Company name	Bertelsmann Music Group
Company logo
Fate	Assets sold to Sony Corporation of America
Successor	Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Foundation	1987
Defunct	October 1, 2008
Location	Gütersloh, Germany

Bertelsmann Music Group, (BMG), was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann. It consisted of the BMG Music Publishing company, the world's third largest music publisher and the world's largest independent music publisher, and the 50% share of the joint venture with Sony Music Entertainment, Sony BMG Music Entertainment (Sony BMG).

The joint venture with Sony Music was set up in August 2004. It reduced the Big Five record companies to the Big Four record companies. At that time, the company had a 21.5% share in the global music market. Sony Music and BMG remained separate in Japan, although BMG Music Japan was wholly owned by Sony BMG.

On March 27, 2006, the New York Times reported that Bertelsmann was looking to raise money by leveraging some of its media assets, and that executives from both companies were in talks about possibly altering the current venture. Bertelsmann sold its 50% share of Sony BMG to Sony Corporation of America for a total of $1.5 billion, and the company was renamed back to Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

While officially withdrawing from the business of recorded music, Bertelsmann continued its strong presence in other areas of the music industry by establishing BMG Rights Management, which specializes in music rights management and by representing artists and authors. It is focused mainly in BMG's European stronghold markets. The basis of the company was formed through BMG's decision to withhold selected European music catalogues from the former Sony BMG joint venture and the BMG Publishing businesses.

Also kept separate from the acquisition by Sony Corporation of America was Sony BMG's wholly owned and operated BMG Japan. Sony Music Japan remained independent from the Sony BMG joint venture, therefore BMG and Sony labelling were kept separate in Japan under the venture. During Sony BMG's buyout, BMG Japan was instead picked up by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. It briefly continued to operate as a distinct entity until a reorganization in early 2009 folded the company into Sony Music Japan.

Subsidiaries

Now part of Sony Music Entertainment after the buyout of Bertelsmann AG's 50% stake in Sony BMG.

RCA Music Group

*RCA Records

*Arista Records

*J Records

**Full Surface Records

**US Records

Arista Nashville

RCA Nashville

BNA Records

BMG Kidz

Zomba Music Group

*Battery Records

*Epidemic Records

*La Face Records

*Jive Records

*Music for Nations Records

*Pinnacle Records

*Scotti Brothers Records

*Silvertone Records

*Verity Records

*Volcano Entertainment

*X-Cell Records

BMG Music Publishing

BMG Music Publishing, which was not part of the Sony BMG merger, was a business of the Bertelsmann Music Group until it was sold to Universal Music Group for €1.63 billion in 2007. Universal then folded the company into Universal Music Publishing Group, and the BMG name was retired. The company was headquartered at 245 Fifth Avenue, 8th Floor New York, New York 10016 and had operations in 36 offices in 25 countries.

Artists

BMG Music publishing controlled over one million copyrights. Writers/artists signed to the company included Jaguares, Diana Yukawa, Alcazar, Gloria Trevi, Angélica María, Dido, Avril Lavigne, Lee Ryan, Ai Uemura, Coldplay, The Troubadours, Shakira, Powderfinger, Nelly, Britney Spears, Rammstein, Modern Talking, R. Kelly, Shania Twain, Nikki Webster, Ville Valo, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Clannad, Linkin Park, Maroon5, Backyard Babies, Hipster Daddy-O and the Handgrenades, Keane, HARD-Fi, Justin Timberlake, Joss Stone, Elvis Costello, Paul Weller, Sara Evans, Ne-Yo, Chad Hugo and Westlife.

The company's songwriters have written chart-topping hits for Mariah Carey, Black Eyed Peas, Kenny Chesney, The Game, Mario, Rascal Flatts, No Doubt, Thomas Anders, Jessica Simpson and 50 Cent as well as legends like Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and Roselyn Sánchez.

BMG Music Publishing was the global leader in Classical music and was number one in Contemporary Christian music.

Catalogues owned

Through international subpublishing deals, BMG Music Publishing represents the catalogues of Famous Music Publishing, Walt Disney, Leiber & Stoller, Pete Waterman, and Malaco Records in various territories.

Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing is BMG Music Publishing's Christian publisher and owns over 60,000 copyrights.

BMG Music Publishing and its assets have now been completely absorbed and folded into Universal Music Publishing Group.

BMG Rights Management

BMG Rights Management now serves as a division within Bertelsmann and as a replacement to the defunct Bertelsmann Music Group. Therefore, there is a continuity of the BMG brand with this Bertelsmann division in music rights management.

See also

List of record labels

Sony BMG Music Entertainment

RCA/Jive Label Group

References

External links

BMG Rights Management site

Official Bertelsmann site

Category:Defunct record labels Category:German record labels Category:Bertelsmann AG Category:Companies established in 1987 Category:Companies based in New York City Category:Companies disestablished in 2008 Category:Defunct companies based in New York

Name	Shayne Ward
Caption	Ward in 2006
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Shayne Thomas Ward
Born	October 16, 1984
Origin	Clayton, Manchester, England
Instrument	Vocals
Genre	Pop, R&B;, soul
Occupation	Singer
Years active	2005–present
Label	Syco (2005–present)
Url

Shayne Thomas Ward (born 16 October 1984 in Manchester, England) is an English pop singer of Irish decent, who rose to fame as the winner of second series of The X Factor. He has sold over 3 million records worldwide and has had number one albums and singles in 9 countries.

During The X Factor competition, Ward was mentored by manager Louis Walsh. The Bookies' favourite to win the show, he defeated duo Journey South and singer Andy Abraham in the final screened by ITV1 by a margin of 1.2% of the vote, out of a reputed 10.8 million phone votes cast by viewers.

His first single, "That's My Goal", was released in the UK on Wednesday, December 21 2005 and became the Christmas number one in 2005. It sold 313,000 copies on its first day of sales, making it the third fastest selling single of all time (behind Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" and Will Young's "Evergreen", which sold 685,000 and 400,000 copies in their first days of sale respectively).

Ward's prize, as winner, was a recording contract with Simon Cowell's Syco record label, which is co-owned by Sony Music Entertainment. The contract has a stated value of £1 million, of which £150,000 is a cash advance and the remainder is allocated to recording and marketing costs.

Early life

Ward was born in 1984 in Clayton to Irish Traveller parents Martin and Philomena. He has a twin sister named Emma and five other siblings: Mark, Martin, Michael, Lisa and Leona. and in 2002 he reached the final thirty of , the television show that created Girls Aloud. Prior to his participation in The X Factor, Ward was in a band called Destiny with two women named Tracy Murphy and Tracey Lyle, performing at pubs, clubs and weddings. He had not fallen into the bottom two throughout the entire competition, and won by a margin of 1.2% of the vote, out of a reported 10.8 million phone votes cast by viewers. Immediately after the competition, his X Factor mentor Louis Walsh became his manager under a joint venture with Global Publishing and Walsh Global Management.

2006–07: Shayne Ward

Immediately after his victory on The X Factor, Ward signed a recording contract with Syco Music and his first single, "That's My Goal", was released in the UK on Wednesday, 21 December 2005. After selling 742,000 copies in the first week (including 313,000 on its first day), it became the Christmas number one single of 2005, held the top spot for four weeks and stayed in the top 75 until June 2006, a 21-week run. It became (at that time) the fourth fastest-selling UK single of all time, beaten only by Elton John's "Candle in the Wind", Will Young's "Anything Is Possible/Evergreen", and Gareth Gates' "Unchained Melody" which sold 685,000, 403,000 and 335,000 copies in their first days of sale respectively. To date, "That's My Goal" has sold over 1.3 million copies in the UK. Ward also won a Ivor Nevello Award for being the Best Selling Single.

Ward's second single, "No Promises", a cover of a Bryan Rice song was released on 10 April 2006, and peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart. Shayne Ward, his self-titled debut album was released on Monday April 17. It sold 201,266 copies in the first week and entered the albums chart at number one. To date, the album has sold 520,000 copies in the UK and a further 2,000, 000 worldwide, reaching number one in eight other countries. The album was certified platinum.

Ward's third single "Stand by Me" failed to make the chart impact of the previous two, entering and peaking in the UK Singles Chart at number fourteen. It fared slightly better in the Irish charts however, reaching number nine.

It was confirmed in Gary Barlow's autobiography My Take, that in 2006, fellow Take That member, Jason Orange threatened to quit the band, and Ward was seriously considered as his replacement. Orange, however, later changed his mind and a replacement was not required.

In August 2006, it was reported that Ward had developed vocal cord nodules — the same condition that stopped the singing career of Julie Andrews — and was to be flown out to Los Angeles in early September to see a specialist surgeon. His manager, Louis Walsh, released a statement that he was confident Ward would be fine and would be back at work by the end of the month. Ward had successful treatment and was indeed able to return to his singing career. In November 2006, he released his autobiography entitled My Story. He travelled to several places around the UK for book signings, which hundreds of people attended. In early 2007, Ward embarked on a solo tour of UK & Republic of Ireland venues, taking in eighteen concerts in twenty-eight days from late January to mid-February. The tour commenced in Dublin on January 21 and ended in Birmingham on 17 February 2007.

2007–08: Breathless

After the completion of his successful debut tour, Ward's fourth single and first from his second album ("If That's OK with You") was given a release date of 20 August 2007, but was then delayed and became a double A-side single with "No U Hang Up". It was finally released on 24 September 2007, and charted at number two in the UK being held off by the Sugababes with "About You Now". "No U Hang Up" and "If That's OK with You" charted separately in Ireland, the former reaching number eleven and the latter entering at number one.

Ward's second album, Breathless, was released on 26 November 2007, and after selling over 95,000 copies in its first week, debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, held off the top spot by his X Factor successor, Leona Lewis's, multi-platinum selling debut, Spirit. In Ireland, the album debuted at number one (removing Lewis's album from the top spot) a position it held for three weeks, and was later certified five times platinum.

The second single from Ward's album was announced as "Breathless", and was released on 19 November 2007. It peaked at number six in the UK and number two in Ireland. On November 10, Ward performed "Breathless" on the live results show of the fourth series of The X Factor, although the single was not available for download until the November 18, followed by a performance on The Paul O'Grady Show on November 19. In the UK the album has been certified platinum with sales of over 450,000.

In May 2008 Ward embarked on his month-long UK tour named The Breathless Tour 2008. He made his stage debut at London's O₂ Arena and visited his home town Manchester at the MEN Arena. He also performed his complete show as a support act for Westlife's 2008 tour in front of a crowd of over 80,000 at Ireland's Croke Park. Ward also played on the opening night at the O₂, Dublin, at the Cheerios Childline concert on 16 Dec 2008.

2009–11: Obsession

Simon Cowell refused to release any further music by Ward for three years in favour of Leona Lewis and Susan Boyle, prompting manager Louis Walsh to stop managing Ward. Ward began working on his third album in 2009 with producers RedOne and Taio Cruz. The album, titled Obsession, was released on 15 November 2010. The singer worked with songwriters such as Savan Kotecha, Quiz & Larossi and Lucas Secon, while the songs produced by RedOne and Taio Cruz will not be included. The first single from the album is a cover version of Nickelback's 2008 single, "Gotta Be Somebody". Ward's version was released on 7 November 2010 and reached number 12 in the UK and number 10 in Ireland.

Tours

X Factor Live 2006 (with The X Factor 2005 Finalists)

Shayne Ward Live 2007

The Breathless Tour 2008

Discography

Albums

Singles

"If That's OK With You" and "No U Hang Up" were released as a double-A side in the UK, but charted separately elsewhere.

References

External links

BBC Berkshire: Shayne Ward interview

Category:1984 births Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:Living people Category:English male singers Category:X Factor series winners Category:Reality show winners Category:Musicians from Manchester Category:Sony BMG artists Category:The X Factor (UK) contestants Category:English people of Irish descent Category:People from Clayton

Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Edgar Roberto Arjona Morales
Born	January 19, 1964Jocotenango,
Genre	Latin pop, Ballad
Instrument	Vocals, Guitar, Piano
Occupation	Musician
Url	www.ricardoarjona.com

during 5to Piso Tour]] Edgar Ricardo Arjona Morales, (born 19 January 1964, in Jocotenango near Antigua, Guatemala), known as Ricardo Arjona (), is a Guatemalan singer. He has won two Grammy Awards from three nominations: The 2007 Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album and the 2006 Latin Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Album, both for his album Adentro, (2005).

Biography and career

At the age of 8, young Ricardo could already play the guitar. He kept studying and went through a teenage rebel phase which became a problem for him at school, but never put music aside, the only thing that he enjoyed. Time went by and he never forgot the idea of becoming a professional singer.

At 21, Ricardo Arjona got the opportunity to record his first album “Dejame decir que te amo”. The recording turned out to be a bad experience for him and he decided to leave the music business. He spent some time as a teacher at a rural primary school (Santa Elena III), where he reputedly said he spent six hours giving lessons and the rest of the day playing soccer. This earned him a visit from a Ministry of Education representative, who was sent to evaluate the level of education amongst Ricardo Arjona's pupils. The representative found that the students' level of education was actually above average.

Ricardo Arjona was a talented basketball player, and he played for the team Leones de Marte and TRIAS. He also toured Central America as a member of the Guatemalan national basketball team; until recently he held the record for the most points scored (78) in a single game by a Guatemalan player.

Music was always in him and decided to try again with the launch of his second album, His musical stamp “Jesus verbo, no sustantivo” a definite consolidation as composer and singer. The album was the most sold in history on the Latin market for some Central American countries; but is still not known internationally.

Although he initially enrolled in architecture and engineering subjects, he eventually graduated with a degree from the School of Communication Sciences at the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC).

At USAC there is a library hall that bears his name. There is also a street named for him in his birthplace, Jocotenango, Guatemala.

In the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, he met Puerto Rican Leslie Torres and had two children with her: Adria and Ricardo. Later in 2005 they separated.

Discography

Studio albums

Déjame Decir Que Te Amo (1985)

Jesús, Verbo No Sustantivo (1989)

Del Otro Lado del Sol (1991)

Animal Nocturno (1993)

Historias (1994)

Si El Norte Fuera El Sur (1996)

Sin Daños a Terceros (1998)

Galería Caribe (2000)

Santo Pecado (2002)

Adentro (2005)

5to Piso (2008)

Poquita Ropa (2010)

Live albums

Vivo (1999)

Compilation albums

Lados B (2003)

Solo (2004)

Quién Dijo Ayer (2007)

Simplemente Lo Mejor (2008)

Trópico (2009)

References

This page has been translated from the Spanish Wikipedia article Ricardo Arjona

External links

Official site

Category:1964 births Category:1980s singers Category:1990s singers Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:Guatemalan people of Spanish descent Category:People from Sacatepéquez Department Category:Guatemalan musicians Category:Living people Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Latin Grammy Award winners Category:Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala alumni

Name	Gerry Marsden
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Gerard Marsden
Born	September 24, 1942Toxteth, Liverpool, England
Origin	Liverpool, England, UK
Instrument	Vocals, guitar
Genre	Merseybeat, rock, pop,British invasion
Occupation	Singer-songwriter,Television personality
Years active	1959–66 (group)1966–present (solo)
Label	Columbia (EMI) (UK)Laurie Records (US)
Associated acts	Gerry & the Pacemakers
Url	Official site

Gerard "Gerry" Marsden (born 24 September 1942) is an English musician and television personality, best known for being leader of the British band Gerry & the Pacemakers.

Biography

Marsden born at 8 Menzies Street, Toxteth, Liverpool, interest in music began at an early age. He remembers standing on top of an air raid shelter singing "Ragtime Cowboy Joe" and getting a great reception from onlookers. He said to himself then, "This is what I want to do."

Gerry & The Pacemakers were the second group signed by Brian Epstein and remained among his favourite artists. Their first single was "How Do You Do It," recommended by George Martin after it was initially given to The Beatles. This was the first number one hit for the Pacemakers. It was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and was released on EMI's Columbia label. Marsden said the recording took four or five takes. The band's second number one was "I Like It", followed by "You'll Never Walk Alone". Other singles included "It's Gonna Be Alright" (their "heaviest" song), "I'm the One," "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying," and "Ferry Cross the Mersey."

After leaving the Pacemakers — his brother Fred Marsden, Les Maguire and Les Chadwick—Gerry Marsden maintained a low-key career on television, and starred in the West End musical Charlie Girl alongside Derek Nimmo and Anna Neagle.

He is most remembered for the song "I Like It" and his rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone", which has been adopted as an anthem of several football clubs, the most notable being Liverpool, the club that Marsden supports. He sang the song at Wembley Stadium when Everton faced Liverpool at the 1989 F.A. Cup final shortly after the Hillsborough disaster. Marsden is a very vocal Liverpool F.C. supporter but was an Everton FC fan until he was 13 years old

The Pacemakers, albeit with different musicians, still tour today and are a popular oldies draw on the circuit.

Marsden returned to No. 1 in the charts twice during the 1980s with re-recordings of two of his old hits, with all profits going to charity. In 1985 after the Bradford Football Club stadium tragedy in which 56 were killed, he formed a group called "The Crowd," which included other musicians, singers, and radio disc jockeys, to produce a new version of "You'll Never Walk Alone." After the Hillsborough football ground tragedy of 1989 which left 96 dead, he joined forces with Paul McCartney, The Christians, Holly Johnson, and his production trio Stock, Aitken & Waterman on a new version of "Ferry Cross the Mersey."

Marsden's favourite recordings are "Ferry Cross the Mersey," "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" and "You'll Never Walk Alone."

In 1993, Marsden published his autobiography, I'll Never Walk Alone, co-written with former Melody Maker editor Ray Coleman.

Quotation

NME - August 1963

References

External links

Official website

Category:1942 births Category:Living people Category:English guitarists Category:English male singers Category:English television actors Category:English stage actors Category:Musicians from Liverpool

Name	Brooke Fraser
Img capt	Fraser during the NZ Fashion Week 2010
Landscape	no
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Brooke Gabrielle Fraser
Born	December 15, 1983Wellington, New Zealand
Origin	Wellington, New Zealand
Genre	PopFolk rockChristian
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	SingingvocalsPianoGuitar
Years active	2002–present
Label	Sony Music Wood + Bone
Notable songs	Deciphering MeLifelineShadowfeet
|url	http://www.brookefraser.com

Brooke Gabrielle Ligertwood, was born Brooke Gabrielle Fraser on 15 December 1983 in Wellington, New Zealand. Brooke Fraser is an award-winning folk-pop and Contemporary Christian singer-songwriter.

Early life

Fraser is the eldest of the three children born to former All Black, Bernie Fraser and his wife Lynda Fraser. She grew up in Naenae, Lower Hutt and attended Dyer Street School, Naenae Intermediate School and Naenae College.

Fraser took piano lessons between the ages of seven and seventeen. She started writing songs at age twelve and taught herself the acoustic guitar at fifteen, although despite her singing success she has never taken singing lessons.

Musical career

In 2002, while Fraser was in Auckland, Scotty Pearson, the drummer for Elemeno P, organised a meeting with producer Matty J for her. Matty J became her manager, liaising with the major labels who had shown interest and compared their offers. Fraser had about five different labels offer her deals and chose to sign a multi-album deal with Sony Music.

What to Do With Daylight

Fraser's first album, What to Do with Daylight, was released in New Zealand in late 2003, debuting at number one and achieved gold status in the same week. The album eventually went seven times platinum, selling over 105,000 copies in New Zealand alone. It remained on the album charts for sixty-six weeks. All five singles from the album reached the top twenty in the New Zealand Singles Chart. Her album also topped the New Zealand Top 50 Albums of 2004.

Following the release of What to Do with Daylight, Fraser toured Australia and New Zealand with American artist John Mayer and then toured New Zealand with veteran U.K. rock artist David Bowie. Whilst on tour with John Mayer, she met with his guitarist and keyboardist Michael Chaves who, after recording Mayer's album Heavier Things, Fraser enlisted to play on her album and future concerts.

Albertine

In 2005, prior to writing and preparing her follow-up album, Fraser took a trip to Africa to immerse herself in Rwanda before visiting her sponsor children in Tanzania, as she is an advocate for child sponsorship. In this trip, she was so moved that she wrote the song "Albertine" about a young child (named Albertine), whom she met while in Rwanda. It was later decided to make this song the album's title track.

For the second album, Fraser decided to enlist a new band, primarily constructed from American musicians who'd worked with an array of notable artists, both live and recorded. In 2006, Fraser and the band went into the studio in Los Angeles to record the album. Later, Fraser also allowed her MySpace page to give visitors a listen to the album's first single "Deciphering Me", which was later released initially to radio and ultimately to CD single, and achieved number four in the New Zealand single charts.

On 4 December 2006 Albertine was released in New Zealand, achieving double platinum status less than a month after its release and has remained, to date, in the top 20 every week since. The album was released in Australia and internationally on 31 March 2007. In Australia, it charted at number twenty-nine in its first week on 9 April and has thus far achieved Gold sales status in Australia.

On 6 April 2007, Fraser performed "Deciphering Me" for the Good Friday Appeal, an annual televised fundraising event to raise money for the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne.

In 2008, Fraser appeared on the Dave Barnes song "Believe" from his album Me + You + the World, performing backing vocals.

Albertine was also Fraser's U.S. debut, released 27 May 2008 and entered the Billboard 200 at number ninety on 19 July 2008. Her album propelled in success with online sales after being chosen as Editor's Choice on iTunes. On 4 July 2008 Fraser supported Canadian artist/U2 collaborator Daniel Lanois at the Montreal Jazz Festival. In August she toured the southern U.S. In September, she re-toured several major U.S. cities and completed the tour at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in London, UK.

Flags

Her third album, "Flags" was released on 12 October 2010. The making of the album is documented in a series of videos that can be found on her website.

Personal life

After the success of her first album, Fraser moved to Sydney, where she has lived since 2004. She commutes to the U.S. for touring. On 17 March 2008 she married Scott Ligertwood, in Sydney, changing her name to Brooke Ligertwood. "Brooke Fraser" has remained her stage name for her activity as a Sony BMG recording/touring artist. She continues to contribute to writing songs for Hillsong Church, now as "Brooke Ligertwood". Among her notable worship songs are "Desert Song" and "Hosanna". Despite the Christian character of much of her music, she has been quite vocal of her discontent with the commercialized nature of some of the Contemporary Christian Music industry, wishing to disassociate herself with those simply making profit from the sacred nature of Christian music.

Charity work

Fraser has been a World Vision Artist Associate since 2001. She has visited Cambodia and Tanzania with World Vision, the Philippines with Opportunity International and independently traveled to Rwanda in June 2005, in June 2006 as part of charity event "Hope Rwanda", and in May 2007 when she filmed the music video for the song "Albertine". In 2006 she, along with Petra Bagust and Tau from Spacifix, appeared advertising the World Vision 40 Hour Famine; an event which raises funds for children in third world countries. She also sponsors a number of children through World Vision and makes child ways of contributing to the work of World Vision (i.e. fundraising t-shirts etc.).

Discography

;Studio albums

What to Do with Daylight (2003)

Albertine (2006)

Flags (2010)

Awards and nominations

;APRA Awards |- |2004 |"Better" |rowspan="2"|Most Played Composition in New Zealand | |- |rowspan="3"|2007 |rowspan="2"|"Deciphering Me" | |- |rowspan="2"|APRA Silver Scroll | |- |"Albertine" | ;New Zealand Music Awards |- |rowspan="6"|2004 |Herself |People's Choice Award | |- |rowspan="3"|What To Do With Daylight |Album of the Year | |- |Best Female Solo Artist | |- |Breakthrough Artist of the Year | |- |rowspan="2"|"Lifeline" |Single of the Year | |- |Songwriter of the Year | |- |rowspan="6"|2007 |Herself |People's Choice Award | |- |rowspan="3"|Albertine |Album of the Year | |- |Best Female Solo Artist | |- |Highest Selling Album | |- |rowspan="2"|"Deciphering Me" |Single of the Year | |- |Airplay Record of the Year | |- |2009 |Herself |International Achievement |

References

External links

Official Brooke Fraser Website

Official MySpace

Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:New Zealand female singers Category:New Zealand pop singers Category:New Zealand singer-songwriters

Name	Annie Lennox
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Ann Lennox
Born	December 25, 1954
Origin	Aberdeen, Scotland
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, activist, humanitarian ambassador
Genre	Pop, rock, blue-eyed soul, R&B;
Instrument	Vocals, piano, keyboards, organ, harmonium, dulcimer, flute, percussion
Years active	1975–present
Associated acts	The Catch, The Tourists, Eurythmics
Label	RCA, Arista (1992–2009)Island, Decca (2010–)
Url	www.annielennox.com

Annie Lennox, OBE (born 25 December 1954), born Ann Lennox, is a Scottish recording artist. After achieving minor success in the band The Tourists in the late 1970s, Lennox went on to major international success in the 1980s as part of the duo Eurythmics, which she formed with former Tourists' member David A. Stewart.

In the 1990s, Lennox embarked on a solo career beginning with her debut album Diva (1992), which produced several hit singles including "Why" and "Walking on Broken Glass". She has released five solo studio albums and a compilation album, The Annie Lennox Collection, in 2009. She is the recipient of eight BRIT Awards, more than any other female artist. In 2004, she won both the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Into the West", written for the soundtrack to the feature film .

In addition to her career as a musician, Lennox is also a political and social activist, notable for raising money and awareness for HIV charities in Africa. She also objected to the unauthorized use of the 1999 Eurythmics song "I Saved the World Today" in an election broadcast for Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.

Known as a pop culture icon for her distinctive contralto vocals and visual performances, Lennox has been named "The Greatest White Soul Singer Alive" by VH1 and one of The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone. She has earned the distinction of "most successful female British artist in UK music history" because of her global commercial success since the early 1980s. Including her work within Eurythmics, Lennox is one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold over 80 million records worldwide.

Early life

Lennox was born on Christmas Day, 1954, in Torry, Aberdeen. Her father worked at the shipyard, and her mother was a cook until she became a housewife. Lennox was an only child and the family lived in a small two-bedroomed apartment in a block of flats with communal laundry facilities. Despite her family's financial status, Lennox had piano lessons at school from the age of seven years at the cost of £4.00 per term. She was interested in singing and, with plenty of time to herself, passed some of the time by singing along to the popular music of the time, including music by The Beatles. She was an unhappy teenager, partly because of a struggle over boundaries for her independence with her overprotective father. She attended Aberdeen High School for Girls, now Harlaw Academy. In 1964, her early talent was demonstrated when she came second in a talent contest at a Butlins holiday camp. She sang the song "Mairi's Wedding".

In the 1970s, Lennox won a place at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she studied the flute and classical music for three years. She lived on a student grant and worked at part-time jobs for extra money. Lennox was unhappy during her time at the Royal Academy partly because she was lonely and shy, and she missed many history-of-music lessons. Lennox also was made a Fellow of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama that year.

Music career

1977–90: The Tourists and Eurythmics

Between 1977 and 1980, Lennox was the lead singer of The Tourists (initially known as The Catch), a moderately successful British pop band and her first collaboration with Dave Stewart. During the time they were in The Tourists, Stewart and Lennox were involved in a relationship, though this had ended by the time they formed Eurythmics.

Lennox and Stewart's second collaboration, the 1980s synthpop duo Eurythmics, resulted in her most notable fame, as the duo's alto, soul-tinged lead singer. Early in Eurythmics' career, Lennox was known for her androgyny, wearing suits and once impersonating Elvis Presley. Eurythmics released a long line of singles in the 1980s, including "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)", "Here Comes the Rain Again", "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves", "Who's That Girl?", "Would I Lie to You?", "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)", "Missionary Man", "You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart", "Thorn in My Side", "The Miracle of Love" and "Don't Ask Me Why". Though Eurythmics never officially disbanded, Lennox made a fairly clear break from Stewart in 1990. Thereafter, she began a long and equally-successful solo career.

Lennox and Stewart reconvened Eurythmics in the late 1990s with the album Peace, their first album of new material in ten years. A subsequent concert tour was completed, with profits going to Greenpeace and Amnesty International. The duo ultimately disbanded in 2005, having released a compilation album that year.

(left) performing as Eurythmics in 1987.]]

Lennox has received eight BRIT Awards, the most of any female artist. Four of the awards were given during her time with Eurythmics, and another was given to the duo for Outstanding Contribution to Music in 1999.

From the beginning of her career, Lennox has experimented with her image - both as an artist and as a woman. She matured as a public figure in the late 20th century, just as MTV and the medium of video were becoming the obvious vehicles for selling contemporary popular music. She has managed her image astutely, both as a means of interpreting and marketing her music; this was emphasized in the music video for "Little Bird" in 1993, in which many look-alikes were featured, all wearing outfits she wore in different music videos and performances both solo and from her Eurythmics' eras.

The 1988 single with Al Green, "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" (a cover version of Jackie DeShannon's 1969 hit), was recorded for the soundtrack of the movie Scrooged. Though it was produced by Dave Stewart, it was credited to Lennox and Green, and can be considered her first release outside a band identity. This one-off single peaked at #2 on the US Adult Contemporary chart, #9 on the US Hot 100 and was a top 40 hit in the UK. Lennox performed the song "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye", a Cole Porter song, that same year for a cameo appearance in the Derek Jarman film Edward II. She then made a memorable appearance with David Bowie and the surviving members of Queen at 1992's Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at London's Wembley Stadium, performing "Under Pressure".

1992–93: Diva

Lennox began working with former Trevor Horn protegé Stephen Lipson, beginning with her 1992 solo début album, Diva. It was a commercial and critical success, charting #1 in the UK, #6 in Germany, and #23 in the US. Lennox's profile was boosted by Diva's singles, which included "Why" and "Walking on Broken Glass". "Little Bird" also formed a double A-side with "Love Song for a Vampire", a soundtrack cut for Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 movie Bram Stoker's Dracula. The B-side of her single "Precious" was a self-penned song called "Step by Step", which was later covered by Whitney Houston for the of the film The Preacher's Wife. "Step by Step" appeared also on the Mexican and Japanese editions of the album. The song "Keep Young and Beautiful" was included on the CD release as a bonus track (the original vinyl album had only ten tracks).

The album entered the UK album chart at no.1 and has since sold over 1.2 million copies in the UK alone, being certified quadruple platinum.

1995–2000: Medusa and return to Eurythmics

Although Lennox's profile decreased for a period because of her desire to bring up her two children outside of the media's glare, she continued to record. Her second album, Medusa, was released in March 1995. It consisted solely of cover songs, all originally recorded by male artists including Bob Marley and The Clash. It entered the UK album chart at No. 1 and peaked in the USA at number 11, spending 60 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart and selling a total of 1,900,000 to date in the United States. It has since achieved double platinum status in both the UK and the US. The album yielded four UK singles: "No More I Love You's" (which entered the UK singles chart at No. 2, Lennox's highest ever solo peak), "A Whiter Shade of Pale", "Waiting in Vain" and "Something So Right". The album was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the Grammy Awards of 1996, losing to Turbulent Indigo by Joni Mitchell, however, Lennox took home the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance award for her work on the first single "No More I Love You's". Though Lennox declined to tour for the album, she did perform a large scale one-off concert in New York's Central Park, which was filmed and later released on home video.

In 1997, Lennox re-recorded the Eurythmics track "Angel" for the Diana, Princess of Wales tribute album, and also recorded the song "Mama" for The Avengers soundtrack album. In 1998, following the death of a mutual friend (former Tourists member Peet Coombes), she re-established contact with Dave Stewart. Following their first performance together in eight years at a record company party, Stewart and Lennox began writing and recording together for the first time since 1989. This resulted in the album Peace, the first new Eurythmics record in a decade. The title was designed to reflect the duo's ongoing concern with global conflict and world peace. The record was promoted with a concert on the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior II, where they played a mixture of old and new songs. "I Saved the World Today" was the lead single, reaching number eleven on the UK singles chart (their highest charting hit since 1986). Another single, released at the beginning of 2000, "17 Again", made the UK top 40, and topped the US dance chart. Critics were impressed overall with the record, although some commented that it "lacked the power" (NME) of their previous releases and "quietly acknowledged that their solo careers had failed" (Q Magazine), despite the fact that both of Lennox's solo efforts reached the number one position in the UK charts, Diva going quadruple platinum in the UK and double platinum in the US (Q magazine, themselves placing it in their top 50 albums of 1992) and Medusa going double-platinum in both countries, respectively.

2003–07: Bare and work in Africa

In 2003, Lennox released her third solo album, Bare. The album peaked at #3 in the UK and #4 in the US - her highest charting album in the US to date. She embarked on her first tour as a solo artist to promote the album. The tour, simply titled Solo Tour, pre-dated the release of the album and visited both the US and Europe, with only a two-night stop in the UK at Saddler's Wells Theatre in London. The album has been certified Gold in both the UK and the US and was nominated for Best Pop Album at the 46th Grammy Awards. The album was released with a DVD which included interviews and acoustic versions of songs by Lennox. The Japanese edition of the album features a version of Lennox's earlier hit "Cold" recorded live in Toronto.

In 2004, Lennox won the Academy Award for Best Song for "Into the West" from the film , which she co-wrote with screenwriter Fran Walsh and composer Howard Shore. The song also won a Grammy award and a Golden Globe award. She had previously recorded "Use Well the Days" for the movie, which incorporates a number of quotations from Tolkien in its lyrics. This song was not used in the film, but it appears on a bonus DVD included with the "special edition" of the movie's soundtrack CD. In mid-2004, Lennox embarked on an extensive North American tour with Sting. In July 2005, Lennox performed at Live 8 in Hyde Park, London, along with Madonna, Sting, and other popular musicians.

In 2005 Lennox and Stewart collaborated on two new songs for their Eurythmics compilation album, Ultimate Collection, of which "I've Got a Life" was released as a single in October 2005. The promotional video for the song features Lennox and Stewart performing in the present day, with images of past Eurythmics videos playing on television screens behind them. Lennox also appears in a man's suit with a cane, reminiscent of her "Sweet Dreams" video image from 1983. The single peaked at number fourteen in the UK Singles Chart and was a number-one US Dance hit. On 14 November 2005, Sony BMG repackaged and released Eurythmics' back catalogue as 2005 Deluxe Edition Reissues. Each of their eight studio albums' original track listings are supplemented with bonus tracks and remixes.

2007–08: Songs of Mass Destruction and AIDS activism

Ending her long association with Stephen Lipson, Lennox's fourth solo album, Songs of Mass Destruction, was recorded in Los Angeles with veteran producer Glen Ballard (known for producing Alanis Morissette's album, Jagged Little Pill). It was released on 1 October 2007, and was the last studio album of Lennox's contract with BMG. It peaked at #7 in the UK and #9 in the US. Lennox stated that she believed the album consisted of "twelve strong, powerful, really emotive songs that people can connect to". If she achieves that, she says, "I can feel proud of [it], no matter if it sells ten copies or 50 million." Lennox described it as "a dark album, but the world is a dark place. It's fraught, it's turbulent. Most people's lives are underscored with dramas of all kinds: there's ups, there's downs - the flickering candle." She added, "Half the people are drinking or drugging themselves to numb it. A lot of people are in pain."

2010–present: Island Records and A Christmas Cornucopia

In August 2010, Lennox signed a new contract with Island Records in the UK and Decca Records in the US (both part of the Universal Music Group). Her first release was a Christmas album entitled A Christmas Cornucopia, issued 15 November 2010. The album is a collection of Lennox's interpretations of traditional festive songs such as "Silent Night" and "The First Noel", along with one new composition, "Universal Child", which was released as a download-only single on 13 October 2010. Lennox had previously showcased the song on the American Idol Gives Back TV show in April 2010. She sang the song "Angels from the Realms of Glory" from the album for the TNT special Christmas in Washington.

A Music video for a second single from the album, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", which she performed on Loose Women, a TV show broadcast in the United Kingdom, which she featured on in December 2010 as a music guest and also was interviewed. The single has debuted at #126 on the UK Singles Charts.

According to Metacritic, A Christmas Cornucopia has so far been met with "generally favourable reviews". Ian Wade of BBC Music gave the album a very positive review, saying "this collection could find itself becoming as much a part of the holiday season as arguments with loved ones." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine awarded the album 3.5/5 and said "Lennox seems more inspired on A Christmas Cornucopia than she has in years." John Hunt of Qatar Today magazine gave the album 9/10 and said "in particular, the vocal work and musical arrangement of 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen' are impactful to the point of being intimidating."

It was confirmed in late-2010, that Lennox would become an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, which she will receive sometime in 2011.

Public image

Charity and political work

In 1990, Lennox recorded a version of Cole Porter's "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" for the Cole Porter tribute album Red Hot + Blue, a benefit for AIDS awareness. A video was also produced.

Lennox has been a public supporter of Amnesty International and Greenpeace for many years, and she and Dave Stewart donated all of the profits from Eurythmics' 1999 Peacetour to both charities.

Her song "Sing" was subsequently born out of Lennox's involvement with Nelson Mandela's 46664 campaign and Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), both of which are human rights groups which seek education and health care for those affected by HIV.

In Dec 2007 Lennox established The SING Campaign, an organisation dedicated to raising funds and awareness for women and children affected by HIV and AIDS.

In October 2006, Lennox spoke at the British House of Commons about the need for children in the UK to help their counterparts in Africa.

On 25 April 2007, Lennox performed "Bridge over Troubled Water" during the American Idol "Idol Gives Back" fundraising drive.

On 11 December 2007, she performed on the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway together with a variety of artists, which was broadcast to over 100 countries.

She led a rally against the Gaza War in London on 3 January 2009.

Lennox opened the 2009 Edinburgh Festival of Politics with a stinging attack on Pope Benedict XVI's approach to HIV/AIDS prevention in Africa. She said that the Pope's denunciation of condoms on his recent tour of Africa had caused "tremendous harm" and she criticised the Roman Catholic Church for causing widespread confusion on the continent. Lennox also condemned the media's obessesion with "celebrity culture" for keeping the AIDS pandemic off the front page. In an attempt to counter this, during her address, she wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the words "HIV positive". Lennox wore similar T-shirts at the 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame concert at Madison Square Garden on 30 October 2009, while appearing on The Graham Norton Show on 30 November 2009 (where she performed the new song "Full Steam", a duet with singer David Gray), and most recently during a recorded performance for American Idol during a 21 April 2010 fund-raiser, Idol Gives Back. In June 2010, she was named as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for AIDS.

Lennox also supports the Burma Campaign UK, a non-governmental organisation that addresses the suffering in Burma and promotes democratisation.

In 2006, in response to her humanitarian work, Lennox became patron of the Master's Course in Humanitarian and Development Practice for Oxford Brookes University. A spokesperson said that the university was "delighted that as a long-term supporter of human rights and social justice campaigns Ms Lennox has agreed to act as patron for its unique MA programme." She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to Oxfam.

Gay icon

Lennox has garnered a significant following within the LGBT community. According to The Advocate, "[h]er distinctive voice and provocative stage persona have made Lennox a longtime gay icon." With Eurythmics' music videos earning regular rotation on MTV in the 1980s, Lennox took part in the shaping of popular culture alongside other gay icons such as Boy George, Madonna, Morrissey, and Michael Stipe.

Music videos

Both during her work with Eurythmics and in her solo career, Lennox has made a large number of music promo videos. Her 1992 album Diva was accompanied by a video album that included promos for every song except one (Eurythmics made a similar collection for their 1987 album Savage). Actors Hugh Laurie and John Malkovich appeared in the music video for "Walking on Broken Glass", while the video for "Little Bird" paid homage to the different images and personas that have appeared in some of Lennox's previous videos. The clip features Lennox performing on stage with several lookalikes (male and female) that represent her personas from "Why", "Walking on Broken Glass", "Sweet Dreams", "Beethoven", "I Need a Man", "Thorn in My Side", "There Must Be an Angel", and even her stage image from the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. Many of her solo videos have a theatrical feel, often in period settings with dramatic and comedic flourishes.

Discography

Studio albums

Diva (1992)

Medusa (1995)

Bare (2003)

Songs of Mass Destruction (2007)

The Annie Lennox Collection (2009)

A Christmas Cornucopia (2010)

Awards and nominations

Lennox has received a variety of major awards during her career:

; American Music Awards

2008 – AMA Award of Merit for her work and her humanitarian efforts

; Academy Awards

2004 – Best Original Song ("Into the West")

; Grammy Awards

1984 – Best New Artist (Eurythmics) (nominated)

1986 – Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (Eurythmics, "Would I Lie to You?") (nominated)

1987 – Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (Eurythmics, "Missionary Man")

1993 – Album of the Year (Diva) (nominated)

1993 – Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (Diva) (nominated)

1993 – Best Music Video – Long Form (Diva)

1996 – Best Pop Album (Medusa) (nominated)

1996 – Best Female Pop Vocal Performance ("No More I Love You's")

2004 – Best Pop Album (Bare) (nominated)

2005 – Best Song Written For a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media ("Into the West")

; Ivor Novello Awards

1984 – Songwriter of the Year for Lennox and Dave Stewart

1987 – Songwriter of the Year for Lennox and Dave Stewart

1987 – Best contemporary song ("Its Alright, (Baby's Coming Back)")

1993 – Best Song ("Why")

; ASCAP Awards

1984 – Performance Award ("Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)") (US)

1984 – Performance Award ("Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)") (UK)

1985 – Performance Award ("Here Comes the Rain Again") (US)

1985 – Performance Award ("Here Comes the Rain Again") (UK)

1986 – Performance Award ("Would I Lie to You?") (UK)

1993 – Performance Award ("Walking on Broken Glass") (UK)

1993 – Performance Award ("Why") (UK)

1994 – Performance Award ("Walking on Broken Glass") (US)

1994 – Performance Award ("Walking on Broken Glass") (UK)

1996 – Performance Award ("Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)") (UK)

1997 – Performance Award ("Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)") (UK)

1998 – Performance Award ("Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)") (UK)

2000 – Performance Award ("Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)") (UK)

2001 – Performance Award ("Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)") (UK)

2004 – Film Award ("Into the West") (UK)

2006 – Founders Award (US)

2006 – Performance Award ("Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)") (UK)

2008 – Performance Award ("Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)") (UK)

2009 – Performance Award ("Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)") (UK)

2010 – Performance Award ("Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)") (UK)

; BRIT Awards

1984 – Best British Female Artist

1986 – Best British Female Artist

1989 – Best British Female Artist

1990 – Best British Female Artist

1993 – Best British Female Solo Artist

1993 – Best British Album (Diva)

1996 – Best British Female Solo Artist

1999 – Outstanding Contribution to British Music (Eurythmics)

; Golden Globe Awards

2004 – Best Original Song – Motion Picture ("Into the West")

; Honorary degrees and awards

1986 - Associate - Royal Academy of Music London

1997 - Fellowship - Royal Academy of Music London

2006 - Honorary Doctor of Music - The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama

2006 - Fellowship - Edinburgh College of Art

2009 – Honorary Doctorate at the University of Edinburgh (awarded 20 October 2009), in recognition of her work in the field of HIV/AIDS, and her success as a recording artist.

; Other awards / titles / ambassadorships

2002 – Billboard Century Award by Billboard

2008 - OUT magazine honoured Lennox for her work in the HIV and Aids field. The top 100 most influential people in Gay Culture.

2008 - The British Red Cross Services to Humanity Award

2008 - Glamour Magazine's Inspirational Woman of the Year Award

2008 - Honoured at the 2008 Youth AIDS Gala, for her contribution in helping the fight against HIV and AIDS

2008 - The German Sustainability "special achievement" award for her commitment in the fight against HIV and AIDS

2008 - Webby Award for official website www.annielennox.com

2009 - Save the Children "Amigo de los Niños" Award

2009 - Awarded the "Freedom of the City of London" by the British Red Cross for services to humanity in the field of HIV and AIDS

2009 - Nobel Peace Laureates for services to humanity

2010 - Patron of the Elton John Aids Foundation

2010 - Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Scotland

2010 - Ambassador for HIV/AIDS in London

2010 - UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador

2010 - Barclays Women of the Year Award

2010 - GQ Charity Woman of the Year Award

2010 - Harper's Bazaar Lifetime Achievement Award

2010 - OBE - Order of the British Empire for her work fighting AIDS and poverty in Africa

Personal life

Both of Lennox's parents died of cancer. From 1988 to 2000, she was married to Israeli film and record producer Uri Fruchtman. They have two daughters, Lola (born 1990) and Tali (born 1993). A son, Daniel, was stillborn in December 1988. Lennox describes herself as an agnostic and lives in London.

Footnotes

External links

Official Annie Lennox website

The SING Campaign website, founded By Annie Lennox">The SING Campaign website, founded By Annie Lennox

Annie Lennox official YouTube channel

Annie Lennox official MySpace page

Annie Lennox official Facebook page

Annie Lennox official Twitter page

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