a-ha is a Norwegian synth-pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. Founded by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, Magne Furuholmen, and Morten Harket, the band rose to fame during the mid-1980s.
Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong, known professionally as Dido, is an English singer and songwriter. She attained international success with her debut album No Angel (1999). Hit singles from the album include "Here with Me" and "Thank You". It sold over 21 million copies worldwide, and it won her several awards, including two Brit Awards; additionally, she won Best British Album and Best British Female as well as the MTV Europe Music Award for Best New Act. The first verse of "Thank You" is sampled in "Stan", a critically acclaimed collaboration with American rapper Eminem. Her next album, Life for Rent (2003), continued her success with the hit singles "White Flag" and "Life for Rent". In 2004, Dido performed with other British and Irish artists in the Band Aid 20 version of the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?".
Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer and primary songwriter, with Owen and Williams initially providing backing vocals and Donald and Orange serving primarily as dancers.
N.E.R.D. is an American hip hop and rock band, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1999. The Neptunes were signed by Teddy Riley to Virgin. After producing songs for several artists throughout the late 1990s, the duo formed the band with Shay Haley as a side project of The Neptunes in 1999. N.E.R.D.'s debut album, In Search Of..., sold 603,000 copies in the United States and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was also awarded the second annual Shortlist Music Prize. The band's second album, Fly or Die, sold 412,000 copies in the United States, but shipped at least 500,000 units, certifying it Gold.
Despina Vandi, born as Despina Malea on 22 July 1969, is a Greek singer. Born in Tübingen near Stuttgart, Germany, Vandi's family returned to Kavala, Greece when she was six years old.
India Arie Simpson, also known as India Arie, is an American singer and songwriter. Her debut album, Acoustic Soul, was released in 2001, and she has since released six more studio albums. Arie has sold over five million records in the US and ten million worldwide, and has won four Grammy Awards from 23 nominations, including Best R&B Album.
Nina Sky is an American musical duo consisting of identical twins Nicole and Natalie Albino. Their debut single "Move Ya Body", released from their self-titled debut album in 2004, was a success, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100. Their second album, Nicole & Natalie, was released in July 2012. Their third studio album, Brightest Gold, was announced for 2016 release through Tommy Boy Entertainment.
"May It Be" is a song by the Irish recording artist Enya. She and Roma Ryan composed it for Peter Jackson's 2001 film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The song entered the German Singles Chart at number one in 2002, and Enya performed it at the 74th Academy Awards. "May It Be" was acclaimed by music critics and received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
American hard rock band Kiss has released twenty studio albums, thirteen live albums, and sixty singles. The group, formed in New York City in 1973, first consisted of bassist Gene Simmons, rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley, lead guitarist Ace Frehley, and drummer Peter Criss. It is the most recognizable and successful line-up, which lasted until Criss' departure in 1980. The band is known for its make-up and on-stage antics, which influenced many artists who later used similar effects in their concerts.
"Touch the Sky" is a song recorded by American hip hop artist Kanye West for his second studio album, Late Registration (2005). The song features Lupe Fiasco on his career debut. It was produced by Just Blaze, standing as the album's only track to not include production from West. The song was released in the United Kingdom as a digital EP through Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam on January 1, 2006. On February 14, the aforementioned labels serviced the song to US mainstream radio stations as the album's fourth single. The next month, it was released in various countries for digital download by Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam and as a CD single through Universal Music, respectively.
Damien Leo Leith is an Irish-Australian singer–songwriter. He was the winner of the Network Ten music contest Australian Idol 2006. Since winning the title, Leith has released nine studio albums, four of which peaked in the top two of the ARIA Charts, including two number ones. He has been awarded seven platinum and one gold certification for albums and singles by ARIA, which equates to sales of just over half a million.
"One Time" is the debut single by Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It is the first single released from his debut EP, My World. It was first solicited to mainstream and rhythmic radio on May 18, 2009. It was released via digital download in the United States and Canada on July 7, 2009, and was released in several other countries during autumn 2009. An acoustic version of the song called "My Heart Edition" was released to iTunes on December 22, 2009. The song is a teen pop song, moderately paced with pop-soul influences, about puppy love.
Diddy – Dirty Money was a musical duo consisting of singer-songwriters and dancers Dawn Richard and Kalenna Harper in 2009; both artists having been signed to Bad Boy Entertainment. Together with record producer, rapper and label boss Sean Combs, they performed as a collaborative act on the Bad Boy label, releasing the highly acclaimed and successful album Last Train to Paris in December 2010. The group disbanded in 2012.
Cher Lloyd is an English singer. 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", was released in October 2011, and peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart. Her debut studio 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.
"Defender" is the first single from British recording artist Peter Andre's seventh studio album, Accelerate. The single was released on 24 October 2010 via Digital Download, with a physical release following a day later, exclusive to retailer ASDA. The song was written by Peter Andre, Dantae Johnson, Nait Rawknait Masuku, and was produced by Nait Rawknait Masuku & Dantae Johnson with additional keyboards, drum programming and mixing by Pete "Boxsta" Martin.
"International Love" is a song by American rapper and singer Pitbull featuring American singer Chris Brown from the former's studio album, Planet Pit (2011). The song was written by Pitbull, Claude Kelly, and producers Soulshock, Peter Biker, Sean Hurley.
"Strange Clouds" is a song by American rapper B.o.B featuring fellow American rapper Lil Wayne. Produced by Dr. Luke and Cirkut, the song was announced by Atlantic Records to be released on iTunes on September 27, 2011, Wayne's 29th birthday. The song serves as the lead single from B.O.B's second studio album of the same name. In its first week, it sold 197,000 digital copies, debuting at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has sold over 1.3 million digital copies worldwide.
Strange Clouds is the second studio album by American rapper B.o.B, released on May 1, 2012, under Grand Hustle Records, Rebel Rock Entertainment, and Atlantic Records. The album features guest appearances from Morgan Freeman, Taylor Swift, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, T.I., Nicki Minaj, Ryan Tedder, Lauriana Mae, Playboy Tre, Trey Songz, Nelly and Roscoe Dash while the production was handled by Dr. Luke, Cirkut, Ryan Tedder, Lil' C, Mynority, Stargate, Frequency, Mike WiLL Made It, P-Nasty, Super Water Sympathy, Kutta, Billboard, Jamieson Jones, Jim Jonsin and B.o.B himself.
Little Mix are a British girl group, formed on the eighth series of The X Factor UK by Kelly Rowland. In 2011, the group rose to prominence after becoming the first group to win the series, and are regarded as the show's most successful winning act. Originally a four-piece group, the line up consisted of Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards, and Jesy Nelson, before her departure in 2020. Known for their vocals and signature harmonies, they are cited for helping the girl band renaissance in the UK and for re-defining girl groups. In 2022, Little Mix went on an indefinite hiatus, allowing its members to pursue solo projects.
Bastille are a British pop rock band formed in 2010. The group began as a solo project by lead vocalist Dan Smith, but later expanded to include keyboardist Kyle Simmons, bassist and guitarist Will Farquarson and drummer Chris "Woody" Wood.
