General term for a singer, often used in contexts like folk songs or traditional music, but can refer to any vocal performer.
彼女は民謡の歌い手として知られている。
She is known as a singer of folk songs.
online amateur singer; utaite
Internet slang for an amateur singer who records covers or original songs and uploads them to platforms like YouTube or Nico Nico Douga. Often used in otaku and vocaloid communities.
人気の歌い手が新しいカバー曲を投稿した。
A popular utaite posted a new cover song.
歌い手 is a plain, casual word for 'singer' (often used for amateur or internet singers), while 歌姫 is a more flattering, formal term reserved for a standout female vocalist.
Compound of 歌い (the continuative form of 歌う 'to sing') + 手 ('person'). Literally 'singing person'.