The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk, punk rock and psychedelic rock. The band consists of vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. With over 80 million records sold worldwide, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of the best-selling bands of all time. They are the most successful band in the history of alternative rock, with the records for most number-one singles (13), most cumulative weeks at number one (85) and most top-ten songs (25) on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. They have won six Grammy Awards, and in 2012 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
LaDonna Adrian Gaines, known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer, songwriter and actress. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music gained a global following.
Erasure are an English synth-pop duo, consisting of singer and songwriter Andy Bell and songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke. They formed in London in 1985. Their debut single was "Who Needs Love Like That". From their fourth single, "Sometimes", the duo established themselves on the UK Singles Chart, becoming one of the most successful artists of the late 1980s to mid-1990s. Erasure have penned over 200 songs and have sold over 28 million albums worldwide.
Earth, Wind & Fire is an American band that has spanned the musical genres of R&B, soul, funk, jazz, disco, pop, dance, Latin, and Afro pop. They have been described as one of the most innovative and are among the most commercially successful acts of all time. Rolling Stone called them "innovative, precise yet sensual, calculated yet galvanizing" and declared that the band "changed the sound of black pop". VH1 has also described EWF as "one of the greatest bands" ever.
Black Eyed Peas is an American musical group, consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo and J. Rey Soul. Originally an alternative hip hop group, they subsequently refashioned themselves as a more marketable pop-rap act. Although the group was founded in Los Angeles in 1995, it was not until the release of their third album, Elephunk, in 2003, that they achieved high record sales.
Lisa Jane Stansfield is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. Her career began in 1980 when she won the singing competition Search for a Star. After appearances in various television shows and releasing her first singles, Stansfield, along with Ian Devaney and Andy Morris, formed Blue Zone in 1986. The band released several singles and one album, but after the success of Coldcut's "People Hold On" in 1989, on which Stansfield was featured, the focus was placed on her solo career.
Karl Martin Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish record producer, songwriter and retired singer. He rose to prominence in the late 1990s after making a string of hit singles such as Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time" (1998), the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way" (1999), and NSYNC's "It's Gonna Be Me" (2000).
The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning. Since 2002, the band's official lineup has consisted of Flowers, Keuning, Mark Stoermer and Ronnie Vannucci Jr., the latter two having joined the band that year. The band's name is derived from a logo on the bass drum of a fictitious band portrayed in the music video for the New Order song "Crystal".
Deniece Williams is an American singer, songwriter and producer. Williams has been described as "one of the great soul voices" by the BBC. She is best known for the songs "Free", "Silly", "It's Gonna Take a Miracle" and two Billboard Hot 100 No.1 singles "Let's Hear It for the Boy" and "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late". Williams has won four Grammys with twelve nominations altogether.
Hot Space is the tenth studio album by the British rock band Queen. It was released on 21 May 1982 by EMI Records in the UK and by Elektra Records in the US. Marking a notable shift in direction from their earlier work, they employed many elements of disco, funk, rhythm and blues, dance and pop music on the album. This made the album less popular with fans who preferred the traditional rock style they had come to associate with the band. Queen's decision to record a dance-oriented album germinated with the massive success of their 1980 hit "Another One Bites the Dust" in both the UK and US.
The English alternative rock band Radiohead have released nine studio albums, one live album, four compilation albums, one remix album, nine video albums, six EPs, thirty-three singles and forty-eight music videos. Their debut album, Pablo Honey, released in February 1993, peaked at number 22 in the United Kingdom, receiving platinum certifications in the UK and US. Radiohead's debut single, "Creep", is their most successful, entering the top ten in several countries. Their second album, The Bends, released in March 1995, peaked at number four in the UK, where it was certified triple platinum.
American singer Beyoncé has released six studio albums, five live albums, three compilation albums, five EPs, one soundtrack album, two karaoke albums, and 80 singles. She has sold over 118 million records as a solo artist, and a further 60 million with Destiny's Child, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) recognized her as the Top Certified Artist of the 2000s decade. As of June 2016, in the United States, Beyoncé has sold 17.2 million albums as a solo artist, and a further 17 million albums as part of Destiny's Child.
English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys have released 14 studio albums, three live albums, eight compilation albums, four remix albums, three soundtrack albums, two extended plays and 65 singles. The duo's debut single, "West End Girls", was first released in 1984 but failed to chart in most regions. However, the song was entirely re-recorded in late 1985, and this newly recorded version became their first number-one single, topping the UK Singles Chart, Billboard Hot 100 and Canadian Singles Chart. Parlophone released the duo's debut album, Please, in the United Kingdom in March 1986. The album peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart and was certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). It also peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200 in the United States and was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The following summer they released "It's a Sin", the lead single from their second album, Actually. The single became another UK number one and also reached number nine in the US. This was followed by "What Have I Done to Deserve This?", with Dusty Springfield, which peaked at number two in both the UK and US. In the summer of 1987, the Pet Shop Boys recorded a cover of Brenda Lee's song "Always on My Mind", which became their third UK number-one single over Christmas 1987. This was followed by another UK number one, "Heart", in spring 1988. The album Actually was released in September 1987, peaked at number two in the UK and was certified three-times Platinum by the BPI.
Hot Chip are an English synthpop band formed in London in 2000. The group consists of multi-instrumentalists Alexis Taylor, Joe Goddard, Al Doyle, Owen Clarke, and Felix Martin. They are occasionally supplemented by Rob Smoughton and Sarah Jones for live performances and studio recordings. The group primarily produces music in the synth-pop and alternative dance genres, drawing influences from house and disco.
Adam Richard Wiles, known professionally as Calvin Harris, is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter. He is known for his singles "We Found Love", "This Is What You Came For", "Summer", "Feel So Close", "Outside", "Feels". His collaboration with Rihanna, "We Found Love", became an international success, giving Harris his first number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100. He has released five studio albums and runs his own record label, Fly Eye Records, which he founded in 2010.
Swedish popular music, also called Swedish pop music, or just Swedish pop, refers to music that has swept the Swedish mainstream at any given point in recent times. After World War II, Swedish pop music was heavily influenced by American jazz, and then by rock-and-roll from the U.S. and the U.K. in the 1950s and 60s, before developing into the dansband music. Since the 1970s, Swedish pop music has come to international prominence with bands singing in English, ranking high on the British, New Zealand, American, and Australian charts and making Sweden one of the world's top exporter of popular music by gross domestic product.
American singer Lady Gaga has released six studio albums, one film soundtrack, two remix albums, two video albums, two box sets, four EPs, thirty-five singles, and thirteen promotional singles. Gaga made her debut in August 2008 with the studio album The Fame, which peaked at number two in the United States, where it was subsequently certified triple Platinum, while topping the charts in Austria, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Its first two singles, "Just Dance" and "Poker Face", were both successful worldwide, reaching number one in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The album spawned three more singles: "Eh, Eh ", "LoveGame" and "Paparazzi". The latter reached the top ten in many countries worldwide, and number one in Germany.
Cher Lloyd is an English singer, songwriter, rapper, and model. She finished fourth place in the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010. Following the seventh series finale, Lloyd was signed to Syco Music. Her debut single, "Swagger Jagger", was released in July 2011 and entered at number one on the UK Singles Chart. Lloyd's second single, "With Ur Love" featuring Mike Posner, was released on 31 October 2011, and peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart. Her debut album, Sticks and Stones, had two releases: its standard edition and a US version. The album peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart while the latter version debuted at number nine in the US Billboard 200. Lloyd signed to US record label Epic Records in 2011.
American singer Ariana Grande has released six studio albums, one compilation album, one live album, one remix album, two extended plays (EPs), fifty-one singles, and twelve promotional singles. After signing with Republic Records, she released her debut single "Put Your Hearts Up" in December 2011. Across albums, singles and features, Grande has been certified for 85.5 million units in the U.S.—making her the eighth most RIAA-certified woman of all time—and 20.4 million certified units in the UK. She is the most-streamed female artist on music streaming services Spotify, and Apple Music. She has amassed 68 chart entries on the Billboard Hot 100—the fourth most entries for a female artist—including five number ones and 18 top-10 hits.
American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has released 57 singles as lead artist, six singles as a featured artist, 22 promotional singles, and various charted non-single songs. She had sold over 150 million singles worldwide by December 2016. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) recognized Swift as the second-best-selling female artist in terms of digital singles sales, with 134 million certified units based on sales and on-demand streaming as of February 2021. Her UK singles sales as of August 2019 stood at 17 million. She has amassed 136 chart entries on the US Billboard Hot 100—the most entries for a female artist—including seven number ones and 29 top tens.
