Adele Laurie Blue Adkins MBE (/əˈdɛl/; born 5 May 1988) is an English singer and songwriter. Graduating from the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in 2006, Adele was given a recording contract by XL Recordings after a friend posted her demo onMyspace the same year. In 2007, she received the Brit Awards “Critics’ Choice” award and won the BBC Sound of 2008 poll. Her debut album, 19, was released in 2008 to commercial and critical success. It is certified seven times platinum in the UK, and double platinum in the US. An appearance she made on Saturday Night Live in late 2008 boosted her career in the US. At the 51st Annual Grammy Awardsin 2009, Adele received the awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ^[2] (born February 2, 1977)

^[3] is aColombian singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, choreographer, and model. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she began performing in school, demonstrating Latin, Arabic, and rock and roll influences and belly dancing abilities. Shakira released her first studio albums, Magia and Peligro, in the early 1990s, failing to attain commercial success; however, she rose to prominence in Latin America with her major-label debut, Pies Descalzos (1996), and her fourth album, Dónde Están los Ladrones? (1998).

Shakira entered the English-language market with her fifth album, Laundry Service. Its lead single, “Whenever, Wherever“, became the best-selling single of 2002. Her success was solidified with her sixth and seventh albums Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 and Oral Fixation, Vol. 2(2005), the latter of which spawned the best-selling song of the 21st century, “Hips Don’t Lie“. Shakira’s eighth and ninth albums, She Wolf (2009) and Sale el Sol (2010), received critical praise but suffered from limited promotion due to her strained relationship with labelEpic Records. Her official song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)“, became the biggest-selling World Cup song of all time. With over 950 million views, its one of the most-watched music video on YouTube. Since 2013, Shakira has served as a coach on the American version of The Voice, having appeared in two of its seven seasons—fourth and sixth. Her tenth album, Shakira(2014), is preceded by its lead single, “Can’t Remember to Forget You“.

Shakira has won many awards, including five MTV Video Music Awards, two Grammy Awards, eight Latin Grammy Awards, seven Billboard Music Awards, 28 Billboard Latin Music Awards and has been Golden Globe-nominated. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and sold between 70 and 125 million records worldwide (depending to the source),^[4][5] making her one of the best selling Latin artist of all time. She carries out well-known philanthropic activities through charity work and benefit concerts, notably her Pies Descalzos Foundation, her performance at the “Clinton Global Initiative” created by former U.S. President Bill Clinton, and her invitation to the Oval Office by President Barack Obama in February 2010 to discuss early childhood development.^[6] As of 2014, she is listed as the 58th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.^[7] As of July 2014, Shakira has become the first person to reach 100 million followers onFacebook.^[8]

Elena Jane “Ellie” Goulding (/ˈɡoʊldɪŋ/ gohl-ding; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Her career began when she met record producers Starsmith and Frankmusik, and she was later spotted by Jamie Lillywhite, who later became her manager and A&R. After signing to Polydor Records in July 2009, Goulding released her debut extended play, An Introduction to Ellie Goulding, later that year.^[4]

In 2010, she became the second artist to top the BBC‘s annual Sound of… poll and win the Critics’ Choice Award at the Brit Awards in the same year. She released her debut studio album, Lights, in 2010; it debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and has sold over 850,000 copies in the UK. Her cover of Elton John’s “Your Song” reached number two in the UK in December 2010 and on 29 April 2011 she performed the song at the wedding reception of Prince William and Catherine Middleton at Buckingham Palace. The album’s title track, “Lights“, was released in the US in March 2011, and peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100.^[5][6]

Goulding’s second studio album, Halcyon, was released in October 2012. “Anything Could Happen” preceded the album as the lead single. Halcyon debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart and after 65 weeks reached number one. Halcyon debuted at number nine on the US Billboard 200. Halcyon Days, a repackaged edition of Halcyon, was released on 23 August 2013; it included new singles including “Burn“, which became her first UK number-one single. At the 2014 Brit Awards she received the award for British Female Solo Artist.^[7] Goulding released her third studio album, titled Delirium, on 6 November 2015, with “On My Mind” as the album’s lead single.^[8]In December 2015, she received her first Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance for her single “Love Me like You Do“.

Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer. He appeared on the television shows Star Search and The All-New Mickey Mouse Club as a child. In the late 1990s, Timberlake rose to prominence as one of the two lead vocalists and youngest member of NSYNC, which eventually became one of the best-selling boy bands of all time. They released the albums NSYNC (1998), No Strings Attached (2000), and Celebrity (2001). During the group’s hiatus, Timberlake released his debut solo album Justified (2002), which included the successful singles “Cry Me a River” and “Rock Your Body“, and earned his first twoGrammy Awards.

His second record, FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006), distinguished from his previous release by its wide range of musical influences, debuted atop the US Billboard 200 and produced the Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles “SexyBack“, “My Love“, and “What Goes Around… Comes Around“. With his first two albums exceeding sales of 10 million copies worldwide, he was established as one of the most commercially successful singers of the decade. From 2008 through 2012, Timberlake focused on his acting career, effectively putting his music career on hiatus; he held starring roles in the films The Social Network, Bad Teacher, In Time, and Friends with Benefits.

In 2013, Timberlake resumed his music career with his third and fourth albums The 20/20 Experience and The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2, exploring neo soul styles with the song structures of 1960s and 1970s rock. The former became the best-selling record of the year in the US with the largest sales week, and spawned the top-three singles “Suit & Tie” and “Mirrors“, while the latter produced the top-ten song “Not a Bad Thing“. Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2007 and 2013. Timberlake’s work has earned him numerous awards, including nine Grammy Awards and four Emmy Awards, the latter being for his appearances on Saturday Night Live. His other ventures include record label Tennman Records, fashion label William Rast, and the restaurants Destino and Southern Hospitality.

Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer and actress. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, she performed acting roles in stage productions and television shows as a child before signing with Jive Records in 1997. Spears’s first and second studio albums, …Baby One More Time (1999) and Oops!… I Did It Again (2000), became international successes, with the former becoming the best-selling album by a teenage solo artist.^[1] Title tracks “…Baby One More Time” and “Oops!… I Did It Again” broke international sales records. In 2001, Spears released her self-titled third studio album, Britney, and played the starring role in the film Crossroads (2002). She assumed creative control of her fourth studio album, In the Zone (2003), which yielded the worldwide success of the “Toxic” single.

In 2007, Spears’s much-publicized personal issues sent her career into hiatus. Her fifth studio album, Blackout, was released later that year, and spawned hits such as “Gimme More” and “Piece of Me“. Her erratic behavior and hospitalizations continued through the following year, at which point she was placed under a still ongoing conservatorship. Spears’s sixth studio album, Circus (2008), included global chart-topping lead single “Womanizer“. Its supporting tour The Circus Starring Britney Spears was one of the highest-grossing global concert tours in 2009.^[2] Later that October, “3” became Spears’s third single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Her seventh studio album, Femme Fatale (2011), became her first to yield three top-ten singles in the United States: “Hold It Against Me“, “Till the World Ends” and “I Wanna Go“. She also served as a judge during the second season of the American version of The X Factor. Spears’s eponymous eighth studio album Britney Jean was released in 2013; it spawned the top 15 hit “Work Bitch“

Jessica Ellen Cornish (born 27 March 1988),^[2] better known by her stage name Jessie J, is an English singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, she began her career on stage, aged 11, with a role in the West End musical Whistle Down the Wind. She studied at the BRIT School before signing with Gut Records and striking a songwriting deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing where she wrote for artists including Chris Brown and Miley Cyrus.

After signing with Universal Republic, Jessie J came to prominence following the release of her debut single “Do It Like a Dude“. Her next song “Price Tag” topped the charts in nineteen countries including the UK and was followed by the release of her debut album Who You Are (2011), which charted at number two in the UK. Other releases from the album included “Nobody’s Perfect“, and “Who You Are“, “Domino” and “Laserlight“, which all which all charted within the top 10 in the UK Singles Chart, making Jessie J the first British female artist to have six top ten singles from a studio album.^[3] “Domino” also resulted in further international chart success, peaking at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 and becoming her second number-one single in the UK. In 2012 Jessie J performed at the Queen’sDiamond Jubilee Concert outside Buckingham Palace in June, as well as the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games in London on 12 August.

Her second album Alive (2013) reached the top 5 in the UK Albums Chart and also included the top-five hit songs “Wild” and “It’s My Party“. The release of her third album Sweet Talker (2014) was preceded by the single “Bang Bang” which debuted at number one in the UK and went multi-platinum worldwide. The album made the top 5 in the UK and reached number 10 on the US Billboard 200, her highest-charting album in the US. As of January 2015, Jessie J had sold over 20 million singles and 3 million albums worldwide.^[4]

Citing various influences, Jessie J is recognised for an unconventional musical and performance style^[5][6] that mixes soul vocals withcontemporary R&B, pop, electropop,^[7][8] and hip-hop beats. Jessie J has garnered various awards and nominations for her music, including the 2011 Critics’ Choice Brit Award and the BBC’s Sound of 2011. Jessie J has supported various charitable causes, and has appeared on the UK charity telethons BBC Children in Need and Comic Relief. She has served as coach and mentor on the television shows The Voice UK and The Voice Australia.

Robyn Rihanna Fenty (born February 20, 1988) (/riˈænə/ ree-an-ə),^[2][3] is a Barbadian singer and songwriter. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, her career began upon meeting record producer Evan Rogers in late 2003 through mutual friends; she recorded demo tapes with his guidance. Her tape was sent to several record labels, and she subsequently signed a contract with Def Jam Recordings after auditioning for its then-president, hip-hop producer and rapper Jay Z. Both her debut album, Music of the Sun (2005) and its follow-upA Girl Like Me (2006) peaked in the top ten on the US Billboard 200; the former featured the commercially successful song “Pon de Replay” while the latter produced her first Billboard Hot 100 number-one single, “SOS“.

She rose to widespread prominence and became a household name with the release of her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad(2007), and its chart-topping lead single “Umbrella.” The album and its 2008 Reloaded re-release were nominated for nine Grammy Awards, winning Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Umbrella”. From 2009 to 2012, following a highly publicized physical altercation with then-boyfriend, entertainer Chris Brown, she annually released four Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) platinum certifiedalbums: Rated R (2009), Loud (2010), Talk That Talk (2011), and her first Billboard 200 number one album Unapologetic (2012). The same year, she appeared in her first theatrical feature film, Battleship.

Rihanna has sold over 200 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling artists of all time.^[4] Many of her songs rank among the world’s best-selling singles of all time, such as “Umbrella”, “Take a Bow“, “Disturbia“, “Only Girl (In the World)“, “S&M“, “We Found Love“, “Diamonds” and “Stay“. In addition to her solo work, Rihanna has collaborated with other artists and was featured on the worldwide hits “Can’t Remember to Forget You” (with Shakira), “Live Your Life” (with T.I.), “Run This Town” (with Jay-Z and Kanye West), “Love the Way You Lie” and “The Monster” (both with Eminem). She has achieved thirteen number-one singles on the BillboardHot 100 chart, becoming the youngest and fastest solo artist to accomplish this record. Billboard named her the Digital Songs Artist of the 2000s decade and the top Hot 100 artist of the 2010s decade.^[5][6][7]

Rihanna is known for frequently reinventing her style and image, most notably since Good Girl Gone Bad.^[8][9] Her work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including eight Grammy Awards,^[1] eight American Music Awards, 23 Billboard Music Awards, and twoBRIT Awards. In 2012, Forbes ranked her the fourth most powerful celebrity of the year, with earnings of $53 million between May 2011 and May 2012. The same year, Time named Rihanna one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. At the American Music Awards of 2013, she received the first ever Icon Award. On June 2, 2014, Rihanna received the Fashion Icon lifetime achievement award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).^[10]

 

Madonna Louise Ciccone (/tʃɪˈkoʊni/; Italian: [tʃikˈkoːne]; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. She achieved popularity by pushing the boundaries of lyrical content in mainstream popular music and imagery in her music videos, which became a fixture on MTV. Madonna is known for reinventing both her music and image, and for maintaining her autonomy within the recording industry. Music critics have acclaimed her musical productions, which have generated some controversy. Often referred to as the “Queen of Pop“, she is cited as an influence by numerous other artists around the world.

Born in Bay City, Michigan, Madonna moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she signed with Sire Records (an auxiliary label of Warner Bros. Records) in 1982 and released her self-titled debut album the following year. She followed it with a series of commercially successful albums, including the Grammy Awardwinners Ray of Light (1998) and Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005). Throughout her career, Madonna has written and produced most of her songs, with many of them reaching number one on the record charts, including “Like a Virgin“, “Into the Groove“, “Papa Don’t Preach“, “Like a Prayer“, “Vogue“, “Frozen“, “Music“, “Hung Up“, and “4 Minutes“.

Madonna’s popularity was further enhanced by her film roles, including Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Dick Tracy (1990), and Evita(1996); the latter earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. However, most of her other films have been panned by critics. Her other ventures include fashion design, writing children’s books, and filmmaking. She has been acclaimed as a businesswoman, particularly after she founded entertainment company Maverick (including the label Maverick Records). In 2007 she signed an unprecedented US $120 million 360 deal with Live Nation.

Onika Tanya Maraj (born December 8, 1982), professionally known by her stage name Nicki Minaj, is a Trinidadian-born American rapper, singer and songwriter.^[1][2][3] Born in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago and raised in South Jamaica, Queens, New York, Minaj earned public attention after releasing three mixtapes between 2007–09. She signed a recording contract with Young Money Entertainment in 2009.

Minaj’s debut studio album, Pink Friday (2010), peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and spawned the top-five single “Super Bass“. During that time, Minaj became the first female solo artist to have seven singles simultaneously charting on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Her second studio album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012), also topped the chart and its lead single, the pop crossover“Starships“,^[4] peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. Minaj’s third studio album, The Pinkprint (2014), was preceded by its second single, “Anaconda“, which peaked at number two on the Hot 100 and is her highest-charting single in the United States to date. Minaj made her film debut in the 2012 animated film Ice Age: Continental Drift, and also had a supporting role in the 2014 film The Other Woman. In 2013, she was a judge on the twelfth season of American Idol.

Minaj was the first female artist included on MTV’s Annual Hottest MC List, with The New York Times‘s editor Brent Staples saying that some consider her “the most influential female rapper of all time”.^[5] Her rapping is distinctive for its fast flow and the use of alter egosand accents, primarily British cockney. Early in her career, Minaj was known for her colorful costumes and wigs. In April 2013, she became the most-charted female rapper in the history of the Billboard Hot 100. Minaj has endorsed Adidas, MAC Cosmetics and Pepsi. She has received 10 Grammy nominations throughout her career, and has won six American Music Awards, 10 BET Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, three MTV Europe Music Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, and was the recipient of Billboard‘s Women in Music 2011 Rising Star award.

Katheryn Elizabeth “Katy” Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After singing in church during her childhood, she pursued a career in gospel music as a teenager. Perry signed with Red Hill Records and released her debut studio album Katy Hudson in 2001, which was commercially unsuccessful. She moved to Los Angeles the following year to venture into secular music after Red Hill ceased operations. After being dropped by The Island Def Jam Music Group andColumbia Records, Perry signed a recording contract with Capitol Records in April 2007.

Perry rose to fame in 2008 with the release of the singles “I Kissed a Girl” – which sparked controversy for its homosexual themes – and “Hot n Cold” from her second album, a pop rock record titled One of the Boys. Her third album, Teenage Dream (2010), ventured intodisco, and contained the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping singles “California Gurls“, “Teenage Dream“, “Firework“, “E.T.“, and “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” as well as the number-three single “The One That Got Away“. The album became the first by a female artist to produce five number-one Billboard Hot 100 songs, and the second overall after Michael Jackson‘s album Bad. In March 2012, she reissued the album as Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection, which produced the songs “Part of Me” and “Wide Awake“.

Her fourth album, Prism, was released in 2013, and is influenced by pop and dance. She became the first artist with multiple videos to reach one billion views on Vevo with the videos for its songs “Roar” and “Dark Horse” each gaining over one billion views. Her songwriting is mostly done in collaboration with others, especially Dr. Luke and Max Martin, and in songs such as “Firework” and “Roar” she stresses themes of self-empowerment and self-esteem. Perry is known for an idiosyncratic and fun-based sense of personal fashion that incorporates bright colors and food-based themes. Her concert performances feature elaborate stagings and costumes.