The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music history in the 1999 edition of The Guinness Book of Records.
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.
t.A.T.u. were a Russian music duo that consisted of Lena Katina and Julia Volkova. The singers were part of children's music group Neposedy before being managed by producer and director Ivan Shapovalov and signing with Russian record label Neformat. t.A.T.u.'s debut album 200 Po Vstrechnoy (2001) was a commercial success in Eastern Europe, and that made the duo sign with Interscope Records to release its English-language counterpart, 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane (2002). The album was certified platinum by the IFPI for one million copies sold in Europe and became the first album by a foreign group to reach number one in Japan. It was also certified gold in the United States and included the international hits "All the Things She Said" and "Not Gonna Get Us". The duo represented Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 with the song "Ne ver', ne boysia", finishing third.
Simply Red is a British soul and pop band formed in Manchester in 1985. The lead vocalist of the band is singer and songwriter Mick Hucknall, who, by the time the band initially disbanded in 2010, was the only original member left. Since the release of their debut studio album Picture Book (1985), they have had ten songs reach top 10 in the UK Singles Chart, including "Holding Back the Years" and "If You Don't Know Me by Now", both of which reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. They have had five number one albums in the UK, with their 1991 album, Stars, being one of the best-selling albums in UK chart history.
Prāta Vētra, known internationally as Brainstorm, is a Latvian pop/rock band. The band became popular internationally in 2000 when they finished third in the Eurovision Song Contest 2000 with the song "My Star".
200 km/h in the Wrong Lane, also titled t.A.T.u. in Japan, is the second, and first English-language, studio album by Russian music duo t.A.T.u., released on 10 December 2002, by Interscope Records. It is the duo's first studio album to be associated with Interscope after signing to Universal, the label they signed to in 1998. Due to the duo's lack of English vocabulary, the album was produced and written by producers such as Trevor Horn, Martin Kierszenbaum, Sergio Galoyan, Robert Orton and Ivan Shapovalov, who was placed as the duo's manager and executive producer. 200 km/h lyrically explores themes such as teenage rebellion, love, sexuality, sadness, independence and social rebellion.
"West End Girls" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. Written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, the song was released twice as a single. The song's lyrics are concerned with class and the pressures of inner-city life which were inspired partly by T. S. Eliot's poem The Waste Land. It was generally well received by contemporary music critics and has been frequently cited as a highlight in the duo's career.
Dangerous and Moving is the second English-language album by Russian musical group t.A.T.u. and the English-language equivalent of the album Lyudi Invalidy. The album was first released on 5 October 2005 in Japan then on 10 October in the UK, 11 October in North America, and in Europe and Latin America, on 14 October. As of January 2010 the album sold 93,000 copies in the United States and had peaked at number 131 on Billboard 200.
"All the Things She Said" is a song recorded by Russian music duo t.A.T.u. for their second, and first English-language, studio album 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane (2002), and released as the lead single from the album in Europe on 9 September 2002 by Universal. It was written by Sergio Galoyan, Trevor Horn, Martin Kierszenbaum, Valery Polienko and Elena Kiper, while production was by Horn. "All the Things She Said" is a translated and reworked version of their 2000 song "Ya Soshla s Uma", included on their debut album 200 Po Vstrechnoy (2001). It was later included on their compilation albums t.A.T.u. Remixes (2003) and The Best (2006). Although its original story was based on a dream Kiper had at a dentist appointment, manager Ivan Shapovalov evoked the theme of lesbianism in both this and the English-language version. Lyrically, it focuses on two girls developing feelings for each other.
"Don't Wanna Lose This Feeling" is a song by Australian singer Dannii Minogue from her fourth studio album, Neon Nights (2003). It was written by the singer with Bruno Alexandre, Matthieu Joly, James Theochari and Camille Troillard of Neimo; and with Minogue's long-time collaborator Terry Ronald.
Noisettes are an English indie rock band from London, currently composed of singer and bassist Shingai Shoniwa and guitarist Dan Smith. The band first achieved commercial success and nationwide recognition with the second single of their second album, "Don't Upset the Rhythm " which reached number two on the UK Singles Chart in 2009.
"I'm with Stupid" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their ninth studio album, Fundamental (2006). It was released on 8 May 2006 as the album's lead single. It became the duo's 21st top-10 single in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 8.
Dima Nikolayevich Bilan is a Russian singer, songwriter and actor. He represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with "Never Let You Go", finishing second, and he won the contest in 2008 in Belgrade, with the song "Believe". He has had several Russian number one hit records. He is sometimes referred to as "Russia's Iglesias" due to his similarity to the Spanish singer. In January 2023, Ukraine imposed sanctions on Dima for his support of 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Sergey Vyacheslavovich Lazarev is a Russian singer, dancer and actor. He is most famous for his singing career, when he rose to fame as a member of the group Smash!!. The group broke up in 2006. Since then Lazarev has pursued a solo career. He represented Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 in Stockholm, Sweden, and finished in third place, coming first in the televote. He represented Russia again at Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Tel Aviv, Israel with the song "Scream", and similarly finished in third place. In January 2023, Ukraine imposed sanctions on Lazarev for his support of 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Cruise is a heavy metal band from the former Soviet Union. Started in 1980 as a government-controlled soft rock and pop act, the band enjoyed great success all across the USSR before the revocation of their license to perform/record in 1984 as part of the state's brief crackdown on the Western culture. In 1985, founding member and guitarist Valery Gaina reformed the band with a completely different lineup that featured him on lead vocals. This was followed by a major shift in the overall sound and image; from pop rock to heavy metal. In 1987, the band officially released their debut album "Kruiz-1" as a metal band, selling one million of legal copies. Outside Russia, they are best known for their video, In Flames, which was played many times in the mid-1980s, on the Canadian metal show, The Power Hour. Having released their debut English language album in 1988, Kruiz toured extensively in Russia, Europe, and North America before breaking up in 1990.
"Hold It Don't Drop It" is a song recorded by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her sixth studio album, Brave (2007). It was written by Kevin "Dirty Swift" Risto, Waynne "Bruce Wayyne" Nugent, Lopez, Allen Phillip Lees, Tawanna Dabney, Janet Sewell, Cynthia Lissette, Dennis Lambert, and Brian Potter. Originally planned to be released as the first single from the album, it was released as the second single on October 26, 2007.
Intimacy Remixed is the remix album to Intimacy, the third album by indie rock band Bloc Party. It was released on 11 May 2009 in the United Kingdom through Wichita Recordings, the band's primary label, in limited edition CD and triple LP formats to coincide with Bloc Party's worldwide touring schedule. The record entered the UK Album Chart at number 79. In the United States, it achieved a peak of number 15 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart.
Avraam Russo ; born as Abraham Zhanovich Ipjian is a Syrian-born Russian pop singer of Armenian origin.
Vladislav Mikhailovich Topalov better known as just Vlad Topalov is a singer, dancer and actor born in Moscow, Russia. He is most famous for his singing career, when he rose to fame as the blond-haired member of the group Smash!!. The group broke up in 2006. Since then Topalov has pursued a solo career.
Familia is the sixth studio album by English singer and songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor. The album was produced by Ed Harcourt, who also produced Ellis-Bextor's previous album, Wanderlust. It was released on 2 September 2016, by EBGB LLP and was critically acclaimed. It was preceded by disco-pop single "Come with Us", which was released on 19 July.
