native Canada and the United States, and on both country and pop charts.

Among Murray’s many crossover hits are “Snowbird”, “Danny’s Song”, “You Needed Me“, and more. Murray is grateful for her multi-genre success, even if it was unexpected.

“There was a time when I was back in Nova Scotia,” Murray recalls to People. “And all of a sudden I had a song on the Billboard charts with ‘Snowbird’, and what’s the likelihood of that? It was the farthest thing from my mind. I just went, ‘Well, okay. If that’s the way it’s going to be.’”

Carrie Underwood

It’s safe to say that Carrie Underwood can sing almost anything. After winning American Idol in 2005, Underwood had a hit single with “Jesus, Take The Wheel”, across pop and country charts. While she remains rooted in country music, the Grand Ole Opry member has also had numerous other songs that did well at pop radio.

Throughout her lengthy career, other Underwood songs that did well at pop radio include “Before He Cheats”, “Cowboy Casanova”, “So Small”, and more. Underwood is also happy to embrace her rock roots, spending part of 2023 touring with Guns N’ Roses.

Dolly Parton

Of all of the female country artists who have had success at pop radio, it’s Dolly Parton who has probably influenced them the most. Parton, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, has spent her entire career releasing music that she loves, without worrying much about genre boundaries.

Parton’s songs like “I Will Always Love You”, “Here You Come Again”, “9 To 5”, and more were all crossover hits for Parton. A fan of rock music, in 2023, Parton released an album called Rockstar, inspired by her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Photo by M. Caulfield/WireImage for Temp Account