Please may refer to:

In music:

''Please'' (album), an album by Pet Shop Boys

''Please'' (Matt Nathanson album)

"Please" (Toni Braxton song)

"Please" (The Kinleys song)

"Please" (U2 song)

"Please (You Got That ...)", a song by INXS

"Please", a song by The Apples in Stereo from ''Velocity of Sound''

"Please", a song by Lamb from ''Between Darkness and Wonder''

"Please", a song by Tom McRae from ''The Alphabet of Hurricanes''

"Please", a song by Nine Inch Nails from ''The Fragile''

"Please", a song by Paul Hartnoll from ''The Ideal Condition''

"Please", a song by Chris Isaak from ''Speak of the Devil''

"Please", a song by Robin Gibb

"Please", a song by Ludo

"Please", a song by Staind

In other uses:

''Please!'' or ''Onegai'', an anime series

PLEASE, a keyword in the INTERCAL programming language

See also

"Please, Please", a song by McFly

Please, Please, Please (disambiguation)

it:Please pt:Please sv:Please

name	Toni Braxton
background	solo_singer
birth name	Toni Michelle Braxton
born	October 07, 1966 Severn, Maryland, U.S.
genre	R&B;, soul, pop
occupation	Singer, songwriter, record producer, actress
instrument	Vocals, piano
years active	1989–present
label	LaFace (1991–2000)Arista (2001–2003)Blackground (2003–2007)Atlantic (2008–present)
associated acts	The Braxtons
website	www.tonibraxton.com }}

Toni Michelle Braxton (born October 7, 1967) is an American R&B; singer, songwriter and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide. She has a contralto vocal type.

Braxton topped the ''Billboard'' 200 with her 1993 self-titled debut album and continued that streak with her second studio album ''Secrets'', which spawned the number-one hits "You're Makin' Me High" and "Un-Break My Heart". Although she had successful albums and singles, Braxton shortly filed for bankruptcy, but then returned with her chart-topping third album, ''The Heat''. In 2009, she returned to the spotlight with "Yesterday", a #12 R&B; hit which serves as the first single off her new album ''Pulse'', released on May 4, 2010, which debuted at #1 on ''Billboard'' R&B; Album Chart. Braxton was involved in the 7th season of the reality show ''Dancing with the Stars''. Her professional partner was Alec Mazo. She was voted off in week five of the competition. It was announced on October 6, 2010 that Braxton once again had filed for bankruptcy. A reality series entitled Braxton Family Values, starring Toni and her sisters, debuted April 12, 2011 on WE tv]. [[WE tv ordered a 13-episode second season of the show after the third episode of the first season.

Early life and education

Braxton was born in Severn, Maryland. Toni's father, Michael Conrad Braxton, was a Methodist clergyman and power company worker, and her mother, Evelyn, a native of South Carolina, was a former opera singer and cosmetologist, as well as a pastor. The Braxton children were raised in a strict religious household. Braxton's first performing experience was singing in her church choir.

Toni and brother Michael Braxton Jr. are the eldest of the siblings, followed by younger sisters Traci, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar.

She attended Bowie State University to obtain a teaching degree but decided to sing professionally after she was discovered by William E. Pettaway Jr., who heard her singing to herself while pumping gas.

Music career

1989–92: ''The Braxtons''

Braxton and her four sisters (Traci, Trina, Towanda, and Tamar) began performing as ''The Braxtons'' in the late 1980s and were signed to Arista Records in 1989. Their first single, "Good Life", was released in 1990. Though the song was not successful, it attracted the attention of Antonio "L.A." Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.

With Braxton's low register sounding similar to that of Anita Baker, Reid and Babyface recruited her to record a demo of "Love Shoulda Brought You Home", a song that they had written for Anita Baker for the soundtrack of Eddie Murphy's film, ''Boomerang''. Baker, who was pregnant at the time, did not record the song but suggested that Braxton record it. Her recording was later included on the soundtrack along with "Give U My Heart", a duet by Braxton and Babyface. Braxton, meanwhile, was signed to Reid and Edmonds' Arista-distributed imprint, LaFace Records, and immediately began recording her solo debut album.

1993–95: ''Toni Braxton''

On July 13, 1993, LaFace Records released Braxton's self-titled debut album, ''Toni Braxton''. The album, which was primarily produced by Reid, Babyface, and Daryl Simmons, peaked at number one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart. The first single, "Another Sad Love Song", peaked at number seven and number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and R&B; Singles charts respectively. The album's second single, "Breathe Again" peaked in the top five of both the Hot 100 and R&B; singles charts and no 2 in the UK. More singles from ''Toni Braxton'' were released in 1994, including "You Mean the World to Me", "Seven Whole Days", "I Belong to You", and "How Many Ways".

Braxton's debut album won her several awards, including three Grammy Awards (for Best New Artist and two consecutive awards for Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance in 1994 and 1995). She also won two American Music Awards (for Favorite Soul/R&B; New Artist and Favorite New Adult Contemporary Artist) in 1994 and another one in 1995 (for Favorite Soul/R&B; Album). ''Toni Braxton'' was certified 8x platinum in USA and has sales of over 10 million worldwide.

1996–98: ''Secrets''

In June 1996, Braxton released her second and most successful album, ''Secrets''. Braxton has said about the album: "The motivation for this album was to include a little bit of everything. Our aim was to come up with material that would have a familiar 'feel' to the people who bought the first album without being musically redundant." Along with Babyface, Braxton also worked with R. Kelly, Tony Rich, and David Foster on the album. Braxton was the co-executive producer of the album and co-wrote two of its songs, including the 1997 single "How Could an Angel Break My Heart", which was also later included on ''Diana Princess of Wales Tribute'', a Princess Diana memorial album.

With help from the album's first single, "You're Makin' Me High" (which became Braxton's first number-one hit on the Hot 100 singles chart), the album peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart. "You're Makin' Me High" also topped the R&B; singles chart for two weeks and saw similar success in Europe and Asia. The album's second single, "Un-Break My Heart" (written by Diane Warren)—which would later become the singer's signature song—became the biggest hit of her career spending eleven weeks at number one on the Hot 100 and also topping the Hot Dance Singles Sales chart for eleven weeks and the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart for four weeks as well as reaching no 2 in the UK The song is the second biggest selling single by a female singer in ''Billboard'' history behind Whitney Houston's, "I Will Always Love You". Other singles from the album included the double A-side "I Don't Want To"/"I Love Me Some Him" (which peaked at number one on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart) and "How Could an Angel Break My Heart" which featured Kenny G, with whom Braxton later toured. After 92 weeks in the charts, ''Secrets'' is certified 8x platinum, becoming Braxton's second straight 8 million seller. Internationally, ''Secrets'' sold more than 15 million copies, thus cementing Braxton's superstar status.

Braxton topped the ''Billboard'' Year-End Charts as the Top Hot 100 Singles Artist — Female, Top R&B; Artist — Female (singles and albums), Top Hot R&B; Singles Artist — Female, Top Hot Dance Club Play Artist, and Top Hot Adult Contemporary Artist, while "Un-Break My Heart" became the Top Hot Dance Club Play Single and the Top Hot Adult Contemporary Track of the year. She won two Grammy Awards; one for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance and two American Music Awards for Favorite Female Soul/R&B; Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B; Album.

1999–01: ''The Heat''

In March 2000, LaFace Records released "He Wasn't Man Enough", the first single from Braxton's third studio album, ''The Heat''. By June 2000, the song peaked at number two on the Hot 100 chart. Braxton's music video for "He Wasn't Man Enough", which also featured actress Robin Givens, was nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards including Best Female Video and Best R&B; Video and a ''Billboard'' Music Video Award for Best R&B; Clip of the Year.

''The Heat'' was released on April 25, 2000. Debuting at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart with first week sales of 194,448 copies sold, it remained in the top 20 for fifteen consecutive weeks. Braxton again worked with producers Babyface and Foster; also included in the staple were Rodney Jerkins, and new beau musician Keri Lewis. Braxton herself also took a more hands-on approach, co-writing and co-producing a handful of the tracks. "Gimme Some", a track on "The Heat", featured a rap verse from TLC star Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes.

The albums second single, "Just Be a Man About It", peaked at number 32 on the Hot 100 and number six on the R&B; Charts. The third single, "Spanish Guitar", peaked at number 98 on the Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Dance & Club charts. The fourth single, "Maybe", peaked at 74 on the R&B; charts.

''The Heat'' was certified double platinum in the US with over 3 million copies sold worldwide. In February 2000, Braxton performed alongside Enrique Iglesias and Christina Aguilera during the Super Bowl Halftime show. Braxton topped the ''Billboard'' Year-End Charts as the Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Artist — Female, Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Album Artist — Female, and Top Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Artist — Female. She also received the 2000 Aretha Franklin Award for Entertainer of the Year at the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. Braxton also picked up her sixth Grammy Award for "He Wasn't Man Enough" which won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance and the album was nominated for Best R&B; Album. It won Best R&B;/Soul Album at the 2001 American Music Awards, her third win in a row.

In 2002, while gearing up for the release of her fourth studio album, Braxton discovered she was pregnant with her second child. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to promote the album properly, she unsuccessfully lobbied Arista Records to get the label to postpone its release until after she was to give birth. Arista Records refused and the album was released as planned in November 2002. It received very little promotion from Arista and Braxton herself, due to a complicated pregnancy that confined her to bed rest. Braxton accused the company of being unwilling to compromise and punishing her from not putting her career over family. On the show ''VH1 Inside Out — Family Comes First'', she documented the hardships of being pregnant with her second child at the same time as promoting an album.

2002–04: ''More Than a Woman''

In November 2002, Braxton's fourth studio album ''More Than a Woman'' was released. Opening to an instant commercial disappointment, the album peaked at number 13. The first single, The Neptunes-produced "Hit the Freeway", failed at radio and peaked at number 86 on the Hot 100. The two singles that followed ("A Better Man", "Lies, Lies, Lies") also failed to make a dent and missed the Hot 100 completely. Meanwhile, a promotional vinyl was sent out to DJs for "Give It Back"/"Let Me Show You the Way (Out)".

''More Than A Woman'' was certified gold by RIAA and sold more 800,000 copies worldwide.

Prior to the release of the album, a dispute erupted between Braxton and Irv Gotti when he played a rough cut of "No More Love", a song that he produced for the album that was to be the first single. Disapproving of Gotti broadcasting the unfinished track, Braxton withheld it from being released. The same year, Braxton was further annoyed when Jay-Z used the same sample of 2Pac's "Me And My Girlfriend" that she had already used on her track "Me & My Boyfriend" for his and Beyoncé's "'03 Bonnie & Clyde". Furious, Braxton lashed out in a radio interview, accusing Jay-Z and producer Kanye West of taking money out of her children's college fund.

2003–06: ''Libra''

In April 2003, Braxton abruptly left Arista Records, having been there for fourteen years, and immediately signed with Blackground Records—headed by Barry Hankerson, her manager at the time. The change of scenery, however, did not ultimately help her recording career. As had been the case during her final years at Arista—Braxton's fifth album, and first release on Blackground, ''Libra'' was released with scant promotion and accumulated poor sales.

In April 2005, Braxton's new label, Blackground/Universal, released "Please"—the first single from her fifth album, ''Libra''. The album was originally planned for a June release, but it was pushed back several times and was finally issued on September 27. Unfortunately for Braxton, her troubles with weak album promotion and lack of label commitment weren't over. "Please" peaked at number 36 on ''Billboard'' Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs, while altogether missing the Hot 100. The album lacked promotion by Blackground, causing it to go under the radar of many.

Despite this, ''Libra'' still managed to debut at number four on the ''Billboard'' 200 selling 114,593 copies in the first week. ''Libra'' also peaked at number two on the Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums. Although that is strong for an album with little to no promotion, it became yet another commercial disappointment for Braxton. The album's second single, "Trippin' (That's the Way Love Works)" received less airplay and peaked at number 67 on the R&B; chart. The failure was ascribed to the non-video presence of the single and lack of label support. The album was certified gold in late 2005 and has since sold 679,000 copies worldwide.

Braxton, meanwhile, recorded a song with Il Divo titled "The Time of Our Lives". The song was used as the official 2006 FIFA World Cup anthem and was performed at the championship's opening day in Berlin, Germany on June 9. The song was also performed at the closing ceremonies making Braxton and Il Divo the first artists to be asked to perform for the opening and closing ceremonies. The song peaked at number 17 in Germany. As a result Edel Records decided to re-release ''Libra'' in Germany, including a new album cover, artwork, and the new anthem.

Braxton made an appearance on the season finale of ''American Idol 5'' where she performed Elvis Presley's "In the Ghetto" with soon-to-be winner Taylor Hicks.

2006–08: ''Toni Braxton: Revealed''

On May 19, 2006, the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas announced that Braxton would replace Wayne Newton as the casino's new headlining act on August 3, 2006. The show, entitled ''Toni Braxton: Revealed'', was to be performed six nights a week and was scheduled to run through March 2007. Braxton Later confirmed that she was extending her show through August 2007. The show became the first headlining show from an African American performer in Las Vegas to enter the top ten Vegas shows charting. Due to the success of the show, it was reported that Braxton would extend her show through August 2008. The singer subsequently took time off after being hospitalized for chest pains in April 2008. The show was later cancelled, and it was announced that the show was officially shut down in order for the singer to focus on her health.

Braxton has been released from her contract with Blackground after a number of disputes with former manager Barry Hankerson.

On January 12, 2007, Braxton filed a lawsuit in the U.S District Court in Manhattan against Hankerson for $10 million, alleging "fraud, deception and double dealing," in addition to mismanaging her relationship with Arista Records. According to Braxton, Hankerson placed his own personal financial interests ahead of hers by using "double-talk" to compromise the relationship between Braxton and her former recording label, Arista Records, with Hankerson allegedly telling Arista that ''"Braxton no longer wanted to record for Arista"'' and telling Braxton that ''"Arista was not interested in working with her anymore"''. Braxton also accused Hankerson of failing to send her on request copies of accounting statements, lying about deals that he made on her behalf and engaging in a vendetta against her by refusing to provide information to other managers that she sought to employ to manage her career.

The suit was settled with Braxton returning a $375,000 advance to Hankerson—who would also receive a percentage of the sales of her next album—and Hankerson releasing Braxton from her contract with him. The settlement also temporarily limited the companies in which Braxton can sign with.

In early August, various internet websites including TMZ.com and ''In Touch Weekly'' magazine began announcing that Braxton would be appearing on the seventh season of ''Dancing with the Stars''. The full cast of the next season of the show was confirmed on August 25, 2008 on ''Good Morning America'', which confirmed Braxton as a contestant in the season with her partner being Alec Mazo. They were voted off in the fifth week of the competition.

Braxton, Lance Bass, Maurice Greene and Marlee Matlin headlined ''Dancing with the Stars'' winter tour starting in December 2008 and finishing in February 2009.

rowspan="2"	Week #
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"
	2		Rumba/ "I Can't Make You Love Me"		7		8		8		Safe
	3		Viennese Waltz/ "Für Elise"		8		7		7		Safe
	4		Samba/ "De Donde Soy"		7		7		8		Safe
	5		West Coast Swing/ "The Way You Make Me Feel"		7		7		8

2009–10: ''Pulse''

In October 2008, it was announced that Braxton signed to Atlantic Records. In the November 2008 issue of ''Jet'', Braxton discussed her time spent on ''Dancing with the Stars'' as well as dealing with her son's autism. Braxton also talked about being signed to Atlantic Records and the debut of her upcoming single. She added that the complete CD is scheduled to come out in some time in 2009. She also hinted at a cooking show with fellow ''Dancing with the Stars'' competitor, Rocco DiSpirito.

The DJ Frank E produced song "Yesterday" premiered on September 11, 2009 and features Trey Songz. It was released as the lead single from her sixth studio album ''Pulse''. "Yesterday" peaked at #12 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart making it her highest chart performance since her 2000's single "Just Be a Man About It", which peaked at #6. The single has been released worldwide on May 3, 2010. In the UK, "Yesterday" became Braxton's first hit single since the release of "Hit the Freeway", peaking at #50 on the UK Singles Chart and at #17 on the UK R&B; Singles Chart. The song also became a moderate hit in Europe, peaking at #20 on the German Singles Chart, at #17 on the Swiss Singles Chart and charting at #50 on the European Hot 100.

On January 29, Braxton's official website posted two new songs from the upcoming album, "Hands Tied" and "Make My Heart". The former peaked at #29 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs, the latter was sent to dance/club radio. She performed ''Make My Heart'' on The Wendy Williams Show. Videos for both songs "Make My Heart" and "Hands Tied" have been shot.

Braxton released her sixth studio album ''Pulse'' on May 4, 2010 in the US and on May 10, 2010 in the UK.

The album debuted at #9 on the US Billboard 200 chart and hit #1 on Billboard's R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart, becoming Braxton's fifth US top-ten album. It also achieved moderate chart success around the world. In Canada it debuted at #72 on the Top 100 Albums chart and in the United Kingdom it debuted at #28 on the Top 40 Albums and at #7 on the R&B; Albums chart. It entered at #18 on the German Album Chart. In Switzerland, the album hit #9. ''Pulse'' became Toni's first album to chart inside the European Top 100 Albums since her 2000 album ''The Heat''.

On June 28, Braxton posted a video for ''Woman''.

Toni Braxton was included as part of the "We Are the World 25 for Haiti" remake of the 1985 hit "We Are the World" to help benefit the people of Haiti following the January 12, 2010 magnitude 7.0 MW earthquake in Haiti. The new version of the song was recorded on February 1, 2010. Music legends Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie act as Executive Producers as well as Wyclef Jean. Artists involved included Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Janet Jackson, Tony Bennett, Wyclef Jean, Josh Groban, Pink, Usher, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson, Adam Levine, Justin Bieber, LL Cool J, among others.

2011— : ''Braxton Family Values''

In January 2011, WE tv Network confirmed that it had signed Braxton for a reality series, ''Braxton Family Values'', which will be marketed as one of the network's flagship shows. The series debuted April 12, 2011, and looks at the relationship between the singer/songwriter Braxton, her mother, and her four sisters; Trina, Tamar, Traci and Towanda — all aspiring singers themselves — along with the interpersonal relationships of each family member. The show will also look at Braxton's heavily publicized separation from estranged husband, singer Keri Lewis.

Acting career

Braxton has appeared on two Disney Broadway shows: She made her Broadway debut as Belle in ''"Beauty and the Beast''" beginning September 9, 1998 where she replaced Kim Huber. During her run in the show Alan Menken wrote a new song for the musical called "A Change in Me," which was specially written for Braxton and was used in the musical ever since. She left the production on February 28, 1999 and was succeeded by Andrea McArdle. Her role in "Beauty and the Beast" marked the first (and only) time a black woman commanded the leading role of Belle on Broadway. (In the UK, Michelle Gayle played the role in the West End.) It also marked the first time a black woman would star in a Disney musical on Broadway. She then starred in "Aida" as Aida beginning June 30, 2003 where she replaced Simone and left the cast on November 16, 2003 where she was replaced by Michelle Williams. In 2001, she made her movie acting debut in the feature film ''Kingdom Come''. In 2004, Braxton appeared as herself, voicing a singing character named Toni, in a special episode and DVD release of the children's television show Blue's Clues. In August 2005, Braxton announced that she would be shooting a sitcom pilot for The WB's fall 2006 line-up, though plans to put the show into full-production fell through when The WB announced it would cease to exist in fall 2006 (as part of a merger with UPN to form The CW), She has also starred in the TV sitcom, ''Kevin Hill''. Braxton has recently completed filming of "''The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure''" alongside Jaime Pressly and Cloris Leachman due to be released 2010. Her character - Rosalie Rosebud - is a singer, whose over-the-top personality was apparently inspired by Mariah Carey.

Personal life

Marriage, family, and son's autism

Braxton met musician Keri Lewis when his group, Mint Condition, opened for her on tour. On April 21, 2001, they were married. On December 2, 2001, she gave birth to their first child, a son named Denim Cole Braxton-Lewis. The couple's second son, Diezel Ky Braxton-Lewis, was born on March 31, 2003.

In an October 2006 concert at the Flamingo in Las Vegas, it was reported that Braxton broke down in tears discussing her son, Diezel, who had recently been diagnosed with autism. Braxton has been outspoken regarding her doctor's failure to diagnose Diezel's condition earlier, contending that if he had been diagnosed earlier, he could have been helped.

As well as becoming a spokeswoman for Autism Speaks, she is also a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association.

In November 2009, through her attorney Antavius Weems, Braxton announced that she and Lewis had separated.

Health problems

As of August 2007, rumors surfaced that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Toni stated to ''Access Hollywood'' that the breast cancer rumors were false and that her health is in great condition. However, in 2008, she had a benign lump removed from her breast.

On April 8, 2008, near the end of her two-year run at the Flamingo Hotel, Braxton was briefly hospitalized and the remaining dates on the show, which was scheduled to end on August 23, 2008, were canceled. Later, while appearing on Season 7 of Dancing with the Stars, she stated that she has been diagnosed with microvascular angina (small vessel disease).

On November 18, 2010, Braxton admitted to CBS News that she suffers from systemic lupus erythematosus, a potentially life threatening autoimmune disease. Braxton's brother also suffers from the disease, and her uncle died of complications from lupus.

Discography

1993: ''Toni Braxton''

1996: ''Secrets''

2000: ''The Heat''

2001: ''Snowflakes''

2002: ''More Than a Woman''

2005: ''Libra''

2010: ''Pulse''

Tours

Secrets Tour (1997)

Libra Tour (2006)

Awards and nominations

Filmography

2001: ''Kingdom Come'' - Juanita Slocumb

2002: ''Play'd: A Hip Hop Story'' (TV) - Shonda

2005: ''Kevin Hill'' (3 Episodes, TV Series) - Terry Knox

2010: ''The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure'' - Rosalie Rosebud

References

External links

WeLoveToni.com

Category:1966 births Category:Living people Category:American health activists Category:American contraltos Category:American film actors Category:American pop singers Category:American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Category:American soul singers Category:African American pianists Category:Arista Records artists Category:Bowie State University alumni Category:English-language singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Actors from Maryland Category:Musicians from Maryland Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from Anne Arundel County, Maryland Category:People from Atlanta, Georgia Category:People from the Las Vegas metropolitan area Category:The Braxtons members Category:Atlantic Records artists

ar:توني براكستون bg:Тони Бракстън cs:Toni Braxton da:Toni Braxton de:Toni Braxton es:Toni Braxton fa:تونی براکستون fr:Toni Braxton ko:토니 브랙스톤 id:Toni Braxton it:Toni Braxton he:טוני ברקסטון jv:Toni Braxton ka:ტონი ბრექსტონი hu:Toni Braxton nl:Toni Braxton ja:トニー・ブラクストン no:Toni Braxton pl:Toni Braxton pt:Toni Braxton ru:Брэкстон, Тони sq:Toni Braxton simple:Toni Braxton fi:Toni Braxton sv:Toni Braxton th:โทนี แบรกซ์ตัน tr:Toni Braxton zh:唐妮·布蕾斯顿

name	Selah Sue
background	solo_singer
birth name	Sanne Putseys
born	May 03, 1989
origin	Leefdaal, Belgium
genre	Reggae, soul
occupation	Musician
instrument	Guitar, Vocals
website	www.selahsue.com }}

Selah Sue, (born Sanne Putseys, 3 May 1989) is a Belgian musician and songwriter. Her first EP was released in 2008, under the title ''Black Part Love''. It contains five songs.

Background

Sanne Putseys was born in Leuven, but originates from the nearby Belgian town Leefdaal. At the age of fifteen, Sanne Putseys learned to play the acoustic guitar and started to write her own songs as well. When she was seventeen, Selah Sue performed as the youngest and only female artist at the open-song contest ''Open Mic-avond'' at ''Het Depot'' in Leuven. Organizer and singer Milow (born Jonathan Vandenbroeck) had noticed her talents and asked her to perform in his supporting programme. Initially, Sanne Putseys managed to work out her musical career path while studying psychology at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. According to her, studying psychology helped her to understand more about human emotions, which also is something that she has to deal with in her musical activities. Eventually, she continued doing warm-up performances in collaboration with artists such as Jamie Lidell in London and Paris. Furthermore, she played with the Belgian band Novastar at the Paradiso in Amsterdam. From September 2008 until August 2009, Selah Sue received some curricular guidance from the Belgian musical theater Ancienne Belgique. The programme, in which she was involved there, has been set up to support promising artists who aren't associated with any record company or other kinds of managing assistance.

Selah Sue often covers songs of Erykah Badu and The Zutons, but she does appear to assemble a whole range of her own songs. Two of her well-known songs are "Mommy" and "Black part love", both of which are carried out acoustically. She says to be influenced by artists such as Lauryn Hill, M.I.A. and Erykah Badu.

In 2009, Selah Sue attended the stages of the North Sea Jazz Festival and that of the Lowlands. Additionally, she regularly appears on TV shows such as ''De Wereld Draait Door'' on Dutch television and several other Flemish TV shows.

In 2010, she played most of the biggest festivals in Belgium, including Les Nuits Botanique, Les Ardentes, Dour, Lokerse Feesten, Couleur Café and Pukkelpop. But also outside her native country in big festivals such as Lowlands (Netherlands) and Les Eurockéennes de Belfort (France). On November 8, 2010 she played a support appearance for Prince on his Sportpaleis concert. She then went on a mostly sold out headlining show in Belgium, France and the Netherlands, presenting her forthcoming debut album.

She appears on Cee Lo Green's 2010 album ''The Lady Killer'', duetting with him on "Please".

Discography

Studio albums

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1" |- ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album Title ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album details ! scope="col" colspan="5"| Peak Chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Certifications |- ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|BEL (FLA) ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|BEL (WAL) ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|NL ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|FRA ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|SWI |- ! scope="row" | ''Selah Sue'' |

Released: 4 March 2011

Label: Because Music

Format: CD, Digital download

| 1 || 1 || 2 || 10 || 32 |align=left| BEL: 2x Platinum |- |}

Extended plays

2008: ''Black Part Love''

2010: ''Raggamuffin''

Singles

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1" ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Single ! scope="col" colspan="4"| Peak chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album |- ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|BEL (FLA) ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|BEL (WAL) ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|NL ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|FRA |- | 2010 ! scope="row"| "Raggamuffin" | 29 || 16 || 81 || 18 |rowspan="3"| ''Selah Sue'' |- |rowspan="2"| 2011 ! scope="row"| "Crazy Vibes" | 21 || 26 || 56 || — |- ! scope="row"| "This World" | 2 || 15 || — || 47 |}

References

External links

Official website

Myspace

Category:1989 births Category:Living people Category:Belgian female singers

de:Selah Sue fr:Selah Sue nl:Selah Sue

name	Cee Lo Green
background	solo_singer
birth name	Thomas DeCarlo Callaway
alias	Cee Lo Green, Cee Lo
born	May 30, 1974Atlanta, Georgia, US
instrument	Vocals, piano
genre	Soul, hip hop, neo soul, R&B;, funk, alternative hip hop, hip hop soul
occupation	Singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, actor
years active	1992–present (group)2002–present (solo)
label	Arista, Elektra
associated acts	Gnarls Barkley, Goodie Mob, Kid Cudi, OutKast, Jazze Pha, Bruno Mars
website	}}

Thomas DeCarlo Callaway (born May 30, 1974), better known by his stage name Cee Lo Green, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. He originally came to prominence as a member of the southern hip hop group Goodie Mob, later launching a critically acclaimed solo career and forming Gnarls Barkley with DJ/producer Danger Mouse.

Internationally, Cee Lo is best known for his hip hop work and Gnarls Barkley's 2006 worldwide hit "Crazy", which reached number one in various singles charts worldwide, including the UK. In the United States, "Crazy" reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Parent album ''St. Elsewhere'' was also a hit, reaching number one on the UK Albums Chart and number four on the US ''Billboard'' 200 album charts. Gnarls Barkley's second album, internationally less successful, ''The Odd Couple'' (2008) missed the top ten in both the UK and US, where it charted at number 12 in the US, and 18 in the UK.

Cee Lo, taking a break from recording with Gnarls Barkley, released the single "Forget You!" on August 19, 2010 as a solo recording artist. The song was an instant hit, reaching the top spot in the UK and the Netherlands and charted at number two on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The parent album, ''The Lady Killer'' (2010) saw similar success, peaking within the top five of the UK Album Charts and debuting within the top ten on the ''Billboard'' 200 album charts, and received a Gold certification from the BPI in the UK shortly after its release. His second single "It's OK" was a hit in Europe and the third single, "Bright Lights Bigger City" has also seen similar charting success. Cee Lo is currently a vocal coach on the NBC reality talent show ''The Voice'' with Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, and Blake Shelton.

Early life

Cee Lo Green was born Thomas DeCarlo Callaway in Atlanta, Georgia and graduated from Benjamin E. Mays High School in Southwest Atlanta. Both of his parents were ordained ministers and he started his music career in his church. His father died when he was two years old. His mother, Sheila J. Tyler-Callaway, was also a volunteer firefighter. She was involved in a car crash, leaving her paralyzed, and died two years after the accident. At the time, Cee Lo was 18 years old and his career with Goodie Mob had just begun taking off. His mother's death led Cee Lo into depression, as is reflected in various songs throughout his career, including "Free" by Goodie Mob, songs on ''St. Elsewhere'', and on ''The Odd Couple'' ("She Knows", "A Little Better"). Cee Lo also expresses his love for his mother in the song "Guess Who" from Goodie Mob's ''Soul Food'' album.

Music career

Goodie Mob

Along with Big Gipp, T-Mo, and Khujo, Cee Lo was an original member of the Atlanta hip-hop group Goodie Mob. He is the youngest of the four. The Goodie Mob were a part of the Atlanta rap collective the Dungeon Family, which also included OutKast. The group released their debut album, ''Soul Food'' in 1995. The album received much critical praise as a pioneering record for the then emerging Southern rap scene. It featured a distinctive soulful southern sound by production team Organized Noize, who had also produced OutKast's debut ''Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik''. Cee Lo got considerable praise for his rapping and singing of hooks, particularly on the hit singles "Cell Therapy" and "Soul Food".

The group's second album, ''Still Standing'' came out in 1998 and also received much critical praise. Its commercial performance was slightly lower than the group's previous effort however. At this time, Cee Lo focused primarily on rapping over singing. While he did frequently sing hooks and did some singing, at this point he was a rapper first and foremost. Cee Lo took more creative control on the group's next album, ''World Party''. Released in 1999, this album was more of a party record than the group's previous output, getting away somewhat from their socially conscious lyricism.

During the making of the album ''World Party'', Cee Lo left the group to pursue a solo career under Arista and the remaining members continued to perform together under the Goodie Mob name with Koch Records. They did however collaborate in combinations in the Dungeon Family album ''Even in Darkness''. Although the next Goodie Mob album seemed to mock Cee Lo with its title, ''One Monkey Don't Stop No Show'', the group expressed that it was more of a jab at Arista and the music industry as a whole.

In 2005, Cee Lo and Big Gipp were both noted in interview. No title or release date have been given for the new project. The song "Hold On" from Big Boi of OutKast's Got Purp? Vol 2 album was the first newly recorded Goodie Mob song with all four members since ''World Party''. (Khujo later revealed to fans at an album signing for his new album "Mercury", that the song "Hold On" was originally recorded in 1995 before ''Soul Food'' was released.)

Santana

In 1999, Cee Lo, credited as "Cee-Lo" was one of ten famous guest musicians who contributed to the highly successful Santana album ''Supernatural''. Lauryn Hill wrote "Do You Like The Way," and the two of them trade off on lead vocals.

Solo career

Cee Lo's Arista career was short-lived, as he was dropped after only two albums due to low record sales. His first album, ''Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections'', was heavily in the vein of various other Dungeon Family releases, with southern soul/funk/jazz backings produced solely by himself and boasting appearances by fellow Dungeon Fam members Big Gipp and Backbone. The album explored his departure from Goodie Mob and his solo growth in the song "El Dorado Sunrise (Super Chicken)", as well as socio-political issues, and showcased his singing. The album did not sell very well, but Cee Lo achieved some airplay with the single "Closet Freak".

His second Arista album, ''Cee-Lo Green... Is the Soul Machine'' brought a more branched-out sound and more deeply explored southern rap music. This is evidenced by collaborations with Ludacris, T.I., and Pharrell and production from Timbaland, The Neptunes, and Jazze Pha among others. The only other Dungeon Family member that appeared on his second release was Big Rube. This album saw Cee Lo delve into other styles besides traditional rap. Timbaland proved to be Cee Lo's single producer as their song "I'll Be Around" received mild airplay. They performed the single on an episode in the second season of ''Chappelle's Show''. "The One" featuring Jazze Pha and T.I. was also released as a single. On the heels of the success of Gnarls Barkley, Arista released a 17-track greatest hits collection of Cee Lo songs, ''Closet Freak: The Best of Cee Lo Green the Soul Machine''. It features predominantly Cee Lo solo tracks and several Goodie Mob songs. His new song "What Part of Forever" has been included in ''The Twilight Saga: Eclipse'' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.

After his second solo album, Cee Lo joined the group Gnarls Barkley (see below) with Danger Mouse, temporarily putting his solo career on hold. He would release two albums with that group, before again releasing solo material in 2010.

On August 19, 2010, Cee Lo released a single "Forget You!" to YouTube ahead of his planned solo album release, due to its partial leak on April 13. "Forget You!" was an instant viral smash hit, registering over two million plays in less than a week. Two weeks later on September 1, Cee Lo released to YouTube an official music video of the song. "Forget You!" made a debut at No.1 on the UK charts, notably beating out "Shame" from the recently reunited Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow. On December 1, 2010, Cee Lo received five Grammy nominations for "Forget You!", which has been certified Gold in the United States and Denmark. The single achieved platinum status in Canada, New Zealand, and the UK; and multi-platinum status in Australia.

When discussing his most recent album, ''The Lady Killer'' (released on November 9, 2010, by Elektra Records and Roadrunner Records), Cee Lo said: "I suppose this is a more clear, concise, consistent, conceptual, entire album. It's a complete thought, because it's written to be like a score. The album's meant to be a motion picture, you know? I've never taken that approach to doing an album before." The album was certified Gold in the UK on December 6, 2010.

Green is touring with an all-female backing band named "Scarlet Fever", performing for ''Taratata'', the BBC, ''Late Show with David Letterman'', W's ''Symmetry Live Concert Series'', ''Saturday Night Live'', the ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' special show following the Academy Awards, and many other venues. Green also performed "Forget You", a sanitized version of his hit "Forget You!", with Gwyneth Paltrow and several puppets provided by The Jim Henson Company at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards on February 13, 2011, a shoutout to Elton John, who wore a very similar costume in a Muppet show performance in 1977. At the 2011 BRIT Awards two days later, he was joined by British vocalist Paloma Faith in another duet of "Forget You". Shortly thereafter, it was announced that Green will be joining Rihanna and J. Cole on the North American leg of Rihanna Loud Tour in the summer of 2011. However, he later dropped out of the tour citing that his busy work schedule which includes his commitment to judging “The Voice”, writing a new book and recording a new album as the reason for his withdrawal. On August 14th 2011, Green performed at WWE SummerSlam performing "Forget You" and the event's theme, "Bright Lights, Bigger City".

Twitter Controversy

On Thursday June 16, 2011, journalist Andrea Swensson of City Pages negatively reviewed one of Green's performances, writing that it "failed to measure up to the fun factor of his recorded material. Green spent most of the set stationed in front of a mic at the center of the stage, barely moving an inch while he sang and flanked by two forgettable back-up singers and a DJ that was all but hidden behind a giant LCD display”. In response, the following day Green tweeted "I respect your criticism but be fair! People enjoyed last night! I'm guessing ur gay? And my masculinity offended u? well fuck U!”. Green promptly received angered responses from some of his followers on Twitter, to which he replied "Apologies gay community! what was homophobic about that?" In a subsequent interview with magazine US Weekly Green stated that his comments were in good fun, adding that "I am not harboring any sort of negative feeling toward the gay community" and that "I am one of the most liberal artists that I think you will ever meet, and I pride myself on that". Green has since deleted the tweets pertaining to this review.

Gnarls Barkley

Along with DJ Danger Mouse, Cee Lo was part of a duo called Gnarls Barkley. They first met when Danger Mouse took second in a talent contest and opened for OutKast and Goodie Mob at a University of Georgia concert in 1998. Afterwards, Danger Mouse gave Cee Lo an instrumental demo tape and told him to call him if he was interested. They did not make contact again until Cee Lo was contacted to be featured in a remix of the Danger Mouse and Jemini song "What U Sittin' On?" from the album ''Ghetto Pop Life''. They worked together again on the 2005 Danger Doom (Danger Mouse and MF Doom collaboration) album The Mouse and The Mask on the song "Benzi Box" where Cee Lo sings the chorus.

Gnarls Barkley first collaborative album, ''St. Elsewhere'', was released on April 24, 2006, in the UK and May 2, 2006, in the United States. ''St. Elsewhere'' entered the charts at No.1 in the UK, as did the first single "Crazy". "Crazy" is the first single to go straight to No.1 in the UK based on digital download sales alone and is ranked by Rolling Stone as the No.1 song of the decade. The album is Cee Lo's greatest selling venture yet, having shipped over 3 million copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan. A second album by Gnarls Barkley, titled ''The Odd Couple'', was released in March 2008. Its first single was released in January called "Run (I'm a Natural Disaster)".

Future projects

Cee Lo is collaborating with producer Jazze Pha to release an album called ''Happy Hour'' on Jazze’s record label. The songs "Happy Hour" (as well as the remix with Bun B, Snoop Dogg & Tone Tone), "Man of the Hour", and "Disco Bitch" (featuring The Pussycat Dolls) from the album have already been released as singles and B-sides. Jazze Pha has produced numerous hit singles with many artists, but this project is his rapping and singing debut. Cee Lo is co-producing the album with him, so both artist and producer share equal roles in vocals and production. Also, Melody Thornton confirmed that she is currently in the studio with Cee Lo working on her solo album. In 2010, he recorded a song for the ''Sex and the City 2'' soundtrack which reached number 9 in the charts and was written by him and produced by T-Pain which is called "Language of Love". He along with The Red Hot Chili Peppers and OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder were rumored to be appearing on British DJ Paul Oakenfold's upcoming album.

Television and film career

Cee Lo, along with the rest of the Goodie Mob, had a cameo in the 1999 film ''Mystery Men'' as a member of the Not So Goodie Mob. He also has done voice acting work, voicing Prime Cut Miggity-Mo' Macdaddy Gizzabang Doggy Dog Dog on the ''Brak Show'' episode "Brakstreet" in 2002, Frank and Buddy Z ''Class of 3000'''s Christmas special and as Godzilla in the ''Robot Chicken'' episode "Squaw Bury Shortcake" in 2007, and Rev. Rollo Goodlove in the ''Boondocks'' episodes "The S-Word" and "The Hunger Strike" in 2008. In 2010, he appeared in T-Pain's ''Freaknik: The Musical'' as Light Skin.

On January 15, 2011, Cee Lo both acted and performed on NBC's ''Saturday Night Live'' hosted by Gwyneth Paltrow, who, in November 2010, covered his song "Forget You" on an episode of ''Glee''.

Cee Lo is currently one of the coaches for contestants on the singing TV show ''The Voice''.

Personal life

Cee Lo has described himself as being a "goon" in his youth.

Cee Lo was married to Christina Johnson until they divorced in 2005. Together they have a son Kingston; and Cee Lo was a stepfather to Christina's daughters, Sierra and Kalah.

Discography

''Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections'' (2002)

''Cee-Lo Green... Is the Soul Machine'' (2004)

''The Lady Killer'' (2010)

Awards and nominations

|- | rowspan="3"| 2011 | rowspan="2"| Brit Awards | ''Best International Album'' | |- | ''Best International Male'' | |- | BET Awards | ''Best Male R&B; Artist'' |

Grammy Awards

|- | style="text-align:center;" rowspan="4"| 2007 ||style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"|"Crazy" || Record of the Year || |- | Best Urban/Alternative Performance || |- |style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"|''St. Elsewhere'' || Album of the Year || |- | Best Alternative Music Album || |- |style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"| 2009 || "Going On" || Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals || |- | ''The Odd Couple'' || Best Alternative Music Album || |- |style="text-align:center;" rowspan="4"| 2011 ||style="text-align:left;" rowspan="4"|"Forget You" || Record of the Year || |- | Song of the Year || |- | Best Urban/Alternative Performance || |- | Best Short Form Music Video ||

References

External links

Cee Lo Green on BBC Music

Official Jazze Pha & Cee Lo website

Cee Lo Green Storytellers on VH1

Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:African American singers Category:American funk musicians Category:American male singers Category:American pop singers Category:American tenors Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American soul singers Category:Dungeon Family Category:Gnarls Barkley members Category:Hip hop record producers Category:Rappers from Atlanta, Georgia Category:Neo soul singers Category:BRIT Award winners Category:Grammy Award winners Category:The Voice judges

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name	Bryan Adams
landscape	Yes
background	solo_singer
birth name	Bryan Guy Adams
birth date	November 05, 1959
birth place	Kingston, Ontario, Canada
genre	Rock, arena rock, soft rock, roots rock, heartland rock, hard rock
instrument	Vocals, guitar, bass, dobro, keyboards, organ, piano, harmonica
occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician, photographer, social activist
years active	1977–present
label	A&M;, Polydor
website
notable instruments	}}

Bryan Adams, (born Bryan Guy Adams, 5 November 1959) is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also had 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television in 1992. He has also won MTV, ASCAP, and American Music awards. In addition, he has won two Ivor Novello Awards for song composition and has been nominated for several Golden Globe Awards and three times for Academy Awards for his songwriting for films.

Adams was awarded the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia for contributions to popular music and philanthropic work via his own foundation, which helps improve education for people around the world.

Adams was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with the 2,435th star in March 2011 and Canada's Walk of Fame in 1998, and in April 2006 he was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at Canada's Juno Awards. In 2008, Bryan was ranked 38 on the list of All-Time top artists by the Billboard Hot 100 50th Anniversary Charts. On 13 January 2010, he received the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award for his part in numerous charitable concerts and campaigns during his career, and on 1 May 2010 was given the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for his 30 years of contributions to the arts.

Early life

Adams was born in Kingston, Ontario, Canada to English parents. From his grandmother, he also inherited a Maltese ancestry. As Adams' father was a diplomat, Adams grew up traveling around the world with his parents. Most of his youth was spent growing up between diplomatic postings in Europe and the Middle East. He traveled extensively through his parents' native England, as well as a year in Tel Aviv Israel, four years in Cascais, Portugal situated close to Lisbon, and a year in Vienna, Austria. Finally in 1973, Adams' family returned to Canada to settle in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Music career

Early career

Between the age of 14-15 Adams worked as a dishwasher to get enough money to buy a Fender guitar, and quit the job once he had it and he started auditioning as a guitarist while rehearsing his own band in his mother's rented basement in Vancouver. Adams was selected to be the temporary singer until they found a proper singer, but they never found one. His auditioning landed him a few jobs, and he quit school to play nightclubs with bands like Shock and later with Sweeney Todd, who released ''If Wishes Were Horses'' with the 15-year-old Adams as lead singer.

In 1978, at the age of 18, Adams teamed up with Jim Vallance and sent a few demo recordings to A&M; Records in Toronto. Not long afterwards he signed with them for the sum of one dollar. Some of the first demos written in 1978 have surfaced over the years, most notably "I'm Ready" (recorded for both the album ''Cuts Like a Knife'' and later his release for MTV Unplugged) and "Remember," which was recorded on his first album. Both songs were covered by other artists even before his first album was released. Also recorded during this time was Adams' first single, "Let Me Take You Dancing," which made the Canadian RPM chart in March 1979 (the b-side was entitled "Don't Turn Me Away").

1980s

Adams' self-titled debut album was released in February 1980, and marked the beginning of what was to become a long songwriting partnership between Adams and co-writer Jim Vallance. With the exception of "Remember" and "Wastin' Time", most of the album was recorded from 29 October up until 29 November 1979 at Manta Studios in Toronto and co-produced by Adams and Vallance. The album was certified gold in Canada in 1986.

Adams' second album, ''You Want It You Got It'', was recorded in New York City in two weeks and it marked Adams' first album co-produced by Bob Clearmountain. It was released in 1981 and contained the FM radio hit "Lonely Nights," but it was not until his third album that he achieved international recognition, popularity and sales.

Adams also co-wrote many songs for other bands during this time including "War Machine" and "Rock and Roll Hell" for Kiss, and "No Way to Treat a Lady" for Bonnie Raitt.

''Cuts Like a Knife,'' which was released in January 1983, was Adams' breakout album due mainly to the lead singles. "Straight from the Heart" was the most successful song, reaching number ten on the Billboard Hot 100. Another single, "Cuts Like a Knife" charted at number 15. "This Time" also placed on the Hot 100. Music videos were released for four of the singles from the album. "Cuts Like a Knife" arguably became Adams' most recognizable and popular song from the album. Its music video received heavy airplay on music television channels. The album peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 album chart and achieved three times platinum status in Canada, platinum in the United States and gold in Australia.

Adams' best-selling album, ''Reckless'', co-produced by Adams and Bob Clearmountain, peaked at number one on the Billboard 200. The album was released in November 1984 and featured the singles, "Run to You", "Summer of '69", "Heaven", "One Night Love Affair", "Somebody", and "It's Only Love", a duet with Tina Turner. All the singles had accompanying music videos and all charted on the Billboard Hot 100 but only "Run to You", "Summer of '69", and "Heaven" peaked in the top ten. "Heaven" became the most successful single from ''Reckless'' at the time of its release on the pop charts, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number nine on the mainstream rock chart. "It's Only Love" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. In 1986, the song won an MTV award for Best Stage Performance. After the release of the album, Adams was nominated for Best Male Rock Performance. The album is Adams' best-selling album in the United States and was certified five times platinum.

In December 1984, Adams and his touring band, which consisted of Keith Scott, Dave Taylor, keyboarder Johnny 'Blitz' Hannah and new drummer Pat Steward, played concerts in Chicago, Detroit, New York and Philadelphia. In early 1985, Adams started a tour throughout the United States, then later Japan, Australia, Europe and at last Canada. After winning four Juno Awards, Adams started a Canadian tour through major cities across that country. Later he headed south towards the American West Coast, culminating with 2 dates at the studded Paladium in Los Angeles.

After the tour in the United States, Adams took part of a grand ensemble of Canadian artists named Northern Lights, who recorded the song "Tears Are Not Enough" for the African famine relief effort. Adams later headed back to Europe for a fifty-city concert tour with rock singer Tina Turner, culminating in April with his return to London to headline three sold-out shows at the Hammersmith Odeon. Adams began the first leg of his tour entitled "World Wide in 85" which started in Oklahoma and ended in October 1985. Adams later visited Vancouver, Canada, and afterward returned to the American East Coast to play 2 sold-out concerts in New York.

The follow-up album to ''Reckless'' was ''Into the Fire'' which was released in 1987. The album was recorded at Cliffhanger Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia and mixed at AIR Studios in London and Warehouse Studio in Vancouver. This album contained the hit songs "Heat of the Night" and "Hearts on Fire" and hit the Top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic.

In 1989 Adams did backup singing for the Belinda Carlisle's song "Whatever It Takes" which appeared on her Album Runaway Horses.

1990s

Adams' next album, ''Waking Up the Neighbours'', co-produced by Adams and Mutt Lange, peaked at number six on the Billboard 200. It was even more successful on the other side of the Atlantic, reaching number 1 on both big European markets, the UK and Germany. The album was released in September 1991 and featured "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You", his second 1 hit single in Billboard Hot 100. This song was featured on the album and a movie ''Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves'', starring Kevin Costner and Alan Rickman. The single topped the charts in numerous countries around the world including big markets such as the US, the UK, France, Australia and Germany. "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" spent a record-breaking 16 consecutive weeks at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart. It also achieved record-breaking sales in the US. Canadian content regulations were revised in 1991 to allow radio stations to credit airplay of this album towards their legal requirements to play Canadian music. Adams won a Grammy Award in 1991 for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television.

Adams further supported the album with his tour, Waking Up the World which started on 4 October 1991, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. On 18 December 1991, Adams played two first-ever shows in Reykjavík, Iceland and then performed in the U.S. with a concert at the Ritz Theatre in New York City on 10 January. It was a sell-out in less than twenty minutes. In attendance were music legends Ben E. King and Nona Hendryx. The Canadian leg of the ''Waking Up The World'' Tour kicked off in Sydney, Nova Scotia on 13 January 1992, and wrapped up with a standing room only concert in Vancouver, Canada, on 31 January. In February 1992, he started touring in New Zealand and Australia for seven dates—kicking off with a press conference in Sydney. On 21 February, the tour headed to Japan for approximately a dozen shows in six cities. The tour continued through several European countries in June 1992, including Italy, Germany, Holland and Scandinavia, and in July 1992, Bryan performed for the first time in Hungary and Turkey (where he filmed his video for "Do I Have To Say The Words?"). During the long tour, further singles from the ''Waking Up the Neighbors'' album were released: In the US, the rocky "Can't Stop This Thing We Started" peaked at number 2, and "Do I Have to Say the Words?" reached number 11. In the UK, "Thought I Died and Gone to Heaven" was the most successful single behind "(Everything I Do) I Do it for You" by reaching the Top 10. In September through December 1993, the tour took place in the US. The Asian tour headed to Thailand, Singapore, Japan, and Hong Kong in February 1993, before returning to the US during March through May.

In November 1993 Adams released a compilation album entitled ''So Far So Good'', that again topped the Charts in numerous countries such as the UK, Germany and Australia. It included a brand new song called "Please Forgive Me", that became another number 1 single in Australia as well as reaching the Top 3 in the US, the UK and Germany. In 1994 he collaborated with Rod Stewart and Sting for the single "All for Love" written for the Motion Picture Soundtrack of the movie ''Three Musketeers''. The single topped the charts worldwide. It was followed in 1995 by, "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" (song released with the Motion Picture Soundtrack of the movie ''Don Juan DeMarco''). It became another number 1 in the US and Australia as well as a Top 5 hit in the UK and Germany. Released in June 1996, the album ''18 til I Die'' contained the UK Top 10 singles "The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me" and "Lets Make a Night to Remember". The album peaked at number thirty-one on the ''Billboard'' 200 in the United States and held that position for three weeks. It was more successful in Europe and Australia and reached the top spot on the UK charts for Adams' third number 1 in a row. The album has been certified platinum in the United States and is Adams last studio effort which has been certified by the RIAA. ''18 til I Die'' was certified three times platinum in Canada and Australia and two times platinum in the UK. On 27 July Adams performed at the Wembley Stadium in London in front of a crowd of about 70,000. It was his second sold-out concert there and it is often considered as his biggest concert ever as it went out live to 25 countries and fans from all over the world came up to watch the performance.It also received rave reviews from critics and fans alike. In December 1997, Adams released ''MTV Unplugged'' with three new tracks: "Back to You", "A Little Love" and "When You Love Someone". "Back to You" was the first single, followed by "I'm Ready", an acoustic version of the ''Cut's Like A Knife'' track. The album was a top 10 success in Germany while both singles reached the top 20 in the UK.

''On a Day Like Today'' was released in 1998 and was the first studio album since ''Cuts Like a Knife'' which wasn't certified by the RIAA. However it entered the Top 5 in Germany and was certified platinum in the UK. It generated two British Top 10 singles: "Cloud Number Nine" and "When You're Gone", a duet with Melanie C of The Spice Girls.

After the release of ''On A Day Like Today'' Adams released ''The Best of Me'', a greatest hits collection that includes two new songs, the title track "The Best of Me" and the dance track "Don't Give Up". The album reached the Top 10 in Germany and was certified three times platinum in Canada and Platinum in the UK. The single from the album, "The Best of Me" became a very successful hit with the exception of the US, where it was not released as a single.

2000–present

In 2002, Adams wrote and performed the songs for the DreamWorks animated film, ''Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron''. The songs were included on the film's soundtrack. The most successful single from the soundtrack was "Here I Am", a British Top 5 and German Top 20 hit. The song also gave him his fourth Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Song from a Motion Picture.

In 2004, ARC Weekly released its chart of top pop artists since the last 25 years and Adams came up at number 13 in the chart with four number-one singles, ten top five hits and 17 top ten hits. Six years after the release of ''On a Day Like Today'', ''Room Service'' was released in September 2004. It topped the charts in Germany and Switzerland and peaked at number four in the UK, selling 440,000 copies in its first week in Europe and thus at debuted at number one on ''Billboard'''s European album chart. The single, "Open Road", was the most successful single from the album and peaked at number one in Canada and number twenty-one in the UK. In May 2008, the album was also released in the US but charted only at number 134 on the Billboard 200.

In 2005, ''Anthology'', the first 2-disc compilation was released, containing two new tracks. The US release features a new version of "When You're Gone", a duet with Pamela Anderson. Also in 2005, Adams re-recorded the theme song for the second season of Pamela's Fox sitcom ''Stacked''.

In 2006, Adams wrote and performed the theme song "Never Let Go" which was featured in the closing credits of the film ''The Guardian'' starring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher. Adams also co-wrote the song "Never Gonna Break My Faith" for the film ''Bobby''. The song was performed by the R&B; singers Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige and earned him a Golden Globe Nomination in 2007.

Adams released his eleventh album internationally on 17 March 2008. It was appropriately called ''11''. The album was released in the US exclusively at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club retail stores on 13 May 2008. The first single released from the album was "I Thought I'd Seen Everything". Adams did an 11-day, 11-country European acoustic promotional tour to kick off the release of the album. The album debuted at number one in Canada (making it his first album to reach that position since ''Waking Up the Neighbours'' in 1991) as well as reaching number two in Germany. In the United States, the album charted at number 80. In May 2009, Bryan Adams announced on his Twitter account that he has started writing and recording a new album in Paris. Bare Bones is certified Gold in India.

Adams was one of the four musicians who were pictured on the second series of the Canadian Recording Artist Series to be issued by Canada Post stamps on 2 July 2009. The total estimated number of Bryan Adams stamps that were printed is one and one-half million. In December 2009, Adams write and produces the song "You've Been a Friend to Me" for the Disney film ''Old Dogs''. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001898/

In February 2010 he released "One World, One Flame" – a track used as a theme song by the German TV Station ARD for their Olympic coverage of Olympic Games in Vancouver.

On 12 February 2010, Adams performed a duet with Nelly Furtado. The song was called "Bang the Drum" and was co-written with Jim Vallance for the opening ceremony for the 2010 Winter Olympics Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, in front of 60,000 spectators at BC Place Stadium.

Adams performed at a party that Wayne Gretzky and Jaromír Jágr attended during Olympics, this brought all three together once again, following Gretzky's final game in 1999 at Madison Square Garden, when Gretzky then played for the New York Rangers and Jagr was with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Adams then sang the Canadian national anthem and ad-libbed a line to acknowledge Gretzky's departure, singing, "We're gonna miss you Wayne Gretzky."

Adams was one of several well known Canadian musicians to visit Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at his official residence for an informal "jam session". His latest album, Bare Bones, which is a compilation of his greatest songs has been certified gold in India, and he thanked all his Indians fans for giving him such support.

On Feb 19, 2011 Bryan Adams and his band played in Kathmandu, Nepal making him the first ever international artist to rock Nepal which was organized by ODC Network (P) LTD. Bryan Adams performed at the opening ceremony of ICC World Cup Cricket 2011 on 17 February in Dhaka, Bangladesh and also performed in a solo concert in the next day.

On March 14, 2011, Adams announced that he and co-founder of his foundation and girlfriend, Alicia Grimaldi, were expecting a baby and on April 22, 2011, Grimaldi gave birth to a daughter, Mirabella Bunny.

Live Performance

Adams is frequently noted as being one of the greatest live acts in Canadian music. He is widely bootlegged and known to perform as long as 3+ hours. Adams is also noted for reviving stadium rock in 1985 alongside U2 and other acts. Adams performed for the first on a tour of Canada with his then-band Shock in 1976. When later asked about the band Adams said, "We were just shocking". Adams has said that he learned from the tour the importance of writing your own material. Adams played a tour for his album Bryan Adams(Album) in 1980 and has performed regularly since then. Adams has said that he has written some songs such that "They can be easily performed live".

Adams is famed for his legendary concert tours. The "World Wide in 85" was a massive commercial success for him. He for the first time played massive Stadiums and Arena's. Adams played for the first time in the major markets of the UK in 1987 on his "Into The Fire Tour". Adams then played the massive "Waking Up The World Tour". The tour is known to be Adams' 2nd greatest and of the finest Stadium rock tours of all time. Adams played the "So Far So Good" from 1993 to 1994 and it continued from the earlier tour.

Adams christened a few venues in Canada like Palladium and GM Place in early 1996. Adams played the Rock Am Ring festival in Germany. Adams kicked off, now what is known to be his greatest tour - "The 18 Til I Die Tour" in May 1996. The tour featured the biggest production to date at a Bryan Adams Concert. Adams played on 27 July 1996 to what he calls his best gig to date at Wembley Stadium which Adams describes as "The best place to play a rock n roll gig and the place for major acts to be". Adams played the "White Toque Tour" in 1998-99 and his band now became a 3-piece. It featured some of the biggest demands for Adams concert tickets. Several later tours include "Here I Am Tour" (2002–03). Adams played his next tour "Room Service" and it featured a 5-piece band and was a big success with the fans. Adams played the "Bare Bones Tour" from 2008 to 2011, his first solo acoustic tour. He felt it was a very unique tour. Also, Adam's started the year 2011 with an unexpected tour to some countries like Bangladesh and Nepal. He also performed in Mumbai and Pune in India. On November 24, 2011 Bryan Adams will start the 20th Anniversary tour for his album Waking Up The Neighbours album, the tour Starts in Newcastle, United Kingdom and will feature his full band. It is unknown at this time if Adams will bring that tour to the rest of the world in 2012, it is a wait and see what happens at this point.

Social activism

Most of Adams' philanthropic activity is dedicated to his foundation "The Bryan Adams Foundation", which aims to advance education and learning opportunities for children and young people worldwide, believing that an education is the best gift that a child can be given. The foundation is mostly funded by his photographic activities.

Since the 1980s, Adams has participated in concerts and other activities to help raise money and awareness for a variety of causes. His first high profile charity appearance came in 1985 when he opened the US transmission of Live Aid from Philadelphia. In June of the next year, Adams participated in the two-week Amnesty International "A Conspiracy of Hope" tour alongside Sting, U2 and Peter Gabriel. He performed the Pink Floyd songs ''What Shall We Do Now?'' and ''Young Lust'' during the performance of ''The Wall'', and then joined Waters, Joni Mitchell, Cyndi Lauper, Van Morrison, Paul Carrack and others to perform Waters' "The Tide Is Turning" to close the concert. His version of ''Young Lust'', peaked at number 7 at Mainstream Rock Tracks.

During his tours of 1992-1994, Adams successfully campaigned for the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary with Greenpeace Chairman David McTaggart. The two of them distributed over 500,000 postcards at concerts around the world encouraging people to write to politicians of countries blocking the vote, encouraging them to vote ''yes'' for the creation of the sanctuary at the meetings of the International Whaling Commission. IWC officially created the sanctuary on 26 May 1994. http://weblog.greenpeace.org/oceandefenders/archive/2006/12/i_was_there_how_the_south_1.html

On 24 April 1993, Adams joined Farm Aid VI alongside Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Ringo Starr.

On 29 January 2005, Adams joined the CBC benefit concert in Toronto for victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Twenty years after performing at Live Aid in the USA, Adams played at Canada's Live 8 show in Barrie, Ontario. Later that year, he performed in Qatar and raised £1.5M ($2,617,000) from the concert. He also auctioned a white Fender Stocaster guitar signed by many of the world's prominent guitarists. The guitar raised a total of 3.7 million US dollars for charity and thus set a record as the world's costliest guitar. The money went to Qatar's "Reach Out to Asia" campaign to help the underprivileged across the continent. Money raised also went to some of his own projects like rebuilding a school in Thailand and building a new sports center in Sri Lanka, both of which had been devastated by the Indian Ocean tsunami.

On 29 January 2006, Adams became the first Western artist to perform in Karachi, Pakistan after the 11 September attacks, in conjunction with a benefit concert by Shehzad Roy to raise money for underprivileged children to go to school. Some of the proceeds of that concert also went to victims of the 2005 Pakistan earthquake.

On 18 October 2007, Adams was billed to perform in Tel Aviv and Jericho as part of the OneVoice Movement concerts, hoping to aid in solving the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

Adams supports the animal rights group PETA (People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals) by shooting photos for them and writing letters. He's written to the CEO of KFC restaurants in Canada in November 2007, asking them to become leaders in using more modern and more humane methods of killing chickens. Adams has been a vegan since 1989 and was also a nominee for PETA's "Sexiest Vegetarians of the Year".

On 25 May 2005, Adams raised £1.3M with cousin Johnny Armitage, from a concert and auction entitled Rock by the River for the Royal Marsden Hospital in London. On 15 May 2006, Adams returned to London to attend the Hope Foundation's event (hosted by designer Bella Freud), helping to raise a portion of the £250,000 to support the Palestinian refugee children. The following June, he offered individuals from the public the chance to bid to sing with him live in concert at three different charity auctions in London. Over £50,000 was raised with money going to the NSPCC, Children in Need, and the University College Hospital. On 28 February 2008 he appeared in One Night Live at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada with Josh Groban, Sarah McLachlan, Jann Arden and RyanDan in aid of the Sunnybrook Hospital Women and Babies Program.

To support the peace in Georgia, Adams played a special outdoor concert in Tbilisi, on 19 September 2008.

He played at The Royal Albert Hall in aid of the Born Free Foundation at "Wild and Live" on 14 November 2009. His foundation raised £170,000 for Kids Company, a UK based charity that helps underprivileged and abused children in London, England.

As a photographer

Adams has had his photographs published in British Vogue, L'uomo Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Esquire, Interview magazine and i-D, among others. His other photographic efforts include founding Zoo Magazine, the fashion/art magazine based in Berlin, Germany which he shoots for regularly. Adams is also currently Editor at Large and regular photographer for Zoomer Magazine, a Canadian periodical focused on topics relevant to the baby boomer generation. On 1 June 2005, he published his first book of photos in the United States with Calvin Klein called ''American Women''; proceeds from this book go to breast cancer research for programs at the Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. He released a similar book of photos called ''Made In Canada'' in December 1999. Both these books were dedicated to his friend Donna, who died of the disease.

As a photographer, Adams has worked with many of his musical peers, including Mick Jagger, Arcade Fire, Ray Charles, Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Robert Plant, Take That, Joss Stone, Plácido Domingo, Sarah McLachlan, Celine Dion, Billy Idol, Moby, Lindsay Lohan, Amy Winehouse, t.A.T.u., Annie Lennox, Peter Gabriel, Bryan Ferry, Lenny Kravitz, Die Antwoord, and Morrissey to name a few. On 27 November 2000 Adams played onstage with The Who at the Royal Albert Hall. A DVD of the concert was issued. Adams photographed the band and his photos appear in the DVD booklet.

In 2002, Adams was invited, along with other photographers from the Commonwealth, to photograph Queen Elizabeth II during her Golden Jubilee; one of the photographs from this session was used as a Canadian postage stamp in 2004 and again in 2005 (see Queen Elizabeth II definitive stamp (Canada)), another portrait of both Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip is now in the National Portrait Gallery in London.

Bryan Adams supports the ''Hear the World'' initiative as a photographer in its aim to raise global awareness for the topic of hearing and hearing loss. Adams has shot covers for their magazine, a quarterly culture and lifestyle publication dedicated to the topic of hearing.

He photographed Michael J. Fox and Tatjana Patitz in the 2011 Carl Zeiss AG company calendar in New York City in the summer of 2010. The focus was about the size difference of the subjects in a comedic presentation.

His photographic exhibitions include:

Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto 1999

McCord Museum, Montreal 2000

Saatchi Gallery, London 2000

Photokina, Köln (Cologne), Germany 2001

ICA, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London 2004

Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto 2004

Calvin Klein, NYC, Dallas, Paris 2005

Canada House, Trafalgar Square, London 2005-06

Il Tempio Di Adriano, Rome, Italy, July 2006

Photokina, Köln (Cologne), Germany, September 2006

Leica Gallery, Vienna, Austria, November 2006

Galerija Fotografija, Ljubljana, Slovenia, November 2006

H.Stern exhibition, São Paulo, Brazil, March 2007

PhotoEspana, Madrid, Spain, Fotografos Insospechados (Unsuspected Photographers) Mickey Rourke photographs, May–July 2007

Nunnington Hall, North Yorkshire, England, May–June 2007

401 Projects, New York City, September–November 2007

The Hospital, Covent Garden, London, England, November 2007 (Modern Muses)

The National Portrait Gallery, London, England, February–May 2008 (Modern Muses)

Haus Der Kunst, Munich, Germany, May 2008 (Photos of the German National Football Team)

14th Street Gallery, New York City, May 2008 (Hear The World) (plus other exhibitions in Berlin and Zurich with the same show)

Saatchi Gallery, London, July 2009 (Hear The World)

Calvin Klein American Women 2010, New York City, September 2010

Discography

Studio albums

''Bryan Adams'' (1980)

''You Want It You Got It'' (1981)

''Cuts Like a Knife'' (1983)

''Reckless'' (1984)

''Into the Fire'' (1987)

''Waking Up the Neighbours'' (1991)

''18 til I Die'' (1996)

''On a Day Like Today'' (1998)

''Room Service'' (2004)

''11'' (2008)

Live albums

''Live! Live! Live!'' (1988)

''MTV Unplugged'' (1997)

''Live at the Budokan'' (2003)

''Live in Lisbon'' (2005)

''Bare Bones'' (2010)

Compilation albums

''Hits On Fire'' (Japan only 1988)

''So Far So Good'' (1993)

''The Best of Me'' (1999)

''Anthology'' (2005)

''Icon'' (USA only 2010)

Soundtrack albums

''Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron'' (2002)

''Colour Me Kubrick'' (2005)

Awards

In addition to his success at the Junos and Grammys and other music awards, Adams was also nominated for his fifth Golden Globe in 2007 for songwriting on the film ''Bobby'' which was sung by Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige, and has been nominated three times for Academy Awards for writing music in film.

File sharing lawsuit

"Somebody" was one of 24 songs in the first file-sharing copyright infringement lawsuit brought by major record labels in the United States to be tried by a jury.

References

External links

Category:1959 births Category:A&M; Records artists Category:Canadian activists Category:Canadian expatriates in the United Kingdom Category:Canadian male singers Category:Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees Category:Canadian people of English descent Category:Canadian people of Maltese descent Category:Canadian photographers Category:Canadian rock guitarists Category:Canadian rock singers Category:Canadian singer-songwriters Category:Canadian songwriters Category:Canadian vegans Category:English-language singers Category:Fashion photographers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Ivor Novello Award winners Category:Juno Award winners Category:Living people Category:Members of the Order of British Columbia Category:Musicians from British Columbia Category:Officers of the Order of Canada Category:People from Kingston, Ontario Category:People from North Vancouver Category:People of Maltese-British descent Category:Portrait photographers Category:Sony/ATV Music Publishing artists

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