British Solo Artists
In No Particular Order.
Criteria for inclusion on the list :
I like at least one song of every artist included.
Includes Artists Who Are In Bands/Groups who have Released Solo Singles/Albums
or a duet Single
or have featured on other's artists Single (but credited solo - not band.)
Criteria for inclusion on the list :
I like at least one song of every artist included.
Includes Artists Who Are In Bands/Groups who have Released Solo Singles/Albums
or a duet Single
or have featured on other's artists Single (but credited solo - not band.)
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Amy Jade Winehouse was born on September 14, 1983 in Enfield, London, England and raised in Southgate, London, England to Janis Holly Collins (née Seaton), a pharmacist & Mitchell "Mitch" Winehouse, a window panel installer and taxi driver. Her family shared her love of theater and music. Amy was brought up on jazz music; She received her first guitar at age 13 and taught herself how to play. Young Amy Winehouse was a rebellious girl. At age 14, she was expelled from Sylvia Young Theatre School in Marylebone, London. At that time she pierced her nose and tattooed her body. She briefly attended the BRIT School in Croydon, and began her professional career at 16, performing occasional club gigs and recording low cost demos. At 19 years old, she recorded her debut album: Frank (2003), a jazz-tinged album that became a hit and earned her several award nominations. During the next several years, she survived a period of personal upheaval, a painful relationship, and struggles with substance abuse. Her final album, Back on Black (2006) was an international hit, and 'Rehab' made No. 9 on the US pop charts.
Her big break came in 2008. Amy Winehouse became the first British female to win 5 Grammy Awards on the same night, February 10th, 2008, including Best New Artist and Record of the Year for 'Rehab'. Her Grammy performance was broadcast from London via satellite, because she was unable to appear in person in Los Angeles due to temporary problems with her traveling visa. Following her success at the Grammy Awards, Winehouse gave a string of highly successful performances during the year 2008. In June, she was suddenly hospitalized with a serious lung condition. However, she left hospital for one evening to perform for Nelson Mandela on his 90th birthday celebration in London's Hyde Park. She sang her hits: Rehab & Valerie, drawing cheers and applause form the crowds and a smile from Mandela. Winehouse also performed for Roman Abramovich's party in Moscow; there she earned $2 million for her one-hour gig.
Amy Winehouse developed a distinctive style of her own. Her signature beehive hairstyle has become the model for fashion designers, while her vulnerability, her fragile personality and self-destructive behavior was regular tabloid news, and subject of criticism and controversy. In April 2008 she was named the second greatest "ultimate heroine" by the British population at large, and a month later was voted the second most hated personality in the UK. George Michael called her the "best female vocalist he has heard in his entire career," while Keith Richards warned that she "won't be around long" if her behavior doesn't change.
Musically, Amy Winehouse created a cross-cultural and cross-genre style. She experimented with an eclectic mix of jazz, soul, pop, reggae, world beat and R&B. She had a special ability to channel hurt and despair into her performances. Her voice, phrasing and delivery sometimes sounded like a mix between Billy Holliday, Dinah Washington and Sarah Vaughan, and coupled with similarities in personal problems, she at times resembled another incarnation of legendary "Lady Blues".
Amy died at 27 years old on July 23, 2011 in her London home following a long-running battle with alcohol addiction. She was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium and her ashes were laid to rest in Edgwarebury Jewish Cemetery in London, United Kingdom. Her death caused considerable mourning worldwide.Favourite Songs : 'Back To Black' , 'Tears Dry On Their Own' , 'Love Is A Losing Game'.- Music Artist
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Rod Stewart was born on 10 January 1945 in Highgate, London, England, UK. He is a music artist and actor, known for Innerspace (1987), The Three Musketeers (1993) and No Way Out (1987). He has been married to Penny Lancaster since 16 June 2007. They have two children. He was previously married to Rachel Hunter and Alana Stewart.Favourite Song : 'Baby Jane'.- Music Artist
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Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (born May 5, 1988) is a British singer-songwriter who has sold millions of albums worldwide and won a total of 15 Grammys as well as an Oscar. Adele's first two albums, 19 and 21, earned her critical praise and a level of commercial success unsurpassed among her peers. After becoming a mom in 2012, Adele returned to the charts with the ballad "Hello" in 2015, the lead single from what was dubbed her comeback album 25. In 2017 she won five Grammys for her work on 25, including album, record and song of the year.Early on, Adele developed a passion for music. She gravitated toward the songs of Lauryn Hill, Mary J. Blige and Destiny's Child. But her true, eye-opening moment came when she was 15 and she happened upon a collection of Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald records at a local shop. "There was no musical heritage in our family," Adele told The Telegraph in a 2008 interview. "Chart music was all I ever knew. So when I listened to the Etta James and the Ella Fitzgerald, it sounds so cheesy, but it was like an awakening. I was like, oh, right, some people have proper longevity and are legends. I was so inspired that as a 15-year-old I was listening to music that had been made in the '40s."While clearly bright, Adele wasn't oriented towards traditional classroom settings. Instead, her mother enrolled her in the BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology, which counts Amy Winehouse as an alum.While at school, Adele cut a three-track demo for a class project that was eventually posted on her MySpace page. When executives at XL Recordings heard the tracks, they contacted the singer and, in November 2006, just four months after Adele had graduated school, signed her to a record deal.
Adele has recorded a total of three studio albums since the beginning of her career in 2008: 19, 21 and 25.
'19' (2008) Adele's debut album, 19, which is named for the singer's age when she began recording the project, went on sale in early 2008. Led by two popular lead singles, "Adele: Hometown Glory (2009)" and "Adele: Chasing Pavements (2008)" the record rocketed Adele to fame. Released in the United States through Columbia Records, 19 resonated with American audiences, much as it had with British music fans. Adele cemented her commercial success with an appearance in October 2008 on Saturday Night Live (2016). At the taping of the show, the album was ranked No. 40 on iTunes. Less than 24 hours later, it was No. 1.
'21' (2011) Adele's much anticipated follow-up album, 21, again named for her age at the time of recording, did not disappoint upon its release in early 2011. Tapping even deeper into Adele's appreciation for classic American R&B and jazz, the record was a monster hit, selling 352,000 copies within its first week. Anchored by hits like "Adele: Rolling in the Deep (2010)" and "Adele: Someone Like You (2011)" 21 placed Adele in rarified air. In February 2011, she found herself with two Top 5 singles and a pair of Top 5 albums in the same week, becoming the only artist besides The Beatles and 50 Cent to achieve that milestone. And with 21 staying at No. 1 for 11 weeks, Adele also broke the solo female artist record previously held by Madonna's Immaculate Collection for consecutive weeks atop the album charts. 21 went on to sell more than 30 million copies worldwide.
'25' (2015) On October 22, 2015, Adele announced that she would release her third album, 25, in November. She posted 25's cover on Instagram, and said of her first full-length studio project in several years: "My last record was a break-up record, and if I had to label this one, I would call it a make-up record. Making up for lost time. Making up for everything I ever did and never did. 25 is about getting to know who I've become without realizing. And I'm sorry it took so long but, you know, life happened." 25, released in November 2015, is a collection of emotional, sometimes plaintive songs looking at the ins and outs of relationships, owing much of its sound to traditional pop craft. The album went on to become an international smash hit, reaching No. 1 on iTunes in 110 countries. In the U.S., 25 sold 3.38 million copies in seven days, beating the 'NSync record of 2.42 million album copies sold in a week. Among other feats, 25 is also the only album to reach a million copies sold in the U.K. in 10 days.Favourite Songs : 'Rolling In The Deep' , 'Someone Like You'.- Music Artist
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Robert Peter Williams was born in Stoke-on-Trent, on February 13th 1974, to his mother: Jan and father: Pete. Robbie attended Mill Hill Primary School, followed by St. Margaret Ward's Roman Catholic School in Tunstall. At secondary school he became labeled as mischievous and a jester and subsequently left with no GCSEs. He participated in several school plays, and his biggest role was that of the Artful Dodger in a production of Oliver!He achieved fame when at 16 he became the youngest member to join the all-male group 'Take That' after responding to an advertisement. Now, a true British superstar with over eighty million records sold worldwide, Robbie Williams has won more BRIT Awards than any other artist in history and is the best-selling British solo artist of all time. His twelve number one UK albums, alongside a plethora of world records, including selling the most tickets (1.6 million) in one day, highlight his enormous success as both a live performer and recording artist. This year has been another huge one for Robbie: as well as writing the music to the acclaimed new musical 'The Boy in the Dress' with Guy Chambers and Chris Heath, he also completed his first ever sold-out Las Vegas residency, played a triumphant sold-out show to 65,000 fans at Hyde Park in London and will release his first Christmas album 'The Christmas Present' on 22nd November. Robbie is a lifelong football fan and is the co-founder of the Charity football event 'Soccer Aid' which has raised over £30m for UNICEF, providing help for children in danger around the world.Favourite Songs : 'No Regrets' , 'Advertising Space' , 'Feel'.- Actress
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Born on the 12th January 1974 in Merseyside, England, Melanie Chisholm became a member of Spice Girls in 1994. Their three albums sold more than 40 million copies worldwide and they had nine singles at number 1 in the UK.
"Northern Star" was her first solo album. On the back of the first single "Goin' Down", the album initially went to #10 in the UK charts after being released on 18th October 1999, before going down the chart rapidly. In the US, it peaked at a disappointing #208 after being released on 2nd November 1999. After 5 singles - two of which were UK #1s, three tours, and 18 months of constant promotion, the album went triple platinum in the UK, peaking at #4 on its re-release in August 2000. Sales for the album currently stand at around 3 million copies worldwide (around 900,000 in the UK). The album continues to sell well, and in 2004, re-entered the UK Top 100 for yet another time, as a result of being low-priced in some stores. "Northern Star" has a remarkable Top 75 chart run, which demonstrates its sheer success as Melanie C established herself slowly as a solo artist. "Reason" was her second album, which took 18 months to complete. Released on 10th March 2003, it reached #5 in the UK chart - selling 30,500 copies in its first week. Although it didn't perform as well as "Northern Star", "Reason" has a Gold certification in the UK, with 80,000 copies sold. January 2004 saw the album reduced to £2.99 in all major record shops, but even then, "Northern Star" at the same price outsold it greatly. After the failure of "Melt/Yeh Yeh Yeh", the album is now truly a closed chapter. Although sales stalled after "On The Horizon", it managed to sell 500,000 copies worldwide.
The release of Melanie C's last album, "Reason" in March 2003 meant many changes for her career later in the year. Following the disaster of "Melt/Yeh Yeh Yeh", she parted from her record label, Virgin Records, and decided to go it alone, releasing her third solo album, "Beautiful Intentions", on her own label, Red Girl Records. Following the release of the single "Next Best Superstar" (#10 in the UK singles chart), Melanie will release "Better Alone" in July.Favourite Songs : 'Reason' , 'Northern Star' , 'When You're Gone (with Bryan Adams).- Music Artist
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Sir Elton John is one of pop music's great survivors. Born 25 March, 1947, as Reginald Kenneth Dwight, he started to play the piano at the early age of four. At the age of 11, he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. His first band was called Bluesology. He later auditioned (unsuccessfully) as lead singer for the progressive rock bands King Crimson and Gentle Giant. Dwight teamed up with lyricist Bernie Taupin and changed his name to Elton John (merging the names of saxophonist Elton Dean and Long John Baldry). The duo wrote songs for Lulu and Roger Cook. In the early 1970s, he recorded the concept album "Tumbleweed Connection." He became the most successful pop artist of the 1970s, and he has survived many different pop fads including punk, the New Romantics and Britpop to remain one of Britain's most internationally acclaimed musicians.
Elton John announced he was a bisexual in 1976, and in 1984, he married Renate Blauel. The marriage lasted four years before he finally came to terms with the fact that he was actually homosexual. In the 1970s and 1980s, he suffered from drug and alcohol addiction and bulimia but came through it. He is well known as a campaigner for AIDS research and he keeps his finger on the pulse of modern music, enjoying artists such as Eminem, Radiohead, Coldplay and Robbie Williams. He was knighted in 1997.Favourite Songs : 'Candle In The Wind' (original) , 'I'm Still Standing' , 'Sacrifice' , 'Tiny Dancer'.- Music Artist
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Lily Rose Beatrice Allen is an English singer-songwriter and actress. She is the daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. Her music career began in 2005 when she made some of her vocal recordings public on Myspace and the publicity resulted in airplay on BBC Radio 1 and a contract with Regal Recordings. Her first mainstream single, "Smile", reached number one on the UK Singles Chart in July 2006. Her debut record, Alright, Still, was well received, selling over 2.6 million copies worldwide and bringing Allen nominations at the Grammy Awards, the Brit Awards, and the MTV Video Music Awards.Favourite Song : 'LDN'.- Music Artist
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Gary Barlow was born on January 20th 1971 in Frodsham, Cheshire, UK, the second and youngest son of Marge and Colin Barlow. He has an older brother named Ian. His first school was Weaver Vale Primary School, and he moved on to Frodsham High School in 1982. He was the founding member of successful pop group Take That, who split up in 1996. His acting debut came in 2000 when he starred in Heartbeat, shortly after his marriage to Dawn Andrews, and shortly before the birth of son Daniel. Their daughter Emily was born in 2002. He now works as a record producer.Favourite Song : 'Let Me Go'.- Music Artist
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Dusty Springfield has been acknowledged around the world as the best female soul singer that Britain ever produced. With her oddly erotic, throaty voice, she racked up a string of hits from the 1960s onwards. Born in London to Irish parents, Dusty grew up in and around London. Her early work included an all-girl trio, "The Lana Sisters" and, then, with her brother Tom Springfield (Dion O'Brien), The Springfields. Inspired by Phil Spector's "wall of sound", Dusty recorded her first pop song "I Only Want to Be with You" in 1963. It reached No. 4 in the charts and was the first song played on the new BBC TV pop show Top of the Pops (1964). The sixties brought a steady succession of top-ten hits and a lifestyle to match. However, Dusty used to campaign to get the little-known American soul singers a better audience in the United Kingdom which led to her own show The Sound of Motown (1965). In 1970, she moved to America and, although she attempted a few come-back tours, they never really worked. However, time in the studio did produce the seminal album, "Dusty in Memphis". A downward spiral of drugs and drink followed for most of the latter seventies but then she overcame these problems and, helped by lifelong fans "The Pet Shop Boys", came back with songs such as "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" and the album "Reputation". Cancer was diagnosed in 1994 and, although it was kept at bay for quite a while, it finally got her.Favourite Songs : 'Son of a Preacher Man' , 'What Have I Done To Deserve This?' (With Pet Shop Boys).- Music Artist
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John Winston (later Ono) Lennon was born on October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England, to Julia Lennon (née Stanley) and Alfred Lennon, a merchant seaman. He was raised by his mother's older sister Mimi Smith. In the mid-1950s, he formed his first band, The Quarrymen (after Quarry Bank High School, which he attended) who, with the addition of Paul McCartney and George Harrison, later became The Beatles.
After some years of performing in Liverpool and Hamburg, Germany, "Beatlemania" erupted in England and Europe in 1963 after the release of their singles "Love Me Do" and "Please Please Me". That same year, John's first wife Cynthia Lennon welcomed their only son Julian Lennon, named after John's mother. The next year the Beatles flew to America to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) (aka The Ed Sullivan Show), and Beatlemania spread worldwide. Queen Elizabeth II granted all four Beatles M.B.E. medals in 1965, for import revenues from their record sales; John returned his four years later, as part of an antiwar statement. John and the Beatles continued to tour and perform live until 1966, when protests over his calling the Beatles phenomenon "more popular than Jesus" and the frustrations of touring made the band decide to quit the road. They devoted themselves to studio work, recording and releasing albums such as "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", "Magical Mystery Tour" and the "White Album". Instead of appearing live, the band began making their own "pop clips" (an early term for music videos), which were featured on television programs of the time.
In the late 1960s John began performing and making albums with his second wife Yoko Ono, as the Beatles began to break up. Their first two albums, "Two Virgins" and "Life With The Lions", were experimental and flops by Beatles standards, while their "Wedding Album" was almost a vanity work, but their live album "Live Peace In Toronto" became a Top Ten hit, at the end of the 1960s.
In the early 1970s John and Yoko continued to record together, making television appearances and performing at charity concerts. After the release of John's biggest hit, "Imagine", they moved to the US, where John was nearly deported because of his political views (a late-'60s conviction for possession of hashish in the U.K. was the excuse given by the government), but after a four-year legal battle he won the right to stay. In the midst of this, John and Yoko separated for over a year; John lived in Los Angeles with personal assistant May Pang, while Yoko dated guitarist David Spinozza. When John made a guest appearance at Elton John's Thanksgiving 1974 concert, Yoko was in the audience, and surprised John backstage. They reconciled in early 1975, and Yoko soon became pregnant. After the birth of their son Sean Lennon, John settled into the roles of "househusband" and full-time daddy, while Yoko became his business manager; both appeared happy in their new life together.
After a five-year break from music and the public eye, they made a comeback with their album "Double Fantasy", but within weeks of their re-emergence, Lennon was murdered on the evening of December 8, 1980 by Mark David Chapman, a one-time Beatles fan angry and jealous over John's ongoing career, who fatally shot Lennon four times in the back outside his apartment building, The Dakota, as Lennon was returning from a recording session. Within minutes after being shot, John Lennon was dead at age 40. His violent death was a sudden and tragic end to the life of a talented singer and musician who wanted to make a difference in the world.Favourite Song : 'Imagine'.- Music Artist
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Annie Lennox was born on 25 December 1954 in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK. She is a music artist and actress, known for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), Scrooged (1988) and Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). She has been married to Mitch Besser since 15 September 2012. She was previously married to Uri Fruchtmann and Radha Raman.Favourite Songs : 'Walking On Broken Glass' , 'Love Song For A Vampire'.- Music Artist
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Phil Collins was born in Chiswick, London, England, to Winifred (Strange), a theatrical agent, Greville Philip Austin Collins, an insurance agent. He spent most of his early entertainment life as a young actor and model. He played the "Artful Dodger" in the West End production of "Oliver!" alongside the future movie screen "Artful Dodger," Jack Wild. His interest in music and drumming began at school, where he drummed with a stage school band "The Real Thing," subsequently joining "Freehold" and "Flaming Youth." "Flaming Youth" recorded an album to some critical acclaim, although the group disbanded shortly afterward. Collins later successfully auditioned for Genesis, taking over vocals from Peter Gabriel when he left the band in 1975.
After separating from his first wife, Collins recorded his first solo album, "Face Value." The album was well received and Collins started to become a household name after the song "In the Air Tonight" was featured on the US TV show Miami Vice (1984). This instigated a guest appearance on the show playing a game show host. His third LP, "No Jacket Required," produced multiple chart hits and awards.
Collins is an active musician and entertainer, contributing and guesting regularly on many albums, ranging from Gary Brooker and Camel (Peter Barden's old band) to Eric Clapton. Collins also played as the drummer for the jazz fusion group Brand X and later formed his own big band to play swing and jazz music.
Collins was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010. With over 200 million album sales (when his solo career and Genesis career are combined), Collins is one of the most successful musicians of all time, as well as probably the most successful British pop star to have been consistently overlooked for the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to British music.
Actress Lily Collins is his daughter (her mother is his second wife, Jill Tavelman).Favourite Songs : 'Two Hearts' , 'A Groovy Kind Of Love'.- Music Artist
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Jessie J (Jessica Ellen Cornish) was born in Redbridge, London on March 27, 1988. She went to Colins Performing Arts School as a child and when she was 11 she was cast in Andrew Lloyd Weber's musica "Whistle Down the Wind". When she was 17 she joined a girl group and soon after was signed as a solo artist to Gut Records. The record company went bankrupt before she released an album but the talented Jessie J didn't give up! When Jessie's first record deal didn't work out, she turned to songwriting and got herself a contract with Sony ATV where she started writing hit songs for Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and Alicia Keys. Her biggest songwriting hit was Miley Cyrus: Party in the USA (2009). Her debut single Jessie J: Do It Like a Dude (2010) was written for Rihanna, but she decided to keep it for herself which went to number 2 on the charts, and her number 1 hit single Jessie J Feat. B.O.B: Price Tag (2011) with B.o.B. came out in the UK on February 28, 2011Favourite Song : 'Bang Bang' (with Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj).- Music Artist
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Sting was born Gordon Matthew Sumner on 2 October, 1951 in Wallsend, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England, the eldest of four children of Audrey (Cowell), a hairdresser, and Ernest Matthew Sumner, an engineer and milkman. He received his name from a striped sweater he wore which looked like a bee. He grew up in the turmoil of the ship-building industry and wanted to become a musician very early. He played cruise ships, backing strippers in cabarets, and developed a love for the bass guitar. Having played in jazz/rock bands like "Last Exit" and other various groups, including a dixieland jazz group, he settled down with Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers for a decade-long tenure with the smashing rock trio, The Police.
In 1984, he went on to record solo albums, and holds a reputation as one of the most literate songwriters and talented musicians in the world. He has also delved into acting, having starred in such films as Quadrophenia (1979), Radio On (1979), Plenty (1985), Julia and Julia (1987) (aka Julia and Julia), Dune (1984), Bring on the Night (1985) (a documentary about the formation of his Blue Turtles jazz group), most recently, Gentlemen Don't Eat Poets (1995), where he plays a bisexual, conniving butler.
He received an honorary Doctorate of Music degree from Northumbria University in October 1992, and from Berklee College of Music in May 1994. He plays guitar, bass guitar, mandolin, piano, harmonica, saxophone and pan-flute, and he gave a name to his bass (Brian).
Sting is married to film producer Trudie Styler, and has six children with Trudie and ex-wife, actress Frances Tomelty. Sting owns a Jacobian castle in Wiltshire, which he calls "Lake House", where he records his albums, as well as a place in London, an apartment in New York, a place on the beach in Malibu, California, and a Renaissance Florentine Villa called "Palagio" in Figline Valdarno, Tuscany, Italy. Along with his wife Trudie and a Brazilian Indian, he started the Rainforest Foundation in 1989 to help save rainforests.Favourite Song : 'Englishman In New York'.- Actress
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Petula Clark was a star at the age of 11. She starred in British concert halls and on BBC radio singing for the troops during WWII. She was a child star in a series of British films from the end of WWII through to the early 1950s,and by 1954 was having hit records. After a move to France in 1960, having fallen for a Frenchman, she had hit records all over Europe ,and by 1966 with such hits as "Downtown" and "My Love" having topped the American charts, became a truly international star.Favourite Song : 'Downtown'.- Music Artist
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Sir Paul McCartney is a key figure in contemporary culture as a singer, composer, poet, writer, artist, humanitarian, entrepreneur, and holder of more than 3 thousand copyrights. He is in the "Guinness Book of World Records" for most records sold, most #1s (shared), most covered song, "Yesterday," largest paid audience for a solo concert (350,000+ people, in 1989, in Brazil). He is considered one of the most successful entertainers of all time.
He was born James Paul McCartney on June 18, 1942, in Liverpool General Hospital, where his mother, Mary Patricia (Mohin), was a medical nurse and midwife. His father, James "Jim" McCartney, was a cotton salesman and a pianist leading the Jim Mac's Jazz Band in Liverpool. He has Irish and English ancestry. Young McCartney was raised non-denominational. He studied music and art, and had a happy childhood with one younger brother, Michael. At age 11, he was one of only four students who passed the 11+ exam, known as "the scholarship" in Liverpool, and gained a place at Liverpool Institute for Boys. There he studied from 1953 to 1960, earning A level in English and Art.
At the age of 14, Paul McCartney was traumatized by his mother's sudden death from breast cancer. Shortly afterward, he wrote his first song. In July 1957 he met John Lennon during their performances at a local church fête (festival). McCartney impressed Lennon with his mastery of guitar and singing in a variety of styles. He soon joined Lennon's band, The Quarrymen, and eventually became founding member of The Beatles, with the addition of George Harrison and Pete Best. After a few gigs in Hamburg, Germany, the band returned to Liverpool and played regular gigs at the Cavern during 1961.
In November 1961, they invited Brian Epstein to be their manager, making a written agreement in January 1962. At that time McCartney and Harrison were under 21, so the paper wasn't technically legal, albeit it did not matter to them. What mattered was their genuine trust in Epstein. He improved their image, secured them a record deal with EMI, and replaced drummer Best with Ringo Starr. With a little help from Brian Epstein and George Martin, The Beatles consolidated their talents and mutual stimulation into beautiful teamwork, launching the most successful career in the history of entertainment.
The Beatles contributed to music, film, literature, art, and fashion, made a continuous impact on entertainment, popular culture and the lifestyle of several generations. Music became their ticket to ride around the world. Beatlemania never really ended since its initiation; it became a movable feast in many hearts and minds, a sweet memory of youth, when all you need is love and a little help from a friend to be happy. Their songs and images carrying powerful ideas of love, peace, help, and imagination evoked creativity and liberation that outperformed the rusty Soviet propaganda and contributed to breaking walls in the minds of millions, thus making impact on human history.
All four members of The Beatles were charismatic and individually talented artists, they sparked each other from the beginning. Paul McCartney had the privilege of a better musical education, having studied classical piano and guitar in his childhood. He progressed as a lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, as well as a singer-songwriter. In addition to singing and songwriting, Paul McCartney played bass guitar, acoustic and electric guitars, piano and keyboards, as well as over 40 other musical instruments.
McCartney wrote more popular hits for the Beatles than other members of the band. His songs Yesterday, Let It Be, Hey Jude, Blackbird, All My Loving, Eleanor Rigby, Birthday, I Saw Her Standing There, I Will, Get Back, Carry That Weight, P.S. I Love You, Things We Said Today, "Hello, Goodbye," Two of Us, Why Don't We Do It in the Road?, Helter Skelter, Honey Pie, When I'm 64, Lady Madonna, She's a Woman, Maxwell's Silver Hammer, "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," Mother Nature's Son, Long And Winding Road, Rocky Raccoon, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Fool on the Hill, You Never Give Me Your Money, Your Mother Should Know, The End, Yellow Submarine, and many others are among the Beatles' best hits. Yesterday is considered the most covered song in history with over three thousand versions of it recorded by various artists across the universe.
Since he was a teenager, McCartney honored the agreement that was offered by John Lennon in 1957, about the 50/50 authorship of every song written by either one of them. However, both were teenagers, and technically, being under 21, their oral agreement had no legal power. Still, almost 200 songs by The Beatles are formally credited to both names, regardless of the fact that most of the songs were written individually. The songwriting partnership of John Lennon and Paul McCartney was really working until the mid-60s, when they collaborated in many of their early songs. Their jamming on a piano together led to creation of their first best-selling hit 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' in 1963.
In total, The Beatles created over 240 songs, they recorded many singles and albums, made several films and TV shows. Thousands of memorable pictures popularized their image. In their evolution from beginners to the leaders of entertainment, they learned from many world cultures, absorbed from various styles, and created their own. McCartney's own range of interests spanned from classical music and English folk ballads to Indian raga and other Oriental cultures, and later expanded into psychedelic experiments and classical-sounding compositions. His creative search has been covering a range of styles from jazz and rock to symphonies and choral music, and to cosmopolitan cross-cultural and cross-genre compositions.
Epstein's 1967 death hurt all four members of The Beatles, as they lost their creative manager. Evolution of each member's creativity and musicianship also led to individual career ambitions, however, their legacy as The Beatles remained the main driving force in their individual careers ever since. McCartney and The Beatles made impact on human history, because their influence has been liberating for generations of nowhere men living in misery beyond the Iron Curtain.
Something in their songs and images appealed to everybody who wanted to become free as a bird. Their songs carrying powerful ideas of real love, peace, help, imagination and freedom evoked creativity and contributed to breaking chains and walls in the minds of millions. The Beatles expressed themselves in beautiful and liberating words of love, happiness, freedom, and revolution, and carried those messages to people across the universe. Their songs and images helped many freedom-loving people to come together for revolutions in Prague and Warsaw, Beijing and Bucharest, Berlin and Moscow. The Beatles has been an inspiration for those who take the long and winding road to freedom.
McCartney was 28 when he started his solo career, and formed his new band, Wings. His first solo album, "McCartney," was a #1 hit and spawned the evergreen ballad "Maybe I'm Amazed", yet critical reaction was mixed. He continued to release music with Wings, that eventually became one of the most commercially successful groups of the 70s. "Band on the Run" won two Grammy Awards and remained the Wings' most lauded work. The 1977 release "Mull of Kintyre" stayed at #1 in the UK for nine weeks, and was highest selling single in the UK for seven years. In 1978 McCartney's theme "Rockestra" won him another Grammy Award. In 1979, together with Elvis Costello, he organized Concerts for the People of Kampuchea. In 1979, McCartney released his solo album "Wonderful Christmastime" which remained popular ever since.
In 1980 McCartney was arrested in Tokyo, Japan, for marijuana possession, and after a ten-day stint in jail, he was released to a media firestorm. He retreated into seclusion after the arrest, and was comforted by his wife Linda. Yet he had another traumatic experience when his ex-band-mate, John Lennon, was shot dead by a crazed fan near his home in New York City on December 8, 1980. McCartney did not play any live concerts for some time because he was nervous that he would be "the next" to be murdered.
After almost a year of absence from the music scene, McCartney returned in 1982 with the album "Tug of War," which was well received by public and enjoyed great critical acclaim. He continued a successful career as a solo artist, collaborated with wife Linda McCartney, and writers such as Elvis Costello. During the 80s, McCartney released such hits as 'No More Lonely Nights' and his first compilation, "All the Best." In 1989, he started his first concert tour since the John Lennon's murder.
In 1994, the three surviving members of The Beatles, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr, reunited and produced Lennon's previously unknown song "Free as a Bird." It was preserved by Yoko Ono on a tape recording made by Lennon in 1977. The song was re-arranged and re-mixed by George Martin at the Abbey Road Studios with the voices of three surviving members. The Beatles Anthology TV documentary series was watched by 420 million people in 1995.
During the 1990s McCartney concentrated on composing classical works for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society, such as "The Liverpool Oratorio" involving a choir and symphony, and "A Leaf" solo-piano project, both released in 1995. That same year he was working on a new pop album, "Flaming Pie," when his wife Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer, and caring for his wife during her illness meant only sporadic public appearances during that time. The album was released in 1997 to both critical and commercial success, debuting at #2 on both the UK and US pop charts. That same year he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II as Sir Paul McCartney for his services to music.
In April 1998, Linda McCartney, his beloved wife of almost 30 years, mother of their four children, and his steady partner in music, died of breast cancer. McCartney suffered from a severe depression and undergone medical treatment. He spent much of the next year away from the public eye, emerging only to campaign on behalf of his late wife for animal rights and vegetarian causes.
He eventually returned to the studio, releasing an album of rock n'roll covers in 1999. "Run Devil Run" made both Entertainment Weekly and USA Today's year-end top ten lists. McCartney also slowly returned to the public spotlight with the release of his another classical album, "Working Classical" in November 1999, in recording by the London Symphony Orchestra. His 2000 release "A Garland for Linda" was a choral tribute album, which raised funds to aid cancer survivors.
In 2000 he was invited by Heather Mills, a disabled ex-model, to her 32nd birthday. McCartney wrote songs dedicated to her, he and Mills developed a romantic relationship and became engaged in 2001. However, the year brought him a cascade of traumatic experiences. On September 11, 2001, Paul McCartney was sitting on a plane in New York when the World Trade Center tragedy occurred in front of his eyes, and he was able to witness the events from his seat. Yet there was another sadness, as his former band-mate George Harrison died of cancer in November, 2001.
Recuperating from the stressful year, McCartney received the 2002 Academy Award nomination for the title song to the movie Vanilla Sky (2001), and also went on his first concert tour in several years. In June, 2002, Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills married in a castle in Monaghan, Ireland. Their daughter, Beatrice Milly McCartney, was born in October 2003. Four years later, the high profile marriage ended in divorce, after a widely publicized litigation. "Whenever you're going through difficult times, I'm at the moment, it's really cool to be able to escape into music" says Paul McCartney.
In 2003 Paul McCartney rocked the Red Square in Moscow with his show "Back in USSR" which was attended by his former opponents from the former Soviet KGB, including the Russian president Vladimir Putin himself, who invited McCartney to be the guest of honor in the Kremlin. In 2004 Paul McCartney received a birthday present from the Russian president. In June 2004, he and Heather Mills-McCartney stayed as special guests at suburban Royal Palaces of Russian Tsars in St. Petersburg, Russia. There he staged a spectacular show near the Tsar's Winter Palace in St. Petersburg where the Communist Revolution took place, just imagine.
In 2005 the Entertainment magazine poll named The Beatles the most iconic entertainers of the 20th Century. In 2006, the guitar on which Paul McCartney played his first chords and impressed John Lennon, was sold at an auction for over $600,000.
On June 18, 2006, Paul McCartney celebrated his 64th birthday, as in his song "when I'm Sixty-Four." McCartney's celebrity status, made it a cultural milestone for a generation of those born in the baby-boom era who grew up with the music of The Beatles during the 1960s. The prophetic message in the song has been intertwined with McCartney's personal life and his career.
In 2007 McCartney left his longtime label, EMI, and signed with Los Angeles based Hear Music. He learned to play mandolin to create a refreshing feeling for his latest album "Memory Almost Full," then appeared in Apple Computer's commercial for iPod+iTunes to promote the album. In June 2007 McCartney appeared together with Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, Olivia Harrison and Guy Laliberté in a live broadcast from the "Revolution" Lounge at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
His 3-DVD set "The McCartney Years" with over 40 music videos and hours of Historic Live Performances was released in November 2007. His classical album "Ecco Cor Meum" (aka.. Behold My Heart), recorded with the Academy of St. Martin of the Fields and the boys of King's college Choir, was voted Classical Album of the Year in 2007. That same year, Paul McCartney began dating Nancy Shevell. The couple married in 2011, in London. Sir Paul's "On the Run Tour" once again took him flying across world from July through December 2011 giving sold out concerts in the USA, Canada, UK, United Arab Emirates, Italy, France, Germany, Sweden, Finland and Russia.
In July 2012, Paul McCartney rocked the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He delivered a live performance of The Beatles's timeless hit "Hey Jude" and engaged the crowd of people from all over the world to join his band in a sing along finale. The show was seen by a live audience of close to 80000 people at the Olympic Park Stadium in addition to an estimated TV audience of two billion people worldwide.
On the long and winding road of his life and career, Sir Paul McCartney has been a highly respected entertainer and internationally regarded public figure.Favourite Song : 'Live and Let Die' (with The Wings).- Actress
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Dido was born on 25 December 1971 in Kensington, London, England, UK. She is an actress and composer, known for 127 Hours (2010), Crossroads (2002) and Love Actually (2003). She has been married to Rohan Gavin since 2010. They have one child.Favourite Song : 'White Flag'.- Music Artist
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Born Ben Paul Ballance Drew, Drew was born into a world where he was bought up by music and film, inspiring his art now. Growing up in the Circle Estate, Forest Gate, he meet Ed Skerin at a youth club who introduced him into rap. He has since released three studio albums, various mix-tapes, acted in several films, and recently directed his debut film, ill manors. Despite all this, Drew says more than anything, he is a story teller.Favourite Songs : 'She Said' , 'Prayin'.- Actress
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Born in 1983, British singer Cheryl Cole studied dance, modeled and appeared in advertisements as a child. Her crowd-pleasing performances on Popstars: The Rivals (2002) won her membership to the pop group Girls Aloud and vaulted her into music stardom, virtually overnight. Cole has also enjoyed some success as a solo artist and appeared as a judge on The X Factor UK (2004).Born Cheryl Ann Tweedy in Newcastle upon Tyne, England on June 30, 1983. Cole showed an early interest in dance and was enrolled at The Royal Ballet's summer school at 9 years of age. She also won several modeling competitions and appeared in advertisements, including a pair of nationally televised commercials for British Gas. Cole's breakout moment, however, came in 2002 when, at age 19, she auditioned for the United Kingdom talent show Popstars: The Rivals (2002). After weeks of competition, the show's audience selected her along with four other female contestants: Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. Together they formed the group Girls Aloud, and Cole would spend the next seven years accumulating 20 Top 10 singles, including four songs and two albums that topped the U.K. charts. Cole began her solo trajectory in June 2008, when she signed on to be a judge on Simon Cowell's TV talent show, The X Factor UK (2004). She also released a single, "Cheryl Cole: Fight for This Love (2009)" which quickly rose to No. 1 on the charts. In December 2009, 5 million viewers tuned in to watch Cole host a one-hour special, Cheryl Cole's Night In (2009). Cole had signed on for the American version of The X Factor UK (2004).in 2011, but she was dropped from the show early on.Favourite Song : 'Parachute'.- Music Artist
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Has a twin brother called Rupert and an older sister, Emma. William's mother, Annabel, runs a market garden and lives with his father, Robin, a business man. He represented his school, Wellington College, in rugby, football, basketball, athletics, long jump and triple jump. William went to Exeter University at 19 and received a 2.2 in politics.
Apart from his musical career he has also appears in the BBC film Mrs Henderson Presents and during the early months of 2007 has been appearing as Nicky Lancaster in Noel Coward's The Vortex in Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre.Favourite Songs : 'Your Game' , 'Leave Right Now'.- Music Artist
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Leona Lewis was born on 3 April 1985 in Islington, London, England, UK. She is a music artist and actress, known for Avatar (2009), No Strings Attached (2011) and Sex and the City 2 (2010). She has been married to Dennis Jauch since 27 July 2019. They have one child.Favourite Song : 'Run'.- Music Department
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Natasha Bedingfield was born on 26 November 1981 in Haywards Heath, Sussex, England, UK. She is an actress and composer, known for Morning Glory (2010), From Russia with Love (2005) and What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012). She has been married to Matt Robinson since 21 March 2009. They have one child.Favourite Song : 'These Words'.- Music Artist
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Taio Cruz is a British song writer, producer and performer coming up to the international scene in early 2009. His first international hit, "Break Your Heart" has sold millions of copies worldwide. Other hits include, "Dynamite" and recently released hit "Higher" featuring Kylie Minogue is already topping charts worldwide. Taio Cruz also has his own brand of glasses, the rockstarr glasses and plans to branch out into more accessories in the future. He still resides in the UK, and travels to Los Angeles for projects for months at a time.Favourite Song : 'Break Your Heart'.- Actress
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Cher Lloyd (born on 28 July 1993) is an English singer, songwriter, and rapper who rose to international prominence with the success of her debut studio album 'Sticks and Stones.' The lead single of the album, 'Swagger Jagger,' not only debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, but also became highly popular in other parts of the world, thus heralding the entry of the young singer into the international music scene. Born in Malvern, Worcestershire, England, United Kingdom. As a little girl she travelled around Wales with her parents in a caravan.into a family with a deep love for music, it did not take Cher long to realize which field to follow. Even as a little girl she displayed an innate talent for performing in front of others and actively participated in school and neighbourhood functions. As a student she studied performance arts and also attended the theatre arts school Stagecoach. Taking forward her passion, she auditioned for the reality completion show The X Factor UK (2004) many times before finally clearing the auditions in 2010. Her stint in the show brought her to limelight. Even though she was eventually eliminated from the competition, she was successful in gaining a contract with Syco Music which helped her launch her singing career. In addition to her musical skills, the young singer is also known for sporting a variety of tattoos on different parts of her body.
She was born with an innate love for music and displayed a strong love for performing in front of others even as a child. She studied performing arts at Dyson Perrins High School and also attended the theatre arts school Stagecoach.Though she regularly performed at school functions and parties, she wanted to take it forward and perform in front of bigger audiences. Thus she decided to audition for the reality television music competition The X Factor UK (2004). She was rejected many times before finally clearing the audition in 2010 with a rendition of the Keri Hilson version of 'Turn My Swag On'.She performed brilliantly in the competition during the initial few weeks but was eventually eliminated in fourth place. However, by this time she had become very popular among the audience and also the judges, and managed to attract the attention of executives at Syco Music who signed her to a contract.
Cher Lloyd released her debut single, 'Swagger Jagger' in July 2011. The single peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart and number two in Ireland. It also debuted at number 79 on the Mega Top 100 in the Netherlands. Her second single, 'With Ur Love' and third single 'Want U Back' also performed exceedingly well.In November 2011, she released her debut album 'Sticks and Stones' which included all her previously released hit singles. The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number four and peaked at number seven in Ireland. It was ranked at number nine on the Billboard 200 in the United States. The album sold millions of copies worldwide within a few months of its release, thus establishing Cher as a rising musical star. Spurred by the resounding success of her debut album, she immediately started working on her next album. However, the release of her second album was considerably delayed due to certain unforeseen reasons. The album, aptly title 'Sorry I'm Late,' was released on 23 May 2014.While the album peaked at number 12 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and at number 21 on the UK Albums Chart, it could not match the charting success of its predecessor. However, it still went on to become a massive commercial success and even outsold its predecessor! In July 2016, Cher Lloyd released her single 'Activated,' which will also be featured on her upcoming third studio album. As of May 2017, she was busy working on her new album.Favourite Song : 'With Ur Love' (ft. Mike Posner).- Music Artist
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Olly Murs was born on 14 May 1984 in Witham, Essex, England, UK. He is a music artist and actor, known for Love, Rosie (2014), Johnny English Strikes Again (2018) and The X Factor UK (2004). He has been married to Amelia Tank since 15 July 2023.Favourite Song : 'Heart Skips A Beat' (ft. Rizzle Kicks).- Actress
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Alexandra Burke is truly one of the UK's most distinguishable powerhouse voices, having sold over 5 million records in the UK and with over 200 million streams. The 34-year-old versatile London-born singer has also become one of the UK's most sought-after West End leading ladies. Her most recent role was as The Narrator in The London Palladium production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. She will reprise her role as Deloris Van Cartier in Sister Act at London's Dominion Theatre in 2024.
Alexandra's three studio albums Overcome (2009), Heartbreak On Hold (2012) and The Truth Is (2018) have spawned smash hit singles across the last decade including #1 Bad Boys (Feat. Flo Rida), #4 All Night Long (Feat. Pitbull), #1 Start Without You (Feat. Laza Morgan), #3 Elephant (Feat. Erick Morillo) and #8 Broken Heels. Her debut single Hallelujah was a million-selling chart-topper, a first for a British female soloist, and was the best-selling single of 2008.
Alexandra made her theatre debut in 2014 as Rachel Marron in the highly acclaimed musical, The Bodyguard before stepping into the lead role of Deloris van Cartier in Sister Act in 2016. It was a double-whammy in 2018 as Alexandra starred in Chess at the London Coliseum, followed by Roxie Hart in the West End production of Chicago. In 2019, Alexandra reprised her role as Rachel Marron in the worldwide touring production of The Bodyguard, concluding in Japan.
Alexandra first rose to fame fourteen years ago, winning the fifth series of The X Factor in 2008 while duetting with her idol Beyonce to an audience of over 10 million. This iconic performance has been viewed over 40 million times on YouTube. Debut album Overcome, featured three #1 singles, spent a year on the UK Album chart and earned three BRIT Award nominations. To celebrate one million copies sold worldwide, the album was released on gatefold double white vinyl for the first time on 18th November 2022.
In 2018, in the wake of her beloved mothers passing, Alexandra setup the The Melissa Bell Foundation in her mother's honour. The charity helps disadvantage children gain access to music, dance and drama classes at the world-renowned Sylvia Young Theatre School in London. Alexandra is proudly an official ambassador for Smart Works, The Commonwealth, Breast Cancer Care, WellChild, Diabetes UK and Notting Hill Carnival.
A firm favourite across both stage and screen, Alexandra reached the final of BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing in 2017. Last year she took part in The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer 2021 where she was crowned 'Star Baker'. Most recently Alexandra was the only woman left standing on Channel 4's SAS: Who Dares Wins, winning the show.
Alexandra is writing and recording her eagerly awaited fourth studio album while her debut movie Pretty Red Dress, playing the role of Candice May, will be released by BFI/BBC film on June 16th 2023 following a UK premier at London Film Festival.Favourite Song : 'Hallelujah'.- Music Artist
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Paolo Nutini was born on 9 January 1987 in Paisley, Scotland, UK. He is a music artist and composer, known for Alien: Covenant (2017), P.S. I Love You (2007) and Morning Glory (2010).Favourite Song : 'Pencil Full Of Lead'.- Actress
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Emma Lee Bunton was born on the 21st January 1976 in Finchley, North London to parents Pauline, a karate instructor, and Trevor, a milkman. They split up when Emma was 11, and she stayed with her mum. She also has a younger brother, P.J. (Paul) who she is very close to. Emma's career began at an early age when she started doing modeling work for such things as Mothercare, Mentadent P toothpaste and Polly Pocket. She attended the famous Sylvia Young Drama School in London, during which time she auditioned for several TV parts including that of "Bianca" in EastEnders (1985), but none of them really panned out. She can be seen briefly in both EastEnders (1985) and The Bill (1984), but only in minor parts. It wasn't long after she left Sylvia Young's that she joined the Spice Girls (after the original 5th Spice Girl, Michelle Stephenson, left). 2 albums, 8 No. 1 singles and a film later and the Spice Girls are still going strong. Emma is due to appear in the BBC musical drama Sleeping Beauty (1987), which is filming at the moment and will be out by the end of the year. The Spice Girls' 3rd album, "Forever", was released in November 2000 and reached the #2 spot on the UK charts. It also features the Spice Girls' 9th #1 single, "Holler/Let Love Lead The Way". Since then, the Spice Girls haven't worked together again. In April 2001, Emma released her first solo album, "A Girl Like Me", which featured her 1999 cover of Edie Brickell's "What I Am" and Emma's own #1 hit "What Took You So Long". In 2003, Emma released her second solo album, "Free Me", which includes her four hits "Free Me", "Maybe", "I'll Be There" and "Crickets Sing For Anamaria". Her promo tour lead her to the US in early 2005, where a remix of "Free Me" was a popular club track.Favourite Song : 'Maybe'.- Actor
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Matt Willis was born on 8 May 1983 in Kingston upon Thames, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007), Stormbreaker (2006) and Thunderbirds (2004). He has been married to Emma Willis since 5 July 2008. They have three children.Favourite Song : 'Up All Night'.- Music Artist
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George Michael was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou in Finchley, north London, in the United Kingdom, to Lesley Angold (Harrison), a dancer, and Kyriacos Panayiotou, a restaurateur. His father was a Greek Cypriot, and his mother was of English background. He first discovered fame as a musician when he and school friend, Andrew Ridgeley, formed the pop group Wham!. Success came fast and furious with their first album, 'Fantastic' (1983) hitting the UK number one spot. Wham! survived for five years and during that time the group notched up four number one singles and two number one albums. Most of their other releases made top three. George also contributed to the Band Aid Single 'Do They Know It's Christmas' (1984), and scored two further solo number one hits with 'Careless Whisper' and 'A Different Corner'.
Following the break-up of Wham!, George went on to have a hugely successful career as a solo artist, his debut album 'Faith' (1987) - and the single of the same name - both achieving instant and international success. The album has since been certified Diamond.
Over the last four decades George has notched up 8 number one albums in the and 13 number one singles in the UK (including Wham!, Band Aid, and the 'Five Live' EP). In the U.S. he has achieved 2 number one albums and 10 number one singles, with numerous other number one hits throughout the rest of the world.
He has performed duets with artists including Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Queen, and Lisa Stansfield, and actively participates in charitable causes, Live Aid and the Freddie Mercury concert for AIDS being just two of the more prominent examples. According to a BBC documentary, George donated more than five million pounds towards various charities. Whilst with Wham!, he donated all the proceeds of 'Last Christmas' (1984) to charity. The single reached number two in the UK and George also performed simultaneously on the number one charity record 'Do They Know It's Christmas?'.
George released the single 'December Song' in 2008 as a free download: his hope was that purchasers would donate money to charity.
He remained in contact with his Wham! partner and long-time friend Andrew Ridgeley until his death in 2016.Favourite Songs : 'Fastlove' , 'Too Funky' , 'Spinning The Wheel'.- Actress
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Billie Piper studied at the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School. She caught the eyes of record producers who were interested in signing a young vocalist when she was the poster girl for the ad campaign of a British pop music magazine, "Smash Hits". She released her first single, "Because We Want To", which debuted at #1 at age 15. Her second single, "Girlfriend", was also a #1 hit. By the time she turned 16, Billie had released 4 singles that all made the top three on the charts. She has been labeled the "Pop Princess" of England, UK.Favourite Song : 'Honey To The Bee'.- Music Artist
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David Bowie was one of the most influential and prolific writers and performers of popular music, but he was much more than that; he was also an accomplished actor, a mime and an intellectual, as well as an art lover whose appreciation and knowledge of it had led to him amassing one of the biggest collections of 20th century art.
Born David Jones, he changed his name to Bowie in the 1960s, to avoid confusion with the then well-known Davy Jones (lead singer of The Monkees). The 1960s were not a happy period for Bowie, who remained a struggling artist, awaiting his breakthrough. He dabbled in many different styles of music (without commercial success), and other art forms such as acting, mime, painting, and play-writing. He finally achieved his commercial breakthrough in 1969 with the song "Space Oddity", which was released at the time of the moon landing. Despite the fact that the literal meaning of the lyrics relates to an astronaut who is lost in space, this song was used by the BBC in their coverage of the moon landing, and this helped it become such a success. The album, which followed "Space Oddity", and the two, which followed (one of which included the song "The Man Who Sold The World", covered by Lulu and Nirvana) failed to produce another hit single, and Bowie's career appeared to be in decline.
However, he made the first of many successful "comebacks" in 1972 with "Ziggy Stardust", a concept album about a space-age rock star. This album was followed by others in a similar vein, rock albums built around a central character and concerned with futuristic themes of Armageddon, gender dysfunction/confusion, as well as more contemporary themes such as the destructiveness of success and fame, and the dangers inherent in star worship. In the mid-1970s, Bowie was a heavy cocaine abuser and sometime heroin user.
In 1975, he changed tack. Musically, he released "Young Americans", a soul (or plastic soul as he later referred to it) album. This produced his first number one hit in the US, "Fame". He also appeared in his first major film, The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976). With a permanently-dilated pupil and skeletal frame, he certainly looked the part of an alien. The following year, he released "Station to Station," containing some of the material he had written for the soundtrack to this film (which was not used). As his drug problem heightened, his behavior became more erratic. Reports of his insanity started to appear, and he continued to waste away physically. He fled back to Europe, finally settling in Berlin, where he changed musical direction again and recorded three of the most influential albums of all time, an electronic trilogy with Brian Eno "Low, Heroes and Lodger". Towards the end of the 1970s, he finally kicked his drug habit, and recorded the album many of his fans consider his best, the Japanese-influenced "Scary Monsters". Around this time, he appeared in the title role of the Broadway drama The Elephant Man, and to considerable acclaim.
The next few years saw something of a drop-off in his musical output as his acting career flourished, culminating in his acclaimed performance in Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983). In 1983, he released "Let's Dance," an album which proved an unexpected massive commercial success, and produced his second #1 hit single in the United States. According to producer Nile Rodgers, the album was made in just 17 days and was "the easiest album" he'd ever made in his life. The tour which followed, "Serious Moonlight", was his most successful ever. Faced with this success on a massive scale, Bowie apparently attempted to "repeat the formula" in the next two albums, with less success (and to critical scorn). Finally, in the late 1980s, he turned his back on commercial success and his solo career, forming the hard rock band, Tin Machine, who had a deliberate limited appeal. By now, his acting career was in decline. After the comparative failure of Labyrinth (1986), the movie industry appears to have decided that Bowie was not a sufficient name to be a lead actor in a major movie, and since that date, most of his roles have been cameos or glorified cameos. Tin Machine toured extensively and released two albums, with little critical or commercial success.
In 1992, Bowie again changed direction and re-launched his solo career with "Black Tie White Noise", a wedding album inspired by his recent marriage to Iman. He released three albums to considerable critical acclaim and reasonable commercial success. In 1995, he renewed his working relationship with Brian Eno to record "Outside." After an initial hostile reaction from the critics, this album has now taken its place with his classic albums. In 2003, Bowie released an album entitled 'Reality.' The Reality Tour began in November 2003 and, after great commercial success, was extended into July 2004. In June 2004, Bowie suffered a heart attack and the tour did not finish its scheduled run.
After recovering, Bowie gave what turned out to be his final live performance in a three-song set with Alicia Keys at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York in November 2006. He also returned to acting. He played Tesla in The Prestige (2006) and had a small cameo in the comedy David Bowie (2006) for fan Ricky Gervais. In 2007, he did a cartoon voice in SpongeBob SquarePants (1999) playing Lord Royal Highness. He had a brief cameo in the movie ''Bandslam'' released in 2009; after a ten year hiatus from recording, he released a new album called 'The Next Day', featuring a homage cover to his earlier work ''Heroes''. The music video of ''Stars are Out Tonight'' premiered on 25 February 2013. It consists of other songs like ''Where Are We Now?", "Valentine's Day", "Love is Lost", "The Next Day", etc.
In 2014, Bowie won British Male Solo Artist at the 2014 Brit Awards, 30 years since last winning it, and became the oldest ever Brit winner. Bowie wrote and recorded the opening title song to the television miniseries The Last Panthers (2015), which aired in November 2015. The theme used for The Last Panthers (2015) was also the title track for his January 2016 release, ''Blackstar" (released on 8 January 2016, Bowie's 69th birthday) was met with critical acclaim. Following Bowie's death two days later, on 10 January 2016, producer Tony Visconti revealed Bowie had planned the album to be his swan song, and a "parting gift" for his fans before his death. An EP, No Plan, was released on 8 January 2017, which would have been Bowie's 70th birthday. The day following his death, online viewing of Bowie's music skyrocketed, breaking the record for Vevo's most viewed artist in a single day.
On 15 January, "Blackstar" debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart; nineteen of his albums were in the UK Top 100 Albums Chart, and thirteen singles were in the UK Top 100 Singles Chart. The song also debuted at #1 on album charts around the world, including Australia, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and the US Billboard 200. At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, Bowie won all five nominated awards: Best Rock Performance; Best Alternative Music Album; Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical; Best Recording Package; and Best Rock Song. The wins marked Bowie's first ever in musical categories. David Bowie influenced the course of popular music several times and had an effect on several generations of musicians.Favourite Songs : 'Life On Mars' , 'Changes' , 'Space Oddity' , ‘Starman’.- Actress
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Geraldine Estelle Horner (née Halliwell; born 6 August 1972) is an English singer, songwriter, author and actress. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls. With over 100 million records sold worldwide, the Spice Girls are the best-selling female group of all time. Their slogan "girl power" was most closely associated with Halliwell,and her Union Jack dress from the 1997 Brit Awards also became an enduring symbol.Halliwell left the Spice Girls in 1998, citing exhaustion and creative differences, but rejoined when they reunited in 2007.Favourite Song : 'Mi Chico Latino'.- Actress
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Shaznay Lewis was born on 14 October 1975 in Islington, London, England, UK. She is an actress and composer, known for Bend It Like Beckham (2002), The Beach (2000) and The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002). She has been married to Christian Storm since 21 August 2004. They have two children.Favourite Song : 'Never Felt Like This Before'.- Actor
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Adam Ant is best known as a Singer/Song Writer. He led Adam and the Ants in the late 1970s and on into the early 1980s, having an immense impact upon, not just music but also; art, dance, fashion and the music video medium. In 1982 he began a solo career with hits like "Goody Two Shoes." He later took time away from music, to concentrate on Acting, before retiring from public life to raise his daughter. In 2006 he published his autobiography; "Stand and Deliver" and he later began touring again. In 2013 he released his first album in eighteen years: "Adam Ant Is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner's Daughter", to much acclaim. He continues to tour worldwide, selling out venues.Favourite Song : 'Goody Two Shoes'.- Music Artist
- Actress
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Emeli Sandé was born on 10 March 1987 in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England, UK. She is a music artist and actress, known for Trance (2013), The Great Gatsby (2013) and BBC Music: God Only Knows (2014). She was previously married to Adam Gouraguine.Favourite Songs : 'Beneath Your Beautiful' (with Labrinth) , 'Read All About It, Pt. III'.- Actor
- Composer
- Writer
Rick Astley was born on 6 February 1966 in Warrington, Cheshire, England, UK. He is an actor and composer, known for Bumblebee (2018), The Happytime Murders (2018) and The Lego Batman Movie (2017). He has been married to Lene Bausager since 2013. They have one child.Favourite Songs : 'Never Gonna Give You Up' , 'Never Gonna Stop'.- Actress
- Composer
- Producer
Born on May 29, 1975 in Leeds, England, Melanie Brown became a member of Spice Girls in 1994. Their three albums sold more than 40 million copies worldwide and they had nine singles at number 1 in the UK.
"Hot" was her first solo album, released on 9th October 2000. It entered the UK charts at #28. Despite producing 2 Top 5 singles (3, if you include the hit "I Want You Back"), the album only ever re-entered the chart once after dropping out of the Top 100 - peaking at #95 when "Feels So Good" was being promoted in February 2001. To date, the album has sold about 50,000 copies in the UK. The album sold 8,000 copies in its first week.
After she parted with Virgin Records, she started a new successful career as TV presenter and actress. In 2001, her own show This Is My Moment (2000) was a great success and, after the second series, she made a documentary about Africans voodoos.
In 2002, she was one of the protagonists of the BBC3's sit-com Burn It (2003) and made her theater debut with "The Vagina Monologues" in London.
She has a lead role in two upcoming movies: the horror LD 50 Lethal Dose (2003) and the comedy The Seat Filler (2004) (with Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child).
From April to September 2004, she played the role of "Mimi" in the famous musical "Rent" on Broadway.
In 2005, Melanie released her second solo album, "L.A. State Of Mind", featuring the single "Today". Both the single and the album flopped...Favourite Song : 'I Want You Back' (ft. Missy Elliott).- Music Artist
- Actor
- Producer
A master musician, a film producer and actor, best known as the lead guitarist and occasionally lead vocalist of The Beatles, George Harrison was born February 25, 1943, in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. He was also the youngest of four children, born to Harold Harrison and Louise Harrison.
Like his future band mates, Harrison was not born into wealth. Louise was largely a stay-at-home mom while her husband Harold drove a school bus for the Liverpool Institute, an acclaimed grammar school that George attended and where he first met a young classmate, Paul McCartney. By his own admission, Harrison was not much of a student and what little interest he did have for his studies washed away with his discovery of the electric guitar and American rock-'n'-roll.
There were a lot of harmonies in the Harrison household. He had a knack of sorts for it by age 12 or 13, while riding a bike around his neighborhood and hearing Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel", playing from a nearby house. By the age of 14 George--who was a fan of such legends as , Harrison, who grew up in the likes of listening to such rock legends Carl Perkins, Little Richard and Buddy Holly--had purchased his first guitar and taught himself a few chords.
McCartney', who had recently joined up with another Liverpool teenager, John Lennon, in a skiffle group known as The Quarrymen, invited Harrison to see the band perform. Harrison and Lennon had a few things in common, such as the fact that they both attended Dovedale Primary School but didn't know each other. Their paths finally crossed in early 1958. McCartney had been egging the 17-year-old Lennon to allow the 14-year-old Harrison to join the band, but Lennon was reluctant; as legend has it, after seeing McCartney and Lennon perform, George was granted an audition on the upper deck of a bus, where he wowed Lennon with his rendition of popular American rock riffs.
The 17-year-old Harrison's music career was in full swing by 1960. Lennon had renamed the band The Beatles and the young group began cutting its rock teeth in the small clubs and bars around Liverpool and Hamburg, Germany. Within two years, the group had a new drummer, Ringo Starr, and a manager, Brian Epstein, a young record store owner who eventually landed the group a record contract with EMI's Parlophone label.
Before the end of 1962, Harrison and The Beatles recorded a song, "Love Me Do", that landed in the UK Top 20 charts. Early that following year, another hit, "Please Please Me," was released, followed by an album by the same name. "Beatlemania" was in full swing across England, and by early 1964, with the release of their album in the US and an American tour, it had swept across the States as well.
Largely referred to as the "Quiet Beatle" Harrison took a back seat to McCartney, Lennon and, to a certain extent, Starr. Still, he could be quick-witted, even edgy. During the middle of one American tour, the group members were asked how they slept at night with long hair.
From the get-go, Lennon-McCartney were primary lead vocalists. While the two spent most of the time writing their own songs, Harrison had shown an early interest in creating his own work. In the summer of 1963 he spearheaded his first song, "Don't Bother Me," which made its way on to the group's second album. From there on out, Harrison's songs were a staple of all Beatle records. In fact, some of the group's more memorable songs--e.g., "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "Something," which was the only Beatle song ever recorded by Frank Sinatra--were penned by Harrison.
However, his influence on the group and pop music in general extended beyond just singles. In 1965, while on the set of The Beatles' second film, Help! (1965), Harrison took an interest in some of the Eastern instruments and their musical arrangements that were being used in the film. He soon developed a deep interest in Indian music. He taught himself the sitar, introducing the instrument to many western ears on Lennon's song, "Norwegian Wood"" He soon cultivated a close relationship with renowned sitar player Ravi Shankar. Other groups, including The Rolling Stones, began incorporating the sitar into some of their work. It could be argued that Harrison's experimentation with different kinds of instrumentation helped pave the way for such ground-breaking Beatle albums as "Revolver" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".
Harrison's interest in Indian music soon extended into a yearning to learn more about eastern spiritual practices. In 1968 he led The Beatles on a journey to northern India to study transcendental meditation under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
Having grown spiritually and musically since the group first started, Harrison, who wanted to include more of his material on Beatle records, was clearly uneasy with the McCartney-Lennon dominance of the group. During the "Let It Be" recording sessions in 1969, Harrison walked out, staying away for several weeks before he was coaxed to come back with the promise that the band would use more of his songs on its records.
However, tensions in the group were clearly high. Lennon and McCartney had ceased writing together years before, and they, too, were feeling the need to go in a different direction. In January of 1970 the group recorded Harrison's "I Me Mine." It was the last song the four would ever record together. Three months later, McCartney announced he was leaving the band and The Beatles were officially over.
After the breakup of The Beatles, Harrison pursued a solo career. He immediately assembled a studio band consisting of ex-Beatle Starr, guitar legend Eric Clapton, keyboardist Billy Preston and others to record all the songs that had never made it on to The Beatles catalog. The result was a three-disc album, "All Things Must Pass". While one of its signature songs, "My Sweet Lord," was later deemed too similar in style to The Chiffons' 1963 hit "He's So Fine," forcing the guitarist to cough up nearly $600,000, the album as a whole remains Harrison's most acclaimed record.
Not long after the album's release, Harrison combined his charitable work and his continued passion for the east when he put together a series of ground-breaking benefit concerts at New York City's Madison Square Garden to raise money for refugees in Bangladesh. Known as the "Concert for Bangladesh", the shows, which featured Bob Dylan, Leon Russell, and Ravi Shankar, would go on to raise some $15 million for UNICEF, produced a Grammy-winning album, a successful documentary film (The Concert for Bangladesh (1972)) and laid the groundwork for future benefit shows like "Live Aid" and "Farm Aid".
Not everything about post-Beatle life went smoothly for Harrison, though. In 1974, his marriage to Pattie Boyd, whom he'd married eight years before, ended when she left him for Eric Clapton. His studio work struggled, too, from 1973-77, starting with, "Living in the Material World", "Extra Texture," and "33 1/3," all of which failed to meet sales expectations.
Following the release of that last album, Harrison took a short break from music, winding down his own label, Dark Horse Records--which he had started in 1974, and which had released albums by a number of other bands--and started his own film production company, Handmade Films. The company produced the successful Monty Python film Life of Brian (1979) and would go on to make 26 other films before Harrison sold his interest in the company in 1994.
In 1979, he returned to the studio to release his self-titled album. It was followed two years later by, "Somewhere in England," which was still being worked on at the time of John Lennon's assassination in December of 1980. The record eventually included the Lennon tribute track, "All Those Years Ago," a song that reunited ex-Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with ex-Wings members Denny Laine and Linda McCartney. While the song was a hit, the album, its predecessor and its successor, "Gone Troppo," weren't. For Harrison the lack of commercial appeal and the constant battles with music executives proved draining and prompted another studio hiatus.
A comeback of sorts came in November 1987, however, with the release of the album "Cloud Nine," produced by Jeff Lynne (of Electric Light Orchestra). The album turned out several top-charting hits, including "Got My Mind Set On You"-- remake of the 1962 song by Rudy Clark--and "When We Was Fab," a song that reflected on the life of Beatlemania, with Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, who was dressed up as a walrus, but was a camera shy, in February 1988. Later that year Harrison formed The Traveling Wilburys. The group consisted of Harrison, Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and Bob Dylan, and spawned two successful albums. Buoyed by the group's commercial success, Harrison took to the road with his new bandmates in 1992, embarking on his first international tour in 18 years.
Not long afterwards he was reunited with McCartney and Starr for the creation of an exhaustive three-part release of a Beatles anthology--which featured alternative takes, rare tracks and a John Lennon demo called "Free as a Bird," that the three surviving Beatles completed in the studio. The song went on to become the group's 34th Top 10 single. After that, however, Harrison largely became a homebody, keeping himself busy with gardening and his cars at his expansive and restored home in Henley-on-Thames in south Oxfordshire, England.
Still, the ensuing years were not completely stress-free. In 1997, Harrison, a longtime smoker, was successfully treated for throat cancer. Eighteen months later, his life was again put on the line when a deranged 33-year-old Beatles fan somehow managed to circumvent Harrison's intricate security system and broke into his home, attacking the musician and his wife Olivia with a knife. Harrison was treated for a collapsed lung and minor stab wounds. Olivia suffered several cuts and bruises.
In May 2001, Harrison's cancer returned. There was lung surgery, but doctors soon discovered the cancer had spread to his brain. That autumn, he traveled to the US for treatment and was eventually hospitalized at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA. He died November 29, 2001, at ex-bandmate McCartney's house in Los Angeles, at aged 58, with his wife and son at his side.
Just one year after his death, Harrison's final studio album, "Brainwashed," was released. It was produced by Lynne, Harrison's son Dhani Harrison and Harrison himself, and featured a collection of songs he'd been working at the time of his death. Dhani finished putting the album together and it was released in November of 2002.Favourite Songs : 'Got My Mind Set On You' , 'My Sweet Lord'.- Music Department
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Shirley Bassey was born in Tiger Bay, Cardiff, Wales, and raised in the nearby working class neighborhood of Splott. Her mother was originally from Yorkshire, and her father was a Nigerian seaman who left the family when she was less than two. She later helped to support her family by working in an Enamelware factory. She made her professional debut at 16 appearing in a touring revue "Memories of Al Jolson". Her first major hit was "The Banana Boat Song," and she later sang "Goldfinger" in the James Bond movie Goldfinger (1964). Her younger daughter died of drowning in 1985. She currently lives in Monte Carlo.Favourite Songs : 'Goldfinger' , 'History Repeating' (with Propellerheads).- Actor
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James Blunt is an English singer-songwriter, and record producer. Blunt rose to fame in 2004 with the release of his debut album "Back to Bedlam", achieving worldwide fame with the singles "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover". The album has sold over 11 million copies worldwide, topping the UK Albums Chart and peaking at number two in the US. "You're Beautiful" was number one in the UK, the US and a dozen other countries. Back to Bedlam was the best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK, and is one of the best-selling albums in UK chart history. Blunt has sold over 20 million records worldwide. He has received several awards, including two Brit Awards - winning Best British Male in 2006 - two MTV Video Music Awards and two Ivor Novello Awards, as well as receiving five Grammy Award nominations.
He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate for Music in 2016 by University of Bristol. A keen skier, Blunt captained the Household Cavalry alpine ski team in Verbier, Switzerland, becoming the Royal Armoured Corps giant slalom champion in 2000. He left the army on 1 October 2002 having served six years.Favourite Song : 'Goodbye My Lover'.- Actress
- Composer
- Writer
KT Tunstall enchants audiences and engages with every song, and that's why she continues to resonate not only among fans but throughout pop culture at large. Scotland born and now Los Angeles based, KT Tunstall emerged with her 2004 classic debut Eye to the Telescope, spawning such international hits as "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" and "Suddenly I See," which won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song in 2006. That same year she won her first Brit Award for Best British Female Artist and earned Grammy and Mercury Prize nominations in 2007. KT has released five studio albums internationally, to date: Eye to the Telescope (2004), KT Tunstall's Acoustic Extravaganza (2006), Drastic Fantastic (2007), Tiger Suit (2010), and Invisible Empire // Crescent Moon (2013). In 2016, KT returned with her vibrant album KIN. Reviewed as a "power-pop gem" by Rolling Stone, this record is KT's full-blooded follow-up to her multi-platinum debut album. Throughout her career, her music has figured prominently in film and television, including in The Devil Wears Prada, Grey's Anatomy, Winter's Tale, and many more.Favourite Song : 'Suddenly I See'.- Music Artist
- Actor
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Boy George was born on 14 June 1961 in Eltham, Kent, England, UK. He is a music artist and actor, known for The Crying Game (1992), The Day After Tomorrow (2004) and The Bad Batch (2016).Favourite Song : 'The Crying Game'- Music Artist
- Actress
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Kate Bush began playing piano at a young age and, by her mid-teens, had composed over 200 songs. Her talent caught the notice of David Gilmour (of Pink Floyd) who assisted in arranging her contract with EMI. The first song she released, "Wuthering Heights", soared to #1 in England in 1978. Since then, Kate has achieved a notable career as a singer and musician. Kate began producing her own albums and videos early on. Her growing interest in film was highly evident in the 1985 video for her song, "Cloudbusting", which starred Donald Sutherland, which is a mini-film in itself. Another 1985 video, "Hounds of Love", is a tribute to Alfred Hitchcock. Following the release of her 1993 album, "The Red Shoes", influenced by filmmaker Michael Powell, Kate produced the short film, The Line, the Cross & the Curve (1993), using five songs from the album as a basis for the film in a mysterious, mythical retelling of the tale of "The Red Shoes".Favourite Songs : 'Wuthering Heights' , 'Running Up That Hill'.- Actor
- Music Department
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Tony Christie, whose real name is Anthony Fitzgerald, was born on April 25th, 1943 in Conisbrough. In 1969 he signed to MCA Records and released a number of hits including "Do You Know The Way To Amarillo?", "Las Vegas" and perhaps most famously "I Did What I Did For Maria" as well as the theme tune to the TV series The Protectors (1972), "Avenues and Alleyways".
Although his popularity in the UK waned in the 80s, Tony continued to have hits in Germany. His UK comeback was secured by the Top 10 single "Walk Like A Panther", released in 1999 under the name "All Seeing Eye" and written by none other than Jarvis Cocker. His comeback continued in 2005 when a charity re-release of "Do You Know The Way To Amarillo?" in aid of Comic Relief hit number 1 in the UK charts.Favourite Song : 'Avenues and Alleyways'.- Actress
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Duffy was born on 23 June 1984 in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales, UK. She is an actress and composer, known for The Boat That Rocked (2009), Legend (2015) and Filth (2013).Favourite Song : 'Mercy'.- Music Artist
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Dylan Kwabena Mills MBE (born 18 September 1984), better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a British MC and rapper. A pioneer of grime music, his work has also incorporated elements of UK garage, bass line, British hip hop, and R&B.
Dizzee Rascal released his debut album Boy in DA Corner in 2003. It earned him the 2003 Mercury Prize, and has since been considered a grime classic. Follow-up albums Showtime, Maths + English, and Tongue n' Cheek were critically praised and certified platinum, with Tongue n' Cheek going platinum for sales exceeding 300,000 units in the United Kingdom. He has achieved the number-one singles "Dance with Me", "Bonkers", "Holiday", "Dirtee Disco" and "Shout".Favourite Song : 'You Got the Dirtee Love ?' (with Florence and the Machine).- Actress
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Kiki Dee was born on 6 March 1947 in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Summer of Sam (1999), The Lion King (1994) and A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006).Favourite Song : 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' (with Elton John).- Music Artist
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Tinie Tempah was born on 7 November 1988 in Plumstead, London, England, UK. He is a music artist and actor, known for Arthur (2011), I Give It a Year (2013) and Step Up All In (2014).Favourite Song : 'Earthquake' (with Labrinth).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Nicola Roberts was born on 5 October 1985 in Stanford, England, UK. She is an actress, known for St. Trinian's (2007), The Loneliest Boy in the World (2022) and Sugababes vs. Girls Aloud: Walk This Way (2007).Favourite Song : 'Sticks + Stones'.- Music Artist
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Craig David was born on 5 May 1981 in Southampton, Hampshire, England, UK. He is a music artist and actor, known for About Time (2013), Osmosis Jones (2001) and Bridget Jones's Diary (2001).Favourite Songs : 'Walking Away' , 'I Know You' (ft. Bastille).- Actress
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Diana Vickers was born on 30 July 1991 in Lancashire, England, UK. She is an actress and writer, known for The Inbetweeners (2011), Awaiting (2015) and Give Out Girls (2013).Favourite Song : 'My Wicked Heart'.- Actor
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His initials being E.G., English MC/vocalist Elliot Gleave performed under the name Example. Gleave got his feet wet as an MC while attending Royal Holloway, where he met Joseph Gardner (aka Rusher) and recorded a concept album in the audio booth of the university's film department. "A Pointless Song," one of the tracks recorded there, became Example's first release, a 2004 single on his All the Chats label. A handful of successive 12" singles, as well as an answer song to Lily Allen's "Smile" -- "Vile," issued on the Beats, the label run by the Streets' Mike Skinner -- gained the attention of several BBC DJs. What We Made, Example's debut album, followed on the Beats in 2007 but failed to make much of a commercial impact. A deal with Ministry of Sound's Data label and an overt focus on reaching the clubs, however, fostered chart success. Released in 2009, "Watch the Sun Come Up," produced by the Fearless, peaked in the Top 20 of the U.K. pop chart, while both "Won't Go Quietly" (also produced by the Fearless) and "Kickstarts" (Sub Focus) reached the Top Ten and topped the dance chart.
The full-length Won't Go Quietly was released in June 2010 and featured the pre-album hits, as well as productions from MJ Cole, Calvin Harris, Chase & Status, and Björn Yttling (of Peter Bjorn and John). Featuring the hits "Stay Awake" and "Changed the Way You Kissed Me," his 2011 effort, Playing in the Shadows, debuted at number one on the U.K. album charts. Calvin Harris, Benga, and Dada Life were some of the producers whose work was found on his 2012 effort, The Evolution of Man. In 2013 the career-spanning #hits ended the artist's relationship with Ministry of Sound, as he had signed with the Epic Records label. He then started work on his fifth album with producers Critikal, Stuart Price, and Fraser T. Smith in L.A. Titled Live Life Living, the record was released in 2014. Example then took a break from recording and touring for the next three years to focus on family life. He returned in 2018 with his sixth LP, Bangers & Ballads.Favourite Song : 'Kickstarts'.- Music Artist
- Music Department
- Actress
Estelle was born on 18 January 1980 in Hammersmith, London, England, UK. She is a music artist and actress, known for Steven Universe (2013), Obsessed (2009) and Ride Along (2014).Favourite Song : 'American Boy' (ft. Kanye West).- Music Artist
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- Actor
Fatboy Slim was born on 31 July 1963 in Bromley, Kent, England, UK. He is a music artist and composer, known for The Take (2016), Moulin Rouge! (2001) and Lost in Space (1998). He has been married to Zoë Ball since 20 August 1999. They have two children. He was previously married to Philippa Watson.Favourite Songs : 'Praise You' , 'Demons' (with Macy Gray).- Music Artist
- Actress
- Composer
Sophie Ellis-Bextor was born on 10 April 1979 in London, England, UK. She is a music artist and actress, known for Osmosis Jones (2001), Life's Too Short (2011) and Sophie Ellis-Bextor: Murder on the Dance Floor (2001). She has been married to Richard Jones since 25 June 2005. They have five children.Favourite Song : 'Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)' - (with Spiller).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Gareth Gates was born on 12 July 1984 in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for S Club Seeing Double (2003), Coronation Street (1960) and Vincent and Doug's Music Maestro (2004). He was previously married to Faye Brookes and Suzanne Mole.Favourite Song : 'Anyone of Us (Stupid Mistake)'.- Actress
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- Writer
In the Guinness Book of Records for the highest UK chart entry for a female debut act, Gabrielle took the charts by storm with 'Dreams'. Her debut album "Find Your Way" sold over a million copies worldwide, and has been followed by the albums "Gabrielle" and "Rise", the latter appropriately titled as a comeback album for Gabrielle (following personal turmoil regarding the widely publicised conviction of her husband).
"Rise" was an album full of songs of optimism and hope for the future, and remains her finest work to date. Born in London's East End to a single mother, Gabrielle is known for her trademark sequinned eye patch, the result of a lazy eyelid. Recently she has ditched the patches for funky sunglasses.Favourite Songs : 'Should I Stay' , ‘Give Me A Little More Time’.- Music Artist
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Calvin Harris was born on 17 January 1984 in Dumfries, Scotland, UK. He is a music artist and composer, known for The Do-Over (2016), Shazam! (2019) and The Fate of the Furious (2017). He has been married to Vick Hope since 10 September 2023.Favourite Song : 'We Found Love' (with Rihanna).- Actress
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- Soundtrack
Dina Carroll was born on 21 August 1968 in Newmarket, Suffolk, England, UK. She is an actress and composer, known for Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), Snow Day (2000) and Dina Carroll: So Close (1992).Favourite Song : 'Don't Be A Stranger'.- Music Artist
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Elena Jane "Ellie" Goulding is an English singer-songwriter and record producer who conquered the UK music field at the age of 23 and went on to win over fans all over the world within a year. A determined child, at the age of eight, she told her mother that she would become famous one day. She learned to play musical instruments and began writing songs when she was still a teenager. She won a singing competition while in college, and went on to win the 'Brit Awards' with her signature brand of "folktronica" music following the release of her debut EP 'An Introduction to Ellie Goulding'. She immediately made an impact with her unique soprano voice. She has so far released three studio albums, 'Lights', 'Halcyon' and 'Delirium'. As a music and fashion icon, she has been featured on magazines, such as 'Elle' and 'Glamour' among others, and as a fitness enthusiast, she has appeared on the covers of magazines like 'Shape' and 'Women's Health'. A social activist and philanthropist, she has participated in many charity events, especially to support underprivileged children and homeless people.
Her father, Arthur Goulding, belonged to a family of undertakers while her mother, Tracey Goulding-Summers, worked at a supermarket.She is the second child of her parents and has an elder sister named Isabel, a brother named Alex and another sister named Jordan. Her brother, Alex, is a bass player and is part of a band in Hereford. Her father left the family when she was only five years old. Her mother later married a lorry driver, but they eventually separated. Ellie is so furious with her stepfather that she mentioned in an interview that she would punch him in the face if she meets him again. Her mother encouraged her to pursue music as a child. She learned to play the clarinet at the age of nine and started writing her own songs when she was 14. However, she took songwriting seriously only during her college days. While studying at the Lady Hawkins' High School in Kington, she played the role of the Scarecrow in a school production of 'The Wizard of Oz'. She would later pursue courses in drama, politics, and English at the University of Kent.
While studying at the University of Kent, Ellie Goulding became interested in electronic music. She contacted record producer Frankmusik via MySpace and with his help developed her own brand of "folktronica" music through the track 'Wish I Stayed'. During this time, she was discovered at a university talent contest by scout Jamie Lillywhite who started as her manager and later became the A&R. He introduced her to his superior, Sarah Stennett, who advised her to leave university and offered her a house in West London. Jamie soon introduced her to Starsmith, a record producer, who helped release her debut single 'Under the Sheets' on November 15, 2009 and later produced her album 'Lights'. She was already signed to Polydor Records in July, but they decided to release the song from independent label Neon Gold Records to reduce pressure on her. Soon after the release of her debut EP 'An Introduction to Ellie Goulding' on December 20, 2009, she was nominated for the 'Critics' Choice Award' at the 2010 'Brit Awards'. She won the award, as well as the 'BBC Sound of 2010' poll. During this time, she co-wrote three songs for Diana Vickers and one song for Gabriella Cilmi. On February 26, 2010, she released her first full-length album 'Lights', which debuted at number one on the 'UK Albums Chart'. It was followed by her second EP, 'Run into the Light', which contained remix of songs from 'Lights' and was released in August that year. She re-released her album 'Lights' in November 2010 as 'Bright Lights', which contained six new tracks. The album featured a cover version of Elton John: Your Song (1970) which reached number two on the 'UK Singles Chart'.On April 7, 2011, she appeared on American television for the first time on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003)' and performed Ellie Goulding: Starry Eyed, UK Version (2010). One month later, she appeared on Tina Fey/Ellie Goulding (2011) hosted by Tina Fey.On April 29, 2011, she performed at the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, both of whom were her fans. On December 1, 2011, she performed at the White House during the National Christmas Tree lighting.October 5, 2012, Ellie Goulding released her second studio album 'Halcyon', which debuted at No.2 on the 'UK Albums Chart' and topped the chart in January 2014. She released an expanded version of the album, titled 'Halcyon Days', containing ten new tracks.Favourite Song : 'Miracle' (with Calvin Harris).- Actor
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Chesney Hawkes born September 22, 1971 in Windsor, Berkshire, England Is the son of Len (Chip) Hawkes, the singer of The Tremeloes (known for their hit "Silence Is Golden") and Carol Hawkes, who was a TV hostess and actress in the UK.
It was in early 1991 when Chesney, then 19, won the lead role in the film Buddy's Song (1991) (also starring Roger Daltrey of The Who), and signed to sing the sound track but suddenly found himself one of the first teenagers in pop history ever to bag the Number One spot with a debut release. "The One And Only" stayed at the top for five weeks, going on to become one of the undisputed global teen anthems of 1991 as it crashed Top 10s world-wide, including the notoriously difficult markets of Japan and America. The song was also featured over the titles of the Michael J. Fox movie Doc Hollywood (1991).
Chesney and his band (featuring his brother Jodie on drums) rounded off 1991 with a sell-out tour, playing everything from small clubs to 10,000 seaters the length and breadth of Europe. Both fans and critics alike voted Chesney's live show a spectacular success, with special honours going to the much remembered last night show at London's Hammersmith Odeon. This triumphant concert was to signify the symbolic end of that particular stage of Chesney's career. Chesney had out-grown the confines of teen idol-dom and was eagerly looking forward to the challenge of establishing himself as a song writer in his own right.
So after gaining more valuable live experience supporting Huey Lewis and Bryan Adams in Europe, Chesney removed himself from the glare of the public eye and spent time in his studio writing and rehearsing for his next album. The hard work paid off and the album "Get The Picture" was as spirited, diverse and uncompromising as anything delivered by self-styled street credible types in recent years.
For the next few years and no longer signed to his original record label, Chesney decided that, rather than respond to numerous offerings of pantomime, store openings and West End roles which, although lucrative, would have taken him away from the music, it was time for him to pay his musical dues, albeit in reverse given that he had a No. 1 record behind him. He formed a new band, "ebb", and spent 1997 living and working in New York from which base he played a series of East and West coast gigs to great critical acclaim, always continuing to write and demo new material.
Since this time Chesney has worked with numerous talented writers and producers, amongst them Mark Goldenberg who co-wrote The Eel's "Novocain For The Soul", Adam Schlesinger of Fountains Of Wayne, Jesse Vellenswealla of The Gin Blossoms, and Counting Crows producer Marvin Etzioni. Other collaborators include Howard Jones, the Police's Stuart Copland, Nik Kershaw & Bijou Phillips.
English band "Hepburn", covered "Next Life", which Chesney co-wrote with Phil Thornally. (Phil co-wrote "Torn", a hit for Natalie Imbruglia). Caprice charted in March 2001 with "Once Around The Sun" which Chesney co-wrote with Eric Pressley and he has also collaborated with Tricky on his "Mission Accomplished" EP. Another of Chesney's songs, "Almost You", was in the film Jawbreaker (1999) starring Rose McGowen and Marilyn Mansun and "Missing You Already" was in the film The Night We Never Met (1993), starring Matthew Broderick.
During the latter half of 2000, and the beginning of 2001, Chesney has been recording a batch of new songs in London and in Los Angeles with producer Charlton Pettus. A number of tracks have been mixed by Neil Dorfsman who has worked with Sting, Dire Straits and Paul McCartney. A single, "Stay Away Baby Jane", from these sessions was scheduled for release in summer 2001. The video has been filmed in LA with director Rory Rooney.
During April, Chesney has been performing at student venues (Nottingham, Leeds, Lincoln, Hull, Middlesbrough). Such has been the overwhelming response that the, initially mini, tour has now been extended to take in dates throughout May and early June. The teen audience that discovered him in 1991 has now grown up and are, now in their early twenties, thrilled to see Chesney back and performing at the height of his ability.
Chesney has combined touring with appearing on 'Top Ten Teen Idols' (Channel 4), Banzai (Channel 4) and 'Question of Pop' (BBC1). Interviews in The Sunday Express and The Telegraph have centred on his writing and the tour, and his current media profile (the above plus Heat, Loaded, ILR interviews and sharing a Sunday Express {not the above} centre spread with The Beatles and The Spice Girls) is being watched by the media itself with Ally Ross recently (July) congratulating Chesney on his ubiquity in his News of The World column.
At present, Chesney is working on his new album. He now lives in West London with wife Kristina and his son, Casey George Hawkes who was born on August 29, 2001.Favourite Song : 'The One And Only'.- Music Department
- Composer
- Actress
Cathy Dennis was born on 25 March 1969 in Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK. She is a composer and actress, known for Promising Young Woman (2020), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991) and Layer Cake (2004).Favourite Song : 'Everybody Move'.- Music Artist
- Composer
- Producer
Michael Philip Jagger was born in Dartford, Kent on 26th July 1943. When he was 4 he met Keith Richards until they went into secondary schools and lost touch. But one day in 1960 they accidentally met on the Dartford train line and both realized that they had an interest in rock n roll combined with blues. Between 1960 and 1962 The Rolling Stones formed. It was comprised of Mick on lead vocal and harmonica, Keith Richards on guitar, Bill Wyman on bass, Charlie Watts on drums and Brian Jones on guitar.
In 1964 they released their first album "The Rolling Stones". Eventually in 1965 they had their first number 1 hit in the UK with "The Last Time" which was followed by "I can't get no Satisfaction". Throughout 1966-1969 they toured the world with many great hits like "Let's Spend the night together" (1967) and "Sympathy for the Devil" (1968). But in 1969 Brian Jones committed suicide and Mick and Keith Richards were blamed for his death. But this fusion blew over and they got another guitarist to replace Brian in Mick Taylor. They released the album "Let it Bleed" (1969) with the track "Honky Tonk Woman". After they completed a North American tour Jagger finally went to star in Performance (1970) as the retired rock star Turner. The film was released in August 1970 with Mick starring opposite James Fox and Mick even had his first solo hit which was the soundtrack to the film "Memo from Turner".
In 1971 The Rolling Stones came back with the album "Sticky Fingers" which would be the most popular album they ever made. From this album there were songs like "Wild Horses" and "Brown Sugar" and were major hits all over the world. While this was happening Bianca Jagger gave birth to Jaggers daughter Jade Jagger. Throughout the 70s The Rolling Stones made thousands of live performances and achieved endless record sales with hits like "Angie" (1973), "It's Only Rock and Roll" (1974), "Hot Stuff" (1976) and "Respectable" (1978). In 1974 Ronnie Wood had replaced Mick Taylor on guitar and Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood both played lead guitar. In 1980 Jagger divorced Bianca Jagger and went on to record and release "Emotional Rescue" with The Rolling Stones and it was a platinum album. In 1981 "Tattoo You" was released and the group went on a major world tour, their first in three years, which filled stadiums in the US and arenas in Europe. After the tour ended in 1982 Jagger was starting to like other music. In 1983 The Rolling Stones recorded the album "Undercover" at the Compass Point in Nassau. But recording sessions didn't go well as during this time Mick and Keith Richard were having arguments about the kind of music the group should be playing. Even though the album was a success it seemed like The Rolling Stones were now going over the edge.
In May 1984 Mick recorded "State of Shock" with The Jacksons which led Mick wanting to try out a solo career. So in September he recorded his first solo album with guests like Pete Townshend and Jeff Beck. Shortly before the album was released The Rolling Stones decided to record their first album under a new Sony records contract. Keith Richards didn't approve of the solo efforts - he wanted Mick to stick to The Rolling Stones. In July 1985 Jagger made his first solo live appearance at the Live Aid benefit concert in Philadelphia. The Rolling Stones were going to perform but decided not to as things weren't going well for them at the time. During 1986 Mick worked on his second solo album "Primitive Cool" which he hoped would be a success but this was not to be. However, his 1988 tour proved to be a success, selling out in Japan.
But Mick accepted the fact that the only way to carry on with success was to get back with The Rolling Stones so in January 1989 he and Keith Richards reformed and they wrote songs for what was to be the "Steel Wheels" album. After the album was released The Rolling Stones went on a major worldwide tour with special concerts at London's Wembley Stadium. Sadly though in 1992 bassist of The Rolling Stones Bill Wyman announced his departure from the group which was to be the following year. Even though The Rolling Stones were upset to see him leave they accepted the fact that he'd been in there too long and they had to let go. Jagger released some more solo material during this time but it wasn't such a success. In 1994 The Rolling Stones released the album "Voodoo Lounge" and they went back on tour. The first The Rolling Stones project without Bill Wyman. The tour was the biggest tour in rock history raising over 300 million. As this tour was a success they returned yet again in 1997 with the "Bridges to Babylon" album and tour which lasted for two years which was combined with the "No Security" live album and tour. After the tour was finished Jagger's marriage was on the line as he had another child from a secret love affair. Soon after this was found out the marriage between him and Jerry Hall had ended. Since then Jagger's been a film producer and a solo artist. He has produced the film Enigma (2001) and has recorded his 2001 album "Goddess in the Doorway" - another commercial flop. But never fear because just recently the Stones announced a 40th Anniversary tour and that it will start in September, 2002.Favourite Song : 'T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever)' - (with Will.I.Am and Jennifer Lopez).- Actress
- Composer
- Producer
Lisa Stansfield was born on 11 April 1966 in Rochdale, Lancashire, England, UK. She is an actress and composer, known for Indecent Proposal (1993), The Bodyguard (1992) and Money Talks (1997). She has been married to Ian Devaney since 25 July 1998. She was previously married to Augusto Grassi.Favourite Song : 'In All The Right Places'.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Music Department
One of the pioneers of heavy metal and one of its most commercially successful and iconic artists, Ozzy Osbourne was born in Birmingham, England, as John Michael Osbourne. After leaving school and having many odd jobs, he ended up in a band with Geezer Butler. This group then split, leading Ozzy and Geezer to join Tony Iommi and Bill Ward in a new band that went under several names (including Earth) that ended up being called Black Sabbath after a song of the same name that appeared on their first album (released 1969/70). He recorded several more albums with Sabbath despite the decline of his relationship with Tony Iommi, which after several break ups led to him leaving/being fired from the band in 1979. After a short time he launched a solo career with a line up behind him that varied immensely from album to album and tour to tour. During the 80's he was treated several times for alcoholism and was sued twice for the suicides of some of his young fans (cleared completely). Following his No More Tears album he declared he would tour for the last time. In 1991, on his last date he reformed briefly on stage with Black Sabbath for three songs. However a much talked about reformation tour fell through and Ozzy seemed to go into retirement, his bassist (Mike Inez) joined Alice in Chains and the guitarist (Zakk Wylde) formed his own band, Pride and Glory. Now however he is recording a new album and has said he intends to tour again. The album should be out in the summer of 1995 and the tour should be shortly after. Geezer Butler has now quit Sabbath (again) and rejoined Ozzy (he played bass for him on tour during the mid to late 80's) and should play on the new album.Favourite Song : 'Shake Your Head (Let's Go to Bed )' - (with Was (Not Was) and Kim Basinger).- Actress
- Composer
- Costume Designer
Victoria Beckham was born Victoria Caroline Adams on 17 April 1974 in Harlow, Essex, England, to Jacqueline Doreen (Cannon), an insurance clerk and hairdresser, and Anthony William Adams, an electronics engineer. She does not like being called Vicky. Instead, call her Posh, which stands for the best of everything (an old luxury liner term, P.O.S.H. stood for "Port Out, Starboard Home"-- the best rooms). Growing up, she didn't like being driven to school in her father's Rolls Royce (they were very wealthy; later, as Posh, she would have an image of someone who revels in wealth). Victoria began as a dancer before eventually landing a spot as a member of Spice Girls. While in college, Victoria was briefly in another band. After completing the 3-year course at Lanie Arts, she answered an ad in "The Stage" magazine, which was looking for 5 girls who could sing and dance. Victoria was picked, history was about to be made. (Victoria had met: Emma who had been in a play with her when they were kids; Geri while auditioning for a role in Tank Girl (1995); Mel C. attended a rival school when they were 15; and Mel B. at the audition for the forming of the band.) The Spice Girls became fantastically successful, achieving international fame. The wildly popular Spice Girls performed at sold-out concerts, did tours, and of course the Spice World (1997) movie. Victoria married soccer player David Beckham. The couple has four children.Favourite Song : 'Girlfriend'.- Music Artist
- Music Department
- Actor
Tom Jones was born Thomas Jones Woodward in Pontypridd, South Wales, to a traditional coal-mining family, the son of Freda (Jones) and Thomas Woodward. His father was of English descent and his mother was of Welsh and English ancestry. He began singing at an early age in church and in the school choir. Left school at 16 and was married, having a son a year later. He brought in money for his family from an assortment of jobs, singing in pubs at night. By 1963, he was playing regularly with his own group in the demanding atmosphere of working mens clubs. Gordon Mills, a performer who had branched out into songwriting and management went to see him. He became his manager and landed him a record contract in 1964. They made a great team and had huge international success with their second single, a song penned by Mr Mills -- "It's Not Unusual." An avalanche of gold singles and albums followed. Mr Jones, a vocal powerhouse, has sustained his popularity for over three decades, and his recordings have spanned the spectrum of musical styles.Favourite Songs : 'Burning Down the House' (with The Cardigans), 'Delilah'.- Actress
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Beverley Knight was born on 22 March 1973 in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England, UK. She is an actress and composer, known for Cinderella (2021), Premonition (2005) and Nynne (2005). She has been married to James O'Keefe since 7 September 2012.Favourite Song : 'Shoulda Woulda Coulda'.- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Suggs was born on 13 January 1961 in Hastings, East Sussex, England, UK. He is an actor and composer, known for The Avengers (1998), 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) and Mean Machine (2001). He has been married to Bette Bright since 22 December 1981. They have two children.Favourite Song : 'Cecilia'.- Actress
- Music Department
- Composer
Lulu Kennedy-Cairns was born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie in Glasgow, Scotland on November 3, 1948. As a teenager, she toured the northern clubs with her band, the Luvvers. After her initial success with a cover of "Shout" reaching #7 in 1964, Lulu went on to establish herself as one of the biggest-selling British female singers of the 1960s.
She made her film début in To Sir, with Love (1967), starring Sidney Poitier, and performed the title song, which went to No. 1 in the United States, but was only released as a B-side in the United Kingdom with the A-side, "Let's Pretend", making #11. She was one of four joint winners of the 1968 Eurovision Song Contest with "Boom Bang-a-Bang". In 1969, she married The Bee Gees member Maurice Gibb, and moved more into family entertainment, building on the success of her self-titled BBC television show. She recorded a version of David Bowie's song "The Man Who Sold the World", which reached #3 in the UK charts (it hadn't charted for Bowie), and sang the title theme to the James Bond feature The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), both in 1974.
After marriage to celebrity hairdresser John Frieda, with whom she had one son, Jordan Frieda, Lulu's career moved more into occasional adverts and pantomimes. The 1990s saw her divorce again and she released the hit album "Independence" (1993). She also penned, with her brother, "I Don't Wanna Fight", which was performed by Tina Turner on the soundtrack to What's Love Got to Do with It (1993), and at 44 she finally topped the UK charts with the British boyband Take That with a cover of "Relight My Fire". She went on to contribute to the soundtrack of the Tim Rice/Elton John musical "Aida" (1999), front her own short-lived prime-time UK lottery show on BBC TV, Red Alert with the National Lottery (1999), and starred in the film Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? (1999).
In 2002, she released an album of duets entitled "Together", featuring the likes of Paul McCartney, Elton John, Cliff Richard, Sting, and Ronan Keating, along with a best-selling autobiography. In 2003, she released her "Greatest Hits" album, which débuted at #35 in the UK charts. She was awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire at the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honours for her services to entertainment. She was awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire at the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours for her services to entertainment, music, and charity.Favourite Songs : 'Relight My Fire' (with Take That) , 'Independence'.- Actor
- Composer
- Writer
Mark Owen was born on 27 January 1972 in Oldham, Lancashire, England, UK. He is an actor and composer, known for Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), The Three Musketeers (2011) and X-Men: First Class (2011). He has been married to Emma Owen since 8 November 2009. They have three children.Favourite Song : 'Four Minute Warning'.- Actress
- Composer
- Music Department
Pixie Lott was born on 12 January 1991 in Bromley, London, England, UK. She is an actress and composer, known for Beastly (2011), The Inbetweeners (2011) and Fred: The Movie (2010). She has been married to Oliver Cheshire since 6 June 2022. They have one child.Favourite Song : 'Cry Me Out'.- Actress
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Kim Appleby was born on 28 August 1961 in Stoke Newington, London, England, UK. She is an actress and composer, known for Coronation Street (1960), Doctors (2000) and Mel & Kim: Respectable (1987).Favourite Song : 'Don't Worry'.- Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Armed with magnetic musical charisma and a talent for spitting hard and dizzying bars, British MC Chip came up as one of the most dynamic young rappers in the country's storied early-21st-century grime scene. Born Jahmaal Noel Fyffe in 1990, he was raised in Tottenham, North London, and started working on his own music at just 13 years old after being inspired by rappers like Dizzee Rascal and Wiley, the latter adopting the young rapper as his mentee. After years of grime mixtapes, Chip-now officially an adult-shifted away from the genre and into pop-leaning hip-hop, releasing his debut full-length, 2009's I Am Chipmunk, with tracks like the piano-driven Top 40 hit "Oopsy Daisy". He continued down a similar road with 2011's Transition, laced with famous features and more radio-focused fare like the triumphant "Champion". Since 2017's League of My Own II, Chip has left his sonic options wide open but moved back toward grime with songs like 2018's breakneck "Right Now".Favourite Song : 'Oopsy Daisy'.- Actress
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Tulisa was born on 13 July 1988 in Camden Town, London, England, UK. She is an actress and composer, known for Big Fat Gypsy Gangster (2011), Dubplate Drama (2005) and Dubplate Drama (2009).Favourite Song : 'Young'.- Actor
- Composer
- Director
Tinchy Stryder was born on 14 September 1986 in Ghana. He is an actor and composer, known for Tinchy Stryder, Dappy: Spaceship (2011), Alpha and Omega (2010) and Tinchy Stryder: Stryderman (2008).Favourite Song : 'Number One' (ft. N-Dubz).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Cilla Black was born on 27 May 1943 in Liverpool, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Last Night in Soho (2021), Hellboy (2019) and Cilla (1968). She was married to Bobby Willis. She died on 1 August 2015 in Estepona, Spain.Favourite Song : 'You're My World'.- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Gary Numan was born, Gary Anthony James Webb in Hammersmith, London on 8th of March 1958. His first job was working as a dispatch boy with a courier company at Heathrow where his father worked as a bus driver. His first band was Mean Street who only used him because he had a lot of music gear. He later joined The Lasers where he met Paul Gardiner, and the pair formed The Tubeway Army. The first album (Tubeway Army) was recorded with Gary, Paul and Gary's uncle (Jess Lidyard) on drums. It was while recording this album that Gary discovered a synthesizer in a recording studio which was being used by his recording company - Beggars Banquet. It was this discovery which prompted Gary to start making music using synths.. His first hit - Are 'friends' electric was released in 1979 and reached no. 1 in the British charts. This was followed by Cars which also reached no. 1. Today, 30 years after his first record release, Gary Numan is still recording studio albums and performing live.Favourite Song : 'Cars'.- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Sandie Shaw was born on 26 February 1947 in Dagenham, Essex, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Last Night in Soho (2021), Because I Said So (2007) and The Boat That Rocked (2009). She is married to Tony Bedford. She was previously married to Nik Powell and Jeff Banks.Favourite Song : 'Puppet on a String'.- Composer
- Actress
- Producer
Tasmin Archer was born on 3 August 1963 in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, UK. She is a composer and actress, known for Tasmin Archer: Sleeping Satellite (1992), Love Like Hers (2012) and Tasmin Archer: Lords of the New Church (1993).Favourite Song : 'Sleeping Satellite'.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Mutya Buena was born on 21 May 1985 in Kingsbury, London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for About Time (2013), Love Actually (2003) and Wimbledon (2004).Favourite Song : 'Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control)' - (with Groove Armada).- Actress
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Siobhan was born in London, England on the 14th of June 1983, She was born of Irish descent and has been performing since she was 12 years old. She was discovered by ex-All Saints manager Ron Tom, who went on to manage Sugababes. Aged 16, she joined now ex bandmates Keisha Buchanan and Mutya Buena to form the chart topping Sugababes and had success with hits such as "Overload" and "Run For Cover", taken from the 2001 album "One Touch". Siobhan split from the band in August 2001 due to artistic differences, personality differences and alienation in the group.
Siobhan suffered from depression not long after that and then decided that she would have to start her own career away from Sugababes. She started writing music along with the help of former producer Cameron McVey to help overcome her depression, and began performing under the alias of "Shanghi Nobody". She released her first single, "Overrated", in June 2003 and then "Twist Of Fate" in September 2003, both taken from the forthcoming album, "Revolution In Me".Favourite Song : 'Don't Give It Up'.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Amelle was born on 22 April 1984 in Aldershot, Hampshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Plastic (2014), Sugababes vs. Girls Aloud: Walk This Way (2007) and Sugababes: Follow Me Home (2006). She was previously married to Marcio Sousa Rosa .Favourite Song : 'Never Leave You' (with Tinchy Stryder).- Music Artist
- Actress
- Composer
Joscelyn Eve Stoker (born 11 April 1987), better known by her stage name Joss Stone, is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to fame in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist. Her second album, the similarly multi-platinum Mind Body & Soul (2004), topped the UK Albums Chart for one week and spawned the top ten hit "You Had Me", Stone's most successful single on the UK Singles Chart to date.
Both the album and single received one nomination at the 2005 Grammy Awards, while Stone herself was nominated for Best New Artist, and in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2004, was ranked fifth as a predicted breakthrough act of 2004. She became the youngest British female singer to top the UK Albums Chart. Stone's third album, Introducing Joss Stone, released in March 2007, achieved gold record status by the RIAA and yielded the second-ever highest debut for a British female solo artist on the Billboard 200, and became Stone's first top five album in the US. She released her fourth album, Colour Me Free!, on 20 October 2009, which reached the top 10 on Billboard. Stone released her fifth album, LP1, on 22 July 2011, which reached the top 10 on Billboard. Throughout her career, Stone has sold 14 million records worldwide, establishing herself as one of the best-selling soul artists of the 2000s, and the best-selling British artists of her time. Her first three albums have sold over 2,722,000 copies in the US, while her first two albums have sold over 2 million copies in the UK. Stone has earned numerous accolades, including two Brit Awards and one Grammy Award out of five nominations.
She made her film acting debut in 2006 with the fantasy adventure film Eragon, and made her television debut portraying Anne of Cleves in the Showtime series The Tudors in 2009. Stone was the youngest woman on the 2006 Sunday Times Rich List-an annual list of the UK's wealthiest people. In 2012, her net worth was estimated to be 10 million, making her the fifth richest British musician under 30. The Soul Sessions Vol. 2 (2012) is her fourth consecutive album to reach the top 10 on the Billboard 200.
Joscelyn Eve Stone was born on 11 April 1987 at Buckland Hospital in Dover, Kent and spent her teenage years in Ashill, a small pastoral village near Cullompton in Devon. She is the third of four children born to Wendy (Skillin) and Richard Stoker. Her father owns a fruit and nut import-export business; her mother worked as Stone's manager until October 2004. Stone made her first public appearance at the Uffculme Comprehensive School-which she attended-in Uffculme, Devon, with a cover version of Jackie Wilson's 1957 song "Reet Petite". Stone has dyslexia and left school at age sixteen with only three GCSE qualifications. "It wasn't that I was stupid. I'm just a little bit dyslexic and I wasn't very academic. I'm more artistic", she says. Stone grew up listening to a wide variety of music including 1960s and 1970s American R&B and soul music performed by such artists as Dusty Springfield and Aretha Franklin. As a result, she developed a soulful style of singing like her idols. "My first CD that I owned was Aretha Franklin: Greatest Hits. And I saw the advert on TV and it was just like little clips of her songs. I had no idea who she was-I was only like 10 so. I said, 'Oh yeah, that looks really good', so I wrote it down and I said to my mum, 'Can I have that for Christmas?' So she told my friend Dennis, who always gets me good music anyway, and he got that for me. So that was one of my first albums that I loved."
She would later tell MTV News: "I kind of clicked into soul music more than anything else because of the vocals. You've got to have good vocals to sing soul music and I always liked it ever since I was little." Stone possesses the vocal range of a mezzo-soprano and contralto. She's famous for performing barefoot and has been described as "the white Aretha Franklin" since her debut in music industry. However, Stone was the subject of some contention in the United States, where her audience expected soul artists to have been born in poverty and have had a rough and painful life in order to sing soul music due to its emotional nature. People also expected someone with a voice like hers to be black. In 2004, Stone began dating Beau Dozier, with whom she co-wrote the song "Spoiled". Dozier is the son of Motown producer Lamont Dozier, who is best known as part of Holland-Dozier-Holland. The couple ended their relationship in November 2005.
In a 2016 interview, Stone revealed that she was in a relationship with music promoter SiChai for three years. Stone is a lifelong vegetarian, and has taken part in various campaigns for animal rights group PETA, Stone also owns a number of rescue dogs.Favourite Song : 'You Had Me'.- Actress
- Music Department
- Producer
Sarah Brightman's soprano voice has sold millions of records and been heard in arenas, cathedrals, and Olympic stadiums around the world. Brightman is the winner of more than 180 gold and platinum awards in 40 countries, and is a concert artist who has performed before millions of fans on every continent.
Brightman began her career as a member of the dance troupe, "Pans People", before joining Hot Gossip, where she released several disco hit singles as a solo performer. In 1981, she made her West End musical theatre debut in "Cats", where she met composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. She went on to star in several Broadway musicals, including "The Phantom of the Opera", where she originated the role of "Christine Daaé".
After a number of successful years on the musical stage, Brightman decided to resume her solo career with former "Enigma" co-producer, Frank Peterson. Their collaboration resulted in a string of successful albums, beginning with "Dive" (1993), "Fly" (1995) and "Timeless/Time To Say Goodbye" (1997). Her duet with the Italian tenor, Andrea Bocelli, "Time To Say Goodbye", topped charts all over Europe and became the highest and fastest selling single of all time in Germany. It subsequently became an international success, selling 12 million copies, worldwide. In the following years, Brightman released a series of highly personal and thematic albums: "Eden" (1998), "La Luna" (2000), "Harem" (2003) and "Symphony" (2008). The "Harem" concert tour grossed over $60 million and played to 700,000 fans.
Brightman has appeared in several films, including Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008), and Stephen Evans' First Night (2010).
She is the first artist to have been invited to perform at two Olympic games, first at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games and, 16 years later, in Beijing to an estimated four billion people, worldwide. In 2010, she was named by Billboard as the fifth most influential and top-selling classical artist of the 2000s decade in the United States.Favourite Song : 'Time to Say Goodbye' (with Andrea Bocelli).- Music Artist
- Actress
- Composer
Born on June 8, 1951 in Skewen, Neath, Wales. She first came to prominence in 1976 with the song, "Lost in France", which made the UK top 10. Following a throat operation, she inadvertently developed her distinct singing voice. She had a transatlantic top 5 hit with "It's a Heartache" in 1978.
She hit the big time when she became the first Welsh singer to have a transatlantic #1 hit with Jim Steinman's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (1983), for which she was Grammy nominated. The accompanying album "Faster than the Speed of Night" also entered the UK Album chart at #1.
She has found it hard to repeat the success, but recorded "Holding Out for a Hero" (US #34/UK #2) in 1985 from the Footloose (1984) soundtrack. In 2004 she recorded the Total Eclipse song in French, and it went to #1 in France!
She remains active in the music industry having toured all over the world, including with the singer Meat Loaf, and performed at Michael Douglas & Catherine Zeta-Jones' wedding. Also, she has become a successful business woman.Favourite Song : 'Total Eclipse of the Heart'.- Actress
- Composer
- Music Department
Kim Wilde was born on 18 November 1960 in Chiswick, London, England, UK. She is an actress and composer, known for Weird Science (1985), Fletch (1985) and Chalet Girl (2011). She was previously married to Hal Fowler.Favourite Song : 'Kids In America'.- Ella Henderson was born on 12 January 1996 in Lincolnshire, England, UK. She is a music artist and actress, known for David Guetta & Becky Hill & Ella Henderson: Crazy What Love Can Do (Acoustic Version) (2022), Free Rein (2017) and Michael McIntyre's Easter Night at the Coliseum (2015).Favourite Songs : 'Ghost' , 'This Is Real' (with Jax Jones).
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Sam Smith was born on 19 May 1992 in Bishop's Stortford, England, UK. Sam is a music artist and actor, known for Spectre (2015), Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) and Barbie (2023).Favourite Song : 'Promises' (with Calvin Harris).- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
Ed Sheeran is a British singer-songwriter from West Yorkshire known for his many compositions. For film soundtracks, he had performed "I See Fire" for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. He acted in Game of Thrones, Bridget Jones' Baby, The Simpsons, Popstar: Never Stop Popping and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.Favourite Songs : 'You Need Me, I Don't Need You' , 'Thinking Out Loud' ; 'Perfect'.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Javine Hylton was born on 27 December 1981 in London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Skins (2007), All Stars (2013) and Honeytrap (2014).Favourite Song : 'Surrender (Your Love)'.- Music Artist
- Actress
- Composer
Born in Cambridge as Charlotte Emma Aitchison, Charli XCX is a singer, songwriter, model and actress. Daughter of a Scottish father and Indian mother, she studied at UCL's Slade School of Fine Art in London. Charlotte kept her MSN Messenger alias for her stage name and started writing songs at 14 years old. Her talent was spotted in 2008 after she shared on MySpace songs and demos from her first album that was recorded thanks to the financial help of her parents. She took a break from music in 2010. Aitchison contributed vocals and co-writing for numerous hit singles before debuting her studio album True Romance in 2013. International success followed quickly with a second studio album and several collaboration with other artists such as Iggy Azalea. In 2017, before releasing a new mixtape, she directed the music video of the lead single from her upcoming third studio album.Favourite Song : 'I Love It ' (with Icona Pop).- Music Artist
- Composer
- Actor
Mark Ronson was born on 4 September 1975 in St. John's Wood, London, England, UK. He is a music artist and composer, known for Barbie (2023), A Star Is Born (2018) and Spies in Disguise (2019). He has been married to Grace Gummer since 4 September 2021. They have one child. He was previously married to Joséphine de La Baume.Favourite Song : 'Uptown Funk' (with Bruno Mars)- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Alesha Dixon was born on 7 October 1978 in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England, UK. She is an actress and writer, known for Catwoman (2004), Alesha Dixon: Drummer Boy (2010) and Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (2016). She has been married to Azuka Ononye since 2017. They have two children. She was previously married to MC Harvey.Favourite Song : 'The Boy Does Nothing'.- Music Department
- Actress
- Composer
Born June 18,1961 in Essex. At the age of 21 gained mainstream success as one-half of the synthpop band Yazoo, together with Vince Clarke. As a duo recorded "Only You", "Situation", and "Don't Go". Now a solo artist with a name for herself in theater with her performance in the London revival of Chicago (2002). Played the part of Matron 'Mama' Thorton.Favourite Songs : 'Whispering Your Name' , ‘Invisible’.- Music Artist
- Composer
- Music Department
English songwriter and singer Kristy MacColl had hits with such albums as "Kite" (1989), "Titanic Days" (1994) and "Tropical Brainstorm" (2000). Her first hit as a songwriter was "They Don't Know" for Tracey Ullman in 1983. Her trademark style is a sharp wit allied to strong melodies. Her work combines these with Cuban and Brazilian rhythms, creating her most upbeat collection yet. She has written and performed theme songs for three British TV series. Surprisingly for such a gifted writer, her biggest single hits have been cover versions, notably "Days" by Ray Davies, Billy Bragg's "New England" and of course "Fairytale of New York" with The Pogues.Favourite Song : 'Fairytale of New York ' (with The Pogues).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Sonia was born on 13 February 1971 in Liverpool, England, UK. She is an actress, known for The Lily Savage Show (1997), Coronation Street (1960) and Hollyoaks (1995). She has been married to Mark Moses since 1998. They have one child.Favourite Song : 'Better The Devil You Know'.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
George Ezra was born on 7 June 1993 in Hertford, Hertfordshire, England, UK. He is a music artist and actor, known for George Ezra: Budapest (2014), Time of Our Lives (2019) and Scream: The TV Series (2015).Favourite Song : 'Shotgun’.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
John Newman was born on 16 June 1990 in Settle, Yorkshire, England, UK. He is a music artist and actor, known for Edge of Tomorrow (2014), Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) and About Last Night (2014).Favourite Song : 'Love Me Again'.