Who are your three favorite female singers?

In no particular order:

Sara Brightman
Linda Ronstadt
Nora Jones
Ricky Lee Jones
Jennifer Warnes
Sade
Picking 3 is impossible.

Shirley Horn SHIRLEY HORN!
Anita O’Day
Dionne Warwick Elis Regina
Julie LondonPeggy Lee
Tell me Shirley Horn’s The Look of Love isn’t devastating!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW6fs2f4krQAnd here she is playing with her trio at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1992. Wearing WHITE GLOVES while she plays! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vcMfEuffiM
She, along with Nat King Cole, was one of the very few who can oh-so-ably accompany herself on piano while she sings.

I am going to disregard "3" also, because I think that a goal of the exercise is that it’s worth getting names out that people haven’t necessarily heard and deserve attention.

If I had to pick three that were my favorites, ... well, I can’t really.
My list of preferred singers and the songs I most associate with them:

Sandy Denny https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVWVd9xwZBY and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3OWOCwvjHU and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88b0OYxdtyM
Karen Dalton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0ZlWK-b_KY and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl9skT78iWI
Laura Nyro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwn97weAxa0 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te-n7KY3vl4
M’Bilia Bel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A12sE67BID8
Eva Cassidy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXBNlApwh0c
Jacqui McShee https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwqP_yoszCE
Kathleen Kim https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mtMI_huRtY
Grace Slick (Airplane edition,
NOT Starship) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lscRNsyEzs4
Abbe Lincoln https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF6q6XKKrik and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dscyklYF-CM and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rycQBz_Fexw
Maria Farantouri https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-GBPx_GXQw
Mirella Freni / Teresa Berganza https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GUIfwKPS-w
Judy Collins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onKhceL303M
Hazel Dickens / Alice Gerard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMV3dpsu_xw
Wanda Jackson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auJePJvn1K4
Maxine Sullivan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmS-bcT6mSs
Ella Mae Morse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ortOAiClE34
Etta Jones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBLaJtXbpRg
Lil Johnson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7bexVuBvY4
Hadda Brooks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8DSi3BJDXg
Roberta Flack https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65lVYE38MzI&list=OLAK5uy_khEQhG8qv_D5A3NIb-i1Vay4QE-JLNUYo
Joan Baez https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ5qvtZYGtw&list=OLAK5uy_kItjYsm9ivAANuSy6yE_fhxr_TiAen-RQ&index=9
Emmylou Harris https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHWMbjyT-T4
Billy Holiday https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DGY9HvChXk
Janis Joplin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1zFnyEe3nE

Tina Dico
Linda Ronstadt
Grey DeLise

I left out

Cesaria Evora https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfh6bbnC-K8 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC8aQyUznCs
Here’s another by
M’Belia Bel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fswcIac6m_I

I'm done.