Alicia Augello Cook, known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs when she was the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at the age of 15. After disputes with the label, she signed with J Records to release her debut studio album, Songs in A Minor (2001). Met with critical acclaim and commercial success, the album sold over 12 million copies worldwide and won five awards at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards. It contained the Billboard Hot 100-number one single "Fallin'." Her second album, The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003) was met with continued success, selling eight million units worldwide and spawning the singles "You Don't Know My Name", "If I Ain't Got You", and "Diary". Its release earned an additional four Grammy Awards.
Kathleen Deanna Battle is an American operatic soprano known for her distinctive vocal range and tone. Born in Portsmouth, Ohio, Battle initially became known for her work within the concert repertoire through performances with major orchestras during the early and mid-1970s. She made her opera debut in 1975. Battle expanded her repertoire into lyric soprano and coloratura soprano roles during the 1980s and early 1990s, until her eventual dismissal from the Metropolitan Opera in 1994. She later has focused on recording and the concert stage. After a 22-year absence from the Met, Battle performed a concert of spirituals at the Metropolitan Opera House in November 2016, and again in May 2024.
Robyn Rihanna Fenty is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman and actress based in the United States. She was cited as the best-selling female recording artist of the 21st century by Guinness World Records and is the wealthiest female musical artist with an estimated net worth of $1.4 billion as of 2024. Rihanna is the highest-certified female digital single artist and has six U.S. diamond certified singles. She has achieved 14 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. The recipient of various accolades, Rihanna is one of the best-selling recording artists ever, with sales estimated at 250 million units worldwide.
Alicia de Larrocha y de la Calle was a Spanish pianist and composer. She was considered one of the great piano legends of the 20th century. Reuters called her "the greatest Spanish pianist in history", Time "one of the world's most outstanding pianists", and The Guardian "the leading Spanish pianist of her time".
Caroline Léonardelli is a French-Canadian concert harpist. Born in France, she graduated from the Conservatoire de Paris at age of 18 and came to Canada to study at McGill University where she completed an Artist Diploma. Based in Canada's National Capital Region, she performs for CBC national broadcasts and for Radio Canada. Her recordings are featured by Apple Music in the top ten playlist of master harp recordings and her recording label is distributed worldwide by NAXOS. She is the Principal Harpist with the Ottawa Symphony and Orchestre symphonique de Gatineau.
Falu is an American singer whose music blends ancient classical Indian melodies with contemporary western sounds. She has worked and collaborated with a wide array of artists including A. R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire, Yo-Yo Ma, Philip Glass, Wyclef Jean, her teacher Ustad Sultan Khan, Blues Traveler, Ricky Martin and Bernie Worrell. In 2022, she won the Grammy Award for Best Children's Album for her album A Colorful World. She was also nominated for Best Children's Album for her 2019 release of Falu's Bazaar, and for Best Global Music Performance for her 2023 release of Abundance in Millets.
Lavinia Meijer is a South Korean-born Dutch harpist. Her concerts have included a solo harp evening at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Anna-Maria Yordanova Ravnopolska-Dean, born 3 August 1960, Sofia, Bulgaria, is a Bulgarian and American harpist, composer, pedagogue, musicologist and TV host.
Maria Krushevskaya is a virtuoso Russian harpist. She was the gold medalist of the 2007 USA International Harp Competition, where she was awarded the Jan Jennings Prize for best performance of Pierné's Concertstück for Harp and Orchestra, the Mary L. Ogg Prize for best performance of Küne's Fantaisie sur un theme de l’opera Eugene Onegin, and best performance of Alvars' Introduction and Variations on Themes from Bellini's Opera Norma. Maria Krushevskaya was born in Moscow in 1984 in a family of musicians. She began to study music at the age of five. In 1992 she entered the Moscow Gnessin School of Music, graduating with distinction in 2002 and subsequently continued her studies at the Gnesins’ Russian Academy of Music from which she also graduated with distinction in 2008.
Yolanda Kondonassis is an American classical harpist. She is considered one of the world's premier solo harpists and is widely regarded as today's most recorded classical harpist.
Lorna McGhee is a Scottish flutist and teacher, who served as Principal Flute of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra from 2012 to 2024. In addition, she is an Artist Lecturer in Flute at Carnegie Mellon University. Past positions include co-principal flute of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and associate professor of flute at the University of British Columbia. She is currently a member of a flute, viola, and harp ensemble, 'Trio Verlaine' with her husband, violist David Harding and harpist Heidi Krutzen. McGhee is known for her "luscious tone colors and dynamics."
Anna Maria Mendieta is a professional harpist from the United States. She is best known for pioneering the harp as a contemporary tango instrument. She is the founder, artistic director, and harpist for Tango del Cielo, an award-winning album and international touring show.
Kirsten Agresta Copely is a GRAMMY® Nominated harpist & composer based in New York City. She is a former associate professor of harp at Vanderbilt University, an affiliated artist on the music faculty of Sarah Lawrence College, a board member of the World Harp Congress, and a member of NARAS and ASCAP. Agresta has collaborated with many artists across a wide range of genres, including Jay-Z, Beyoncé Knowles, Enya, Kanye West, Alicia Keys, The Mavericks, Evanescence, The Who, Carrie Underwood, Tony Bennett and Kristin Chenoweth.
Tara McNeill is an Irish violinist, harpist, and soprano singer from Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Diamonté Quiava Valentin Harper, known professionally as Saweetie, is an American rapper, singer, and actress. Her 2017 debut single, "Icy Grl" received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and led her to sign with Warner Records in a joint venture with her then-manager, Max Gousse's record label, Artistry Worldwide.
Rodrick Wayne Moore Jr., known professionally as Roddy Ricch, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter from Compton, California. He rose to fame in 2018 following the release of his single "Die Young," which marked his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. Moore's first two mixtapes, Feed Tha Streets (2017) and Feed Tha Streets II (2018) received widespread acclaim. Moore guest featured alongside Hit-Boy on Nipsey Hussle's 2019 single "Racks in the Middle"—which earned him a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance—and on Mustard's single "Ballin'" that same year, which peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received a nomination for the same award.
"Ballin'" is a song by American record producer Mustard and American rapper Roddy Ricch. The track was released as the third single from Mustard's third studio album, Perfect Ten, on August 20, 2019, though it was available as early as the end of June 2019. The song and its accompanying video received acclaim from music critics, with Complex magazine naming it the Best Song of 2019. It peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Mustard's highest charting song in the US. The song received a nomination for Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 2020 Grammy Awards, making it the first time Ricch has been nominated for a Grammy and Mustard's first nomination as an artist.
"Letter to Nipsey" is a song by American rapper Meek Mill, featuring fellow rapper Roddy Ricch. The song was produced by Papamitrou, who co-wrote it with Mill and Roddy Ricch. On January 27, 2020, the song was released for digital download and streaming as a single, through Atlantic Records and Maybach Music Group. It is a tribute to Rapper Nipsey Hussle, Who was Shot And killed On March 31 2019. All the proceeds from the song went to his family. Lyrically, Mill and Roddy Ricch reflect on their feelings after his death.
Maeve Gilchrist is a Scottish harpist and composer currently living in New York City. She is known for combining traditional folk music, jazz, improvisation, and experimentation.
Savage X Fenty Show is an annual American television special about the fashion show for Rihanna's lingerie brand Savage X Fenty, also featuring music performances. The first, non-televised event took place in Brooklyn during New York Fashion Week in 2018. The first television special premiered on September 20, 2019, Vol. 2 premiered on October 2, 2020, Vol. 3 premiered on September 24, 2021, and Vol. 4 premiered on November 9, 2022, all on Amazon Prime Video. Rihanna is the executive producer and creative director of Savage X Fenty Show.
