noun
A person who sings, especially as a performer or profession. Neutral and widely used for pop, classical, and other kinds of singers.
彼女は有名な歌手です。
She is a famous singer.
その歌手の新しいアルバムを買った。
I bought that singer's new album.
Refers specifically to a trained classical vocalist; 歌手 is broader and can refer to singers in any genre.
A Sino-Japanese compound: 歌 means 'song' or 'singing,' and 手 here denotes a person skilled in or engaged in an activity. The spelling transparently matches the meaning 'singer'.