The Black Eyed Peas

The group first began to take shape in 1988, when Will.I.Am and Apl.De.Ap met in high school and began performing raps together, and they were joined by Taboo and Kim Hill in 1995. After signing to Interscope Records, the foursome released their debut album Behind the Front in June 1998 – which produced the singles Joints & Jam, Karma, Fallin’ Up and ¿Qué Dices? This was soon followed by 2000’s Bridging the Gap and the singles BEP Empire, Weekends and Request + Line (ft. Macy Gray). However, it would be their third studio album that would bring The Black Eyed Peas into the mainstream.

Elephunk was released in June 2000. It reached number fourteen on the US Billboard 200 and performed even better elsewhere, reaching number three in the UK, number two in Canada and number one in Australia – eventually selling over 8.5 million copies worldwide. The lead single Where Is the Love? (ft. Justin Timberlake) and the follow-up release Shut Up were both number one smash hits in over a dozen countries worldwide, while the follow up singles Hey Mama and Let’s Get It Started were both international Top 10 hits.

2005’s Monkey Business followed, which sold over ten million copies worldwide and included the huge hits Don’t Phunk With My Heart and Pump It, and then came 2009’s The E.N.D. (an acronym for Energy Never Dies). To date their fifth studio album has produced the US number one singles Boom Boom Pow and I Gotta Feeling – which topped the Hot 100 for an unprecedented 26 consecutive weeks between them – as well as their third album number one hit Imma Be.

Justin Timberlake

Born 31^st January 1981 in Memphis, Tennessee, Timberlake first became known as a contestant on the television talent show Star Search, before joining the cast of The Mickey Mouse Club (along with other future stars like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera) in 1993. Although the show ended in 1994, Timberlake swiftly approached his fellow cast member JC Chasez about forming an all-male boy band.

The band – later to be known ‘N Sync – was formed in by Timberlake and Chasez in 1995 and they soon recruited three more members: Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick. The group released their self-titled debut album *NSYNC in 1998, which reached number two on the Billboard 200, eventually selling more than ten million copies in the US alone. A total of eight singles were released worldwide, with I Want You Back reaching the US Top 20 and Tearin’ Up My Heart reaching the UK Top 40.

The group’s second album No Strings Attached sold over one million copies in a day (ultimately becoming the biggest selling album of the 2000s) and produced three Top 5 singles: Bye Bye Bye, It’s Gonna Be Me and This I Promise You. This was followed by 2001’s Celebrity, which sold over ten million copies worldwide and spawned the hit singles Gone and Girlfriend. By the time ‘N Sync split in 2002 they had sold over 56 million records worldwide.

After the band separated, Justin Timberlake embarked on a solo career – releasing his first album Justified in 2002. It debuted at number one in the UK and number two in the US, eventually selling more than seven million copies worldwide, and produced the Top 20 hits Like I Love You, Cry Me a River and Rock Your Body.

This was followed by 2006’s FutureSex/LoveSounds, which sold over nine million copies and went straight to number one on the Billboard 200. It produced the chart-topping single SexyBack as well as the hits My Love, What Goes Around…/…Comes Around and Give It To Me.

To date Justin Timberlake has won six Grammy Awards for his solo albums. If you like, you can download Justin Timberlake ringtones here.

No Doubt

The group was formed by Eric Stefani and his sister Gwen in 1986. Originally called Applecore, they eventually got together a whole group of musicians and began practicing in their garage. After playing several gigs in the local area, the group was spotted by A&R man Tony Ferguson in 1990, and he quickly signed them to the label Interscope Records.

The group’s self-titled debut album was released in 1992. It was a commercial flop, selling just 30,000 copies, and led to Eric departing the band in 1994. However, they continued to record music, releasing The Beacon Street Collection on their own independent label in March 1995. After it sold more than three times the copies of their debut, it convinced their label to invest more time and money in the production of their third studio album Tragic Kingdom, which was released in October 1995.

The album was an instant success. It shot to number one in the Billboard 200 chart after the release of the hit single Just a Girl and went on to sell over sixteen million copies around the world. It also produced six further singles, including the international number one (and Grammy Award-nominated) hit Don’t Speak.

No Doubt released two more albums over the next six years – Return of Saturn and Rock Steady – which both charted inside the US Top 10 and sold millions of copies between them. The records also produced several Top 40 singles, including Simple Kind of Life, Hey Baby (ft. Bounty Killer), Hella Good, Underneath It All (ft. Lady Saw) and It’s My Life, and earned the group a total of six Grammy Award nominations. They eventually won Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group for both Hey Baby and Underneath It All.

Having been on hiatus for the last few years as Gwen Stefani enjoyed a successful solo career, No Doubt have recently returned to the studio to work on their sixth studio album – set to be released in 2011.

Born 27^th February 1973, Andre was discovered on the Australian television talent show New Faces in 1990. This led to him signing a record contract and releasing the single Drive Me Crazy in 1992. This was followed by his debut studio album Peter Andre in 1993. It was a big hit in his native Australia, producing the number three hit Gimme Little Sign, which went on to become the biggest selling single of the year in Australia, as well as the Top 20 hits Funky Junky and Let’s Get It On/Do You Wanna Dance?

Andre’s next album Natural was his international breakthrough. Released in November 1996, it produced six singles in total, including the breakthrough single Mysterious Girl (which reached the Top 10 in charts around the world) and the UK number one hits Flava and I Feel You. The album eventually reached number one in the UK Albums Chart and was certified platinum shortly afterwards.

The singer tried to transform himself into an R&B star with his 1998 release Time, but it was a critical and commercial flop. Following this, Andre spent several years out of the limelight before appearing on the 2004 British reality television show I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! During his stint in the jungle he gained a large amount of publicity, particularly due to his blossoming relationship with the glamour model Katie Price (aka Jordan), and after returning to the UK he re-released Mysterious Girl, scoring a UK number one hit. He subsequently produced the 2004 album The Long Road Back and scored another Top 3 single with Insania.

Andre’s latest album Revelation was released in September 2009. It shot to number three on the UK Albums Chart and produced two singles in total: Behind Closed Doors and Unconditional.

Gorillaz

The musical project was created in 1998 by Damon Albarn (known as the frontman of the British alternative rock band Blur) and Jamie Hewlett (known as the co-creator of the British comic book Tank Girl), when they were living together in London. After releasing the EP Tomorrow Comes Today in 2000, the duo decided to start work on their debut self-titled studio album.

Gorillaz was released in March 2001 and reached number three in the UK, as well as number fourteen in the US. Combining elements of rock, hip hop, punk, dub, acid and reggae, the release was critically acclaimed and went on to sell over seven million copies worldwide. It also produced four hit singles: the UK Top 20 hits Clint Eastwood and 19-2000, and the Top 40 singles Tomorrow Comes Today and Rock the House.

The group’s next release was 2005’s Demon Days. It shot to number one in the UK and number six in the US, selling over six million copies around the world. The lead single Feel Good Inc. reached number two in the UK and number fifteen in the US, while the follow-up DARE was the group’s first UK number one hit. The third single Dirty Harry also charted inside the UK Top 10.

The group’s third studio album Plastic Beach was released in March 2010. It debuted at number two in both the UK and the US, selling over 200,000 copies in its first week of release. It has produced two singles to date: Stylo and On Melancholy Hill. The album’s third single Superfast Jellyfish is due for release later in 2010.

Michael Jackson

Born 29^th August 1958, the singer first gained fame in his pre-teens as a member of the phenomenally successful 1970s pop/R&B/disco band The Jackson 5. Appearing as the lead vocalist alongside his brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon, Michael quickly became a child superstar. The group released a total of thirteen albums between 1970 and 1976, selling in excess of 100 million records worldwide, and are best remembered now for catchy pop classics like I Want You Back, ABC and Rockin’ Robin.

Jackson released his debut solo album Got to Be There in 1972, at the age of fourteen, and it sold over five million copies in the US. This was followed by his second album in the same year, which produced the singer’s first solo US number one hit Ben, and a further two albums while still in his teens.

However, it was 1979’s Off the Wall that reinvented the singer and set him on the way to being a pop icon. It sold over twenty million copies worldwide and produced the number one hit Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough, as well as the Top 10 hits Rock with You, Off the Wall and She’s Out of My Life.

Since then, Jackson has rewritten the record books. His next album, 1982’s Thriller, sold over 110 million copies worldwide, making it the bestselling album of all time. He scored a record thirteen US number one hits during his career, including Billie Jean, Beat It, Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Dirty Diana and Black or White, won 15 Grammy Awards and a record 26 American Music Awards. He is officially recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by the Guinness World Records.

Sadly, Michael Jackson passed away on 25th June 2009. However, his success continues, and he has sold a further 35 million records since his death.

Alanis Morissette

Born 1^st June 1974 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Morissette began playing the piano at the age of six. She wrote her first song Stay with Me at the age of ten, and released it as a single with the backing of local folk singer Lindsay Morgan. Her musical education continued throughout elementary and high school, and at the age of twelve she also took an acting role as a regular character on the CTV/Nickelodeon show You Can’t Do That on Television.

She entered a number of local talent competitions in her teens and won several of them. She also appeared on the renowned Star Search in New York, USA, but was sent home after just the first round. However, this appearance led to her signing her first record contract in 1988. She released two albums (in Canada only) in the early 1990s – Alanis and Now Is the Time – and scored Top 40 hits with the singles Too Hot, Walk Away, Feel Your Love, An Emotion Away, No Apologies and (Change Is) Never a Waste of Time.

But it was 1995’s Jagged Little Pill that shot Morissette to international fame. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 (spending twelve weeks there in total) and sold over 33 million copies worldwide – making it one of the best-selling records of all time. It was nominated for six Grammy Awards (winning four) and produced five US Top 10 singles – You Oughta Know, Ironic, You Learn, Hand in My Pocket and Head over Feet.

Alanis Morissette has released four more albums since then – Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (1998), Under Rug Swept (2002), So-Called Chaos (2004) and Flavors of Entanglement (2008) – which have produced the hit singles Uninvited, Thank U, Hands Clean, Precious Illusions, Hands Clean, Everything,  Eight Easy Steps, Underneath and I Remain.

Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25^th March 1947 in Pinner, Middlesex, John took an interest in music – particularly rock and roll music – from a very young age. He started playing piano at the age of three and took up formal lessons at seven. At the age of 11, he won a junior scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, and by his mid-teens he had a regular gig as a pianist in a nearby pub – the Northwood Hills Hotel. He also briefly joined a band called Bluesology.

After changing his name to Elton John (an homage to his bandmates Elton Dean and Long John Baldry) he met and began working with the lyricist Bernie Taupin – a collaboration that continues today. Together they became song writers for various artists, including Lulu and Roger Cook, and John also appeared as a session musician for artists like The Scaffold and The Hollies. Then, in 1969, Elton John released his debut solo album Empty Sky. This was quickly followed by his breakthrough self-titled album, which reached the Top 5 in the UK, produced the smash hit single Your Song and was nominated for Album of the Year at the 1971 Grammy Awards.

Since then, Elton John has set dozens of pop music records. He has scored an unprecedented 56 Top 40 singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, including the classics Tiny Dancer, Rocket Man, Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, I’m Still Standing, Nikita, Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me and Can You Feel the Love Tonight. His 1997 re-recording of the single Candle in the Wind has sold over 37 million copies worldwide – making it the biggest selling single of all time. To date, Elton John has sold more than 250 million records around the world, and is one of the most commercially successful music artists ever.

The Beatles

Formed in 1957 as The Quarrymen, the group first found popularity after playing a string of gigs in Hamburg, Germany. They were signed to EMI Records in 1962 and released their debut album Please Please Me in early 1963. It was an instant hit, shooting to the top of the UK Albums Chart and staying there for thirty weeks, and producing the hit singles Love Me Do, Please Please Me and I Saw Her Standing There.

Next came the smash hit single I Want to Hold Your Hand, which not only reached number one in the UK but also the top spot in the US Billboard Hot 100 – kick-starting the British Invasion of the 1960s. They followed this with their second studio album With The Beatles (released as Meet The Beatles! in the US). It was another huge hit, reaching the top of the UK Albums Chart (and staying there for five months) and producing the now classic singles It Won’t Be Long, All My Loving and Not a Second Time.

Between 1964 and 1970 The Fab Four released a further 25 studio albums and twice as many singles, scoring a record 27 number one hits in the UK and the US. These include Love Me Do, She Loves You, Can’t Buy Me Love, A Hard Day’s Night, Yesterday, Yellow Submarine, Penny Lane, All You Need Is Love, Hey Jude, Let It Be and The Long and Winding Road.

The Beatles are the most commercially successful band in the history of popular music. To date they have sold somewhere between 250 million and one billion records worldwide.

Kelly Clarkson

Born in Fort Worth, Texas on 24^th April 1982, Clarkson began singing at a young age. She was a member of the high school choir and also performed in a number of school theatre productions and singing competitions. She auditioned for the first series of television talent show American Idol in 2001, at the age of twenty, and eventually won the competition on 4^th September 2002 with 58% of the public vote.

Her first single, A Moment Like This, was released less than two weeks later. It reached number one on the US album charts and sold over 235,000 copies in its first week alone. Clarkson’s debut album Thankful followed in early 2003, going straight to number one on the Billboard 200 and producing her second Top 10 hit single Miss Independent.

Clarkson built on her success with the release of her second album Breakaway in 2004. The album spent more than a year in the US Top 20 and sold over six million copies. The title single Breakaway reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and was featured in the film The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, while the second single Since U Been Gone reached number two. The album also spawned three more Top 20 singles – Because of You, Behind These Hazel Eyes and Walk Away - and received two Grammy Awards for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (Since U Been Gone).

The singer has since released two albums. 2007’s My December and 2009’s All I Ever Wanted reached numbers two and one in the album charts respectively and between them have produced the number one hit My Life Would Suck Without You and the Top 20 singles Never Again and I Do Not Hook Up.