A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. In many cultures it is common practice for a person to assume the family name of his or her spouse; this new name typically replaces the maiden name.

The term "maiden name" is rarely applied to the change of family names by men, or by either sex other than in connection with marriage. Nevertheless, the French and English-adopted term "née" (pronounced in English, in French), meaning "born as," can be applied to a woman's family-name at birth that has been replaced for any reason. The French masculine inflection corresponding to née is "né"; while less readily recognized by non-French-speakers, it is likewise applied to family names changed for any reason. (The diacritics are sometimes omitted.)

The term "birth name" is sometimes used specifically as a gender-neutral (or male only) substitute for "maiden name", but it is also applied to mean the family name of the mother of a child adopted at birth, and is thus likely to be used with more flexibility than the loan-words née and né, accepting it even when the name being referred to was acquired by adoption (at or long after birth), or made in connection with a change of nationality, or changed in any of the variety of other, rarer circumstances. Another distinction is that while "birth name" can refer to either a family name, a full name, or presumably a given name considered in isolation, née or né is considered correct only when immediately preceded by the new family name and immediately followed by the old: e.g. "Margaret Hilda Thatcher née Roberts". The maiden name can also be expressed parenthetically, e.g., "Margaret Hilda (Roberts) Thatcher".

Normally, changing one's name requires a legal procedure, as further described in name change; however in some jurisdictions anyone who either marries or divorces may change their name if he or she wishes. Traditionally in the Anglophone West, only women do so, but sometimes men as well change their last names upon marriage.

By extension, née is also used when giving any former names (e.g., companies, products, models, and celebrities who use stage names).

Customs relating to maiden names in marriages

In various cultures in this article, traditionally a woman inherits her surname or birth name from her father and changes it to match her husband's surname (which he inherited from his father). This name change custom has been criticized for a number of reasons. It can be construed as meaning the woman's father and then husband had control over her, and it means that lines of male descent (patrilineality) are seen as primary—that a child has no inherited name tying him or her to female ancestors (matrilineality). Since the passage of a 1981 provincial law, intended to promote gender equality as outlined in the Quebec Charter of Rights, no change may be made to a person's name without the authorization of the registrar of civil status or the authorization of the court. Newlyweds who wish to change their names upon marriage must therefore go through the same procedure as those changing their names for other reasons. The registrar of civil status may authorize a name change if: 1) the name the person generally uses does not correspond to the name on their birth certificate, 2) where the name is of foreign origin or too difficult to pronounce or write in its original form, or 3) where the name invites ridicule or has become infamous. This law does not allow a woman to immediately legally change her name upon marriage, as marriage is not listed among the reasons for a name change. However, she can use her husband's name socially and may eventually apply to change it under the "general use" clause.

China and Taiwan

Generally, children inherit their father's surnames. For this reason alone, male children were preferred over females in Chinese history. The practice was also observed in India, Korea, and Taiwan.

Most Chinese women do not change their surnames after marriage in recent decades. During the imperial times, many women assumed the husband's surname, which either replaced the woman's maiden name or is simply prefixed to her original name. However, most notable women of those times did not change surnames after marriage, for example, Cai Wenji (蔡文姬), Wu Zetian (Empress, 武則天), Yang Yuhuan (楊玉環), Li Qingzhao (Poet, 李清照).

While their personal names usually are left unmodified, a similar concept to Western culture exists in custom that a married women is called by her husband's surname (ex. married to a man with the surname Chen, she would generally only be referred to as Mrs. Chen and no longer her maiden name).

In addition to this, a more dated practice among poorer females existed, as many did not have personal names and were simply called by their family names suffixed with shi (氏); in this case, the husband's surname is added before the maiden name after marriage. (氏) in older transliterations may be written shee, while the modern official pinyin is shi, fourth tone. Women with personal names may also have been referred to with the title 氏. Mrs. Li-Wu (i.e. Li née Wu) could be addressed Li Wu Shi (李武氏) without mentioning her personal name. This tradition is no longer commonly practiced in Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, or Macau. Only a few women (usually 40 years of age or above) in Taiwan and Hong Kong still have their husband's surname prefixed to their original name. For example, the maiden name of Chan Fung Fu-chun (aka Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General) is Fung, and Chan is her husband's surname.

Chinese and Taiwanese women who immigrate overseas, however, may choose to adopt their husbands surnames.

English-speaking world

Use husband's family name

Historically, a woman in England would assume her new husband's family name (or surname) after marriage, and this remains common practice in the United Kingdom today as well as in common law countries and countries where English is spoken, including Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Gibraltar, Falkland Islands, Ireland, India, Philippines, the English-speaking provinces of Canada, and the United States.

In Scotland, until the 20th century, married women kept their maiden names, but today the practice of changing to the husband's family name is the norm.

Usually, the children of these marriages are given their father's surname. Some families have a custom of using the mother's maiden name as a middle name for one of the children—Franklin Delano Roosevelt received his middle name in this way.

Use birth name

Persons who keep their own surname after marriage do so for a number of reasons. Objection to the inequality of the tradition is one such reason; This process is expedited for newly married persons in that their marriage certificate in combination with identification using their married name is usually accepted as evidence of the change, due to the widespread custom, but the process still requires approaching every contact who uses the old name and asking them to use the new. Unless the statutes where the marriage occurred specify that a name change may occur at marriage (in which case the marriage certificate indicates the new name), the courts have officially recognized that such a change is a result of the common law right of a person (man, woman, and sometimes child) to change their name. Men, however, encounter more difficulties in changing their last names. There were some early cases which held that under the common law, a woman was required (in the U.S.) to take her husband's name, but newer cases overturned those.

The American suffragist and abolitionist Lucy Stone (1818–1893), made a national issue of the right to keep one's own surname as part of her efforts for women's rights in the U.S. Women who choose not to use their husbands' surnames have been called "Lucy Stoners" ever since.

A person retaining her surname after marriage may encounter difficulties with having people correctly use her name. Many people who know of the marriage will simply assume that she has the same surname as her spouse and will use that name to introduce and address her. Alternatively, people who are aware that a couple have different surnames may not realise that they are married.

Some people retain use of their own surname for particular situations, and use their spouse's surname in others. This is particularly common among people who have a professional career in which advancement depends on work associated with their name, such as an academic career. These people do not want to risk having their pre-marriage work no longer associated with them and may use their birth name as their surname in professional dealings but use their spouse's surname in social contexts. Many people, celebrities in particular, are so associated with their birth name in the public that they continue to use it professionally even if they have changed it legally.

There are many countries where it is customary for people to keep their own names. In Civil Law countries people keep their own names for official purposes, but what name they use for social purposes varies.

Join both names

It is not uncommon for women, especially in the U.S. and Canada, to combine their spouse's name with their own birth name (and it is increasingly common for men in those countries to do so, although still a rarity).

Birth name as middle name

In the United States, a recently married person who changes his or her last name to his or her spouse's last name, often also changes his or her middle name to his or her birth name or adds the birth name as a second middle name. However, in daily life, he or she may choose to use only the first name and new last name, or the first name, original middle name, and new last name. Of women who change their last name at marriage, about 25% informally use their birth surname as a middle name. Furthermore, certain cultures refrain from giving females a middle name at birth, with the understanding she will take her husband's family name at marriage, leaving her maiden name as the single middle name.

Use as security question

One's mother's maiden name has been a common security question in American banking since at least the 1980s, on the assumption that this name was not common knowledge. Today a wide variety of security questions are used, not only by banks.

France

Since the 1789 Revolution, the law stipulates that "no one may use another name than that given on his birth certificate"; furthermore, the 1946 revision to the Constitution guarantees that "women and men have equal rights", including in the use of their birth name. Upon getting married, a woman keeps her maiden name (nom de jeune fille). She may, under her maiden name, for example, open a bank account, sign checks, obtain a passport, etc. However, marriage grants a married person the right to assume his or her spouse's last name. It is still a common practice for a woman to use her husband's name in this way, despite the fact that no official due process formalizes this usage. The majority of married women use their husband's name for all documents, official or not. The article 264 of the French civil code does, however, stipulate that "upon divorcing both spouses lose the right to use each other's name".

A married person who wishes to formally append a spouse's name to his or her birth name may do so through a simple administrative procedure. In recent years, this trend has gained popularity, especially among upper class women and among women who received a university diploma (MD, PhD) under their maiden name. For example, President Nicolas Sarkozy's wife is called Madame Bruni Sarkozy, in which "Bruni" is her birth name and "Sarkozy" her husband's name. Some husbands append their wife's last name to their birth name, although this remains rare.

Germany

In Germany, the name law has been ruled by sexual equality since 1994: a woman may adopt her husband's surname or a man may adopt his wife's surname. One of them—man or woman—may use a name combined from both surnames. The remaining single name is the "family name" (Ehename), which will be the surname of the children. If a man and woman decide to keep and use their birth names after the wedding (no combined name), they have to declare one of those names the "family name". A combined name is not possible as a family name (exception: since 2005 it has been possible to have a double name as family name if a man or woman already had a double name and the partner adopts that name. All family members must use that double name). To indicate one's birth name, a person appends it with "geb." (short for "geboren(e)" = "born"), e.g. "Anne Lübke geb. Schlüter".

Hungary

: From Hungarian names#Married names

There is a wide range of selection of a married name. In the past (up to about the 18th century) noble women kept their names at marriage and children received their father's name. (Non-nobles rarely had a last name at all as it became compulsory only under the reign of Joseph II.) When Hungary was under Habsburg rule and became influenced by Western European traditions, women became known by their husbands' names, e.g. Szendrey Júlia, marrying Petőfi Sándor, became Petőfi Sándorné (the -né suffix approximately means "wife of", this is the Hungarian equivalent of "Mrs. John Smith"). This was both law and tradition until the 1950s. During the Communist era of Hungary, great emphasis was put upon the equality of women and men, and, from that time, women could choose to keep their birth names or take that of their husbands in the aforementioned form. Still, most women took their husbands' names; most of the exceptions were artists.

Currently, the alternatives for a woman when she marries are the following (using the example of Szendrey Júlia and Petőfi Sándor – Júlia and Sándor are their given names, respectively):

Júlia can keep her birth name Szendrey Júlia (now very popular, especially among more educated women)

Júlia gives up her name, adds the suffix -né to her husband's full name, and will be called Petőfi Sándorné (rare among young brides)

Júlia adds the suffix -né to her husband's family name, adds her full name and will be called Petőfiné Szendrey Júlia

Júlia adds the suffix -né to her husband's full name, adds her full name and will be called Petőfi Sándorné Szendrey Júlia (not very popular these days, because it is long to write it down)

Júlia takes her husband's family name, keeps her given name and will be called Petőfi Júlia (the Western custom – somewhat rare)

Since January 1, 2004, there is one more possibility: the hyphenation of names; also, now men can take their wives' surname too, since the law which gave this opportunity only to women was declared sexist and thus unconstitutional. (Men still have fewer alternatives to choose from, though.) Thus Júlia can become either Petőfi-Szendrey Júlia or Szendrey-Petőfi Júlia while Sándor either keeps his own name or hyphenates in either order. Sándor can also become Petőfi-Szendrey Sándor, Szendrey-Petőfi Sándor or Szendrey Sándor, while Júlia either keeps her name or hyphenates, but changing names to each other's names (e.g. Petőfi Sándor and Szendrey Júlia become Szendrey Sándor and Petőfi Júlia) is not allowed.

The law that one can have a maximum of two last names still applies; if one or both of the partners already have a hyphenated name, they have to choose a maximum of two names or keep their birth names.

Both the bride and the bridegroom has to declare before the wedding which name they will use and which surname their children will get (this can be changed up until the birth of their first child). Children can get either parent's surname if that parent kept her or his surname in the marriage, but children born in the same marriage must have the same surname. Since 2004 they can also get a hyphenated name, but only if both parents kept their birth names at least as a part of their new name (e.g. if they kept their own names, or if one or both of them have hyphenated). Currently children usually get their father's surname; hyphenating names is a rising trend.

The marriage of same-sex partners is not allowed in Hungary, so they cannot legally use each other's names, unless going through the formal name change process.

Iceland

Icelandic names adhere to the old patronymic system (a child receives a parent's—–usually the father's––first name in the genitive with -son or -dóttir appended). An Icelandic woman customarily retains her maiden names upon marrying, because regardless of whom she marries she remains her parents' daughter.

India

In North India a woman always uses her husband's given name as a middle name after marriage, and adopts her husband's surname as her new surname. In some parts of south India, a woman adopts her husband's first name instead of his family name after marriage, while in others, she will keep her birth name for the whole of her life. In Andhra Pradesh, a woman adopts her husband's surname as her own. In some orthodox families, a new bride might change her full name to one her in-laws prefer.

Several Hindu communities in Kerala, the most notable being Nairs, are matrilineal, and in these groups the woman keeps her name even after marriage. Furthermore, her children will take her family name, rather than their father's. In Kerala, amongst Muslims, the husband's name and surname are added to the wife's name. In example, if Jameela Khader Elongavan marries Habeeb Syed Pokakilath, she would change her name to Jameela Habeeb Pokakilath. One notable exception is the Tamil Muslim community where women continue to use their maiden names after marriage, as the concept of surname is non-existent; this also serves as a precaution against discrimination of converts based on their pre-Islamic caste identities.

Christians generally follow the Western customs. Hindu women normally keep their birth names, but in the new generation, adding the husband's name is also observed.

For many of an Indian woman's official documents, the husband's name or father's name has to be mentioned as a legal guardian (e.g. applying for a passport, bank account, etc.). This is irrespective of whether the woman is considered a minor or an adult.

In the state of Meghalaya, nobody changes any names ever. Everyone is known by the birth name for life. The birth first name is the name the parents choose for their child and the last name is, by default, the mother's last name.

Italy

In Italy since 1975 a woman legally keeps her birth name. Socially, she may add her husband's name to the end of her name linked with the word in: for example, if Maria Rossi marries Carlo Bianchi she can then use the form Maria Rossi in Bianchi. In a small number of cases it is possible that the wife can add just the husband's name without the in addition. Only in rare cases is a woman referred to with just her husband's surname.

Iran

Iranians do not change their names upon marriage, although the Iranian women may be called 'Mrs. (husband's family name)' in daily life.

Japan

In Japan, marriage law requires that married couples share a surname because they must belong to the same koseki (household). Although it is customary for the wife to join her husband's family and thus take his surname, the husband may instead join his wife's family and take her surname. The latter is customary if the wife is the last of her family, particularly if her lineage has some significance, in which case the husband is considered an "adopted son-in-law" – he has joined the family in order to continue the lineage; this practice is known as 婿養子 (mukoyōshi). Eldest sons are more likely to keep their family names than younger sons. Though uncommon, foreign men who marry Japanese women may choose to join their wife's koseki and take her surname. An example of this is Koizumi Yakumo, (born Lafcadio Hearn), a Greek-born Irishman who took his Japanese wife's name. (Non-Japanese citizens are listed only on a person's koseki to verify marriage. Name changes are not recorded and the foreign citizen is listed as spouse but not as part of the family registration. Foreign citizens have a separate registration system, and cannot establish their own koseki unless they take Japanese citizenship). The foreign citizen is governed by his/her own country's laws.)

In the Japanese language, it is common to avoid second and third person pronouns and instead refer to persons in conversation by their surname plus a title such as san, which indicate the relative rank, profession, or gender of the person but not his or her marriage status. Many women who have well-established careers or circles of friends may wish to continue to be referred to by their maiden name after they marry in order to maintain continuity at work or among their acquaintances. However, this is an informal practice not recognized by law, and a wife and husband may not use variant surnames in official settings. (It is possible to establish the maiden name, or another variant name, as a legal alias, which can then be used officially.) Although women's rights groups have attempted to introduce legislation that would allow married couples to maintain individual surnames, a practice which in Japanese is referred to as , such legislation has not yet been enacted.

Korea

Korean women do not change their names upon marriage. By given name alone, a woman cannot be identified as someone's wife. Neither are they addressed in a fashion similar to 'Mrs. (Husband's family name)'. They are usually addressed solely by their family name; however, it is more specifically 'wife of (husband's family name)' or '(child's name)'s mom', when the relation has to be known. Women emigrating to cultures where it is customary to take on their husband's names may choose not to change, especially if they are professionals. However, using the same concept as Chinese and Taiwanese women, they may let themselves be addressed as 'Mrs. (husband's family name)' in addition to, for example, 'Dr. (her maiden name)'.

Islam

Islam requires that Muslim women do not change their family name upon marriage, as this might suggest a transfer of property ownership. Under Islam, the woman retains her family name and identity as per Islamic law.[Qur'an 33:5]

Arabic-speaking countries

In Muslim Arabic-speaking countries, women keep their full birth and family names and do not change their family names to their husbands'. This is because of the majority Muslim population within the Arab countries.

However, some women either choose or are legally expected to carry their husbands' family name. This is the case in Egypt and the Levant (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan), where Islam is not the official state religion or Islamic sharia'a (law) is not the sole basis of the civil law of the country (although Egypt considers Islam as the main source of law). In these cases, women carry their husbands' family name while keeping their original family name as a middle name, so a woman would be known as "[First Name] [Original Family Name] [Husband's Family Name]". Examples of famous women who adopted their husband's family names: Jehan Sadat, wife of former Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, Suzanne Mubarak, wife of current Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, Asma al-Assad, wife of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, and Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan.

Malaysia

Malay women will keep their given name if they are Muslim. Their name will be joined with their father's name using binti (daughter of) to become their full name. Even after their marriage, they still use their full name. Chinese Malaysian women also keep their surname. They may let themselves be addressed as 'Mrs. (husband's family name)' or 'Madam (her own surname)'.

Netherlands

In the Netherlands, persons who have been married or entered into a registered partnership will remain registered under their birth name. They are, however, permitted to use their partner's last name for social purposes or join both names. Upon marriage or registered partnership, one may also indicate how they would like to be addressed through the registration of their choice in the Municipal Basis Administration (Gemeentelijke Basis Administratie) (although their birth name does not change). One may choose to be called by one's own name, one's partner's name, one's own name followed by one's partner's name (hyphenated) or one's partner's name followed by their own name (hyphenated). Both men and women may make this choice upon registering to get married or entering into a registered partnership. Upon the end of the marriage or registered partnership, one person may continue to use their ex-partner's last surname unless the ex-partner disagrees and requests the court to forbid the use of the ex-partner's surname surname.

Prior to the birth or adoption of a first child, married parents may choose by which surname the child will go (mother's or father's but not both). If no choice is made, the child automatically obtains the father's surname. Any further children will also go by this name. If the parents of the child are not married, the children will automatically obtain their mother's name unless otherwise indicated.

Philippines

Christians (as well as certain Muslims, Chinese Filipinos, and others) in the Philippines have traditionally followed naming patterns practiced throughout the Spanish-speaking world; i.e., the practice of having the father's surname followed by the mother's surname; the two being connected by the particle "y", which means "and" (ex. Juan Agbayani y Lopez). However, this practice changed when the Philippines became a United States colony in the early half of the 20th century. The order was reversed to the conventional American form "Given name - Middle name - Surname", which in this case is actually "Given name - Mother's maiden surname - Father's surname" (i.e. Juan Lopez Agbayani or simply Juan L. Agbayani). The particle "y" was also dropped.

Currently, the middle name is usually, though not always, the mother's maiden name, which is followed by the father's surname. This is the opposite of what is done in Spanish-speaking countries and is similar to the way surnames are done in Portugal and Brazil.

When a woman marries, she usually adopts the surname of her husband and uses her father's surname (her maiden surname) as her middle name, dropping her mother's maiden name (her former middle name). When a woman whose full maiden name is Maria Santos Cojuangco (where her mother's maiden surname is "Santos", and her father's surname is "Cojuangco") marries a man by the name of Juan Lopez Agbayani, her full name would become Maria Cojuangco Agbayani. For the sake of brevity, she would be usually known at the very least as Maria Agbayani; her maiden name is usually not mentioned or it may simply be abbreviated as an initial (i.e. Maria C. Agbayani). In many cases, her maiden name may be mentioned. Consequently, her children will have Cojuangco as a middle name. (ex. their child, Rafael Dominic, will have a full name of Rafael Dominic Cojuangco Agbayani or Rafael Dominic C. Agbayani). Up until the middle of the 20th century, it was common for married Filipino women to insert the particle "de" ("of") in between the Maiden surname and Husband's surname (as in Maria Cojuangco de Agbayani or Maria C. de Agbayani), another common Spanish naming custom. However, this practice is no longer common.

Married Filipino women who are professionals may choose to hyphenate their surnames (i.e. Maria Cojuangco-Agbayani, instead of simply Maria Agbayani or Maria C. Agbayani) , at least in professional use, and use it socially even if legal documents follow the above naming pattern.

Portuguese-speaking world

In general, the traditions followed in countries like Brazil, Portugal and Angola are similar to the ones of Spain. Unlike Spanish tradition, usually the mother's surname comes first, followed by the father's surname. A woman may adopt her husband's surname(s), but nevertheless she always keeps her birth names. Since 1977, a husband can also adopt his wife's surname. When this happens, usually both spouses change their name after marriage.

The custom of a woman changing her name upon marriage is recent. It spread in the late 19th century in the upper classes, under French influence, and in the 20th century, particularly during the Estado Novo, it became socially almost obligatory. Nowadays, fewer women adopt, even officially, their husbands' names, and among those who do so officially, it is quite common not to use it either in their professional or informal life.

Until the end of the nineteenth century it was common for women, especially those from a very poor background, not to have a surname and so to be known only by her first name. She would then adopt her husband's full surname after marriage. With the advent of republicanism in Brazil and Portugal, along with the institution of civil registries, all children have surnames so this situation no longer occurs.

For the children, it is common to bear only the last surnames of the parents. For example, Carlos da Silva Gonçalves and Ana Luísa de Albuquerque Pereira (Gonçalves) (in case she adopted her husband's name after marriage) would have a child named Lucas Pereira Gonçalves. However, the child may have any other combination of the parents' surnames, according to euphony, social significance or other reasons.

Russia and some Slavic countries

During the wedding, the young couple has to declare what surname they are going to use. Both have the option to keep their original surnames or to adopt the other one's surname. Most often the bride adopts her husband's surname in its feminine version. In most Slavic languages there are two ways to create the feminine surname version. First and most prevalent is by adding "-ova" or "-eva" to the masculine form (in Russian surnames ending with "-ov", only "-a" is added). Navratil's wife will be called Navratilova, Gorbachev's wife will become Gorbacheva. Sometimes, to ease pronunciation, the root of the husband's name may be slightly modified - e.g. Havel's wife will become Havlová, or the husband's surname may be shortened before adding the suffix, especially when the surname ends in a vowel, so Čábela's wife will be Čábelová.

The second grammatical way of creating the feminine version of the husband's surname concerns names that are or resemble adjectives and end with "-y" or "-i". In that case the feminine version follows the rules for adjectives and "y" or "i" is replaced with "a" (in Russian "-aya"). So Sklodowskiy's wife will become Sklodovskaya, Ostrovskiy's wife will become Ostrovskaya; in Poland, Dziewanowski becomes Dziewanowska. There is one further option - some surnames do not change and do not follow any grammatical rules at all, as for example the names in Ukrainian ending with "-ko", or in Serbian the surnames ending with "-ić". Bondarenko's wife will remain Bondarenko, and Milošević will remain Milošević. In Czech these are the surnames ending with "-u" or "-í". Martinů's wife will remain Martinů and Kočí's wife will be Kočí.

In fact, in most cases the wife and the husband never have identical surnames, which sometimes creates translation problems into most western languages. While Putin's wife is Putina, it is normal to refer to the couple as "Mr and Mrs Putin", or "the Putins". On the other hand, the surname makes clear whether the person is a man or a woman. Another case in point is Anna Karenina. Karenina was her own surname, and her husband's was Karenin. Because the novel is principally about her, her surname has traditionally been used in the translation of the title. Recent editions, however, have rendered it as Anna Karenin.

Usually, female surnames of foreign origin are not modified. One exception is the Slovak Republic, where modification of foreign female surnames is required by language laws. For instance, Nicole Kidman would become Nicole Kidmanova in Slovak. This practice is also common in the Czech Republic. More recently, this controversial regulation is being abandoned, as many celebrities with a surname of foreign origin are using it in original form.

Spanish-speaking world

In Spain and in most Spanish-speaking countries, the practice is for people to have two surnames. The first surname comes from the father and the second from the mother. A child's first surname will usually be their father's first surname whilst the child's second surname will usually be the mother's first surname. For example, if Señor Smith Adams and Señora Jones Roberts had a child named Paul, then his full name would be Paul Smith Jones. One family member's relationship to another's can often be identified by the various combinations and permutations of surnames.

In Spain and especially Catalonia the paternal and maternal surnames are often combined using y (Castilian) or i (in Catalan), see for example the economist Xavier Sala-i-Martin or Salvador Dalí i Domènech.

In Spain, a woman does not ever change her legal surnames when she marries. In some Spanish-speaking countries (those in Latin America), a woman marrying a man may drop her mother's surname and add her husband's surname to her father's surname using the "de" (of) preposition. For example, if "Clara Reyes Alba" were to marry "Alberto Gómez Rodriguez", the wife could use "Clara Reyes de Gómez" as her name (or "Clara Reyes Gómez", or, rarely, "Clara Gómez Reyes". She can be addressed as Sra. de Gómez corresponding to "Mrs Gómez"). In some countries, this form may be mainly social and not an official name change, i.e., legally, her name would still be her birth name. This custom of adding the husband's surname is slowly fading.

Any children a couple have together take both surnames, so if the couple above had two children named "Andrés" and "Ana", then their names would be "Andrés Gómez Reyes" and "Ana Gómez Reyes". In Spain, a 1995 reform in the law allows the parents to choose whether the father's or the mother's surname goes first, although this order must be the same for all their children. For instance, the son of the couple in the example above would be "Andrés Gómez Reyes" or "Andrés Reyes Gómez". Sometimes, for single mothers or when the father would or could not recognize the child, the mother's surname has been used twice: for example, "Ana Reyes Reyes". In Spain, however, children with just one parent receive both surnames of that parent, although the order may also be changed. In 1973 in Chile, the law was changed to avoid stigmatizing illegitimate children with the maternal surname repeated.

It should be noted that some Hispanic people, after leaving their country, drop their maternal surname (even if not formally), so as to better fit into the English-speaking or non-Hispanic society they live or work in. Dropping the paternal surname is not so unusual when it is a very common one. For instance, painter Pablo Ruiz Picasso and Spanish president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero are known by their maternal surnames as "Picasso" and "Zapatero".

In some churches, such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where the family structure is emphasized, as well as legal marriage, the wife is referred to as "hermana" [sister] plus the surname of her husband. And most records of the church follow that structure as well.

A new trend in the United States for Hispanics is to hyphenate their father's and mother's last names. This is done because American born English-speakers are not aware of the Hispanic custom of using two last names and thus mistake the first last name of the individual for a middle name. In doing so they would, for example, mistakenly refer to Esteban Alvarez Cobos as Esteban A. Cobos. Such confusion can be particularly troublesome in official matters. To avoid such mistakes, Esteban Alvarez Cobos, would become Esteban Alvarez-Cobos, in order to clarify that both are last names.

Argentina

In Argentina, women use their husband's last name after "de". There are some province offices where a married woman can use only her birth name, and some others where she has to use the complete name, for legal purposes. The Argentine Civilian Code states both uses are correct, but police offices and passports are issued with the complete name.

When Eva Duarte married Juan Domingo Perón, she could be addressed as Eva Duarte de Perón, but the preferred style was Eva Perón, or the familiar and affectionate Evita (little Eva). Combined names come from old traditional families and are considered one last name, but are rare. This is due to the fact that although Argentina is a Castilian speaking country, it is also composed of other varied European influences, such as Italian, French, Russian, German, etc.

Children typically use their father's last name only. Some state offices have started to use both last names, in the traditional father then mother order, to reduce the risk of a person being mistaken for others using the same name combinations, e.g. if Eva Duarte and Juan Perón had a child named Juan, he might be misidentified if he were called Juan Perón, but not if he was known as Juan Perón Duarte.

In early 2008, some new legislation is under consideration that will place the mother's last name ahead the father's last name, as it is done in most of the Portuguese-speaking countries.

Chile

In Chile, marriage has no effect at all on either of the spouses' names, so people keep their birth names for all their life, no matter how many times marital status, theirs or that of their parents, may change. However, in some circles, it is still customary for a wife to use her husband's name as reference, as in "Doña María Inés de Ramirez" (literally Lady Maria Ines (wife of) Ramirez).

Children will always bear the surname of the father followed by that of the mother, but if there is no known father and the mother is single, the Children can bear either both of her mother's surnames or the mother's first surname followed by any of the surnames of the mother's parents or grandparents, or the child may bear the mother's first surname twice in a row.

Sweden

Only since the beginning of the 20th century has it been common in Scandinavia for women to take their husband's last name. However, since the women's liberation movement in the 1970s, more women have chosen to keep their original name as had been the custom for centuries. Many women who change their name either take their husband's name as a "middle name" and use their maiden name as their surname, or keep their maiden name as a middle name and use their husband's surname as a new surname. Since a person cannot have two surnames in the official registries, women often register the maiden or the married name as a "middle name", a name not to be considered a given name or a surname. There is a perception that well-educated women with a career do this more often since they may have acquired a good reputation in professional circles by their maiden name before they get married, which would be in difficulty if they changed their name.

The most common Swedish surnames end with "-sson", which means "son of" in English. Until recently, surnames ending with "-sdotter" ("daughter of" in English) were not so common, but recent legislation allows any daughter to take either parent's name and add "-sdotter" as a surname. A daughter of Sven can thus take the name "Svensdotter" meaning "daughter of Sven". The same rules apply to sons, who can take the name "Svensson" meaning "son of Sven", or (very uncommon so far but allowed) their mother's name ending with "-sson", like "Mariasson" if their mother's name is Maria. This is very similar to the system used in Iceland but applied to a greater extent. However, very few people take surnames like this in Sweden. Most people use the traditional structure.

Other

A less common, but growing, alternative is for the married couple to create a new non-hyphenated name. This name may be a combination of letters from both surnames, it may be a name found on distant branches of both family trees, or it may be a new name altogether. This allows any children to have the same name and is equal in that both parties must give up their original surnames. One example of this is Los Angeles, California, USA mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Born Antonio Villar, upon marrying wife Corina Raigosa, fused their surnames into the present Villaraigosa. One possible criticism against this practice is that it makes families harder to trace via genealogy, though a counter-argument would be that it makes the mother's genealogical information easier to trace. In many countries a legal record must be filed in order to make this name change, which increases the level of complexity.

Same-sex marriages

Public and legal acknowledgment of same-sex marriage is relatively recent, though still uncommon due to its illegality in many regions. Trends in the nuptial naming practices associated with same-sex marriage have not yet been observed. LGBT people may make such decisions on an individual basis. In some civil law jurisdictions like the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, same-sex spouses or registered partners have the same legal options as heterosexual spouses to acquire, or—in the case of the Netherlands—use, the other partner's surname.

Legal status of name changes at marriage

Laws respecting married names vary. In areas whose legal systems derive from the English common law—such as most parts of the USA, Canada, and the UK—a name change usually does not require much legal action, because a person can choose to be known by any name (except with intent to defraud). Married persons who take their spouse's name must get a new driver's license and National Insurance or Social Security card, etc., and inform the company they work for, etc. However, the legal process for a name change due to marriage is, in many jurisdictions, still simpler and faster than for other kinds of name change. In many jurisdictions whose legal systems derive from the civil law—such as France, Spain, Belgium, the Canadian province of Quebec, and the U.S. state of Louisiana—however, the default position is for a woman's "legal name" to remain the same throughout life: Citizens there who wish to change their names legally must usually apply to do so via a formal procedure.

In 2007, Michael Buday and Diana Bijon enlisted the American Civil Liberties Union and filed a discrimination lawsuit against the state of California. According to ACLU, the obstacles facing a husband who wishes to adopt his wife's last name violate the equal protection clause provided by the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. At the time of the lawsuit, only the states of Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, New York and North Dakota explicitly allow a man to change his name through marriage with the same ease as a woman. As a result of the lawsuit, a California state lawmaker introduced a bill to put a space on the marriage license for either spouse to change names.

Genealogy

Most genealogists prefer to refer to a mother by her maiden name when they are constructing a pedigree, whether in chart form such as a family tree or in some written form. This convention is used because it is a concise way of presenting genealogical information. Thus they would write (or show on a pedigree chart) a child as e.g. the son of John Smith and Mary Brown.

References

See also

Double-barrelled name

Family name

Given name

Lucy Stone League

Matrilineal surname

Name change

Patrilineal surname

Category:Surnames

Name	Sinik
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Thomas Idir
Alias	Sinik Malsain l'Assassin S.I.N.I.K.
Born	June 26, 1980
Origin	Essonne, France
Years active	1996 - present
Genre	French rap, hardcore rap
Label	6-0-9 (Six-O-Nine)
Official site	sinik609.com
Associated acts	Diam'sTandem James BluntL'SkadrilleVitaaJérôme Le BannerAlpha 5.20Seth GeckoHeboLfDAlibi MontanaJeff Le NerfKery JamesSopranoKennedyReenoBakarGrodashUl'TeamAtomAlibi Montana
Profession	Rapper

Thomas Idir a.k.a. Sinik (born June 26, 1980) is a French-language rap artist. His father is Algerian while his mother is French.

His meeting with Diam's at 14 was the turning point of his career. They consider themselves as brother and sister.

In 2001, he founded his label Six o Nine.

Le Toit du Monde, released in 2007, contains a song called Je Réalise which features British songwriter, James Blunt. The single is sung in two languages, English and French (French with Sinik and English with James Blunt).

Canadian UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre used Sinik's L'Homme a Abattre as ring entrance music in his bout with BJ Penn at UFC 94

Discography

2000 - Malsain (Maxi)

2003 - Artiste Triste (Maxi)

2004 - En attendant l'album (Street Album)

2005 - La Main Sur Le Coeur (9,000 copies sold in France)

2006 - Sang Froid (more than 10,000 copies sold in France)

2007 - Le Toit du Monde(4,000 copies sold in France)

2009 - Ballon d'or

External links

Sinik 609

Sinik - AOL Music

Sinik Sinik Sinik Category:Kabyle people Sinik

Name	Ne-Yo
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Shaffer Chimere Smith
Alias	Ne-Yo
Born	October 18, 1979,Camden, Arkansas USA
Origin	Las Vegas, Nevada
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actor, rapper
Genre	R&B;, pop, dance, soul, hip hop
Instrument	Vocals, piano
Years active	1999–present
Label	Def Jam
Associated acts	Stargate, Fabolous
Url

Shaffer Chimere Smith Jr (born October 18, 1979), better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American pop and R&B; singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. Since his debut, Ne-Yo has had five top ten songs on the Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist and two number-one albums on the Billboard 200. Ne-Yo has also amassed a catalog of chart-topping songs that he has written for other artists.

Ne-Yo broke into the recording industry as a songwriter, penning the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario. The single's successful release in the United States prompted an informal meeting between Ne-Yo and Def Jam's label head, and signing a recording contract.

In 2006, he released his debut album, In My Own Words, which contained the US number one hit "So Sick". Then in 2007, he released his sophomore album, Because of You which contained the US top 3 hit, "Because of You". In 2008, he released his third album, Year of the Gentleman, which contained the top 10 hits "Closer" and "Miss Independent". His fourth studio album Libra Scale was released on November 22, 2010. Ne-Yo has so far released three singles of the upcoming album, "Beautiful Monster", "Champagne Life", and "One in a Million".

Early life

Ne-Yo was born in Camden, Arkansas, and baptized as Shaffer Chimere Smith. His father is African American, and his mother is of mixed African American and Chinese descent; both were musicians. As a young child, he was raised by his mother alone after she separated from his father. In hopes of better opportunity, his mother relocated the family to Las Vegas, Nevada. While he was in high school, Smith adopted the stage name "GoGo" and joined an R&B; group called Envy. The group disbanded in 2000, and Smith continued to write songs for other artists before starting his solo career.

Career

1999–2005: career beginnings

Ne-Yo emerged into the recording industry as member of the Las Vegas-based quartet Envy. After the group disbanded in 2000, Ne-Yo was signed to Columbia Records, but, after recording his first album, was dropped from the label before he could even release it. American singer Marques Houston happened to hear one of Ne-Yo's tracks, "That Girl", which was supposed to be the latter's debut single off his then-unreleased album. Houston rerecorded "That Girl" and released it as a single to his 2003 album MH. though all of which failed to give Ne-Yo much attention from the mainstream.

"Ne-Yo" was coined by a producer Ne-Yo once worked with, Big D Evans, because Evans claimed that Ne-Yo sees music as Neo sees the matrix. As a joke, Evans started calling him Ne-Yo until everybody was accustomed to it. During the same week, the single had reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Later singles released were "When You're Mad" and "Sexy Love", which peaked at number 15 and number 7, respectively. The album has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for a shipment of over one million units.

His sophomore album, Because of You, was released on May 1, 2007, and, fueled by its lead single, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 251,000 copies in the United States; the feat gave Ne-Yo his second number-one album. The first single from the platinum-selling album was the title track, which peaked at the number-two spot.

2008–09: Year of the Gentleman and Greatest Hits

Ne-Yo's third album, Year of the Gentleman, was released internationally on August 5, 2008. Speaking to noted UK R&B; writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning Blues & Soul, Ne-Yo explained the thinking behind its title: "To me 'Year Of The Gentleman' is all about a persona, a swag and a charm. I made an assessment of the music business. And, in my personal opinion, the essence of the gentleman is absent right now. Everybody kinda looks the same, everybody's kinda doing the same thing, everybody's kinda rude and full of themselves. Whereas a gentleman is calm, courteous, kind, charming... So that title basically represents me trying to lead by example, and showing these cats what it is to be a gentleman in this business still."

The album sold 250,000 copies in its first week in the United States, debuting on the Billboard 200 at number two. Reviews for the album were positive: in one of which, Caryn Ganz of Rolling Stone magazine wrote that Year of the Gentleman is "actually a superb concept album about what a great boyfriend he [Ne-Yo] can be".

The first two singles, "Closer" and "Miss Independent", have peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was nominated for Best Contemporary R&B; Album and Album of the Year at the 2009 Grammy Awards, "Closer" for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, and "Miss Independent" for Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance and Best R&B; Song. Year of the Gentleman has been certified platinum by RIAA for a shipment of more than one million copies. The album was also released with a limited edition CD+DVD edition complete with the music videos of singles. It debuted at number four on Japan Oricon weekly albums chart, selling 55,625 copies in the first week.

2010–present: Libra Scale

Ne-Yo released his fourth studio album, Libra Scale, on November 22, 2010. The first single, "Beautiful Monster", premiered on May 25, 2010 and was released as a digital download on June 8, 2010 and reached number 1 on UK singles chart. On October 8, 2010, Ne-Yo performed some of his songs from the new album at P.C. Richard & Son Theater in New York City that was hosted by iheartradio. The second and third singles released off of the album are "Champagne Life" and "One in a Million", respectively. Speaking of Libra Scale, Ne-Yo stated: "The album is based upon this short story which basically follows these three characters who are forced to choose between money-power-and-fame versus love. Which in turn is why I've called it 'Libra Scale'. You know, its whole concept is based on that question of morality – that, if you weight it all out on a libra scale, which one of those two options would you choose?"

Ne-Yo is set to guest-star in an upcoming episode of . He is to play a professional hit man.

Other ventures

in 2007]]

Songwriting and production

Ne-Yo frequently co-writes with Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen of the Norwegian production team Stargate. Ne-Yo met them in a hallway at Sony Music Studios in New York, and having known the team produces R&B; records, he decided to collaborate with them. The collective's early works were tracks off In My Own Words including "So Sick".

Aside from working on his own album, Ne-Yo also collaborates with several other artists. His works include: Rihanna's top-ten singles "Unfaithful", "Russian Roulette" and her number-one hit "Take a Bow", Mario Vazquez's "Gallery", Paula DeAnda's "Walk Away (Remember Me)", and Beyoncé Knowles' Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Irreplaceable", which stayed on the chart for ten consecutive weeks. In 2010, he dueted with Mariah Carey on 'Angel's Cry', a song on her cancelled album, Angels Advocate. Ne-Yo has also written songs for Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Anastacia, Ciara, Corbin Bleu, Enrique Iglesias and Dima Bilan. He also collaborated with Lindsay Lohan on her new material, having already finished "Bossy", a pre-single for her new album Spirit in the Dark. Ne-Yo confirmed that he had been contacted by producer will.i.am to work on what would have been Michael Jackson's new album. However, at the time of Jackson's death, Ne-Yo's collaborations with him had yet to move past the writing stage. In an interview in 2010 he said since Jackson's death he's been confused as what to do with the songs, as he feels that selling them to another artist or even releasing the songs himself would be disrespectful to Jackson legacy. In 2009, he wrote "Truth (Saigo no Shinjitsu)" for Japanese pop group w-inds..

Ne-Yo ventured out to open his own recording studio called Carrington House in Atlanta, Georgia. He also had started his own production company, Compound Entertainment, in 2007, and has hired several producers and songwriters in hopes of turning it into a full-fledge record label. It successfully became a label, and artists such as Paula Campbell, Sixx John, and Shanell are now associated with Compound. Ne-Yo is set to star in, executive produce and write the soundtrack to the film Venice Beach.

Personal life

In 2005 Ne-Yo's girlfriend at the time gave birth to a boy, naming him Chimere after Ne-Yo's middle name.

Ne-Yo was arrested for reckless driving on February 19, 2008, while driving through Cobb County, Georgia. He was driving at over 100 mph in his 2006 Range Rover and did not have a valid license. It was reported that he was doing about 105 mph, 50 mph over the speed limit. According to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Ne-Yo was sentenced to 24 hours community service by a judge on June 2, 2008. He pleaded guilty to driving without a license and pleaded "no contest" to the reckless driving charge.

In June 2010, Ne-Yo told Ebony that he and his thought to be girlfriend, Monyetta Shaw, were expecting their first child together, a girl due early in 2011. However, when The Sun asked Ne-Yo about his baby's mother in August 2010, he said: "I have a friend. Not a girlfriend. She's carrying my child, but knows I can't commit. She doesn't mind other women." Shaw gave birth early to a girl, Madilyn Grace Smith, on November 12, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. Announcing the birth, Ne-Yo said of his first child, "I've been in love before but this feels like nothing I've ever felt...Like I'm in love for the first time."

Discography

In My Own Words (2006)

Because of You (2007)

Year of the Gentleman (2008)

Libra Scale (2010)

Filmography

See also

List of awards and nominations received by Ne-Yo

References

External links

Category:1982 births Category:1990s singers Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:African American singers Category:American people of Chinese descent Category:American dance musicians Category:American male singers Category:American pop singers Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American musicians of Asian descent Category:Musicians from Arkansas Category:Def Jam Recordings artists Category:English-language singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Living people Category:People from Ouachita County, Arkansas

Keny Arkana (born 1982 in Marseille, France) is a French rap artist. She is active in the alter-globalization movement with "La Rage Du Peuple", a music collective created in 2004 in the neighborhood of Noailles in Marseilles.

Biography

Raised in Marseilles of Argentine heritage, Arkana began rapping in 1996, with her first texts at the age of 12. She formed the collectives Mars Patrie and later Etat-Major, gaining performance experience in the Marseilles underground scene, culminating in the 2003 release of Etat Major's first mixtape.

After several solo appearances on various projects, Arkana released her first EP Le missile est lancé (The rocket is launched) in 2004. Her first album Entre ciment et belle étoile (Between concrete and stars) was released in October 2006. Her first single, La rage, released in 2006, pointedly references the 2005 civil unrest in France.

Keny Arkana also launched a series of local social fora through the association Appel aux sans voix (Call to the voiceless).

"Désobéissance" is her latest Street album, released in 2008.

Etat-Major Discography

2003 : Volume 1 (EP)

Solo discography

2004 : Le missile est lancé (EP)

2005 : L'esquisse

2006 : La rage (EP)

2006 : Entre ciment et belle étoile (Album)

2008 : Désobéissance (EP)

Notes

Links

Official site of Keny Arkana

La Rage du Peuple

La Rage (sound file)

Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:French rappers Category:French people of Argentine descent Category:Female rappers

Name	Alexz Johnson
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Alexzandra Spencer Johnson
Born	November 04, 1986New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Instrument	Vocals guitar piano
Genre	Pop, world, folk-pop, alternative rock
Voice type	Mezzo-soprano, Contralto
Years active	2000–present
Occupation	Vocalist, songwriter, musician, actress
Label	Epic, Capitol, inDiscover Recordings, Orange Lounge Recording Co.
Associated acts	Tyler Kyte, Demo Castellon, Nelly Furtado
Url	www.alexzjohnson.com

Alexzandra "Alexz" Spencer Johnson (born November 4, 1986) is a Canadian actress and singer-songwriter. Her debut album Voodoo was independently released on March 30, 2010.

She is best known for her roles as Jude Harrison in the CTV series Instant Star, as Annie Thelan in the Disney Channel series So Weird, and as Erin Ulmer in the 2006 horror film Final Destination 3. She was nominated three times for a Gemini Award for Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series (Instant Star), winning the award in 2008.

Early life

Johnson was born in New Westminster, British Columbia and raised in nearby Coquitlam, the sixth of ten children. One of her sisters is a stage actress, and her brother Brendan is a musician with whom she often collaborates.

From age three, Johnson would frequently sing for her large extended family. By age seven, she was receiving vocal training, participating in festivals with her local youth choir, and giving solo performances at school and community functions. She entered many talent contests and festivals, winning a National Anthem Contest at the age of 11, with her rendition of the National Anthem being heard on national television. This resulted in numerous radio and television interviews, as well as interest from management. That year, she was also voted Best Anthem singer of the season by the Vancouver Sun.

Locally, Johnson was often referred to as the "West Coast Celine" and sang the Canadian National Anthem at games for the NHL's Vancouver Canucks and the NBA's Vancouver Grizzlies (now based in Memphis). She also performed at charity events and fairs around the province, in addition to the B.C. Summer Games. She opened the Variety Club show singing a duet with Bob McGrath, sang the first set of songs at the Molson Indy (a major car race), and entertained on New Year's Eve at Planet Hollywood at the age of 12.

Career

2000–03: Career beginnings and So Weird

Although she was only focused on singing at the time, Alexz decided to pursue a career in acting at the age of 11, where she "walked into an acting agency and told them [she] wanted to sing." She landed auditions for commercials and a showcase for a pilot called "Most Talented Kids". She auditioned for the Disney television series So Weird which, for the final season of the show, was looking for a lead actress who could also sing.

Alexz was offered the job immediately after her audition. This role was a tough assignment, because many fans of the show had already become accustomed to a different story-line, were not happy that the show had shifted from a "darker" to a "lighter" tone, and were upset that the previous lead actress Cara DeLizia was moving on as the show approached its final season. While many long-time fans of the show continued to feel this way, the show nevertheless retained its popularity, and Alexz built up a fan base on the strength of both her acting and her singing. She also showed an interest in songwriting, and co-wrote one of the songs for So Weird. After the show ended, she continued her interest in songwriting, co-writing with her brother. In 2002, after a few acting gigs under her belt, Alexz focused on her music career. Several labels offered her contracts, but she held off, wanting more creative control and a hand in the songwriting.

In 2001, Alexz teamed up with the production/songwriting team of Johnny Elkins and CJ Vanston and had a more bubblegum pop sound. With her work with Vanston and Elkins ending around 2003, Alexz ended up working with her brother on demos that showed her music in a new direction, with deeper lyrics, prominent guitar, and stronger vocals. These were the types of songs included on the demo CD she sent to the executives of Instant Star with her audition tape.

Johnson has continued with several acting projects, including the role of Angel in the Lifetime original movie Selling Innocence and guest roles in shows such as The Chris Isaak Show, Cold Squad, and The Collector.

2004–07: Instant Star and acting roles

In 2004, Alexz sent in an audition tape to the producers of for their upcoming show Instant Star. They were specifically looking for a Canadian teen actress/vocalist to play the lead role, Jude Harrison. The first audition tape Executive Producer Stephen Stohn received was Alexz's, and he was convinced she was exactly the one who would be perfect for the role. The auditioning continued, returning to Alexz in the end.

After its first season, Instant Star was nominated for three Gemini Awards (Canadian equivalent of the American Emmy Award) in the category of Best Children's or Youth Fiction Program or Series. Nominations included: (1) Best Series; (2) Best Performance (Alexz Johnson); and (3) Best Direction (Graeme Campbell). The show won the award for Best Direction. On August 28, 2007, the show received three more Gemini Award nominations, in the category of Best Children's or Youth Program or Series - two for best direction (Pat Williams and Graeme Campbell), and one for Best Performance (Alexz Johnson, in the episode, "I Fought the Law").

Alexz sang all of the songs that her character Jude, on Instant Star performed on the show. She recorded soundtracks for each of the four seasons of Instant Star: Songs from Instant Star, Songs from Instant Star Two, Songs from Instant Star Three, and Songs From Instant Star Four. She wrote/co-wrote five of the songs on the first season's soundtrack, including "24 Hours", "Let Me Fall", "Criminal, "Skin", and "That Girl", which Alexz had written before when she was fourteen. She did not write songs on the albums for the next three seasons, however her brother Brendan continued to write songs for the show.

Most of the original recordings for the originally planned debut album were written by Alexz in early 2005, but she had yet to find a major label to help create and release the songs. In early 2006, Alexz had announced she was to leave the indie Canadian label Orange Records, that had released the first two soundtracks to Instant Star, in search of something to showcase her as an artist and not her fictional counterpart Jude Harrison on Instant Star.

Johnson also decided to audition for the role of Julie Christenson in the thriller Final Destination 3. As it turned out, she showed up at the audition in an all black, punk rockish outfit, later claiming that she had also been in a bad mood. The casting directors concluded that she would be perfect for the role of Erin Ulmer, a character with a bad attitude. This was not a large part, but she played it convincingly, right to the gruesome end. Her performance attracted praise from some critics, even from one (writing for The Philadelphia Inquirer) who said: "The characters are so loathsome, you're glad to see them go. Except for two: the goth couple Ian (Kris Lemche) and Erin (Alexz Johnson). He's a cynical know-it-all, like Dennis Miller with black fingernails; she's like Parker Posey with raccoon mascara.." In 2007, Alexz starred in the Lifetime movie, Devil's Diary, for which she received a Leo Award nomination, in the category of Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Feature-Length Drama.

2008–09: Struggles with starting her music career

On August 26, 2008, Alexz Johnson was nominated a third time for a Gemini award. On October 21, 2008, she won the Gemini Award for Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series, for the Instant Star episode Let It Be. Johnson continued with Instant Star for four seasons, and expected to return for a fifth. This was interrupted when CTV and The N both pulled funding following the fourth season, which led to the cancellation of the series after the fourth season that aired on CTV and The-N in the summer and fall of 2008 respectively. This allowed Alexz to go back to focusing on her music.

After a showcase in New York City, Alexz met with several labels and producers including Martin Terefe, Guy Sigsworth, and Marius DeVries. Eventually, Johnson chose Capitol Records, which allowed her to work with Paul Buckmaster though her brother was the main producer of the material at the time. In writing songs for the album, she had worked with UK writers Martin Terefe and Sacha Skarbek as well as producer/songwriter Brio Taliaferro. On June 25, 2007, Alexz appeared on the MTV Canada. She confirmed that all of her songs had been written and recorded. She planned on shopping for a label over the next few months and hoped to release the album in the winter.

On February 15, 2008, she announced in her MySpace blog that she had signed a record deal with label Epic Records (part of the Sony BMG group), expecting the album to be released in the fall. Having heard the first six songs, Stephen Stohn, in his MySpace blog of Feb. 16, 2008, commented that, "they are just incredibly good - very different from the songs you've come to know through Instant Star, much more rhythmic, with almost a world beat."

In an interview in 2008, she described her upcoming album as "pop with eclectic world rhythms and influences", citing influences from "older artists" such as Paul Simon, Kate Bush, and Annie Lennox, and saying that she was "trying to find a way to make those great older songs younger."

The producer for the album became Greg Wells after Johnson was introduced to him through his brother Rob Wells, one of the songwriters for Instant Star. The new arrangement with Epic Records also affected the line-up of artists for the Instant Star 4 soundtrack, as the record label allowed her a maximum of four songs on Instant Star 4. In her MySpace blog of February 15, 2008, Alexz Johnson indicated that she was planning an extensive tour around her new album, saying of her songs that, "I can't wait to perform them live! Looking forward to seeing all of your faces!" Johnson also began working with multi instrumentalist Luis Conte and legendary strings expert Paul Buckmaster. Five songs were posted on her MySpace page by her record company on June 11, 2008. These songs were supposed to appear in her upcoming album and were entitled: "Easy", "Swallowed", "Chicago", "Golden", and "Running With the Devil". saying "Epic has released over a third of their artists from their contracts and, la dee da... I'm one of those artists..." She also later clarified in an interview that the "head of the label who signed [her] ended up shifting to a different company. It led a lot of artists on Epic astray." and later requested fans to go through the clips of five upcoming songs on her site, and to recommend which should be the lead-off single. The tracks posted were: "L.A. Made Me", "Hurricane Girl", "Voodoo", "A Little Bit", and "Trip Around the World". On December 1, 2009 it was announced that her debut album Voodoo would be released on March 30, 2010. The debut single, Trip Around The World, was released on February 2, 2010. Alexz shared in an interview that her favourite songs off Voodoo are "Look At Those Eyes", "Voodoo", and "Gonna Get It".

Alexz announced that her album Voodoo will be entirely remixed by Demo Castellon. The reason for the re-release of her album is the lack of airplay, so each song will get a radio-friendly makeover. The project entitled Voodoo: Reloaded is expected to be released February 2011. The second single, "Boogie Love" Remix, was released January 11th, 2011.

She is also currently working on a follow-up to Voodoo to be released in 2011. So far, she has written with Toby Gad.

Other work

Philanthropy

During 2001, Alexz worked with World Vision, and had a section on her official site where fans could order shirts with a design done by Johnson and also featuring her autograph. Unfortunately, there were production problems and the shirts were never sent out. Alexz made an apology on her site and provided refunds to everyone who ordered one. In 2002, she performed as the opening act at Wayne Gretzky's celebrity dinner and auction, held in Edmonton, Alberta, to raise funds for the Ronald McDonald children's charity.

During the peak of her run on So Weird, Alexz ended up performing and visiting the Nashville Kids Fair where she also hosted the event. During her time in Nashville, Alexz ended up visiting ill children in a local hospital. The trip was made as a part of an outreach by Disney Channel, as Alexz visited the children with the dog who starred in the Disney original film Air Bud.

During 2002 and 2003, Alexz focused on her music, but decided to perform with several charitable organizations. She worked with David Foster, opening for his charity events for the David Foster Foundation. After the season premiere of the second season of Instant Star on The N she also did a public service announcement for Second Harvest which was assisting the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

On November 21, 2008, Alexz was a special guest performer for a Women In Leadership (a Vancouver organization promoting women's role in the media) foundation called SuperWomen & Friends - A Red Carpet Gala.

Filmography

{| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- |2000–2001 |So Weird |Annie Thelen |26 episodes |- | 2001 | Express Yourself | Herself | TV Series |- |2004 |The Chris Isaak Show |Jennifer |Episode: "Taking Off" |- |2004 |The Collector |Isabelle Van Sant |Episode: "The Ice Skater" |- |2004 |Cold Squad |Deirdre Spence / Tricia Spence |Episode: "Teen Angel" |- |2004 |Doc |Ally |Episode: "Till We Meet Again" |- |2004–2008 |Instant Star |Jude Harrison |52 episodes |- |2005 |Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical |The Arc-ettes / Vocal Ensemble | |- |2005 |Falcon Beach |Beach girl |TV movie |- | 2005 | Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye | Megan | 1 Episode |- |2005 |Selling Innocence |Angel |TV movie |- |2006 |Final Destination 3 |Erin Ulmer | |- | 2006 | Planned Accidents | Herself | Video documentary |- | 2006 | Instant Star | Herself | Backstage Pass |- | 2006 | Death's Design: Making 'Final Destination 3' | Erin/Herself | TV documentary |- | 2006 | Dead Teenager Movie | Herself | |- | 2006 | Kill Shot: The Making Of 'FD3' | Herself | Video documentary |- |2007 |Devil's Diary |Dominique |TV movie |- | 2008 | 10th Annual Leo Awards | Herself | |- |2009 |Smallville |Imra Ardeen / Saturn Girl |Episode: "Legion" |- |2009 |Stranger with My Face |Laurie Stratton / Lia Abbot |TV movie |- | 2010 | The Listener | Unknown |}

Discography

Studio albums

Soundtracks

Songs from Instant Star (2005)

Songs from Instant Star Two (2006)

Songs from Instant Star Three (2007)

Songs from Instant Star Four (2008)

(2009)

Singles

2005: "24 Hours"

2006: "How Strong Do You Think I Am"

2007: "Where Does It Hurt"

2010: "Trip Around the World"

2011: "Boogie Love"

References

External links

The Official Alexz Johnson Website

Alexz Johnson Official Myspace

Category:1986 births Category:Musicians from British Columbia Category:Canadian child actors Category:Canadian child singers Category:Canadian female singers Category:Canadian film actors Category:Canadian television actors Category:Living people Category:People from Coquitlam Category:Actors from British Columbia

Name	Alexandra Stan
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Alexandra Stan
Born	June 10, 1989
Origin	Constanta, Romania
Label	Maan Music Studio
Instrument	Vocals
Genre	House
Occupation	Vocalist
Url

Alexandra Stan (born 10 June 1989 ) is a Romanian solo singer.

Biography

Alexandra Stan was born on June 10, 1989 in Constanta (Gemini).She studied at the Lyceum in the city of Trajan and is now second year student at the Faculty of Management Andrei Saguna. She participated in various music-related contests with a notable appearance at the Mamaia Festival section interpretation.

In 2009 she released her single Lolipop also known as Lolipop (Param Pam Pam). Then in 2010 she released Mr Saxobeat, which reached most played on Romanian radio for week commencing 8 November. The song reached the top spot of the Romanian Top 100 on December 12, 2010, being Stan's first number one single.

Singles / EPs

Music videos

References

External links

www.alexandrastan.ro

Category:Articles created via the Article Wizard Category:1989 births Category:Living people