Four Female Solo Artists Had a Top Rock Album in 2020, the Most Since 2012

Four female solo artists notched a No. 1 album on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart in 2020. That sum's higher than it has been in each of the last eight years, as pointed out in a recent tweet from Chart Data.

Those artists are Miley Cyrus, Paramore's Hayley Williams, Fiona Apple and Alanis Morissette. Indeed, all four women reached the top of the premier rock albums ranking this year with their respective efforts Plastic Hearts, Petals for Armor, Fetch the Bolt Cutters and Such Pretty Forks in the Road.

The newest of those is Plastic Hearts, Cyrus' latest turn that thrusts her artistry into the rock world. Released last month, the album that features guest spots from seasoned rockers such as Joan Jett and Billy Idol debuted at No. 1 on Top Rock Albums for the week ending Dec. 12, per Billboard.

Morissette's Such Pretty Forks in the Road, the "You Oughta Know" singer's ninth studio set, arrived in July. According to the ubiquitous albums sales arbiter and music industry magazine, it also debuted at the uppermost position of the Top Rock Albums chart. That was in the Aug. 15-dated ranking.

Petals for Armor, the first-ever solo LP from Paramore frontwoman Williams released this May, was also the musician's inaugural solo No. 1 on Billboard's Top Rock Albums. It followed two Petals for Armor EPs, which comprise the first two parts of the album, and it contains singles such as "Simmer."

Fetch the Bolt Cutters, Apple's long-awaited fifth studio album and her first since 2012's The Idler Wheel…, emerged in April. Not only did it gain an ultra-rare perfect score from Pitchfork, but it also saw the singer's return to the Top Album Charts. It debuted at No. 1 for the week ending May 2.

With all of that considered, it's undoubtedly been a benchmark year for women in rock music. Only in 2012 did female solo artists — five total: Apple, Morissette, Norah Jones, Bonnie Raitt and Lana Del Rey  — gain more No. 1 feats on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart in a single year.