Mariah Carey is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. An influential figure in popular music, she is known for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style, and signature use of the whistle register. Carey is also credited with influencing vocal styles, merging hip-hop with pop through her collaborations, popularizing remixes, and helping break down racial barriers for multiracial Americans in popular culture. Referred to as the "Songbird Supreme" by Guinness World Records, she was ranked as the fifth greatest singer of all time by Rolling Stone in 2023, and has been dubbed the "Queen of Christmas" for the enduring popularity of her Christmas music, particularly the 1994 song "All I Want for Christmas Is You", which is the best-selling holiday song by a female artist.
Kelendria Trene Rowland is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups. During the group's three-year hiatus, Rowland released her debut solo studio album, Simply Deep (2002), which debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and sold over 3 million copies worldwide. It included the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Dilemma", as well as the UK top-five hits "Stole" and "Can't Nobody". Rowland also ventured into acting with starring roles in Freddy vs. Jason (2003) and The Seat Filler (2005).
Astralwerks is an American record label primarily focused on electronic music that is now owned by Universal Music Group. Its material is distributed via Capitol Music Group in the United States. The label was founded in 1993 and, in its early years, featured prominent British acts like The Future Sound of London, Fatboy Slim and The Chemical Brothers. In recent years, its roster has expanded to include acts like Halsey, Marshmello, Porter Robinson, Illenium, Zhu and numerous others. In 2018, Astralwerks' headquarters were moved from its original home of New York City to Los Angeles.
Sia Kate Isobelle Furler is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. When Crisp disbanded in 1997, she released her debut studio album, OnlySee, in Australia. Sia moved to London and provided vocals for the British duo Zero 7. She released her second studio album, Healing Is Difficult, in 2001 and her third, Colour the Small One, in 2004.
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2005.
MTV Unplugged is a live EP by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released in the United States on June 2, 1992, by Columbia Records. Following the success of Carey's previous two albums and the growing critical commentary on her lack of concert tours and unsubstantial televised performances, Sony organized a live performance show at the Kaufman Astoria Studios, New York on March 16, 1992. The show, titled MTV Unplugged, originally aired on MTV to help promote Carey's second album Emotions, as well as help shun critics who deemed Carey a possible studio artist. However, after its success, the show was released to the public as an EP, with an accompanying VHS titled MTV Unplugged +3.
Bryan-Michael Paul Cox is an American record producer and songwriter, known for his work with artists such as Usher, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, and Toni Braxton. His most notable productions are "Be Without You" for Mary J. Blige, "Burn", "Confessions Part II" and "U Got It Bad" for Usher, and "Shake It Off", "I Stay In Love" and "You Don't Know What To Do" for Mariah Carey.
Anthony Lawrence Carey is an American-born, European-based musician, composer, producer, and singer/songwriter. In his early career he was a keyboardist for Rainbow. After his departure in 1977, he began a solo career, releasing albums under his own name as well under the pseudonym Planet P Project, and producing for and performing with other artists.
Pierre David Guetta is a French DJ and record producer. He has sold over 10 million albums and 65 million singles globally, with more than 14 billion streams. Guetta was voted the number one DJ in the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs polls in 2011, and throughout 2020 until 2023. In 2013, Billboard ranked his song "When Love Takes Over" as the number one dance-pop collaboration of all time.
Colour the Small One is the third album by Australian singer-songwriter Sia, which was released in Australia and the United Kingdom on 19 January 2004. It was issued in the United States on 3 February 2004. Production was by Jimmy Hogarth, who also co-wrote three tracks and provided various instruments. It was re-released 10 January 2006 in the US, after the track "Breathe Me" became popular on alternative radio, following its feature as the closing song in the series finale of the HBO drama Six Feet Under. The album peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums Chart. "Breathe Me" was also featured in the television series, Bionic Woman.
"Destiny" is a song by English downtempo music duo Zero 7, written and produced by Zero 7 members Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker. After writing the music, the team recruited British singer-songwriter Sophie Barker, who provided additional writing. Zero 7 then met Australian singer Sia, whose manager recommended her to the duo, and she became the track's fourth writer. The song, a downtempo ballad, is about two separated romantics who wish to be with each other again, with one of the partners so desperate to interact with the other that she resorts to watching pornography in a hotel room. Sia and Barker contribute to the vocal performances, with Sia singing the verses and choruses while Barker duets with Sia during the choruses. The song was included on Zero 7's debut studio album, Simple Things, which was released on 23 April 2001.
Christopher Braide is an English songwriter, record producer and singer, formerly based in Malibu, Los Angeles.
Home for Christmas is the eighteenth and final studio album by Hall & Oates, and their only full-length album of Christmas music. It was released in the US on October 3, 2006. A portion of the proceeds of the sale of this album goes to Toys for Tots. It was only available at Trans World Entertainment music stores in 2006, but has since become available at all retail outlets.
Some People Have Real Problems is the fourth studio album by Australian singer Sia. Released in 2008, the album featured singles including "Day Too Soon", "The Girl You Lost to Cocaine" and "Soon We'll Be Found". In live performances of the latter song, Sia used sign language to accompany her singing. The album displays a more upbeat pop-style than Sia's previous downbeat albums, whilst show-casing Sia's vocals on a number of big ballads. Non-single track, "Buttons", received attention due to its video in which Sia's face is distorted by pegs, string, net, condoms and many other things. The album debuted at number 26 on the US Billboard 200 chart which became Sia's first album to chart on the Billboard 200 in her career.
Timothy Lee McKenzie, better known by his stage name Labrinth, is an English singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Labrinth signed as a recording artist with Simon Cowell's record label Syco Music in 2010, initially collaborating with the English rapper Tinie Tempah. He appeared as a featured artist: uncredited on the single "Pass Out", but later officially on "Frisky"; then he released his first solo single, "Let the Sun Shine" in September. All three songs peaked in the top five on the UK Singles Chart.
Best Of..., also referred to as Sia: Best Of..., is the first greatest hits album by Australian singer-songwriter Sia, released in Australia on 30 March 2012 through the Sydney-based independent record label Inertia. The compilation includes tracks from four of her previous studio albums: Healing Is Difficult (2001), Colour the Small One (2004), Some People Have Real Problems, (2008) and We Are Born (2010). Also included are two tracks featuring Sia as a vocalist, "My Love" from The Twilight Saga: Eclipse film soundtrack, plus a remixed version of "Buttons" by Brazilian rock band CSS.
"Somersault" is a song by English musical duo Zero 7 featuring Australian singer Sia. It was released on 17 May 2004 as the second single from the band's second studio album, When It Falls (2004). It was the third time Zero 7 had featured Sia on a single release, following their singles, "Destiny" and "Distractions".
"Don't Bring Me Down" is a 2003 song by Australian singer Sia. It was released in Australia in November 2003 as the first single from her third studio album Colour the Small One (2004). The track was written by Sia and Blair MacKichan who had recently worked with Will Young's on his Brit Award winning song, "Your Game". The track received little promotion and did not chart.
