Ville Hermanni Valo is a Finnish singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of the gothic rock band HIM. Influenced by the likes of KISS, Black Sabbath and Type O Negative, Valo began his career playing bass and drums in various bands around his hometown of Helsinki. In 1991, he formed HIM, which would go on to become one of the most successful Finnish bands of all time, and the first to receive a gold record in the United States. He performed as the band's lead singer and chief songwriter from their inception until their dissolution in 2017. Known for his deep, crooning bass-baritone voice, Valo is also credited as the creator of the heartagram, the band's trademarked symbol which nonetheless has achieved great popularity outside of the band's fanbase.
Richard Paul Astley is an English singer, songwriter and radio personality. He rose to fame through his association with the production trio Stock Aitken Waterman; his 1987 recording of their song "Never Gonna Give You Up" was a number 1 hit single in 25 countries, winning the 1988 Brit Award for Best British Single. By the time of his retirement in 1993, Astley had sold approximately 40 million records worldwide.
HIM was a Finnish gothic rock band from Helsinki. Formed in 1991 by vocalist Ville Valo and bassist Mikko "Mige" Paananen under the name His Infernal Majesty, the band broke up in 1993, before being reformed in 1995 by Valo and guitarist Mikko "Linde" Lindström. After being rejoined by Mige, as well as new additions keyboardist Antto Melasniemi and drummer Juhana "Pätkä" Rantala, the band, now called HIM, released their debut album Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666 in 1997. In 2000, now with drummer Mika "Gas Lipstick" Karppinen and keyboardist Juska Salminen, the band released the album Razorblade Romance, which reached the number one spot in Finland, Austria and Germany. Their first single, "Join Me in Death", also charted at number one in Finland and Germany, eventually going platinum and gold respectively. Following the addition of Janne "Burton" Puurtinen on keyboards, HIM released Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights and Love Metal in 2001 and 2003 respectively. Both cracked the top ten in several countries, and allowed the band to tour the United Kingdom and the United States for the first time.
Razorblade Romance is the second studio album by Finnish gothic rock band HIM. HIM initially began recording the album with producer Hiili Hiilesmaa, who had helmed the group's 1997 debut album, however these sessions proved unsuccessful, and HIM parted ways with Hiilesmaa, and recruited John Fryer. The band, along with Fryer, relocated to Rockfield Studios in Wales to begin recording, and released the album on 24 January 2000. Musically, the album featured a sleeker production and a more melodic sound compared to their debut. The album's lead single "Join Me in Death" would prove to be HIM's breakthrough single, reaching number one in Finland and Germany. The song also found its way on to the soundtrack of the 1999 science fiction film The Thirteenth Floor.
"Eyes on Me" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Celine Dion, taken from her tenth English-language studio album, Taking Chances (2007). It was released as the second single in the United Kingdom on 7 January 2008, while "Alone" was released as the second single in the rest of Europe and North America instead.
Vevo is an American multinational video hosting service founded on June 16, 2009, as a joint venture among three major record companies: Universal Music Group (UMG), Sony Music Entertainment (SME) and EMI. In August 2016, Warner Music Group (WMG), the world's third-largest record company, agreed to license premium videos from its artists to Vevo.
Hurts are an English musical duo formed in Manchester in 2009, consisting of singer Theo Hutchcraft and multi-instrumentalist Adam Anderson. They have released five studio albums: Happiness (2010), Exile (2013), Surrender (2015), Desire (2017) and Faith (2020). Their first two albums both reached the top 10 in several countries.
Kurt Hugo Schneider, sometimes referred to by his initials KHS, is an American video editor, producer, musician, singer and songwriter, whose primary medium is YouTube music videos. He has produced music videos for various YouTube musicians, such as Sam Tsui.
"Storytime" is the lead single from Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish's seventh studio album, Imaginaerum. It was released on November 9, 2011, twenty days prior to the album, along with a music video. The song premiered on Radio Rock, a Finnish radio station at 9.00 GMT +2 on November 7, 2011, two days before its commercial release.
Lindsey Stirling is an American violinist, songwriter, and dancer. She presents choreographed violin performances, in live and music videos found on her official YouTube channel, which she created in 2007.
Pentatonix is an American a cappella group from Arlington, Texas, consisting of vocalists Scott Hoying (baritone), Mitch Grassi (tenor), Kirstin Maldonado (mezzo-soprano), Kevin Olusola, and Matt Sallee (bass). Characterized by their pop-style arrangements with vocal harmonies, basslines, riffing, percussion, and beatboxing, they produce cover versions of modern pop works or Christmas songs, sometimes in the form of medleys, along with original material. Pentatonix formed in 2011 and subsequently won the third season of NBC's The Sing-Off, receiving $200,000 and a recording contract with Sony Music. When Sony's Epic Records dropped the group after The Sing-Off, the group formed its YouTube channel, distributing its music through Madison Gate Records, a label owned by Sony Pictures. Their YouTube channel currently has over 18 million subscribers and 4 billion views. The group's video tribute to Daft Punk had received over 341 million views as of December 26, 2020.
"Call Me Maybe" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen for her EP Curiosity (2012) and later appeared on her second studio album Kiss (2012). The song was written by Jepsen and Tavish Crowe as a folk song, but its genre was modified to pop following the production by Josh Ramsay. It was released as the lead single from the EP on September 20, 2011, through 604 Records. Jepsen was signed to Schoolboy Records, releasing her single in the United States through the label, as the first single from Kiss. Musically, "Call Me Maybe" is a teen pop, dance-pop and bubblegum pop track that alludes to the inconvenience that love at first sight brings to a girl who hopes for a call back from a new crush.
"Gangnam Style" is a song by South Korean singer Psy, released on July 15, 2012 by YG Entertainment as the lead single of his sixth studio album, Psy 6, Part 1. A K-pop and dance-pop song, the term "Gangnam Style" is a Korean neologism that refers to a lifestyle associated with the Gangnam District of Seoul. The song received mixed reviews, with praise for its catchy beat and Psy's amusing dancing in the music video and during live performances in various locations around the world.
"Wake Me Up" is a song by Swedish DJ and record producer Avicii, released as the lead single from his debut studio album True, released on CD by PRMD Music and Island Records on 17 June 2013. "Wake Me Up" was written by Avicii, Mike Einziger, and American soul singer Aloe Blacc. Aloe Blacc provides vocals for the track and Mike Einziger of Incubus provides acoustic guitar. Peter Dyer also provides keyboard on the song. Avicii introduced "Wake Me Up!" for the first time live on stage at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami. The experimental rendering reportedly confused and angered a section of the electronic dance festival community. Subsequently, Avicii achieved critical and commercial success with the release of the single worldwide. Avicii's 'Wake Me Up' has been named as the highest charting dance track of the decade (2010-2019), sitting at No. 13 in the 100-strong list from the official UK Singles Chart. It is the only song to crack the Billboard Decade-End without making the top 3 during any week.
"Can You See Me?" is a song recorded by Finnish singer Krista Siegfrids. The song was released on 30 September 2013 as the third and final single from her debut studio album Ding Dong! (2013). The song was written by Krista Siegfrids and Erik Nyholm. The song peaked at number 25 on the Finnish Download Chart and number 30 on the Finnish Airplay Chart.
"Happy" is a song written, produced, and performed by American singer Pharrell Williams, released as the first and only single from the soundtrack album for the film Despicable Me 2 (2013). The song was first released on November 21, 2013, alongside a long-form music video. The song was reissued on December 16, 2013, by Back Lot Music under exclusive license to Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music. The song also served as the lead single from Williams' second studio album, Girl (2014).
"Without Me" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his fourth studio album The Eminem Show (2002). "Without Me" was released on May 13, 2002 as the lead single from the album, and re-released on his greatest hits compilation album Curtain Call: The Hits (2005). "Without Me" is one of Eminem's most successful singles, reaching number two in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and number one in fifteen countries. The song is included in the soundtrack for the 2016 film Suicide Squad.
Sandhja Kuivalainen, known professionally as simply Sandhja, is a Finnish singer. She represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Sing It Away". Sandhja was born to an Indo-Guyanese mother and a Finnish father.
"Sing It Away" is a song performed by Finnish singer Sandhja. The song represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016, and was written by Sandhja along with Milos Rosas, Heikki Korhonen, Petri Matara, and Markus Savijoki. The song was released as a digital download on 13 January 2016 through Sony Music Finland.
"Gold" is a song performed by Finnish singer Sandhja. The song was released as a digital download on 7 March 2014, through Sony Music Entertainment Finland as the second single from her debut studio album Gold (2014). The song peaked to number 71 on the Finnish Airplay Chart.
