The Cardigans are a Swedish rock band formed in Jönköping, Sweden, in 1992, by guitarist Peter Svensson, bassist Magnus Sveningsson, drummer Bengt Lagerberg, keyboardist Lars-Olof Johansson and lead singer Nina Persson, with the line-up remaining unchanged to this day, although the band's post-hiatus shows since 2012 have been with Oskar Humlebo on guitar instead of Svensson.
Melissa Arnette Elliott, also known professionally as Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, and actress. Elliott embarked on her music career with all-female R&B group Sista in the early-mid 1990s and later became a member of the Swing Mob collective along with childhood friend and longtime collaborator Timbaland, with whom she worked on projects for Aaliyah, 702, Total, and SWV. Following several collaborations and guest appearances, she launched her solo career in 1997 with her debut album Supa Dupa Fly, which spawned the top 20 single "Sock It 2 Me". The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, the highest-charting debut for a female rapper at the time.
Anne Lilia Berge Strand, known professionally as Annie, is a Norwegian singer-songwriter. Annie began her recording career in 1999 with the underground hit single "The Greatest Hit" and gained international acclaim, particularly from music bloggers, for her debut album Anniemal (2004).
Breakaway is the second studio album by American singer Kelly Clarkson, released on November 30, 2004, by RCA Records. The album is a follow-up to her successful debut album, Thankful (2003). Executive produced by Clive Davis, Breakaway sees Clarkson collaborating with various producers and songwriters for the first time, primarily Dr. Luke, Max Martin, John Shanks, Kara DioGuardi, Ben Moody, and David Hodges; the latter two are former members of American rock band Evanescence. Despite the established commercial success of Thankful, music critics still continued to typecast Clarkson as an American Idol winner and were also critical of her attempts of establishing a commercial appeal on her own. Wanting to stray from those, she was convinced by Davis to work with Dr. Luke and Martin in Stockholm, and with Moody and Hodges in Los Angeles, in pursuit of a pop rock direction. This also led her to part ways with her manager Simon Fuller and hire the management services of Jeff Kwatinetz before the album's release. Breakaway is predominately a pop rock album with elements of rock and soul music, marking a departure from the R&B-oriented sound of Thankful; its lyrics explore themes of heartbreak, love, and escapism.
The Emancipation of Mimi is the tenth studio album by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey, released through Island Records on April 12, 2005. The Emancipation of Mimi was considered Carey's "comeback album" by critics and became her highest-selling release in the US in a decade. In composing the album, the singer collaborated with many songwriters and producers throughout 2004, including Jermaine Dupri, Snoop Dogg, Twista, Nelly, Pharrell Williams, and James "Big Jim" Wright, many of whom appeared as featured guests on select tracks.
Oh No is the second studio album by American rock band OK Go. It was released 30 August 2005. The album was recorded in late 2004 with producer Tore Johansson in Malmö, Sweden and mixed by Dave Sardy in Los Angeles. It is the final album to feature guitarist Andy Duncan, who left shortly after recording finished.
Paris is the debut studio album by American media personality, actress and singer Paris Hilton. It was released on August 22, 2006 by Warner Bros. Records. The entire album was posted on AOL Music on August 14, 2006, becoming available for online stream eight days before the scheduled release date. After getting signed to the label in 2005, Hilton began working on the album with the producer Rob Cavallo, who was originally set to produce the entire record. They recorded the song "Screwed", which was intended to be the lead single. However, after meeting with Scott Storch, Hilton decided to change the musical direction of the album and make more hip hop and R&B influenced songs. She collaborated with other producers, including Fernando Garibay, J.R. Rotem, Dr. Luke and Greg Wells. Musically, Paris is a pop and R&B album that is influenced by hip hop. It also incorporates elements of other genres, such as reggae, soul and pop rock, in its production.
Tore Johansson is a Swedish record producer, composer and musician based in Malmö, Sweden.
Judith Katrijntje "Trijntje" Oosterhuis is a Dutch singer and songwriter. She formed the band Total Touch in 1990 with her brother Tjeerd Oosterhuis before she started as a solo singer. She represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "Walk Along", placing fourteen in the first semi-final with 33 points and winning the Barbara Dex Award of the year.
Nicole Atkins is an American singer-songwriter. Her influences include 1950s crooner music, 1960s psychedelia, soul music, and the Brill Building style of writing. Atkins has been compared to Roy Orbison and singers from the Brill Building era.
"Erase/Rewind" is a song written by Peter Svensson and Nina Persson for the Cardigans' 1998 album Gran Turismo. The song is the album's second track, and was released as its second single. It was also featured in The Thirteenth Floor during the ending credits.
Don't Forget is the debut studio album by American singer Demi Lovato. It was released on September 23, 2008, by Hollywood Records. Lovato started working on the album in September 2007, during filming of her Disney Channel television film Camp Rock. Lovato co-wrote most of the songs with American boy band the Jonas Brothers, who produced the album alongside record producer John Fields. The album also includes Kara DioGuardi, Jason Reeves and Rooney frontman Robert Schwartzman, who collaborated from the album. Don't Forget features primarily a pop rock sound, with the lyrical content dealing with various adolescent topics.
Love? is the seventh studio album by American singer Jennifer Lopez. It was released on April 29, 2011 by Island Records. Produced during the pregnancy of her twins Emme and Max, Love? was cited by Lopez as her most personal album to date, taking inspiration from the birth of her twins and her own experiences with love.Recording for the album began in 2009, with an original release date for the project set for January 2010 by Epic Records to coincide with Lopez's film The Back-up Plan. However following the lack of success with lead single "Louboutins", Lopez and Epic Records parted ways, leaving the fate of Love? in uncertainty. In 2010, Lopez signed a new record deal with Island Records, allowing proceedings for the release to be kept. The album includes a mixture of previously recorded material which leaked online in 2009 and 2010 during recording sessions, along with new songs with Tricky Stewart, The-Dream and RedOne commissioned by Island Records, primarily a dance-pop album, Love? also marks a return to Lopez's pop/R&B roots.
Unbroken is the third studio album by American singer Demi Lovato. It was released on September 20, 2011, by Hollywood Records. Primarily a pop record, Lovato described the album as "more mature" and with more R&B elements than her previous material, citing Rihanna as the major influence. While some of the album's lyrical content was heavily influenced by Lovato's personal struggles, it also deals with lighter subjects, such as love, self empowerment, and having fun. Contributions to the album's production came from a wide range of producers, including Toby Gad, Ryan Tedder, Timbaland, Jim Beanz and Rock Mafia.
"Three Days in a Row" is the first official single of Anouk's sixth album For Bitter or Worse. It was released in August 2009. The song was written by Anouk, Martin Gjerstad and Tore Johansson. The song reached the peak position in both the Dutch Top 40 and the Mega Single Top 100. It also reached the number-one position in the 3FM Megatop 50 and stayed there for five weeks. In Flanders, the song reached the 19th position in the Ultratop 50.
Dance Again... the Hits is the first greatest hits album of American singer Jennifer Lopez. It was released on July 20, 2012, by Epic Records, to coincide with the launch of her first world tour, the Dance Again World Tour. Lopez previously conceived plans for a greatest hits album in 2009, but instead opted to use the material recorded for her seventh studio album, Love?, which was released by Island Records in May 2011 after her departure from Epic Records in 2010. As Lopez owed the label one last album to fulfill her contract, she began work on a new greatest hits album in November 2011. She later became unsure whether she wanted to go along with plans to release a greatest hits album or a new studio album, eventually deciding on the former.
"Get It Started" is a song recorded by American rapper Pitbull for his seventh studio album Global Warming. It was released on June 28, 2012 as the second single from the album by RCA Records. The song features guest vocals from Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, marking the fourth time they have collaborated on a song together, the others being an official remix to the Spanish version of "Did it Again", "Lo Hecho Está Hecho", and the English version of "Rabiosa". The artists co-wrote the song with its producers, DJ Buddha, Sidney Samson, Marc Kinchen, Develop, with additional writing from Durrell "Tank" Babbs and Kris Stephens. It is a dance-pop song that "blends a dance beat and up-tempo verses with a slowed-down, piano-driven pop chorus".
"Birds" is a song recorded by Dutch singer Anouk, released as the first single from her eighth studio album Sad Singalong Songs (2013). The song was written by Anouk Teeuwe and composed by Tore Johansson, Martin Gjerstad and Anouk Teeuwe. It is best known as the Netherlands' entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 held in Malmö, Sweden. The song competed in the first semi-final on 14 May 2013 for and managed to qualify for a spot in the final on 18 May 2013, the Netherlands' first qualification in 9 years, where Anouk achieved 9th place in a field of 39; the best result for the Netherlands since the 1999 competition.
Winter Loversland is the first Christmas album, and third studio album overall, by American recording artist Tamar Braxton. The album was released on November 11, 2013, by Epic Records and Streamline Records.
