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Adele (singer)
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (born 5 May 1988), known professionally as Adele (), is an English singer songwriter. She was the first recipient of the BRIT Awards ''Critics' Choice'' and was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2008 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2008. She is a multi-Grammy Awards nominee who has won two awards, Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2009.
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Aida Turturro
Aida Turturro (born September 25, 1962) is an American actress probably best known for playing Janice Soprano, sister of New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano, on the HBO TV series The Sopranos.
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Aisha Tyler
Aisha N. Tyler (born September 18, 1970) is an American actress, stand-up comedienne, and author, known for her regular role in the first seasons of Ghost Whisperer and Archer, as well as her recurring roles in Friends and .
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Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American recording artist, musician and actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began to play classical music on the piano. She attended Professional Performing Arts School and graduated at 16 as valedictorian. She later attended Columbia University before dropping out to pursue her music career. Keys released her debut album with J Records, having had previous record deals first with Columbia and then Arista Records.
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Ana Gasteyer
Ana Kristina Gasteyer (born May 4, 1967) is an American stage, film and television actress, best known for her comedic roles when she was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2002.
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Anastacia
Anastacia (born Anastacia Lyn Newkirk; September 17, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter. Anastacia has been highly successful in Europe, Asia, Oceania, South Africa, and South America, but has not had as much success in her native United States. Her debut album, Not That Kind, released in 2000, achieved top ten sales in eight countries in Europe, Asia, and Oceania, and went triple platinum in Australia; her debut single "I'm Outta Love", was also a hit in Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany and the UK.
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Angela Bassett
Angela Evelyn Bassett (born August 16, 1958) is an American actress. She has become well-known for her biographical film roles portraying real life women in African American culture, perhaps most prominently as singer Tina Turner in the motion picture ''What's Love Got to Do with It, as well as her portrayal of Betty Shabazz in the films Malcolm X and Panther, Rosa Parks in the The Rosa Parks Story, Katherine Jackson in the miniseries and Voletta Wallace in the film Notorious''.
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Ann Wilson
Ann Dustin Wilson (born June 19, 1950) is the lead singer, flautist and occasional guitar player of Heart.
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Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter and pianist commonly referred to as The Queen of Soul. Although renowned for her soul recordings, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B; and gospel music. Rolling Stone magazine ranked Franklin No. 1 on its list of The Greatest Singers of All Time.
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Ashanti
Ashanti, or Asante, are a major ethnic group of Ashanti Region in Ghana. They are an Akan people who speak Asante, an Akan dialect similar to Fante.
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Ashanti Douglas
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Asher Book
Asher Monroe Book (born September 18, 1988) is an American dancer, singer and actor. He is best known for being the member of the boy band V Factory and portraying the role of Marco in the movie Fame.
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Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd (born April 19, 1968) is an American actress, who is best known for playing a number of strong characters in films such as Ruby in Paradise, Kiss the Girls, Double Jeopardy, Where the Heart Is and High Crimes.
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Beyonce Knowles
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Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4, 1981), often known simply as Beyoncé ( ), is an American Pop/R&B; singer, songwriter, actress and fashion designer. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the R&B; girl group Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time.
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Bobby Brown
Robert Barisford "Bobby" Brown (born February 5, 1969) is an American R&B; singer-songwriter, occasional rapper, and dancer. After success in pop group New Edition, Brown began his solo career in 1987 and had a string of Top 10 Billboard hits, culminating in a Grammy Award. He was a pioneer of New Jack Swing music, a fusion of hip hop and R&B.; His second album, ''Don't Be Cruel, included popular songs such as "My Prerogative". Brown is the ex-husband of R&B; singer Whitney Houston and starred in the reality show Being Bobby Brown''.
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Brandy Norwood
Brandy Rayana Norwood (born February 11, 1979), known professionally as Brandy, is an American R&B; singer-songwriter, record producer, television entertainer, actress, and film producer. In 2009, she introduced her rap alter-ego '''Bran'Nu'''.
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Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album in 1999. During her first decade within the music industry, she became a prominent figure in mainstream popular music and popular culture, followed by a much-publicized personal life. Her first two albums established her as a pop icon and broke sales records, while title tracks "...Baby One More Time" and "Oops!... I Did It Again" became international number-one hits. Spears was credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s.
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Carmen Electra
Tara Leigh Patrick (born April 20, 1972), professionally known as Carmen Electra, is an American glamour model, actress, television personality, singer, dancer and sex symbol. She gained fame for her appearances in Playboy magazine, on the MTV game show Singled Out, on the TV series Baywatch, and dancing with the Pussycat Dolls, and has since had roles in the parody films Scary Movie, Date Movie, Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans, and Disaster Movie.
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Carole King
Carole King (born February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two-dozen hits during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King's album Tapestry topped the U.S. album chart for 15 weeks, in 1971, and remained on the charts for more than six years.
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Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol.
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Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion CC, OQ (; born March 30, 1968) is a Canadian pop singer, songwriter, actress, and entrepreneur. Born to a large, impoverished family in Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record. In 1990, she released the anglophone album Unison, establishing herself as a viable pop artist in North America and other English-speaking areas of the world.
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Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan (born Yvette Marie Stevens; March 23, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the seventies as the front woman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career. Her signature hits, both with Rufus and solo, include "Tell Me Something Good", "Sweet Thing", "Ain't Nobody", "I'm Every Woman", "I Feel for You" and "Through the Fire".
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Cher
Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian on May 20, 1946) is an American recording artist, actress, director and record producer. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes, a Cannes Film Festival Award and a People's Choice Award for her work in film, music and television.
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Cheri Oteri
Cheri Oteri (born September 19, 1962) is an American comic actress, best known for her roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2000.
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Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera ( in English; born December 18, 1980) is an American pop singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994. Aguilera signed to RCA Records after recording "Reflection" for the film Mulan.
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Clark Terry
Clark Terry (born December 14, 1920) is an American swing and bop trumpeter, a pioneer of the fluegelhorn in jazz, educator, and NEA Jazz Masters inductee.
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Claudia Schiffer
Claudia Schiffer (born 25 August 1970) is a German model and occasional actress, who reached the peak of her popularity during the 1990s, initially due to her resemblance to Brigitte Bardot. Schiffer is one of the world's most successful models, having appeared on over 500 magazine covers. Forbes estimated her net worth at about $55m (£38m).
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Corbin Bleu
Corbin Bleu Reivers (born February 21, 1989), better known as Corbin Bleu, is an American actor, model, dancer, and singer. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the High School Musical film series, the Discovery Kids television series Flight 29 Down, and the Disney Channel Original Movie Jump In!. He also pursued a solo career and released his debut album Another Side on May 1, 2007. The album debuted at number thirty-six on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling 18,000 copies in its first week. Bleu released his second album, Speed of Light, on March 10, 2009 in the U.S.
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Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album ''She's So Unusual'' and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album. Lauper has released 11 albums and over 40 singles, and as of 2008 had sold more than 30 million records worldwide.
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Daryl Hannah
Daryl Christine Hannah (born December 3, 1960) is an American film actress. After making her screen debut in 1978, Hannah starred in a number of Hollywood films throughout the 1980s, notably Blade Runner, Splash, Wall Street and Roxanne and in 2003 appeared in Kill Bill.
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Debbie Harry
Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry (born July 1, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter and actress, most famous for being the lead singer for the New Wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers. Her acting career spans over thirty film roles and numerous television appearances.
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Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. During the 1960s, she helped shape the Motown sound as lead singer of The Supremes, before leaving the group for a solo career on January 14, 1970. Since the beginning of her career with The Supremes and as a solo artist, Ross has sold more than 150 million records.
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Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American business magnate, socialite, author and television personality. He is the Chairman and CEO of the Trump Organization, a US-based real-estate developer. Trump is also the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts, which operates numerous casinos and hotels across the world. Trump's extravagant lifestyle and outspoken manner have made him a celebrity for years, a status amplified by the success of his NBC reality show, The Apprentice (where he serves as host and executive producer).
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Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines (born December 31, 1948), known by her stage name, Donna Summer is an American singer who gained prominence and notoriety during the disco era of the seventies with the majority of her early work produced by the team of Giorgio Moroder and Pete Belotte.
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Drea de Matteo
Drea de Matteo (born January 19, 1972) is an Emmy Award-winning American actress, best known for her roles as Adriana La Cerva on the HBO TV series The Sopranos, Joey Tribbiani's sister Gina on the NBC sitcom Joey and as Angie Bolen on the ABC show Desperate Housewives.
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Edie Falco
Edith "Edie" Falco (; born July 5, 1963) is an American television, film and stage actress, known for her role in Oz as Diane Wittlesey and her lead roles as both Carmela Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos and the titular character on the Showtime series Nurse Jackie.
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Elizabeth Hurley
Elizabeth Jane Hurley (born 10 June 1965) is an English model and actress who became known as a girlfriend of Hugh Grant in the 1990s. In 1994, as Grant became the focus of worldwide media attention due to the global box office success of his film Four Weddings and a Funeral, Hurley accompanied him to the film's Los Angeles premiere in a plunging black Versace dress held together with gold safety pins, which gained her instant media notice.
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Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres (; born January 26, 1958) is an American stand-up comedian, television host and actress. She hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and was also a judge on American Idol for one year, having joined the show in its ninth season.
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Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is an English singer-songwriter, composer and pianist. He has worked with his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin since 1967; they have collaborated on more than 30 albums to date.
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Eve (rapper)
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Fergie (singer)
Stacy Ann Ferguson (born March 27, 1975), better known by her stage name Fergie, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, fashion designer and actress. She was a member of the children's television series Kids Incorporated, and the girl group Wild Orchid. She is the female vocalist for the hip hop group the The Black Eyed Peas with whom she has attained much charting success worldwide. Her own debut album spawned four Billboard Hot 100 top five singles, three of which went to number one.
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Gloria Reuben
Gloria Reuben (born June 9, 1964) is a Canadian singer and actress of film and television, known for her role as Jeanie Boulet on the popular hit medical drama ER and for her role of Rosalind Whitman in the TV show Raising the Bar.
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H.B. Barnum
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Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock (born April 12, 1940, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet", Hancock helped redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section, and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound. He was one of the first jazz musicians to embrace synthesizers and funk. Hancock's music is often melodic and accessible; he has had many songs "cross over" and achieved success among pop audiences. His music embraces elements of funk and soul while adopting freer stylistic elements from jazz. In his jazz improvisation, he possesses a unique creative blend of jazz, blues, and modern classical music, with harmonic stylings much like the styles of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel.
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Hilary Swank
Hilary Ann Swank (born July 30, 1974) is an American actress. Her film career began with a small part in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) and then a major part in The Next Karate Kid (1994), where she played Julie Pierce, the first female protégé of sensei Mr. Miyagi. She has become known for her two Academy Award-winning performances: first as Brandon Teena, a transgender man (FTM) in the movie ''Boys Don't Cry (1999), and a struggling waitress-turned-boxer, Maggie Fitzgerald, in Million Dollar Baby'' (2004).
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India Arie
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Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Jamie-Lynn Sigler (formerly DiScala; born May 15, 1981) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Meadow Soprano on the HBO television series The Sopranos.
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Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American recording artist and actress. Born in Gary, Indiana, and raised in Encino, Los Angeles, she is the youngest child of the Jackson family of musicians. She first performed on stage with her family at the age of seven, and started her career as an actress with the variety television series The Jacksons in 1976. She went on to appear in other television shows throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, including Good Times and Fame.
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Jeffrey Ross
Jeffrey Ross Lifschultz (born September 13, 1965), best known as Jeffrey Ross, is an American stand-up comedian, insult comic, actor, director and author.
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Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress, film director and producer. She gained worldwide recognition in the 1990s for portraying Rachel Green in the television sitcom Friends, a role which earned her an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
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Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981) is an American recording artist, actress and spokesperson. She came to prominence in 2004 as one of the finalists on the third season of American Idol coming in seventh place. She made her film debut in the 2006 film Dreamgirls which won her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, an NAACP Image Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
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Jennifer Nettles
Jennifer Nettles (born September 12, 1974 in Douglas, Georgia) is an American country music artist. She is known primarily for her role as lead vocalist of the duo Sugarland alongside Kristian Bush. Before Sugarland's inception, she also fronted Atlanta, Georgia-based bands called Soul Miner's Daughter and Jennifer Nettles Band. She also charted as a duet partner on the country version of rock band Bon Jovi's 2006 single "Who Says You Can't Go Home", a Number One hit on the Billboard charts.
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Jessica Alba
Jessica Marie Alba (born April 28, 1981) is an American television and film actress. She began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in Camp Nowhere and The Secret World of Alex Mack (1994). Alba rose to prominence as the lead actress in the television series Dark Angel (2000–2002). Alba later appeared in various films including Honey (2003), Sin City (2005), Fantastic Four (2005), Into the Blue (2005), and Good Luck Chuck both in 2007.
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Jessica Simpson
Jessica Ann Simpson (born July 10, 1980) is an American singer, actress, television personality and fashion designer who rose to fame in 1999. She has achieved seven Billboard Top 40 hits, and five studio albums of which four have been positioned in the top 10 on Billboard 200 and besides that have been certified by the RIAA, three gold and two Multi- Platinum. Simpson starred with her then-husband Nick Lachey in the MTV reality show . She ventured into the country music market in 2008 and released Do You Know. She has sold 20 million records worldwide. Simpson has a total of records sales in Australia of more than 426,000 copies and was ranked in the # 113 on the 1000 artists chart of ARIA Music Decade Charts (1980–2010). In 2009, Billboard named Simpson as the 95th overall best Artists of the Decade. Also was ranked at number 86 on Billboard 200 Artists, solely based on album sales.
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Jill Scott
Jill Scott (born April 4, 1972) is an American soul and R&B; singer-songwriter, poet, and actress. In 2007, Scott made her cinematic debut in the films Hounddog (as Big Mama Thornton) and in Tyler Perry's feature film, Why Did I Get Married? That year, her third studio album, , was released on September 25, 2007. She has won three Grammy Awards. She also appeared in the lead role of the BBC/HBO series ''The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency''.
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Jordin Sparks
Jordin Brianna Sparks (born December 22, 1989) is an American pop/R&B; singer, songwriter, humanitarian, and actress from Glendale, Arizona who rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. Sparks won when she was 17 years old, making her the youngest winner. She followed her American Idol victory with the release of her self-titled debut album in 2007, which has gone platinum and has sold over 2 million copies worldwide. Sparks' second single, "No Air", which features Chris Brown, is the song with the most paid downloads by any American Idol contestant, selling about 4 million digital copies worldwide. Due to the success of her debut album and its four top 20 singles, she has won an American Music Award in 2008 and received her first Grammy nomination in 2009.
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Joss Stone
Joss Stone (born Joscelyn Eve Stoker; 11 April 1987) is an English soul and R&B; singer–songwriter and actress. Stone emerged to fame in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist. Her second album, the equally multiplatinum Mind Body & Soul, topped the UK Albums Chart for one week and spawned the top ten hit "You Had Me", Stone's most successful single on the UK Singles Chart to date. Both album and single each received one nomination at the 2005 Grammy Awards, while Stone herself was nominated for Best New Artist, and in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2004 was ranked fifth as a predicted breakthrough act of 2004. She became the youngest British female singer to top the UK Albums Chart in history to have her first album at number one. Stone's third album, Introducing Joss Stone, released in March 2007, achieved gold record status by the RIAA and yielded the second-ever highest debut for a British female solo artist on the Billboard 200. Stone released her fourth album, Colour Me Free!, on 20 October 2009, which did reach Top 10 on Billboard, but was her least selling album in her career.
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Kathy Lee Gifford
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Katy Perry
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), better known by her stage name Katy Perry, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress. Perry was born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents; she grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in church as a child. After earning a GED during her freshman year of high school, she began to pursue a music career. She released a self-titled gospel album in 2001 as Katy Hudson which failed with the closing of its record label that year. She recorded an album with production team The Matrix and completed most of a solo album from 2004–2005, neither of which was released.
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Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson rose to fame after winning the first season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later represent the United States in the World Idol competition in 2003.
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Keri Hilson
Keri Lynn Hilson (born December 5, 1982) is an American R&B; singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Decatur, Georgia, Hilson made herself a name as a songwriter as part of a collective of writers and producers known as The Clutch in the mid 2000s, penning tracks for other artists such as Britney Spears, Ciara, Ludacris, and Usher.
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Kesha
Kesha Rose Sebert (born March 1, 1987), better known by the mononym Kesha ( , stylized Ke$ha), is an American pop singer, rapper and songwriter. At age eighteen, Kesha was signed to Dr. Luke's record label and publishing company. Although an active musician since 2005, singing background vocals and writing songs for other artists, her breakthrough only came in early 2009 after appearing on Flo Rida's number one single, "Right Round." Her debut single, "Tik Tok", released in late 2009, reached number one in eleven countries. Her debut album, Animal, was released in January 2010 and debuted at number one in the US. By September, Kesha had sold two million albums worldwide.
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Kherington Payne
Kherington Taylor Payne (born January 26, 1990) is an American dancer and actress who came to prominence as a Top 10 Finalist in Season 4 of the hit reality-dance show So You Think You Can Dance and in a role in the 2009 reinvention of the movie Fame. She is currently a new member of the Pussycat Dolls.
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Kid Rock
Robert James "Bob" Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter and rapper with five Grammy Award nominations.
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Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE ( ; born 28 May 1968), is an Australian pop singer, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing her career as a recording artist in 1987. Her first single, "Locomotion", spent seven weeks at number one on the Australian singles chart and became the highest selling single of the decade. This led to a contract with songwriters and producers Stock, Aitken & Waterman. Her debut album, Kylie (1988), and the single "I Should Be So Lucky", each reached number one in the United Kingdom, and over the next two years, her first 13 singles reached the British top ten. Her debut film, The Delinquents (1989) was a box-office hit in Australia and the UK despite negative reviews.
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Lauren Conrad
Lauren Katherine Conrad (born February 1, 1986) is an American television personality celebutante, actress, author and fashion designer. She is known for her starring role on the MTV reality series and its spin-off series, The Hills, which at one point followed her personal and professional life as she pursued a career in the fashion industry.
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LeAnn Rimes
LeAnn Rimes (born August 28, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for her work in country music. She is best known for her rich vocals similar to country music singer Patsy Cline,
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Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis (born 3 April 1985) is a British pop and R&B; singer–songwriter. Lewis rose to fame during the third series of the British television series The X Factor, which she went on to win.
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Lisa Marie Presley
Lisa Marie Presley (born February 1, 1968) is an American singer–songwriter, also known as the "Princess of Rock and Roll". She is the only child of singer Elvis Presley, and daughter of Priscilla Presley.
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Lorraine Bracco
Lorraine Bracco (born October 2, 1954) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Karen Hill in Goodfellas and Dr. Jennifer Melfi on the HBO television series, The Sopranos.
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Marc Anthony
Marc Anthony (born Marco Antonio Muñiz; September 16, 1968) is a Puerto Rican-American musician, singer-songwriter, actor and producer. Anthony is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. The five-time Grammy winner has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. He is best known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads. Anthony was the first solo salsa act to ever sell out Madison Square Garden.
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Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey (born March 27, 1970) is an American R&B; singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. She made her recording debut, in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola and became the first recording artist to have her first five singles top the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Following her marriage to Mottola, in 1993, a series of hit records established her position as Columbia's highest-selling act. In 1998, Carey received the World Music Awards for becoming the "World's Best Selling Recording Artist of the 1990's" as well as the award for "World's Best Selling R&B; Artist."
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Marisa Miller
Marisa Lee Miller (born August 6, 1971) is an American model best known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues, and her work for lingerie retailer Victoria's Secret. After a stint shooting with photographer Mario Testino for fashion magazines like Vogue, Miller began working for both companies in 2002. In 2007, she became a Victoria's Secret Angel, and graced the cover of the 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue to record-setting numbers. Her accomplishments have led to her being dubbed the "return of the great American supermodel."
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Martha Stewart
Martha Helen Stewart (née Kostyra; born August 3, 1941) is an American business magnate, television host, author, and magazine publisher. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she has gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, and merchandising. Stewart's syndicated talk show, Martha, is broadcast throughout the world, she has written numerous bestselling books, and she is the publisher of Martha Stewart Living magazine.
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Martin Lewis
Martin Neil Lewis (born 24 July 1952 in Ashtead, Surrey, England) is a US-based English humorist, writer, radio/TV host, producer and marketing strategist. He is known for his participation in a variety of projects in the arts and entertainment worlds including his work as the co-creator and co-producer of the ''Secret Policeman's Ball'' benefit shows for Amnesty International (a series he created with Monty Python alumnus John Cleese and Amnesty fund-raising officer Peter Walker) and as a comedic performer and writer on American TV. He hosts his own daily radio show - heard nationally in America on Sirius Satellite Radio and worldwide on Sirius Internet Radio. He is a prolific columnist for The Huffington Post website.
http://wn.com/Martin_Lewis -
Martina McBride
Martina McBride (born Martina Mariea Schiff on July 29, 1966, in Sharon, Kansas) is an American country music singer and songwriter. McBride has been called the "Céline Dion of Country Music" for her big-voiced ballads and soprano range.
http://wn.com/Martina_McBride -
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige (surname ; born January 11, 1971), also known as Mary J. Blige, is an American singer, producer, songwriter, actress, and rapper. A recipient of nine Grammy Awards and many other honors, Blige has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. Blige has received the World Music Legends Award for combining hip hop and soul in the early 1990s. She was ranked number 100 in the list of 100 greatest singers of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. As of 2010, Blige has sold over 50 million albums and 15 million singles. Blige has cited Anita Baker, Chaka Khan and Aretha Franklin as influences.
http://wn.com/Mary_J_Blige -
MC Lyte
MC Lyte (born Lana Michele Moorer; October 10, 1970) is an American rapper who first gained fame in the late-1980s becoming the first solo female rapper to release a full album with 1988's critically acclaimed Lyte as a Rock, which featured the crossover hit, "Paper Thin". Lyte's other hits have included "Cha Cha Cha", "Poor Georgie", "Ruffneck" and "Cold Rock a Party".
http://wn.com/MC_Lyte -
Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Lou Etheridge (born May 29, 1961) is an American rock singer-songwriter and musician. She has received fifteen Grammy Award nominations winning two , one Academy Award and has sold twenty-seven million albums worldwide and almost fourteen million in the United States alone.
http://wn.com/Melissa_Etheridge -
Meredith Brooks
Meredith Ann Brooks (born June 12, 1958) is an American singer/songwriter and guitarist. She is best known for her 1997 hit song "Bitch", for which she was nominated for a Grammy Award.
http://wn.com/Meredith_Brooks -
Michael Sorrentino
Michael Sorrentino (born July 4, 1982), publicly known by his nickname The Situation, is an Italian-American television personality and model who appeared on the MTV reality show Jersey Shore starting in 2009.
http://wn.com/Michael_Sorrentino -
Michael Strahan
Michael Anthony Strahan (pronounced ; born November 21, 1971 in Houston, Texas) is a former American football defensive end who played for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He is currently a football analyst on Fox NFL Sunday, and also a host for Pros vs. Joes alongside fellow Fox football analyst Jay Glazer. He also starred in and produced the Sunday night Fox sitcom Brothers.
http://wn.com/Michael_Strahan -
Michelle Obama
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is the wife of the 44th and incumbent President of the United States, Barack Obama, and is the first African-American First Lady of the United States. Raised on the South Side of Chicago, Obama attended Princeton University and Harvard Law School before returning to Chicago and to work at the law firm Sidley Austin, where she met her future husband. Subsequently, she worked as part of the staff of Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley, and for the University of Chicago Medical Center.
http://wn.com/Michelle_Obama -
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus (born Destiny Hope Cyrus; November 23, 1992) is an American actress and pop singer. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana.
http://wn.com/Miley_Cyrus -
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado (born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She has sold 20 million albums worldwide. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
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Nicki Minaj
Onika Maraj (born December 8, 1984), better known by her stage name Nicki Minaj, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. In August 2009, Minaj signed to Young Money Entertainment with distribution from Universal Motown.
http://wn.com/Nicki_Minaj -
Nicole Polizzi
Nicole Polizzi (born November 23, 1987), publicly known by her nickname Snooki, is an American reality television personality who appeared on the MTV reality show Jersey Shore starting in 2009.
http://wn.com/Nicole_Polizzi -
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Denise Anderson (born July 1, 1967) is a Canadian American actress, model, producer, author, activist, and former showgirl, known for her roles on the television series Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P.
http://wn.com/Pamela_Anderson -
Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar (born January 10, 1953) is an American singer. She had considerable commercial success particularly in the United States. Hit songs included "Love Is a Battlefield", "Hit Me with Your Best Shot", "We Belong" and "Heartbreaker". During the 1980s Benatar had two RIAA-certified Multi-Platinum albums, five RIAA-certified Platinum albums, three RIAA-certified Gold albums and 19 Top 40 singles. Benatar was one of the most heavily played artists in the early days of MTV.
http://wn.com/Pat_Benatar -
Patricia Arquette
Patricia T. Arquette (born April 8, 1968) is an American actress and director. She plays the lead character in the supernatural drama series Medium.
http://wn.com/Patricia_Arquette -
Patti LaBelle
Patti LaBelle (born Patricia Louise Holte; May 24, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She fronted two groups, Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, which received minor success on the pop charts in the 1960s, and Labelle, which received acclaim and a mainstream breakthrough in 1974 with their song "Lady Marmalade". She went on to have a solo recording career, earning another U.S. #1 single in 1986 with "On My Own", a duet with Michael McDonald.
http://wn.com/Patti_LaBelle -
Paul S. Morton
Paul Sylvester Morton (born July 30, 1950) is an American Baptist pastor. He is currently senior pastor of
http://wn.com/Paul_S_Morton -
Paul Shaffer
Paul Allen Wood Shaffer, CM (born November 28, 1949) is a Canadian musician, actor, voice actor, author, comedian, and composer, best known for his work alongside comedian David Letterman. He is the bandleader and sidekick on the Late Show with David Letterman, and has appeared on Letterman's shows since 1982.
http://wn.com/Paul_Shaffer -
Paula Abdul
Paula Julie Abdul (; born June 19, 1962) is an American pop singer, record producer, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality.
http://wn.com/Paula_Abdul -
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams (born April 5, 1973), commonly known as simply Pharrell, is an American recording artist, producer, musician and fashion designer. Along with Chad Hugo, they make the record production duo The Neptunes, where they produce pop, hip hop and R&B; music. He is also the lead vocalist and drummer of rock band N.E.R.D, which he formed with Hugo and childhood friend Shay Haley. He released his debut single "Frontin'" in 2003 and followed up with his debut album In My Mind in 2006.
http://wn.com/Pharrell_Williams -
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore (born September 8, 1979), better known by her stage name Pink (stylized as P!nk), is an American contralto singer-songwriter, musician, acrobat, dancer and actress, who rose to fame in early 2000. She released her first single "There You Go", on her first album, the R&B-oriented; ''Can't Take Me Home, in 2000 via LaFace Records, which garnered commercial success. Her more pop rock-oriented second studio album, Missundaztood'', which began a marked shift in the sound of her music, was released in 2001 and was a huge success worldwide, featuring the singles Get The Party Started, Don't Let Me Get Me, Just Like A Pill and Family Portrait. Pink released her third album, Try This, in November 2003, which although less successful commercially than her previous release, still managed to sell around 3 million copies and earned her a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for the single Trouble. Her fourth album, called ''I'm Not Dead, was released in April 2006. The album generated several hit singles, including "Stupid Girls", "U + Ur Hand" and "Who Knew". Both "U + Ur Hand" and "Who Knew" went to #1 on the pop chart. Her fifth album, Funhouse'', was released in late October 2008 and was preceded by her first solo number one on the Hot 100, "So What". The album notched three other Top 20 hits; "Sober", "Please Don't Leave Me" and "Glitter in the Air"
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Queen Latifah
Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress and singer. Queen Latifah's work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy Award nomination and an Academy Award nomination.
http://wn.com/Queen_Latifah -
Randy Jackson
Randall Darius "Randy" Jackson (born June 23, 1956) is an American bassist, singer, record producer, music manager, A&R; executive and television personality. He is best known as a judge on American Idol and Executive Producer for MTV's ''America's Best Dance Crew''. Jackson has won a Grammy Award as a producer.
http://wn.com/Randy_Jackson -
Renée Zellweger
Renée Kathleen Zellweger (born April 25, 1969) is an American actress and producer. Zellweger first gained widespread attention for her role in the film Jerry Maguire (1996), and subsequently received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her roles as Bridget Jones in the comedy ''Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), which she reprised in its sequel (2004) and as Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago (2002), and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the drama Cold Mountain'' (2003).
http://wn.com/Renée_Zellweger -
Ron Carter
Ron Carter (born May 4, 1937) is an American jazz double-bassist. His appearances on over 2,500 albums make him one of the most-recorded bassists in jazz history, along with Milt Hinton, Ray Brown and Leroy Vinnegar. Carter is also an acclaimed cellist who has recorded numerous times on that instrument.
http://wn.com/Ron_Carter -
RuPaul
RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960), best known as simply RuPaul, is an American actor, drag queen, model, author, and singer-songwriter, who first gained fame in the 1990s when he appeared in a wide variety of television programs, films, and musical albums. Previously, he was a fixture on the Atlanta and New York City club scenes. RuPaul has on occasion performed as a man in a number of roles, usually billed as RuPaul Charles. RuPaul is noted among famous drag queens for his indifference towards the gender-specific pronouns used to address him—both "he" and "she" have been deemed acceptable. "You can call me he. You can call me she. You can call me Regis and Kathie Lee; I don't care! Just as long as you call me." He hosted a short-running talk show on VH1, and currently hosts reality television shows called ''RuPaul's Drag Race and RuPaul's Drag U''.
http://wn.com/RuPaul -
Russell Malone
Russell Malone (born November 8, 1963 in Albany, Georgia) is an essentially self-taught swing jazz guitarist. He also performs in the bebop and contemporary jazz genres of jazz. He began working with Jimmy Smith in 1988, and went on to work with Harry Connick, Jr. and Diana Krall throughout the 1990s.
http://wn.com/Russell_Malone -
Sam Trammell
Sam Trammell (born May 15, 1971) is an American stage, film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Sam Merlotte in the HBO vampire series, True Blood, which saw him nominated for a 2009 Scream Award for "Breakout Performance - Male."
http://wn.com/Sam_Trammell -
Sarah MacLachlan
http://wn.com/Sarah_MacLachlan -
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll (born February 2, 1977), known professionally as Shakira (, or ), is a Colombian singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, dancer, and philanthropist who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s. Born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia, Shakira revealed many of her talents in school as a live performer, demonstrating her vocal ability with rock and roll, Latin and Middle Eastern influences with her own original twist on belly dancing. Shakira is a native Spanish speaker and also speaks fluent English and Portuguese and is proficient in Italian.
http://wn.com/Shakira -
Shania Twain
Shania Twain, OC (; born Eilleen Regina Edwards; August 28, 1965) is a Canadian country pop singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in the mid 1990s with her album The Woman In Me (1995), and achieved worldwide success with her 1997 album Come On Over, which became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician, and the best selling country album of all time. The album Come on Over has sold over 39 million copies worldwide. Come on Over is also the 9th bestselling album in the U.S.
http://wn.com/Shania_Twain -
Sheila E.
Sheila Escovedo (born December 12, 1957), known by her stage name Sheila E., is an American drummer and percussionist, perhaps best known for her work with Prince and Ringo Starr.
http://wn.com/Sheila_E -
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop. She has won nine Grammy Awards from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
http://wn.com/Sheryl_Crow -
Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver (born Susan Alexandra Weaver; October 8, 1949) is an American actress best known for her role as Ellen Ripley in the Alien film series, a role for which she has received worldwide recognition. She is also known for her roles in the Ghostbusters films, Gorillas in the Mist, The Ice Storm, Working Girl, Holes, and Avatar.
http://wn.com/Sigourney_Weaver -
Star Jones
Star Jones (previously Star Jones Reynolds; born March 24, 1962) is an American lawyer and television personality, best known for her role as a co-host of the ABC weekday morning talk show The View.
http://wn.com/Star_Jones -
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 120 million albums. She has been noted for her ethereal visual style and symbolic lyrics.
http://wn.com/Stevie_Nicks -
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Judkins (born May 13, 1950), name later changed to Stevland Hardaway Morris, known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist. Blind from shortly after birth, Wonder signed with Motown Records' Tamla label at the age of eleven, and continues to perform and record for Motown to this day.
http://wn.com/Stevie_Wonder -
Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon (born October 4, 1946) is an American actress. She has worked in films and television, since 1969, and won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1995 film Dead Man Walking. She was nominated for the award for four films, before that, and has received other recognition for her work. She is also noted for her social and political activism for a variety of liberal causes.
http://wn.com/Susan_Sarandon -
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American country pop singer-songwriter and actress.
http://wn.com/Taylor_Swift -
Teri Hatcher
Teri Lynn Hatcher (born December 8, 1964) is an American actress who is best known for her roles as Susan Mayer on the TV show Desperate Housewives, Lois Lane on the show , and Paris Carver in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. In 2005 her Desperate Housewives work won her the Golden Globe Award for and the Screen Actor's Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actress in a Comedy Series, as well as a nomination for the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, which she lost to fellow cast member and close friend, Felicity Huffman.
http://wn.com/Teri_Hatcher -
Tina Turner
Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have earned her the title '''The Queen of Rock 'n' Roll'''.
http://wn.com/Tina_Turner -
Tionne Watkins
Tionne Tenese Watkins (born April 26, 1970), better known by her stage name T-Boz, is an American singer and actress, who is best known for being a member of the group TLC. In 1995 and 2000, respectively, she was named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People of the World" by People Magazine.
http://wn.com/Tionne_Watkins -
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE (born 7 June 1940), known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer. Jones is particularly noted for his powerful voice.
http://wn.com/Tom_Jones_(singer) -
Toni Braxton
Toni Michelle Braxton (born October 7, 1966) is an American R&B; singer-songwriter. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards in her career and has sold 40 million records worldwide. She has a contralto vocal range.
http://wn.com/Toni_Braxton -
Treach
Anthony Criss (born December 2, 1968), better known by his stage name Treach, is an American rapper and actor. He is best known as the lead rapper of the hip hop group Naughty by Nature.
http://wn.com/Treach -
Tyra Banks
Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973) is an American model, media personality, actress, occasional singer, and businesswoman. She first became famous as a model in Paris, Milan, London, Tokyo and New York, but television appearances were her commercial breakthrough. Banks is the creator and host of the UPN/The CW reality television show ''America's Next Top Model, co-creator of True Beauty, and host of her own talk show, The Tyra Banks Show.''
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Usher (entertainer)
Usher Raymond IV (born October 14, 1978; ), who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American recording artist and actor. He rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his sophmore album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit, "Nice and Slow". It also spawned two more successful singles "You Make Me Wanna...", and "My Way". Both reached number-two on the Hot 100. His followup album 8701 (2001) produced the Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits "U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad". As well "U Don't Have to Call" which reached number-three on the Hot 100. My Way has been certified six-times platinum by the RIAA and 8701 has been certified four-times platinum by the RIAA. Both albums sold over 8 million copies worldwide.
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Vanessa L. Williams
Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer and actress. In 1983, she became the first woman of African American descent to be crowned Miss America, but a scandal caused her to relinquish her title early. Williams rebounded by launching a career as an entertainer, earning Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award nominations.
http://wn.com/Vanessa_L_Williams -
Walter Perez (actor)
Walter Perez (born on July 12, 1982 ) is an American film, television actor and musician. He is best known for his role in Fame.
http://wn.com/Walter_Perez_(actor) -
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born August 9, 1963) is an American R&B;/Pop singer, actress, and former fashion model. A relative of several soul singers, including her mother Cissy Houston, cousins Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick, and close family friend Aretha Franklin, Houston began singing at her New Jersey church as a member of a junior gospel choir at age eleven. After she began performing alongside her mother at night clubs in the New York City area, she was discovered by Arista Records label head Clive Davis. Houston has released studio albums and movie soundtrack albums throughout her career, all of which have had diamond, multi-platinum, platinum, or gold certification.
http://wn.com/Whitney_Houston -
Whitney Port
Whitney Eve Port (born March 4, 1985) is an American television personality, clothing designer, model and occasional actress. She is widely known for her starring role on the former MTV reality series The Hills. She is the narrator and one of the main cast members of her spin-off, The City.
http://wn.com/Whitney_Port
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Kuwait
The State of Kuwait (, Dawlat al-Kuwayt) is a sovereign Arab nation situated in the northeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south, and Iraq to the north. It lies on the northwestern shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the Arabic "akwat", the plural of "kout", meaning fortress built near water. The emirate covers an area of 17,820 square kilometres (6,880 sq mi) and has a population of about 2.7 million.
http://wn.com/Kuwait -
MGM Grand Las Vegas
The MGM Grand Las Vegas is a hotel casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The MGM Grand is the second largest hotel in the world and second largest hotel resort complex in the United States behind The Venetian. The MGM Grand was the largest hotel in the world when it opened in 1993.
http://wn.com/MGM_Grand_Las_Vegas
- A Broken Wing
- Adele (singer)
- Aida Turturro
- Ain't No Way
- Ain't Nobody
- Aisha Tyler
- Alicia Keys
- All I Want to Do
- Almost Doesn't Count
- Always on My Mind
- American Idol
- Ana Gasteyer
- Anastacia
- Angela Bassett
- Ann Wilson
- Aretha Franklin
- Ashanti
- Ashanti Douglas
- Asher Book
- Ashley Judd
- Backstreet Boys
- Bad Girls (song)
- Believe (Cher song)
- Best New Artist
- Beyonce Knowles
- Beyoncé Knowles
- Billboard (magazine)
- Billboard 200
- Blondie (band)
- Bobby Brown
- Brandy Norwood
- Bring Me Some Water
- Britney Spears
- California Gurls
- Camp Arifjan
- Carly Simon
- Carmen Electra
- Carole King
- Carrie Underwood
- Celia Cruz
- Celine Dion
- Chain of Fools
- Chaka Khan
- Cher
- Cheri Oteri
- Chic (band)
- Christina Aguilera
- Clark Terry
- Claudia Schiffer
- Cold Hearted
- Conga (song)
- Corbin Bleu
- Country music
- Crazy On You
- Cyndi Lauper
- Daryl Hannah
- Debbie Harry
- Decode (song)
- Destiny's Child
- Diana Ross
- diva
- Dixie Chicks
- Do I Do
- Donald Trump
- Donna Summer
- Dr. Beat
- Drea de Matteo
- Edie Falco
- Elizabeth Hurley
- Ellen DeGeneres
- Elton John
- Eve (rapper)
- Faith Hill
- Fame (2009 film)
- Fergie (singer)
- Firework (song)
- Flamingo Las Vegas
- Get On Your Feet
- Girls On Film
- Gladys Knight
- Gloria Estefan
- Gloria Reuben
- Good Boys
- Grammy Awards
- Grammys
- H.B. Barnum
- Have You Ever
- Heart (band)
- Heartbreak Hotel
- Heaven's What I Feel
- Herbie Hancock
- Higher Love
- Hilary Swank
- Hoda Kotb
- Hometown Glory
- Hot N Cold
- How Do I Live
- Hugh Grant
- I Feel a Song
- I Feel For You
- I'm Coming Out
- I'm Every Woman
- I'm Like a Bird
- I'm Still Standing
- If Only You Knew
- India Arie
- Innervisions
- Intuition (song)
- Jamie-Lynn Sigler
- Janet Jackson
- Jeffrey Ross
- Jennifer Aniston
- Jennifer Hudson
- Jennifer Nettles
- Jessica Alba
- Jessica Simpson
- Jewel (singer)
- Jill Scott
- Jordin Sparks
- Joss Stone
- Just Whitney
- Kathy Griffin
- Kathy Lee Gifford
- Katy Perry
- Kelly Clarkson
- Ken Ehrlich
- Keri Hilson
- Kesha
- Kherington Payne
- Kid Rock
- Kiss (song)
- Knock You Down
- Kuwait
- Kylie Minogue
- Lady Marmalade
- Landslide (song)
- Lauren Conrad
- LeAnn Rimes
- Leona Lewis
- Lisa Marie Presley
- Living For The City
- Lorraine Bracco
- Love No Limit
- Marc Anthony
- Marg Helgenberger
- Mariah Carey
- Marisa Miller
- Martha Stewart
- Martin Lewis
- Martina McBride
- Mary J. Blige
- MC Lyte
- Media Control Charts
- Melissa Etheridge
- Meredith Brooks
- MGM Grand Las Vegas
- Michael Sorrentino
- Michael Strahan
- Michelle Obama
- Miley Cyrus
- Misery Business
- Molly Shannon
- My All
- My Heart Will Go On
- My Hero (song)
- My Love Is Your Love
- Naturi Naughton
- Naval Base Coronado
- Nelly Furtado
- Nessun Dorma
- New Attitude (song)
- Nia Vardalos
- Nicki Minaj
- Nicole Polizzi
- Nile Rodgers
- One Way Or Another
- Opposites Attract
- Pamela Anderson
- Paramore
- Party in the U.S.A.
- Pat Benatar
- Patricia Arquette
- Patti LaBelle
- Paul S. Morton
- Paul Shaffer
- Paula Abdul
- PCD (album)
- Pharrell Williams
- Pink (singer)
- Pink Friday
- pop music
- Pretty Girl Rock
- Proud Mary
- Queen Latifah
- R&B;
- Rachel Bilson
- Randy Jackson
- Rapture (song)
- Renée Zellweger
- Respect (song)
- Rhythm and blues
- Right Thru Me
- Rock music
- Roman's Revenge
- Ron Carter
- Roy Haynes
- RuPaul
- Russell Malone
- Ryan Kwanten
- Sam Trammell
- Sarah Jessica Parker
- Sarah MacLachlan
- Say My Name
- Shakira
- Shania Twain
- Sharon Osbourne
- Sheila E.
- Sheryl Crow
- Sigourney Weaver
- SNL
- Something In Common
- Soul music
- Star Jones
- Stevie Nicks
- Stevie Wonder
- Stuck Like Glue
- Sugarland
- Superstition (song)
- Susan Lucci
- Susan Sarandon
- Tarralyn Ramsey
- Taylor Swift
- Teri Hatcher
- The Best (song)
- The Bitch Is Back
- The Glamorous Life
- The Isley Brothers
- The Only Exception
- The Pussycat Dolls
- The Supremes
- Think
- This Kiss
- Tina Turner
- Tionne Watkins
- TLC (band)
- Tom Jones (singer)
- Toni Braxton
- Top Gun Anthem
- Treach
- True Colors (song)
- Try It On My Own
- Turn The Beat Around
- Turnin Me On
- Tyra Banks
- Usher (entertainer)
- Vanessa L. Williams
- VH1
- VH1 Divas
- VH1 Divas Live
- Video (song)
- Walter Perez (actor)
- Wayne Newton
- Whitney Houston
- Whitney Port
- You're Still the One
- You've Got a Friend
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Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige and Kelly Clarkson Opening the VH1 DIVAS 2011
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:13
- Published: 29 Dec 2011
- Uploaded: 26 Feb 2012
- Author: NicoleSenior2009
Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige and Kelly Clarkson Opening the VH1 DIVAS 2011 I shot this video with my iphone at the Divas I OWN NOTHING
http://wn.com/Jennifer_Hudson,_Mary_J_Blige_and_Kelly_Clarkson_Opening_the_VH1_DIVAS_2011
Katy Perry feat. Nick Minaj - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (HD) in 'VH1 Divas'
"VH1 Divas Salute the Troops" is an American famous program in which, 27 years after Lauper's hit, two of this generation's fiercest female voices took over the oft-covered classic pop ode with a new kind of women's lib. Katy Perry is one of the most popular singers today. Teenage Dream is her last album. While Nicky Minaj is a recording artist who rose to fame after becoming a member of the rapping group Young Money in 2007.
http://wn.com/Katy_Perry_feat_Nick_Minaj__Girls_Just_Wanna_Have_Fun_HD_in_'VH1_Divas'
The Pussycat Dolls - Tainted Love (Live) VH1 Divas
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:14
- Published: 31 Jul 2011
- Uploaded: 21 Feb 2012
- Author: VideosPussycatDolls
The Pussycat Dolls feat. Carmen Electra performing Tainted Love live at VH1 Divas 04
http://wn.com/The_Pussycat_Dolls__Tainted_Love_Live_VH1_Divas
I Will Always Love You (Live) - Whitney Houston (1999 VH1 Divas Live)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:49
- Published: 16 Feb 2012
- Uploaded: 22 Feb 2012
- Author: BrianMercurioMusic
This has to be one of the best live versions of "I Will Always Love You" performed by Whitney Houston at the 1999 Divas Live Background information Birth name***Whitney Elizabeth Houston Born***August 9,1963,Newark, New Jersey,US Origin***East Orange,New Jersey Genres***R&B, pop,dance,soul,gospel Occupations***Singer,actress,model,film producer,record producer,songwriter Instruments***Vocals,piano Years active***1977--present Labels***Arista (1983--2011)RCA (2011--present) Associated acts***Cissy Houston,Dionne Warwick,Aretha Franklin,Mariah Carey,Bobby Brown,Jermaine Jackson,Enrique Iglesias Official Website: remembering.whitneyhouston.com
http://wn.com/I_Will_Always_Love_You_Live__Whitney_Houston_1999_VH1_Divas_Live
My Hair is Layed Like VH1 Celebrates Diva Soul (review)
Funky Dineva's review of Vh1 Celebrates Divas soul and Real Housewives of Atlanta Follow Dineva on Twitter: @FunkyDineva
http://wn.com/My_Hair_is_Layed_Like_VH1_Celebrates_Diva_Soul_review
Make it Happen (VH1 DIVAS Live 1998) - Mariah Carey
Live VH1 DIVAS 1998
http://wn.com/Make_it_Happen_VH1_DIVAS_Live_1998__Mariah_Carey
Jessie J - Domino - VH1 DIVAS
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:11
- Published: 27 Dec 2011
- Uploaded: 25 Feb 2012
- Author: NicoleSenior2009
Jessie J - Domino - VH1 DIVAS December 18,2011 I shot this video with my iphone at the Divas I OWN NOTHING
http://wn.com/Jessie_J__Domino__VH1_DIVAS
VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:21
- Published: 19 Dec 2011
- Uploaded: 17 Feb 2012
- Author: EEntertainment
Listen in as Mary J. Blige, Chaka Khan, Dolly Parton and more argue about which city has the most soul! Plus, hear why they support music in schools.
http://wn.com/VH1_Divas_Celebrates_Soul
![Katy Perry - Firework LIVE at VH1 Divas Salute the Troops [HD]](http://web.archive.org./web/20120313032426im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/A7EmK68h0qw/0.jpg "Katy Perry - Firework LIVE at VH1 Divas Salute the Troops [HD]")
Katy Perry - Firework LIVE at VH1 Divas Salute the Troops [HD]
Video of Katy Perry performing "Firework." at the VH1 Divas Salute the Troops concert. (P) (C) 2010 Capitol Records
http://wn.com/Katy_Perry__Firework_LIVE_at_VH1_Divas_Salute_the_Troops_ HD
Style Stars at VH1 Divas: Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige
PHOTOS: Jennifer Hudson & Kelly Clarkson show off their slim figures, Jessie J goes outrageous in black and gold, plus Mary J. Blige in a long white gown at VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul. Talk about a dreamgirl! VH1 celebrated the Divas of Soul in New York this weekend- but Jennifer Hudson stole the show. Check out her amazing figure! It's amazing what losing 80 lbs will do! Kelly Clarkson also showed off her slimmed down bod and darker do in this body hugging olive green number. Jessie J and Mary J both opted for long dramatic looks. Mary J Blige went with a long white gown with ruched side detail. While Jesse K went with a crazy black and gold look with cutouts and embroidery. And both rocked a crop bob with bangs. Florence Welch's red hair looked stunning against her cream beaded gown. But not ever diva hit a fashion high note. Dolly Parton -- we love you...but can we chat about this dress? We just don't get it! Is it even a dress? Or a top? This look would work much better on Dancing With The Stars, doncha think? But don't worry Dolly- you'll always be one of our favorite Divas!
http://wn.com/Style_Stars_at_VH1_Divas_Jennifer_Hudson,_Mary_J_Blige
Review: VH1 Divas Celebrate Soul
Review: VH1 Divas Celebrate Soul This is my review of the program and all the performers Asia AMY Tribute-- vimeo.com
http://wn.com/Review_VH1_Divas_Celebrate_Soul
Vh1 Divas 2011
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:41
- Published: 23 Dec 2011
- Uploaded: 23 Dec 2011
- Author: Crystalizeh2o
Mary J Blige
http://wn.com/Vh1_Divas_2011
Mary J Blige At The VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul In NYC
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:33
- Published: 19 Dec 2011
- Uploaded: 21 Dec 2011
- Author: InTouchWeeklyMag
Subscribe To In Touch Weekly's Official You Tube Channel And Go To InTouchWeekly.com For All The Latest News On Your Favorite Celebrities!
http://wn.com/Mary_J_Blige_At_The_VH1_Divas_Celebrates_Soul_In_NYC
VH1 Divas: 50 Cent, Chaka Khan, Travie McCoy, Jill Scott and more!
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:52
- Published: 19 Dec 2011
- Uploaded: 26 Jan 2012
- Author: thesourcemagazine1
![Underneath Your Clothes - Shakira - Live @ Vh1 Divas Las Vegas [HQ]](http://web.archive.org./web/20120313032426im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ekGlzfcdVwc/0.jpg "Underneath Your Clothes - Shakira - Live @ Vh1 Divas Las Vegas [HQ]")
Underneath Your Clothes - Shakira - Live @ Vh1 Divas Las Vegas [HQ]
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:59
- Published: 30 Jul 2011
- Uploaded: 28 Feb 2012
- Author: deChannel178
Shakira singing "Underneath your clothes" Live @ VH1 Divas Las Vegas. This video is dedicated for "gair use" purposes under section 107 Copyright. All Rights reserved to the respective owners.. Taken from album 'Laundry Service" "Underneath Your Clothes" You're a song Written by the hands of God Don't get me wrong cause This might sound to you a bit odd But you own the place Where all my thoughts go hiding And right under your clothes Is where I find them Underneath Your Clothes There's an endless story There's the man I chose There's my territory And all the things I deserve For being such a good girl honey Because of you I forgot the smart ways to lie Because of you I'm running out of reasons to cry When the friends are gone When the party's over We will still belong to each other Underneath Your Clothes There's an endless story There's the man I chose There's my territory And all the things I deserve For being such a good girl honey [x2] I love you more than all that's on the planet Movin' talkin' walkin' breathing You know it's true Oh baby it's so funny You almost don't believe it As every voice is hanging from the silence Lamps are hanging from the ceiling Like a lady tied to her manners I'm tied up to this feeling Underneath Your Clothes There's an endless story There's the man I chose There's my territory And all the things I deserve For being such a good girl honey [x2]
http://wn.com/Underneath_Your_Clothes__Shakira__Live_@_Vh1_Divas_Las_Vegas_ HQ
Kelly Clarkson VH1 Divas Performer
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:56
- Published: 27 Oct 2011
- Uploaded: 10 Dec 2011
- Author: ClevverMusic
on.fb.me - Facebook Fan Page! bit.ly - Click to Subscribe to ClevverMusic! Hi guys, welcome back to ClevverMusic, I'm Bridget Daly. The first part of the VH1 Divas performer list has been announced! Kelly Clarkson, Mary J Blige and Jessie J till all take the stage for the vent, along with Jennifer Hudson, Florence and the Machine, and Jill Scott. The women will be paying homage to the prominent birthplaces of soul musicians on this year's show, including Chicago, Detroit, London, Memphis and Philadelphia. The show will air on December 19th at 9pm on VH1 at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom, and Questlove and the Roots will serve as the house band. Additional announcements regarding even more performers, presenters and special guests are to be expected in the coming weeks. Pretty exciting show, and stay tuned on ClevverMusic for more annoucnements to come on our channel. See ya next time.
http://wn.com/Kelly_Clarkson_VH1_Divas_Performer
Dolly Parton At The VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul In NYC
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:30
- Published: 19 Dec 2011
- Uploaded: 29 Dec 2011
- Author: InTouchWeeklyMag
Subscribe To In Touch Weekly's Official You Tube Channel And Go To InTouchWeekly.com For All The News On Your Favorite Celebrities!
http://wn.com/Dolly_Parton_At_The_VH1_Divas_Celebrates_Soul_In_NYC
VH1 Divas 2011: Mary J. Blige, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Chaka Khan, Ledisi, Jill Scott
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 7:05
- Published: 20 Dec 2011
- Uploaded: 28 Feb 2012
- Author: TheJoeyMannarinoShow
VH1 DIVAS Celebrates Soul set list: (NOTE: The list that you're about to read is in no particular order; the final rundown for tomorrow night's airing is still TBD.) MEDLEY: "You Keep Me Hanging On" -- Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson and Mary J. Blige / "Spotlight" -- Jennifer Hudson / "Real Love" -- Mary J. Blige / "Since You Been Gone" -- Kelly Clarkson / "You Keep Me Hanging On (Reprise)" CHICAGO MEDLEY: "Rescue Me" -- Sharon Jones and Ledisi/ "Ain't Nobody" Mary J. Blige and Chaka Khan DETROIT MEDLEY: "Nowhere To Run" -- Marsha Ambrosius, Sharon Jones and Martha Reeves / "Chain Of Fools" -- Kelly Clarkson and Ledisi / "Sweet Love" -- Marsha Ambrosius and Ledisi LONDON MEDLEY: "Back To Life" -- Estelle, Erykah Badu, Marsha Ambrosius and Questlove / "Walking On Broken Glass" -- Florence Welch MEMPHIS TRIBUTE: "Knock On Wood" -- Jessie J and Jennifer Hudson / "I'll Take You There" -- Erykah Badu, Chaka Kahn and Mavis Staples PHILADELPHIA MEDLEY: "Wake Up Everybody" -- Estelle and Travie McCoy / "You Got Me" -- Jill Scott, Erykah Badu and Black Thought / "Motownphilly" -- Boyz II Men AMY WINEHOUSE TRIBUTE: "You Know I'm No Good" -- Sharon Jones with The Dap-Kings with Wanda Jackson / "Back To Black" -- Florence Welch "Shake It Out" -- Florence + The Machine with Golden Orb Girls "Night Of Your Life" -- Jennifer Hudson "Hear My Call" -- Jill Scott "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)" -- Kelly Clarkson "Domino" -- Jessie J "Mr. Wrong" -- Mary J. Blige CHAKA KHAN & MARY J <b>...</b>
http://wn.com/VH1_Divas_2011_Mary_J_Blige,_Kelly_Clarkson,_Jennifer_Hudson,_Chaka_Khan,_Ledisi,_Jill_Scott
Jessie J Interview VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul Red Carpet 2011
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:28
- Published: 19 Dec 2011
- Uploaded: 13 Feb 2012
- Author: TheJJDomino
Jessie J Interview VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul Red Carpet NO COPYRIGHT INTENDED
http://wn.com/Jessie_J_Interview_VH1_Divas_Celebrates_Soul_Red_Carpet_2011
Night Of Your Life - Jennifer Hudson live Vh1 Divas 2011
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:48
- Published: 12 Jan 2012
- Uploaded: 22 Feb 2012
- Author: Jonathankalaitzi
I don't own any of this
http://wn.com/Night_Of_Your_Life__Jennifer_Hudson_live_Vh1_Divas_2011
VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:29
- Published: 19 Dec 2011
- Uploaded: 24 Dec 2011
- Author: GrandLifeDailyTV
December 18, 2011 Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY
http://wn.com/VH1_Divas_Celebrates_Soul
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Detroit Free Press
Fans wondering why Anita Baker missed her scheduled appearance on last week's broadcast of "VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul" received a series of clues Tuesday night when the Detroit-raised singer opened up on Twitter. First, a little background: The latest edition of VH1's concert franchise, which...(size: 3.2Kb)
IMDb
Just in case you didn't happen to catch the spectacular display of vocal talent and attitude known as VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul when it aired last night on...(size: 1.0Kb)
VH1 Divas Celebrate Soul
21 Dec 2011
The Examiner
The London medley of the VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul concert on Monday night had people enjoying music from the United Kingdom. Taking a soul song from the Soul II Soul catalog, Estelle, Erykah Badu, Marsha Ambrosius and Questlove sang the 1989 hit Back to Life. In a one-of-a-kind performance,...(size: 4.3Kb)
The Examiner
Sherri Shepherd attends VH1 Diva Celebrates Soul in Nicholas Kirkwood heels. When one steps out on the red carpet amongst a bevy of divas they have to make sure they are looking good. In this night of celebrating soul there were super star divas like: Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, and even...(size: 4.5Kb)
Collaboration is key at VH1 Divas event
20 Dec 2011
The Dallas Morning News
NEW YORK (AP) — VH1 may have honored singing divas at its annual VH1 Divas special, but the night was all about collaboration. 50 Cent was hand-in-hand with Chaka Khan on the red carpet; Mavis Staples screamed her love for Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine and Ledisi gushed over meeting...(size: 2.4Kb)
The Hollywood Reporter
share Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Vh1 The concert special aired Monday, Dec. 19 featuring performances by Kelly Clarkson, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson and Nas. The stars aligned to pay tribute to Amy Winehouse at the VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul concert this week, with Nas, Sharon Jones and...(size: 5.0Kb)
The Examiner
R&B/soul singer Jill Scott performed at VH1 Divas Celebrate Soul Sunday in New York. Gracing the stage both solo and with Erykah Badu, Jill Scott joined a line up of artists that included Common, Jennifer Hudson, Chaka Khan and more. see pictures/photos via link to the left. As previously...(size: 3.9Kb)
The Examiner
In my mind, the VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul telecast was a mixed bag—mostly due to audio issues. While solo performances by Jill Scott, Jessie J, and Florence Welch were great, the vocals didn’t flow together well when two or more divas hit the stage to perform. At times, it was...(size: 4.4Kb)
In 1998, VH1 debuted the first annual ''VH1 Divas'' concert. ''VH1 Divas Live'' was created to support the channel's Save The Music Foundation and subsequent concerts in the series have also benefited that foundation. The ''VH1 Divas'' concerts aired annually from 1998 to 2004. After a five year hiatus, the series returned on September 17, 2009 with a younger-skewed revamp. The latest concert, "''VH1 Divas Salute the Troops''"" aired on Sunday, December 5, 2010.
''VH1 Divas Live: An Honors Concert For The VH1 Save The Music Foundation'' aired live from the Beacon Theatre in New York city on April 14, 1998.
Aretha Franklin
Gloria Estefan
Celine Dion
Shania Twain
Mariah Carey
Carole King
Jennifer Aniston
Patricia Arquette
Teri Hatcher
Sarah MacLachlan
Sarah Jessica Parker
Susan Sarandon
Mariah Carey - "My All"
Mariah Carey - "Make It Happen"
Gloria Estefan - "Turn The Beat Around"
Gloria Estefan - "Heaven's What I Feel"
Gloria Estefan - Megamix:
*"Dr. Beat"
*"Conga"
*"Rhythm Is Gonna Get You"
*"1-2-3"
*"Get On Your Feet"
Shania Twain - "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!"
Shania Twain - "You're Still the One"
Aretha Franklin - "A Rose Is Still A Rose" - ''Not released on CD, VHS or DVD''
Aretha Franklin & Mariah Carey - "Chain of Fools"
Aretha Franklin - "Here We Go Again" - ''Not released on CD, VHS or DVD''
Celine Dion - "River Deep, Mountain High"
Celine Dion & Carole King - "The Reason"
Celine Dion - "My Heart Will Go On"
Carole King - "It's Too Late" – ''Not aired in television broadcast, nor released on CD, VHS or DVD''
Carole King, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan & Shania Twain - "You've Got a Friend"
The Divas - "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"
The Divas - "Testimony"
"My All" – 05:45
"Make It Happen" – 05:29
"Turn The Beat Around" – 05:07
"Heaven's What I Feel" – 04:54
"Dr. Beat"/"Conga"/"Rhythm Is Gonna Get You"/"1-2-3"/"Get on Your Feet" – 03:32
"Man! I Feel Like a Woman" – 03:55
"You're Still the One" – 03:33
"Chain of Fools" – 04:24
"River Deep, Mountain High" – 05:12
"The Reason" – 05:59
"My Heart Will Go On" – 04:41
"You've Got a Friend" – 05:29
"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" – 05:15
"Testimony" – 09:47
New York Times Pop Review
Mariah Carey's Band: Randy Jackson - Bass; Gigi Gonaway - Drums; Vernon Black - Guitar; Andrew Sherman - Keyboards; Michael Mcknight - Programmer; Juliet Haffner - Viola; Laura Seaton, Andre E. Stien, Peter M. Weimar - Violins; Marquino Brazil - Percussion
Gloria Estefan's Band: Jorge Casa - Bass; Clay Ostwald - Keyboards; Tim Mitchell, Rene Toledo - Guitars; Olin Burgos - Drums; Randy Barlow - Trombone & Trumpet; Teddy Mulet, Douglas Michaels - Trumpet; Kenny Andersom, Tom Timko - Saxes/Reeds; Rita Quintero, Juan"Chieto" Quinonez, George Noriega, Donna Allen - Vocals
Shania Twain's Band: Brent Barcus - Guitar; Andrew Cichon - Bass; James Blair - Drums; Cory Churco, Allison Cornell - Mandolin/Fiddle; Marc D. Muller - Pedal Steel; Hardy Hempill - Keyboards
Aretha Franklin's Band: H.B. Barnum - Conductor; David Rokeach - Drums; Francisco Centeno - Bass; Teddy Richards - Guitar; Richard Gibbs - Piano; Darryll Houston - Organ; Byron Strippling, Glenn Drews, Jorge Arciniega - Trumpet; Robert Trowers, Larry Farrell, Keith O'Quinn - Trombone; Lawrence Feldman, Dave Tofani, Ernie Fields Jr. Roger Rosenberg - Sax; Mae Kohn, Diana Madison, William Moore - Background Vocals; Jaqui Whitman - Tambourine; Michael Beardon - Keyboards; Joe Passaro - Percussion
Celine Dion's Band: Claude "Mego" Lemay - Keyboards; Dominique Messier - Drums; Ives "Ivo" Frulla - Keyboards; Andre Coutu - Guitars; Paul Picard - Percussion; Elise Dugay, Terry Dradford, Julie Leblanc - Background Vocals
''VH1 Divas Live/99: An Honors Concert For The VH1 Save The Music Foundation'' aired live from the Beacon Theatre in New York city on April 13, 1999.
Whitney Houston
Tina Turner
Cher
Brandy
Elton John
Mary J. Blige
Chaka Khan
Faith Hill
Treach
LeAnn Rimes
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Gloria Reuben
Elizabeth Hurley
Ashley Judd
Claudia Schiffer
Cheri Oteri
Ana Gasteyer
Molly Shannon
Celebrities shown in the audience included Hugh Grant, Donald Trump, Susan Lucci, Star Jones, Martha Stewart and Paul Shaffer.
Tina Turner - "The Best"
Tina Turner - "Let's Stay Together" – ''Not released on CD or DVD''
Tina Turner & Elton John - "The Bitch Is Back"
Tina Turner, Elton John, & Cher - "Proud Mary"
Elton John - "I'm Still Standing"
Elton John & LeAnn Rimes - "Written in the Stars" – ''Not released on CD or DVD''
LeAnn Rimes - "How Do I Live"
Elton John - "Like Father Like Son" – ''Not released on CD or DVD''
Cher - "If I Could Turn Back Time"
Cher - "Believe" – ''Not released on CD or DVD''
Brandy - "Have You Ever"/"Almost Doesn't Count"
Brandy & Faith Hill - "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You"
Faith Hill - "This Kiss"
Whitney Houston - "It's Not Right, But It's Okay" – ''Not released on CD or DVD; However, audio version now available for download on iTunes''
Whitney Houston & Mary J. Blige - "Ain't No Way"
Whitney Houston & Treach - "My Love Is Your Love" – ''Not released on CD or DVD; However, audio version now available for download on iTunes''
Whitney Houston - "I Will Always Love You"
Whitney Houston & Chaka Khan - "I'm Every Woman"
Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Faith Hill, Brandy, LeAnn Rimes & Mary J. Blige - "I'm Every Woman (reprise)"
Tina Turner - "The Best"
Tina Turner & Elton John - "The Bitch Is Back"
Tina Turner, Elton John & Cher - "Proud Mary"
Cher - "If I Could Turn Back Time"
LeAnn Rimes - "How Do I Live"
Elton John - "I'm Still Standing"
Brandy - "Have You Ever"/"Almost Doesn't Count"
Brandy & Faith Hill - "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You"
Faith Hill - "This Kiss"
Whitney Houston & Mary J. Blige - "Ain't No Way"
Whitney Houston - "I Will Always Love You"
Whitney Houston & Chaka Khan - "I'm Every Woman"
Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Faith Hill, Brandy, Mary J. Blige & LeAnn Rimes - "I'm Every Woman (reprise)"
Mariah Carey
Donna Summer
Faith Hill
Diana Ross
Destiny's Child
RuPaul
The Supremes
Angela Bassett
Ana Gasteyer
Cheri Oteri
Nile Rodgers of Chic
Molly Shannon
Hilary Swank
Mariah Carey - "Love Hangover/Heartbreaker (Remix)" - ''Audio version included in Mariah's single "Can't Take That Away"''
Donna Summer - "Reflections"
Faith Hill - "Breathe"
Faith Hill - "Love Child"
Donna Summer - "Bad Girls"
Donna Summer - "Love Is The Healer"
Mariah Carey - "Can’t Take That Away (Mariah’s Theme)"
Faith Hill - "What's In It For Me"
RuPaul - "I'm Coming Out"
Destiny's Child - "Say My Name"
Destiny's Child - "Upside Down" - ''Audio version included in Destiny's Child single "Jumpin Jumpin"''
Diana Ross - "Touch Me In The Morning"
Diana Ross - "Endless Love"
Diana Ross - "The Best Years Of My Life"
Diana Ross & The Supremes - "You Keep Me Hangin' On"
Diana Ross & The Supremes - "Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart"
Diana Ross & Mariah Carey - Medley: "Baby Love" and "Stop! In The Name Of Love"
The Divas - "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
Diana Ross - "I Will Survive"
Aretha Franklin
Mary J. Blige
Backstreet Boys
Marc Anthony
Celia Cruz
Jill Scott
Nelly Furtado
Kid Rock
Bishop Paul Morton & Choir
Herbie Hancock
Clark Terry
Ron Carter
Roy Haynes
James Carter
Russell Malone
Stevie Wonder
Janet Jackson
Pamela Anderson
Edie Falco
Lorraine Bracco
Aida Turturro
Drea de Matteo
Sigourney Weaver
Renée Zellweger
Aretha Franklin - "I Can't Turn You Loose" - ''Performance Now Available on iTunes US Store''
Aretha Franklin & Backstreet Boys - "Chain Of Fools" - ''Performance Now Available on iTunes US Store''
Aretha Franklin - "Ain't No Way" - ''Performance Now Available on iTunes US Store''
Marc Anthony & Celia Cruz – "Quimbara"
Jill Scott - "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman"
Jill Scott - "A Long Walk"
Aretha Franklin - "Think" - ''Performance Now Available on iTunes US Store''
Nelly Furtado - "I'm Like a Bird"
Mary J. Blige - "Day Dreaming"
Mary J. Blige & Aretha Franklin - "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man"
Aretha Franklin - "Nessun Dorma" - ''Performance Now Available on iTunes US Store''
Aretha Franklin with Herbie Hancock, Clark Terry, Ron Carter, Roy Haynes, James Carter, and Russell Malone - Mumbles
Aretha Franklin & Kid Rock - "Rock Steady" - ''Performance Now Available on iTunes US Store''
Aretha Franklin with Bishop Paul Morton & Choir - "Precious Memories" - ''Performance Now Available on iTunes US Store''
Aretha Franklin - "Respect" - ''Performance Now Available on iTunes US Store''
Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott, Celia Cruz, Nelly Furtado, Backstreet Boys, Stevie Wonder, Marc Anthony, Herbie Hancock, Clark Terry, Ron Carter, Roy Haynes, James Carter, Russell Malone & Aretha Franklin's Band - "Freeway Of Love" - ''Performance Now Available on iTunes US Store''
Celine Dion
Cher
Mary J. Blige
Dixie Chicks
Shakira
Anastacia
Stevie Nicks
Whitney Houston
Cyndi Lauper
Special diva guitarist Meredith Brooks
Host: Ellen DeGeneres
Announcer: Wayne Newton
Ellen DeGeneres - "Shoop" – ''Not included on CD or DVD''
Celine Dion & Anastacia – "You Shook Me All Night Long"
Cher – "Believe"
Cher – "Song for the Lonely"
Cher & Cyndi Lauper – "If I Could Turn Back Time" – ''Not included on CD or DVD''
Dixie Chicks – "Long Time Gone" – ''Not included on CD or DVD''
Shakira – "Underneath Your Clothes"
Mary J. Blige & Whitney Houston – "Rainy Dayz" – ''Not included on CD or DVD''
Mary J. Blige – "No More Drama" – ''Not included on CD or DVD''
Dixie Chicks – "Wide Open Spaces" – ''Not included on CD or DVD''
Dixie Chicks & Stevie Nicks – "Landslide"
Anastacia – "One Day in Your Life"
Mary J. Blige & Shakira – "Love Is A Battlefield" – ''Not included on CD or DVD''
Celine Dion – "I'm Alive"
Celine Dion – "A New Day Has Come"
Elvis Tribute Finale Medley:
*Anastacia - "Jailhouse Rock"
*Dixie Chicks - "That’s All Right (Mama)" - ''Not included on CD or DVD''
*Shakira - "Always on My Mind"
*Mary J. Blige - "Blue Suede Shoes" - ''Not included on CD or DVD''
*Stevie Nicks - "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck" - ''Not included on CD or DVD''
*Cher - "Heartbreak Hotel"
*Celine Dion - "Can't Help Falling in Love"
The Divas – "You Shook Me All Night Long (reprise)" – ''Not included on CD or DVD''
Mary J. Blige
Beyoncé
Lisa Marie Presley
Chaka Khan
Jewel
Ashanti
Whitney Houston
Celine Dion
Shania Twain
Bobby Brown
Pat Benatar
The Isley Brothers
'Born To Diva' winner Tarralyn Ramsey
Stevie Wonder
Host: Queen Latifah
Presenters: Sharon Osbourne, Aisha Tyler
Queen Latifah - "When You're Good To Latifah"
Beyoncé & Jewel - "Proud Mary"
Celine Dion - "Have You Ever Been In Love"
Chaka Khan - Medley: "I Feel For You"/"I'm Every Woman"
Mary J. Blige - Medley: "Real Love"/"Love No Limit"/"Family Affair"
The Isley Brothers & Ashanti - "Who's That Lady?"
Beyoncé - "Dangerously In Love"
Lisa Marie Presley - "Lights Out"
Lisa Marie Presley & Pat Benatar - "Heartbreaker"
Ashanti - "Rock wit U (Awww Baby)"
Whitney Houston & Bobby Brown - Medley: "Something In Common"/"My Love"
Jewel - "Intuition"
Chaka Khan & Mary J. Blige - "Sweet Thing"
Tarralyn Ramsey - "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)"
Whitney Houston - "Try It On My Own"
Stevie Wonder Tribute Medley:
*Shania Twain & Stevie Wonder - "Superstition"
*Whitney Houston & Stevie Wonder - "I Was Made To Love Her"
*Beyoncé & Stevie Wonder - "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours"
*Jewel & Stevie Wonder - "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life"
*Mary J. Blige & Stevie Wonder - "Superwoman"
*Ashanti & Stevie Wonder - "Do I Do"
*Chaka Khan & Stevie Wonder - "Tell Me Something Good"
*Queen Latifah & Stevie Wonder - "Living For The City"
Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, Beyoncé, Chaka Khan, Jewel, Ashanti & Queen Latifah - "Higher Ground"
Patti LaBelle
Jessica Simpson
Joss Stone
Cyndi Lauper
Debbie Harry
Gladys Knight
Ashanti
Eve
Blondie
Tom Jones
The Pussycat Dolls (featuring Carmen Electra)
Sheila E.
Tyra Banks
Daryl Hannah
Rachel Bilson
Omarosa
Jessica Alba
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Nia Vardalos
Patti LaBelle, Jessica Simpson & Cyndi Lauper - "Lady Marmalade"
Debbie Harry & Eve - "Rapture"
Joss Stone - "Fell In Love With A Boy"
Ashanti - "Medley: I'm Coming Out / Mo' Money Mo' Problems"
Patti LaBelle - "New Day"
Cyndi Lauper & Sheila E. - "Stay"
Cyndi Lauper & Patti LaBelle - "Medley: Time After Time / True Colors"
Jessica Simpson - "Take My Breath Away"
Jessica Simpson - "Angels"
Patti LaBelle - "Love, Need And Want You"
Patti LaBelle - "If Only You Knew"
Patti LaBelle - "You'll Never Walk Alone"
Tom Jones & The Pussycat Dolls - "Medley: Tainted Love / You Can Leave Your Hat On"
Blondie - "Good Boys"
Blondie & Joss Stone - "One Way Or Another"
Gladys Knight - "The Way We Were"
Gladys Knight Medley:
*Gladys Knight & Joss Stone - "I Don't Want To Do Wrong"
*Gladys Knight & Jessica Simpson - "Midnight Train To Georgia"
*Gladys Knight, Jessica Simpson & Joss Stone - "I've Got To Use My Imagination"
80's Medley Finale:
*Cyndi Lauper - "Girls Just Want To Have Fun"
*Sheila E. - "The Glamorous Life"
*Debbie Harry - "Call Me"
*Ashanti - "Ain't Nobody"
*Joss Stone - "(If You Love Someone) Set Them Free"
*Jessica Simpson - "Higher Love"
*The Pussycat Dolls - "Girls On Film"
*Tom Jones - "Kiss"
*Patti LaBelle - "New Attitude"
Patti LaBelle, Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry, Joss Stone, Jessica Simpson, Sheila E., Ashanti & The Pussycat Dolls - "New Attitude (Reprise)"
Kelly Clarkson
Jordin Sparks
Leona Lewis
Jennifer Hudson
Adele
Miley Cyrus
Melissa Etheridge
Cyndi Lauper
Sheryl Crow
Martina McBride
India Arie
Stevie Wonder
Kathy Griffin
Corbin Bleu
Keri Hilson
Toni Braxton
Whitney Port
Kathy Lee Gifford
Hoda Kotb
Lauren Conrad
Ryan Kwanten
Sam Trammell
Asher Book, Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, Kherington Payne, Naturi Naughton, and Walter Perez from the cast of Fame.
Paula Abdul - Medley: "Cold Hearted"/"Opposites Attract"/"Straight Up"/"Forever Your Girl"
Jennifer Hudson - "Spotlight"
Kelly Clarkson - "Already Gone"
Jordin Sparks - "S.O.S. (Let the Music Play)"
Adele - "Hometown Glory"
Leona Lewis - "Happy"
Leona Lewis & Cyndi Lauper - "True Colors"
Miley Cyrus - "Party in the U.S.A."
Adele & India Arie - "Video"
Jordin Sparks & Martina McBride - "A Broken Wing"
Jennifer Hudson & Stevie Wonder - "All In Love Is Fair"
Miley Cyrus & Sheryl Crow - "If It Makes You Happy"
Kelly Clarkson & Melissa Etheridge - "Bring Me Some Water"
Kathy Griffin
Nicki Minaj
Sugarland
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Keri Hilson
Paramore
Katy Perry
Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart
MC Lyte
Brandy
Marisa Miller
Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and Michael “The Situation” Sorrentino from ''Jersey Shore''
Jeffrey Ross
Michael Strahan
and several servicemen and servicewomen
Katy Perry, Keri Hilson, & Jennifer Nettles - "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"
Katy Perry - "California Gurls"
Katy Perry - "Teenage Dream" – ''Not aired in television broadcast''
Katy Perry - "Hot N Cold" – ''Not aired in television broadcast''
Paramore - "The Only Exception"
Paramore – “Decode” – ''Not aired in television broadcast''
Paramore – “Misery Business” – ''Not aired in television broadcast''
Sugarland & MC Lyte - "Stuck Like Glue"
Sugarland – “Tonight” – ''Not aired in television broadcast''
Sugarland – “All I Want to Do” – ''Not aired in television broadcast''
Grace Potter and The Nocturnals – “Top Gun Anthem” / "Paris (Oh La La)"
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals – “Medicine” – ''Not aired in television broadcast''
Grace Potter and The Nocturnals & Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart - "Crazy On You"
Grace Potter and The Nocturnals & Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart – "Rockin' in the Free World" - ''Not aired in television broadcast''
Nicki Minaj – “Moment 4 Life” – ''Not aired in television broadcast''
Nicki Minaj - "Right Thru Me"
Nicki Minaj – “Roman's Revenge” – ''Not aired in television broadcast''
Katy Perry & Nicki Minaj - "Girls Just Want To Have Fun"
Paramore - "My Hero"
Keri Hilson – “Turnin Me On” – ''Not aired in television broadcast''
Keri Hilson – “Knock You Down” – ''Not aired in television broadcast''
Keri Hilson - "Pretty Girl Rock"
Sugarland & Keri Hilson - "Think"
Katy Perry - "Firework"
VH1 Divas 1998
| Coordinates | 34°03′″N118°15′″N |
|---|---|
| name | VH1 Divas Live |
| type | Live album |
| artist | VH1 Divas Live |
| cover | B00000D9W4.jpg |
| released | October 1998 |
| recorded | April 14, 1998 |
| genre | Pop, R&B;/Soul, Rock, Country |
| label | VH1 |
| misc | }} |
Headliners
Special Guest Performer
Presenters
The show was produced by Grammys producer Ken Ehrlich, directed by Michael Simon and written by producer/writer Martin Lewis.
Show sequence
Performances on the CD, VHS and DVD release
Reviews
Musician Credits
(in order of appearance)
Aretha's band was used for, her duet with Mariah Carey (Chain of Fools) and the finale (Natural Woman, and Testimony).
VH1 Divas 1999
| name | VH1 Divas Live/99 |
|---|---|
| type | Live album |
| artist | VH1 Divas Live |
| released | November 1999 |
| recorded | April 13, 1999 |
| genre | Pop, Soul |
| length | 73:00 |
| label | VH1 |
| last album | ''VH1 Divas Live''(1998) |
| this album | ''VH1 Divas Live/99''(1999) |
| next album | ''VH1 Divas Las Vegas(2002) }} |
Summary
Strutting through the audience, the indomitable Tina Turner opens VH1's Divas Live 99 by launching into "The Best". She and honorary diva Elton John belt out an energetic version of "The Bitch Is Back", but the highlight is when Turner teases the captivated audience during the slow, sultry opening of "Proud Mary." Cher joins her to wrap up the classic hit, then segues into her own set in which she plays "Believe" (not released) and "If I Could Turn Back Time" with her staying power. After that, LeAnn Rimes performs "How Do I Live" with a sure, powerful voice. Next to her, Brandy sings with a pleasant and soft voice three of her ballads, which appeared on ''Never Say Never''. "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" was sung as a duet with Faith Hill.The superstar diva Whitney Houston then sang five songs: "It's Not Right But It's Okay", "Ain't No Way", "I Will Always Love You", "My Love Is Your Love" and "I'm Every Woman"; of which only "I Will Always Love You" "Ain't No Way" and "I'm Every Woman" were used on the CD, VHS and DVD release. Mary J. Blige featured on Houston's rendition of "Ain't No Way" and Chaka Khan joined Houston for the closing number, "I'm Every Woman".
TLC was initially slated to appear during the finale with Whitney and Chaka, but were forced to pull out when group member T-Boz had a sickle cell anemia crisis.
Headliners
Very Special Guest Performer
Special Guest Performers
Presenters
Show sequence
Performances on the CD, VHS and DVD release
Charts and certification
| Chart (2000) | Provider | Peakposition | Certification |
| align="left" | |||
| align="left" | style="text-align:left;" |
VH1 Divas 2000
''VH1 Divas 2000: A Tribute to Diana Ross - An Honors Concert For The VH1 Save The Music Foundation'' was the first of two concerts in the series not aired live, and the first of a brief “tribute” period. It was recorded on April 9, 2000 at New York's Madison Square Garden and first aired on April 11, 2000. The concert had to be recorded as Diana Ross refused to let any other artist perform during her set and due to her costume changes there was not time for her to get changed in commercials. The concert took a mammoth 6 hours to record. No official CD, DVD or VHS has ever been released of this concert as Diana Ross refused to give rights for it to be published as she thought that her performances were not her best.According to several reports, Christina Aguilera was also in talks to appear on the show that year, as she was hot off of her Grammy win for Best New Artist at the 2000 Grammy Awards. Instead, Aguilera appeared on 'Men Strike Back' later that month. Aguilera's camp denied the rumors of a rivalry with Mariah Carey and stated that Aguilera could not originally appear on 'Divas' because she had been scheduled to perform on ''SNL''.
Donna Summer was scheduled to sing a Supremes medley with Diana Ross and Mariah Carey and a VH1 Divas preview program actually shows them rehearsing together, however on the night of the concert only Ross and Carey performed the medley. No reason was given for Summer's non appearance in that part of the show although rumors began to emerge that Summer was unhappy that not enough rehearsal time had been given for that particular segment and was not in good voice. Summer ultimately performed two solo slots.
Headliners
Special Guest Headliner
Special Guest Performers
Presenters
Show sequence
VH1 Divas 2001
''VH1 Divas Live: The One And Only Aretha Franklin - An Honors Concert For The VH1 Save The Music Foundation''. This all-star tribute (the last such “Divas” event to use the format) to Aretha Franklin at New York's Radio City Music Hall paid tribute and respect to an artist who has been at the center of American music since arriving on the scene in the mid '60s. As the previous year, this concert was not released on CD or DVD.
Headliners
Special Guest Performers
Presenters
Show sequence
VH1 Divas 2002
| name | VH1 Divas Las Vegas |
|---|---|
| type | Live album |
| artist | VH1 Divas Live |
| cover | Vh1divas.jpg |
| released | October 22, 2002 |
| recorded | May 23, 2002 |
| genre | Pop, Soul, Rock, Country |
| label | VH1 |
| misc | }} |
''VH1 Divas Las Vegas: An Honors Concert For The VH1 Save The Music Foundation'' aired live from the MGM Grand Las Vegas on May 23, 2002. For the first time, ''Divas Live'' broadcasted from a city other than New York. This time around, Las Vegas played host city to the fifth Divas concert. A CD/DVD of the concert was released later that year, but not all the performances or performers (most notably those of co-headliner Mary J. Blige) were included, due to various record label issues.
Headliners
Special Guest Performers
Show sequence
VH1 Divas 2003
''VH1 Divas Duets: An Honors Concert For The VH1 Save The Music Foundation'' aired live from the MGM Grand Las Vegas on May 22, 2003. This concert has not been released on CD or DVD.
Headliners
Special Guest Performers
Show sequence
VH1 Divas 2004
''VH1 Divas: An Honors Concert For The VH1 Save The Music Foundation'' aired live from the MGM Grand Las Vegas on April 18, 2004. This concert has not been released on CD or DVD. This marks the first appearance of close friends and R&B; and soul legends Patti LaBelle (who was told by producers that she’d be considered “top dog” ) and Gladys Knight after they had turned down previous offers to appear. Gladys could not stay for the finale due to obligations with her one woman show at the famed Flamingo Las Vegas. Kylie Minogue was originally confirmed as a headliner for the 80s themed show, but withdrew shortly after.Aside from the normal set of presenters, the concert also featured video testimonials from Chaka Khan, Carly Simon, Gloria Estefan, Vanessa Williams, Mary J. Blige, Britney Spears, Alicia Keys, Pharrell Williams, Kathy Griffin (in what would prove to be the first of three consecutive appearances), Marg Helgenberger, and Usher on the word “diva”, their favorite divas (with an obvious emphasis on Patti), as well as the importance of music education in schools.
Headliners
Special Guest Performers
Presenters
Show sequence
VH1 Divas 2009
''VH1 Divas: An Honors Concert For The VH1 Save The Music Foundation '' aired live on September 17, 2009 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Howard Gilman Opera House in Brooklyn, New York. Paula Abdul hosted and performed. This concert has not been released on CD or DVD.
Headliners
Special Guest Performers
Presenters
Show sequence
VH1 Divas 2010
''VH1 Divas Salute The Troops '' was the second of two concerts in the series not aired live. It was recorded on Friday, December 3, 2010 at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar while Paramore was filmed earlier in the week at Army Camp Arifjan in Kuwait. The special first aired on Sunday, December 5, 2010 and broadcast internationally by the Armed Forces Network.The concert also featured a telecast featuring First Lady Michelle Obama, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé (in her third appearance on the series), Fergie, P!nk, Ke$ha, and Carrie Underwood (marking the concert series’ fourth appearance by an ''American Idol'' contestant), delivering special messages to the troops. Certain select servicemen and women from Miramar, Naval Base Coronado, Camp Pendleton, and Camp Arifjan were also presented in video portraits, documenting their careers and journey in the US military.
Hosted by
Headliners
Special Guest Performers
Presenters
Show sequence
Notes
Category:VH1 television series Category:Mariah Carey video albums Category:Pop music television series Category:1990s American television series Category:2000s American television series
pl:VH1 Divas Live 98 th:วีเอชวัน ดีวาส์This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
| Coordinates | 34°03′″N118°15′″N |
|---|---|
| name | Jennifer Hudson |
| background | solo_singer |
| birth name | Jennifer Kate Hudson |
| birth date | September 12, 1981 |
| birth place | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| instrument | Vocals |
| genre | R&B;, soul |
| occupation | Singer, actress, spokesperson |
| years active | 2004–present |
| label | RCA Records (2011-present)Arista |
| associated acts | Ne-Yo |
| website | }} |
| Headerstyle | background:#F0E68C; |
|---|---|
| Labelstyle | background:#ddf; |
| Datastyle | background:#DCDCDC; |
| Header1 | Film Awards |
| data2 | {{Infobox | child yes | title Academy Awards | label1 2006 | data1 Best Supporting Actress | label2 | data2 }} |
| {{infobox | child | yes | title British Academy Film Awards | label1 2006 | data1 Best Actress in a Supporting Role | label2 | data2 | label3 | data3 }} |
|---|
| {{infobox | child | yes | title Golden Globe Awards | label1 2006 | data1 Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | label2 | data2 }} |
|---|
| {{infobox | child | yes | title Screen Actors Guild Awards | label1 2006 | data1 Outstanding Female Actor in Supporting Role | label2 | data2 | label3 | data3 }} |
|---|
She won a Grammy Award for her eponymous debut album, ''Jennifer Hudson'', which was released in 2008 on Arista Records and was certified gold by the RIAA for selling over 800,000 copies in the US; sales exceeded 1 million copies worldwide. Additionally, it spawned the hit single ''Spotlight''. Her second album, ''I Remember Me'', was released in March 2011, and reached number two on the Billboard 200, selling 165,000 copies in its first week of release.
In late 2008, after Hudson's mother, brother and nephew were killed in a shooting, Hudson stepped out of the limelight for three months. Hudson resumed her public appearances in 2009, and has since performed at the Super Bowl XLIII, the Grammy Awards, ''American Idol'', and ''The Oprah Winfrey Show''. Hudson has been described as a friend of President Barack Obama, who invited her to appear with him at a fundraiser in Beverly Hills in May 2009. She also performed at the White House at the "Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement" event. Her vocal range is mezzo-soprano. Hudson has sold 1,280,000 albums and 2,237,000 tracks in the United States as of February 2012.
Biography
Early life and American Idol
Jennifer Hudson was born on September 12, 1981, in Chicago, Illinois. She is the third and youngest child of Darnell Donnerson (November 7, 1950 – October 24, 2008) and Samuel Simpson (died 1999). She was raised as a Baptist in Englewood and attended Dunbar Vocational High School, from which she graduated in 1999. She cites Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, and Patti LaBelle as her overall biggest influences and inspiration. At the age of 7, she got her start in performing by singing with the church choir and doing community theater with the help of her late maternal grandmother, Julia. She enrolled at Langston University but she left after a semester due to homesickness and unhappiness with the weather, and signed up at Kennedy–King College.In January 2002, Hudson signed her first recording contract with Righteous Records, a Chicago-based independent record label. The company's president, David Johnson, and his staff put Jennifer through a full year of artist development, working five days a week on live performance, stage presence, songwriting, on-camera interviewing, charm school etiquette and physical fitness. She was released from her five-year contract with Righteous Records so that she could appear on ''American Idol'' in 2004, but Jennifer credits David Johnson with teaching her "so much" and preparing her for the successful career she is enjoying today.
Hudson auditioned for the third season of ''American Idol'', in Atlanta, commenting that she had been singing on Disney Cruise Lines (aboard the Disney Wonder) for the past few months (as one of the Muses from ''Hercules''); and contestant judge Randy Jackson said, "We're expecting more than a cruise ship performance from you." Hudson struggled to gain popularity in the early stages of ''Idol'''s live shows, receiving the second-lowest number of votes in two of the first three shows. However, after a change in song choices, she soon became a favorite to win, receiving the highest number of votes in the "Top 9" after her performance of Elton John's "Circle of Life" on April 6, 2004. During the "Top 7" show, Hudson performed Barry Manilow's, "Weekend in New England", which garnered praise from all three judges. Hudson was eliminated during this week, which some blamed in part on a power outage in Hudson's hometown of Chicago due to storms and tornadoes in the area. This also led to controversy since the "Battling Divas" were all in the Bottom 3. On April 21, 2004, Hudson became the sixth of the 12 finalists to be voted off the show, finishing the competition in seventh place. In May 2010, the ''Los Angeles Times'' claimed Hudson to be the third greatest ''Idol'' contestant in the history of the show. She placed behind Season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson and Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood.
''American Idol'' performances
| !Theme week | !Song sung | !Artist | !Date sung | !Status |
| Audition | Share Your Love With Me | Aretha Franklin | – | Advanced |
| Hollywood | [N/A] | [N/A] | – | Advanced |
| Semifinals | John Lennon | February 10, 2004 | Eliminated | |
| Wild Card | I Believe in You and Me | Four TopsWhitney Houston | March 9, 2004 | Selected |
| Top 12Soul Music Week | Aretha Franklin | March 16, 2004 | Bottom 2 | |
| No One Else on Earth | Wynonna Judd | March 23, 2004 | Safe | |
| Top 10Motown Week | (Love Is Like A) Heat Wave | Martha and the Vandellas | March 30, 2004 | Bottom 2 |
| Top 9Songs of Elton John | Circle of Life | Elton John | April 6, 2004 | Highest Number of Votes |
| Top 8Songs of the Cinema | I Have Nothing ''from The Bodyguard'' | Whitney Houston | April 14, 2004 | Safe |
| Top 7Songs of Barry Manilow | Weekend in New England | Barry Manilow | April 20, 2004 | Eliminated |
2006-07: ''Dreamgirls'', career breakthrough and Music career development
In September 2006, Hudson performed the song, "Over It," live on Fox Chicago Morning News. In the interview she stated the song would be included on her debut album, to be released in early 2007, however this was before she was signed to a record label. In November 2006, Hudson signed a record deal with Arista Records. On ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', Hudson announced plans to enter the studio in March 2007. Hudson said on ''The Tyra Banks Show'', on February 23, 2007, that she just finished the first song for the album. Hudson also recorded a song called, "Stand Up", which was available for preview on her fan website which was produced by Chicago natives Earl Powell and Herman Little III, who arranged the song. The power-ballad would later become available on the deluxe edition of Hudson's self-titled album as a bonus track. In November 2005, Hudson was cast in the role of Effie White for the film adaptation of the musical ''Dreamgirls'', which also starred Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles and Eddie Murphy. The role, originally created in a Broadway performance by Jennifer Holliday, marked Hudson's debut screen performance. She won the role over hundreds of professional singers and actresses, including Raven-Symoné and Fantasia Barrino. Filming of ''Dreamgirls'' began on January 9, 2006, and the film went into limited release on December 25, 2006, and national release on January 12, 2007. Hudson has won particular praise for her show-stopping onscreen rendition of the hit song, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", the signature song of the role, which had earlier been recorded, and had already reached the status of musical standard, because of the definitive performance of Jennifer Holliday. ''The New York Observer'' described Hudson's performance of the song as "five mellifluous, ''molto vibrato'' minutes that have suddenly catapulted Ms. Hudson... into the position of front-runner for the best supporting actress Oscar". ''Newsweek'' said that when moviegoers hear Hudson sing the song, she, "is going to raise goose bumps across the land." ''Variety'' magazine wrote that Hudson's performance "calls to mind debuts like Barbra Streisand in ''Funny Girl'' or Bette Midler in ''The Rose'', with a voice like the young Aretha". Hudson's version of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" debuted at number 98 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the January 13, 2007, issue. The ''Dreamgirls'' track became Hudson's first top 10 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot Adult R&B; Airplay chart on February 24, 2007. "Love You I Do" was nominated for the 2007 Academy Award for Best Original Song and won the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.As Effie White, Hudson has garnered 29 awards from film critics as Best Supporting Actress and Breakthrough Performer of 2006. She won the Golden Globe Award as Best Actress in a Supporting Role. In addition, she has been named Best Supporting Actress by the Broadcast Film Critics Association and also by the Screen Actors Guild. After seeing Hudson's performance in ''Dreamgirls'', Simon Cowell taped a congratulatory message to her, which aired on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show''. With the March 2007 issue, Jennifer Hudson became the third African-American celebrity, and the first African-American singer, to grace the cover of ''Vogue'' magazine. On 11 February 2007 the 60th British Academy Film Awards were held in London, but Hudson was not there to accept her award for BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress. The BAFTA Award went missing and Hudson did not receive her award until April 22, 2011, when it was presented to on the ''Graham Norton Show''. On February 25, 2007, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film. During her acceptance speech, Hudson said: "Oh, my God, I have to just take this moment in. I cannot believe this. Look what God can do. I didn't think I was going to win. [...] If my grandmother was here to see me now. She was my biggest inspiration." She also concluded her speech by thanking Jennifer Holliday. Later in 2007, the Mayor of her home town Chicago, Richard M. Daley, declared March 6 as "Jennifer Hudson Day". She was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on June 18, along with 115 other individuals for 2007. ''Entertainment Weekly'' put her performance on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "Sure, Beyoncé's performance was great. And Eddie Murphy's was impressive. But there was really only one reason we all rushed to see 2006's Dreamgirls: Jennifer Hudson's soul-to-the-rafters rendition of the classic 'And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going'. When she sang 'You're gonna love me,' it wasn't just a lyric — it was a fact."
2008-10: Subsequent film roles, ''Winnie'' and ''Jennifer Hudson''
In May 2008, Hudson appeared in the feature film ''Sex and the City'' as Louise, Carrie Bradshaw's assistant. Filming finished in December 2007 and the movie was released on May 30, 2008. In October 2008, Hudson had her third film appearance in ''The Secret Life of Bees'' as Rosaleen, the mother figure of Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning). Also starring in the film are fellow Oscar nominees Queen Latifah and Sophie Okonedo, as well as Alicia Keys. The film opened on October 17, 2008, and grossed over $37 million at the box office. The film won two People's Choice Awards in January 2009 in the categories, Favorite Drama Movie and Favorite Independent Movie. The film also received nine Black Reel Awards nominations including three wins. Hudson was nominated for her performance in the film, but lost to Queen Latifah. The film also received eight nominations at the 2009 NAACP Image Awards, including a nomination for Hudson for her performance. In 2009, Hudson starred as Kathy Archenault in ''Fragments'', a film based on the novel by Roy Freirich, with Dakota Fanning and Forest Whitaker. The name of the film was changed from "Winged Creatures" to "Fragments". It was released on DVD on August 4, 2009. In 2010, Hudson started filming an upcoming biopic film ''Winnie'' based on the South African politician Winnie Mandela starring alongside Terrence Howard and directed by Darrell J. Roodt. Andre Pieterse and Roodt and Paul L. Johnson based the film's script on Anne Marie du Preez Bezdrob's biography, ''Winnie Mandela: A Life''. The Creative Workers Union of South Africa have opposed this choice, stating they will push for a moratorium on the film if the casting is not reversed. Winnie Mandela has threatened legal action over this film, claiming she was not "consulted" about the film. ''Winnie'' was scheduled to be released in December 2011; the trailer was released in 2010.In January 2008 Hudson returned to the studio to record new material for her debut album. Her label was reportedly unhappy with the direction they were sending Hudson musically and decided it would be best to scrap the older songs and instead focus on new ones. Hudson worked with Ryan Tedder and Timbaland on a number of songs. Her debut single, "Spotlight" was released on June 10, 2008 and became Hudson's first top 40 hit peaking at number 24 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and became a top 20 hit in the United Kingdom and Turkey. Her debut album, ''Jennifer Hudson'' was released on September 30, 2008 on Arista and was written by Ne-Yo, who co-produced along with Stargate. Additional contributors on the album include Timbaland, Missy Elliott, Robin Thicke, Harvey Mason, Jr., Diane Warren, Earl Powell, and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, among others. The album debuted at number two on the ''Billboard' 200 with 217,000 copies in the US and opened to positive reviews. As of August 2009, the album has sold 739,000 copies in the US, receiving a Gold certification for surpassing sales of 500,000. She has performed the song, "All Dressed in Love" for the ''Sex and the City'' soundtrack, which was released on May 27, 2008. Hudson performed the national anthem at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The album's second single was to be released in October 2008, and was originally set to be "My Heart" before "If This Isn't Love" was chosen as the official second single. After three of her family members were murdered brutally by her estranged brother-in-law, the single was rescheduled for a January 2009 release. However, in January 2009, her label decided to postpone the release of the second single once more until, choosing a February 2009 release date. After the release of "If This Isn't Love", the single eventually peaked at number 63 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 37 on the UK Singles Chart. The third single was announced as "Pocketbook" featuring Ludacris in April 2009, for a June 2009 release, despite speculation that the third single would be "My Heart" after it was canceled as the second single. In May 2009, "Pocketbook" was canceled as the third single due to negative reception from fans and critics alike. The third single was then rescheduled as "Giving Myself" and was released on June 2, 2009 to the US. Her debut album garnered Hudson three nominations at the 2009 Grammy Awards; Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance for "Spotlight", Best R&B; Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for "I'm His Only Woman" with Fantasia Barrino, and Best R&B; Album for ''Jennifer Hudson''. She won the last of these and performed at the awards ceremony. Hudson sang ''The Star-Spangled Banner'' at Super Bowl XLIII. She toured the United States with Robin Thicke in 2009. In early May 2009, Hudson suffered "throat fatigue" and had to reschedule her May 16–19, 2009, tour dates. She sang "Will You Be There" at the Michael Jackson memorial service on July 7, 2009. Hudson recorded "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)," originally by Gladys Knight & the Pips, for ''American Idol Season 3: Greatest Soul Classics'' — the official ''American Idol'' album for the third season. She is featured in a duet, "The Future Ain't What It Used to Be," on Meat Loaf's ''Bat out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose''. She also performed the song "Easy to be Hard" on the Actors' Fund benefit recording of the musical ''Hair''; and she is featured on Ne-Yo's second album, ''Because of You'', on the track, "Leaving Tonight". Hudson sang "Dancing a Catchy Rhythm" with Brooke White. Hudson performed a Christmas special on ABC in December 2009 called ''Jennifer Hudson: I'll Be Home for Christmas''. During the special, she relived her childhood Christmases with musical performances filmed at her favorite locations in her native Chicago. Hudson also visited family members, friends and other childhood influences during the broadcast. On January 22, 2010, Hudson appeared on the telethon "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief", performing the Beatles' "Let it Be". The telecast generated $61 million in donations as of January 26, 2010. Also, that year, Hudson recorded the song "One Shining Moment" for the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.
2011-present: ''I Remember Me''
Early in the album's development, Ne-Yo told E! Online that Hudson was ready to get personal on her second studio album. When probed for details he said that he might be producing the album. He also said "I'm pretty good at writing personal records...It starts with her idea and her thoughts." She's gone through a lot over the last year, so she has a lot to talk about," he continues. "She's definitely gotten stronger. The things that she's gone through and for her to still be upbeat and happy, it's amazing." Hudson released her second studio album ''I Remember Me'' on March 22, 2011. ''I Remember Me'' debuted at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 selling 165,000 copies in its first week of release. On January 24, 2011 Hudson premiered the album's lead single "Where You At". It was written by R.Kelly and produced by Harvey Mason, Jr. The song went for radio adds that same week. On February 3, 2011 due to radio adds the single made its debut on the US Billboard Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number 53, having so far reached a peak of number 10. The music video premiered on BET's ''106 & Park'' and through Vevo on February 24, 2011. "No One Gonna Love You" impacted on Urban adult contemporary radio in the United States on May 24, 2011. A remix bundle titled "No One Gonna Love You-The Remixes" was released as a digital download in the US and the UK on July 13, 2011. The song has reached number 23 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs. The third U.S. single will be "I Got This". Non-single track "Don't Look Down" reached number 70 on the US Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart.Hudson will play a nun in the Farrelly brothers upcoming film ''The Three Stooges'', scheduled to be released in 2012.
Following the death of Whitney Houston on February 11, 2012, Hudson paid tribute to Houston interpreting "I Will Always Love You" during the 54th Grammy Awards held on February 12, 2012 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
Personal life
Hudson began dating James Payton in 1999, when she was 18. The couple separated in late 2007. Hudson met David Otunga, a Harvard Law graduate, and the couple became engaged on September 12, 2008. On August 10, 2009, Hudson gave birth to her first child with Otunga; a boy named David Daniel Otunga Jr.
Family murders
On October 24, 2008, Hudson's 57-year-old mother, Darnell Donnerson, and the singer's 29-year-old brother, Jason, were found shot to death inside the Chicago home Donnerson shared with Hudson's elder sister, Julia. An AMBER Alert was issued for Hudson's 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, after Hudson's sister, Julia, reported him missing.
Later that day, Chicago police arrested a suspect, William Balfour, 27, the estranged husband of Hudson's sister Julia, but he was not charged with the crime. Balfour was on parole and had spent nearly seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possession of a stolen vehicle. The Illinois Department of Corrections' records revealed one of Balfour's addresses to be the home where Donnerson and Jason Hudson were murdered.
Three days later, on October 27, 2008, the dead body of a young boy was found inside a 1994 Chevrolet Suburban parked on a street in Chicago's West Side area. The license plate and the vehicle's description matched that given in the AMBER Alert. The FBI confirmed the body was that of Julian King. Autopsy reports released on October 29, 2008, from the Cook County Medical Examiner's office indicated that Julian King's death was due to "multiple gunshot wounds".
A gun found in a West Side vacant lot was confirmed to be the murder weapon by Chicago police Superintendent Jody Weis on October 31, 2008. The gun belonged to Jason Hudson and had been missing for several months.
Funeral services for the three victims were held on November 3, followed by a private service at Chicago's South Side Apostolic Church of God on November 10. Hudson's family announced creation of The Hudson-King Foundation for Families of Slain Victims, in honor of Hudson's mother, brother and nephew.
Because he had not yet been officially charged with the murders, Balfour appeared without an attorney at a 35-minute parole violation hearing on November 10, 2008. At the hearing it was decided that he was believed to have violated parole and should be held in custody until a December 3 hearing before the full Illinois Prisoner Review Board.
Balfour became the prime suspect on December 1, 2008, and was transferred into police custody. A police department spokesperson said, "He is awaiting formal charges for three counts of murder. There likely will be a press conference once there are formal charges against him." Balfour was officially charged with three counts of first degree murder, one count of home invasion and was denied bail. Balfour was indicted for the murders on December 30, 2008, and pleaded not guilty in a January 27, 2009, court appearance.
On February 1, 2009, Hudson made her first public appearance since the murders when she sang the ''Star-Spangled Banner'' at Super Bowl XLIII.
On January 19, 2012, Cook County Judge Charles Burns rejected the defense's request for a futher postponment in the trial and set a date of April 23, 2012, for opening remarks to commence.
Other media
As of April 1, 2010, Hudson became the spokesperson for Weight Watchers. She has lost in the last year and "does not want to lose any more weight." However, on February 10, 2011, she appeared on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' and revealed she has now lost a total of 80 pounds.
Discography
Filmography
Hudson has appeared in the following film releases:| + List of film credits | |||
| ! Year | ! Title | ! Role | Notes |
| 2006 | Effie White | ||
| 2008 | Louise | ||
| 2008 | '''' | Rosaleen Daise | |
| 2009 | Kathy Archenault | ||
| 2011 | Winnie Mandela | ||
| 2012 | A nun | Filming |
Awards and nominations
| ! Year | ! Award | ! Category | ! Nominated Work | ! Result |
| ShoWest | Female Star of Tomorrow | |||
| Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | |||
| National Board of Review of Motion Pictures | Best Female Breakthrough Performance | |||
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association | Best Supporting Actress | |||
| New York Film Critics Circle | Best Supporting Actress | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | ||||
| Breakthrough Performer | ||||
| Hollywood Life Awards | Breakthrough of the Year | |||
| Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards | Best Supporting Actress | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | ||||
| Best Breakthrough Performance | ||||
| African-American Film Critics Association | Best Supporting Actress | |||
| Palm Springs International Film Festival | Breakthrough Performance | |||
| Las Vegas Film Critics Association | Best Supporting Actress | |||
| Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | Pauline Kael Breakout | |||
| Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Award | Breakout Performance | |||
| The National Society of Film Critics | Best Supporting Actress | |||
| St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Awards | Best Supporting Actress | |||
| Austin Film Critics Association | Breakout Artist | |||
| Broadcast Film Critics Awards | Best Supporting Actress | |||
| Golden Globe Awards | ||||
| Best Supporting Actress | ||||
| Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture | ||||
| NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | |||
| British Academy Film Awards | Actress in a Supporting Role | |||
| Central Ohio Film Critics Awards | Best Supporting Actress | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | ||||
| Best Breakthrough Performance | ||||
| Academy Awards | ||||
| Soul Train Awards | Sammy Davis Jr. Award for Entertainer of the Year | |||
| MTV Movie Awards | ||||
| Best Female R&B; Artist | ||||
| Best Actress | ''Dreamgirls'' | |||
| Best New Artist | ||||
| Choice Movie Actress: Drama | ||||
| Choice Movie Actress (Breakout) | ||||
| Vibe Music Awards | VHollywood Award | |||
| Best Actress | ||||
| Best Ensemble | ||||
| ''Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture'' | ||||
| Best R&B; Album | ''Jennifer Hudson'' | |||
| Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance | ||||
| ''I'm His Only Woman'' featuring Fantasia Barrino | ||||
| Outstanding New Artist | ||||
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | ''The Secret Life of Bees'' | |||
| Outstanding Female Artist | ||||
| Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration | ''I'm His Only Woman'' featuring Fantasia Barrino | |||
| Outstanding Music Video | ||||
| Outstanding Song | ||||
| Outstanding Album | ''Jennifer Hudson'' | |||
| Best Female R&B; Artist | ||||
| Best Actress | ''The Secret Life of Bees'' | |||
| Choice Music: R&B; Artist | ||||
| Choice Music: R&B; Track | ''If This Isn't Love'' | |||
| Best R&B;/Soul Female Artist | ||||
| Song of the Year | ''Spotlight'' | |||
| People's Choice Awards | Favorite R&B; Artist | |||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice American Idol Alum | |||
| BET Awards | Best Female R&B; Artist | |||
| Outstanding Female Artist | ||||
| Outstanding Music Video | ''Where You At'' | |||
| Outstanding Album |
References
External links
Category:1981 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from Chicago, Illinois Category:African American female singers Category:African American film actors Category:American dance musicians Category:American mezzo-sopranos Category:American Idol participants Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American soul singers Category:Best Supporting Actress BAFTA Award winners Category:Baptists from the United States Category:Best Supporting Actress Academy Award winners Category:Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Dunbar Vocational High School alumni Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Musicians from Chicago, Illinois Category:RCA Records artists
ca:Jennifer Hudson cs:Jennifer Hudson cy:Jennifer Hudson da:Jennifer Hudson de:Jennifer Hudson et:Jennifer Hudson es:Jennifer Hudson fa:جنیفر هادسون fr:Jennifer Hudson ko:제니퍼 허드슨 hr:Jennifer Hudson id:Jennifer Hudson it:Jennifer Hudson he:ג'ניפר הדסון hu:Jennifer Hudson ms:Jennifer Hudson nl:Jennifer Hudson ja:ジェニファー・ハドソン no:Jennifer Hudson pl:Jennifer Hudson pt:Jennifer Hudson ro:Jennifer Hudson ru:Хадсон, Дженнифер sq:Jennifer Hudson simple:Jennifer Hudson sk:Jennifer Hudsonová sr:Џенифер Хадсон fi:Jennifer Hudson sv:Jennifer Hudson tl:Jennifer Hudson th:เจนนิเฟอร์ ฮัดสัน tr:Jennifer Hudson uk:Дженніфер Гадсон vi:Jennifer Hudson yo:Jennifer Hudson zh:珍妮佛·哈德遜This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
| Coordinates | 34°03′″N118°15′″N |
|---|---|
| name | Kelly Clarkson |
| background | solo_singer |
| birth name | Kelly Brianne Clarkson |
| background | solo_singer |
| birth date | April 24, 1982 |
| birth place | Fort Worth, Texas |
| origin | Burleson, Texas, United States |
| genre | Pop rock, pop |
| occupation | Singer-songwriter, record producer, actress |
| instrument | Vocals |
| years active | 2002–present |
| label | RCA/19 |
| associated acts | Reba McEntire |
| website | }} |
In 2003, Clarkson released her debut album, ''Thankful'', which was a commercial success and established herself in the pop music industry. The release of its first single, "A Moment Like This" (2002), broke The Beatles' record for the biggest leap to number one, from 52, in the history of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. After parting ways with her management, Clarkson developed a more rock-oriented music with the release of her critically acclaimed sophomore album, ''Breakaway'' (2004), which sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and which garnered Clarkson more worldwide success as a pop rock artist. The album's single, "Because of You" (2005), became the best-selling single by an ''Idol'' contestant worldwide. In 2007, Clarkson took full creative control for her third album ''My December'', which had had a more rock-inspired sound and was met with controversy and moderate success. Clarkson later returned to a more pop-oriented sound with ''All I Ever Wanted'' (2009), which became a commercial and critical success. The album's lead single, "My Life Would Suck Without You" (2009), currently holds the record for biggest leap to number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Chart, breaking her own record of "A Moment Like This" as well as earning her first number-one single in the United Kingdom. Clarkson's fifth studio album, ''Stronger'', was released on October 24, 2011, preceded by the international hit single, "Mr. Know It All".
In a career spanning a decade, Clarkson has become the most successful ''Idol'' contestant around the world, with over 24 million albums and 37 milion singles worldwide, according to ''Billboard'' and Nielsen SoundScan. Clarkson's work also gained her numerous accolades, including two Grammy Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, twelve Billboard Music Awards, four American Music Awards and a Women's World Award. ''Billboard'' also ranked Clarkson the number fourteen artist of the 2000s, as well as being also ranked on the top 200 album sellers of the Nielsen SoundScan era at number 187.
Early life
Clarkson was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and grew up in the small town of Burleson, a suburb of Fort Worth. She is the third and youngest child of Jeanne Rose, a first grade English teacher of Greek descent and Stephen Michael Clarkson, a former engineer of English descent.Clarkson's siblings include her older brother and sister, Jason and Alyssa. When Clarkson was six years old, her parents divorced after seventeen years of marriage. The family settled in Burleson, where Clarkson's mother married her second husband, Jimmy Taylor.
Clarkson's family struggled financially, and after her parents divorced, music became her refuge. Clarkson attended Pauline G Hughes Middle School and Burleson High School. She wanted to become a marine biologist but changed her mind after seeing the movie ''Jaws''. In seventh grade, a teacher (Mrs. Cynthia Glenn) overheard her singing in a hallway and asked her to audition for the school choir; Clarkson told the teacher that she had never received professional vocal training.
In high school, Clarkson performed in musicals such as ''Annie Get Your Gun'', ''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' and ''Brigadoon''. She sang at her high school talent show, after which an audience member shared some inspiring words with her: "God has given you this gift. You've got to sing. You're destined to sing." Clarkson continued singing and soon started classical training, hoping that music would be her ticket to a college scholarship.
Upon high school graduation, Clarkson was offered full scholarships to The University of Texas at Austin, University of North Texas, and Berklee, but decided against college because she had "already written so much music and wanted to try it on her own," and she figured "you're never too old to go to college." Clarkson later turned down two recording contracts from Jive Records and Interscope Records in the late 1990s, stating "They would have completely pigeonholed me as a bubblegum act. I was confident enough that something better would come along." She went to Los Angeles late 2001 to pursue a career in music, but worked as a waitress and appeared as an extra in such shows as ''Sabrina, the Teenage Witch'' and ''Dharma & Greg'' to support herself. She worked with songwriters such as Gerry Goffin and recorded five tracks between January and March 2002 to try to get a record deal, but returned to Texas after four months in Los Angeles.
Music career
2002–03: ''American Idol: The Search for a Superstar'' and ''World Idol''
Clarkson auditioned for the first season of ''American Idol'' (under the full title ''American Idol: The Search for a Superstar'') in May 2002. She subsequently won the competition on September 4, 2002, earning 58% of the vote to 42% for runner-up Justin Guarini. Choking back tears, Clarkson performed the ballad "A Moment Like This", the song written for the winner of ''American Idol'', which would subsequently appear on her debut album, ''Thankful''. When released as a single in October 2002, it set a record on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart when it rose from number 52 to number one. This achievement was largely due to the impact from ''Idol'' as the CD single managed to sell 236,000 copies in its first week of sales in the U.S.; it spent five weeks at number one in Canada.
''American Idol'' season 1 performances and results
{|class="wikitable" |- !Week # !Theme !Song choice !Original artist !Order # !Result |- |Audition |Dallas |"Express Yourself" "At Last" |MadonnaEtta James |rowspan="4"|N/A |rowspan="5"|Advanced |- |Top 121 |Hollywood round 1 |"Respect" |Otis Redding |- |Top 65 |Hollywood round 2 |"I Say a Little Prayer" |Dionne Warwick |- |Top 45 |Hollywood round 3 |"Save The Best For Last" |Vanessa L. Williams |- |Top 30 |Semifinal/Group 2 |"Respect" |Otis Redding |9 |- |Top 10 |Motown |"You're All I Need to Get By" ||Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell |8 |rowspan="7"|Safe |- |Top 8 |1960s |"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" |Aretha Franklin |rowspan="2"|5 |- |Top 7 |1970s |"Don't Play That Song (You Lied)" |Ben E. King |- |Top 6 |Big Band |"Stuff Like That There" |Betty Hutton |6 |- |Top 5 |Burt Bacharach Love Songs |"Walk On By" |Dionne Warwick |1 |- |Top 4 |1980s1990s |"It's Raining Men""I Surrender" |The Weather GirlsCeline Dion |37 |- |Top 3 |Judges' ChoiceIdol's Choice |"Without You""Think Twice" |BadfingerCeline Dion |36 |- |Top 2 |Finale |"A Moment Like This""Respect""Before Your Love" |Kelly ClarksonOtis ReddingKelly Clarkson |246 |Winner |}
''World Idol'' performance and results
| Song choice !! Germany !! Australia !! Pan-Arabia !! Canada !! Netherlands !! South Africa !! Poland !! USA !! Belgium !! UK !! Norway !! Total !! Result | |||||||||||||
| "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" | 9 | 9| | 5 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 97 | Runner-up |
In December 2003, a competition titled ''World Idol'' was held at the ''Pop Idol'' stage in London, gathering the winners of the first seasons of ''Idol series'' around the world. Clarkson was contractually obligated to participate, and placed second behind ''Norwegian Idol'' Kurt Nilsen. She performed Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman". She left immediately after the competition, later explaining to fans that she was not feeling well.
2003–04: ''Thankful''
Shortly after the completion of the first season of ''American Idol'', Clarkson was signed to RCA Records by Clive Davis and Simon Fuller. In 2003, Clarkson was later accused of working with a record company prior to winning ''American Idol''. ''American Idol'''s rules stated that a contestant was not allowed to compete on the program if they had been linked to a record company. However, she was cleared of all allegations, as she only had a contract in order to conduct demonstration work.Following the release of "A Moment Like This", Clarkson's full-length debut album ''Thankful'' was released in North America by RCA Records on April 15, 2003 with several singers and songwriters including Christina Aguilera, Diane Warren and Babyface contributing on the tracks. It debuted at number one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200. To promote the album, Clarkson appeared on various episodes of ''American Idol'' in 2003. In October that year she performed in Australia at the 2003 NRL grand final. "A Moment Like This" was certified double platinum by the RIAA for sales of two million copies on December 8, 2003 and platinum by the CRIA for sales of 100,000 copies on February 10, 2004. ''Thankful'' peaked at number 41 on the UK albums chart and at number 33 on the Australian albums chart.
Reviews for the album were generally favorable. However, several critics noted that her early achievement was established due to her performances on ''American Idol''. ''Allmusic'' critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised the album for its vocal ability: "throughout this record, [Clarkson] makes it seem effortless and charming. She can croon, she can belt out a song, she can be sexy and sassy while still being graceful and as wholesome as the girl next door". Rachel Kipp of ''JS Online'' criticized Clarkson for not having the same personality on ''Thankful'' that she had on ''American Idol'', and wrote: "on ''American Idol'', Clarkson showcased a great voice and an endearing, 'aw-shucks' personality. That personality is missing on ''Thankful'', and there lies the album's greatest fault". Kipp blamed the producers behind the album for not allowing Clarkson to be herself. Clarkson covered Danielle Brisebois' "Just Missed the Train" on the album.
"Miss Independent" was released as the second single from ''Thankful''. It reached the top ten of the U.S. and Canadian singles charts, and earned Clarkson a 2004 Grammy Award nomination for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance". When the single was released in the United Kingdom and Australia, it reached the top ten of the charts. "Low", the third single from ''Thankful'', reached number two in Canada, but it was unable to make the top 40 of the US chart. The final single, "The Trouble with Love Is", was released as a promotional single for the British romantic film ''Love Actually'' and failed to chart in the United States, she then promoted the song on ''Pop Idol'' in 2003.
2004–06: ''Breakaway''
Distancing herself from her ''American Idol'' image, Clarkson parted ways with 19 Entertainment and took more creative control with her second studio album ''Breakaway'', to develop a more rock-oriented image. Clarkson co-wrote six of the songs with songwriters such as former Evanescence band members Ben Moody, David Hodges and producer Max Martin; the title track was co-written by punk-pop singer Avril Lavigne.
''Breakaway'' was released by RCA Records on November 30, 2004. The album debuted within the U.S. top five and Canadian top ten, but sales were initially low in comparison to ''Thankful''. The singles from ''Breakaway'' were very successful, and the album become only the fourth album in history to stay in the ''Billboard'' 200 top 20 for a consecutive year, as well as being certified six times platinum in the U.S. in late 2007 and five times platinum in Canada in May 2006. With worldwide sales of over 12 million copies, ''Breakaway'' is the most successful album by an Idol.
''Breakaway'' received different responses from critics; ''Rolling Stone'' commented that "on Kelly Clarkson's second album, ... she embraces her rock side rather than the pop pageantry that put her on top of the ''American Idol'' heap". ''TeenInk'' noted the strength of her vocals on ''Breakaway'', and praised the change from pop music to contemporary rock: "[Clarkson] retains the incredible power and beauty of her voice while switching to rock". ''Stylus'' magazine also enjoyed Clarkson's foray into rock music, however, she was called out because of her ''American Idol'' image, which reviewer Charles Merwin believed she had yet to lose. He praised the non-singles and wrote that they "maintain a quality high". ''Allmusic'' called the album "a nice, low-key relief". "Breakaway" served as the original song for ''The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement'' (2004) and achieved considerable success across the world; it became Clarkson's third top-ten single in the U.S. and fourth top-ten single in Canada. It reached number ten in Australia, and number 22 in the UK. The second single, "Since U Been Gone", which was produced by Max Martin, became the most successful release from the album. It reached number two in the U.S. and the top five across the world. It also earned Clarkson her first Grammy Award for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance"; she won a second award for "Best Pop Vocal Album".
The third and fourth single releases, "Behind These Hazel Eyes" and "Because of You", also followed with chart success. The video for "Because of You" won the 2006 MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video, her second consecutive win in that category (following "Since U Been Gone"). Clarkson was the most-played artist of 2006 on American radio, despite releasing only one single in the entire year, "Walk Away" (the fifth single from ''Breakaway''). She was also the most radio-broadcasted artist of 2006 in Australia and "Because of You" was the third most broadcast song of the same year, despite being released in 2005.
In 2005, Clarkson made a performance during the 2005 NBA All-Star Weekend as part of the festivities leading up to the All-Star Game. Later that year, she performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons She also performed that spring as part of the 2005 NCAA Final Four festivities in St. Louis, Missouri.
Clarkson performed during the festivities of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. In mid 2006, Clarkson lent Ford Motor Co. a song titled "Go", written by Clarkson and Rhett Lawrence ("Miss Independent"). The song was used in the company's advertising campaign in 2006, "Bold Moves" and the song, along with its music video, was made available free at Ford's ''AddictedtoKelly.com'' website (now defunct).
2006–08: ''My December''
During her tour in Europe in 2006, Clarkson began writing songs for her third album, ''My December''. The first single from ''My December'' was "Never Again", which peaked on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number eight. Clarkson released "Sober" as the second single. She returned to ''American Idol'' for the season 6 finale, performing "Never Again" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" with Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry during a Beatles medley.Clarkson parted with her management, The Firm, in June 2007, amid low radio airplay for "Never Again" and low ticket sales for her then-upcoming tour. Clarkson would then sign with Starstruck Entertainment, run by Narvel Blackstock — the husband of Reba McEntire – on July 2, 2007. The same month, Live Nation announced that the tour—her first nationwide arena tour—had been canceled due to underwhelming ticket sales, to be rescheduled after the release of the ''My December'' album at smaller, more intimate concert environments. Clarkson reinstated plans to tour the U.S. during 2007, with a much smaller tour than the one she canceled in June. She began her My December Tour in October 2007 in venues significantly smaller than those previously booked. The August 2007 issue of ''Blender'' included a feature on Clarkson and her new album, as well as her music label woes.
''My December'' was released in the U.S. on June 26, 2007. The album debuted at number two in the U.S. with 291,000 albums sold, a slightly higher debut than Clarkson's previous album, ''Breakaway'', which debuted at number three. In Canada, the album was awarded a platinum certification for shipments of more than 100,000 copies. ''My December'' was certified platinum in December 2007 by the RIAA. It has sold more than three million copies worldwide.
In April 2007, Clarkson appeared on the ''American Idol'' ''Idol Gives Back'' charity show aimed at raising money for tackling poverty, hunger and AIDS in Africa, as well as the Hurricane Katrina appeal. Clarkson noted that she was in a dispute with her record label bosses and executives as to which song to perform for the event. Clarkson refused to perform her new single "Never Again" viewing it as simple self-promotion through a charitable event. She is quoted as saying,
She opted to perform Patty Griffin's "Up to the Mountain". After the performance, the audience who watched Clarkson perform live gave her a standing ovation. ''American Idol'' judge Simon Cowell described her as "incredible", saying, "When you let her [Clarkson] come back on the show it makes everybody else look like an amateur." Clarkson later sang "Never Again" in the ''American Idol'' grand finale on May 23, 2007. On July 7, 2007, Clarkson performed on the American leg of Live Earth. Clarkson was invited to be a celebrity mentor for ''Canadian Idol'' during its Top 5 week of the fifth season, aired on the CTV network on August 20, and she performed on the results show the next night. Clarkson also performed the grand finale of ''Swedish Idol'' in December 2007. Clarkson also performed at the 2007 NFL opening kickoff where she sang the national anthem and songs from ''My December''. Clarkson also performed in the halftime show for the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets game on Thanksgiving Day.
In addition to her roles as spokeswoman for the acne treatment Proactiv as well as Vitaminwater, Clarkson partnered with NASCAR for the 2007 season. She appeared in televised advertising spots, performed at pre-race concerts, promoted NASCAR Day, and appeared at the Champions' Banquet in December. In April 2008, Clarkson participated in a Papal Youth Rally at the campus of St. Joseph's Seminary, Dunwoodie in Yonkers, New York performing a mini-concert for those in attendance. This was the Papal Visit of Pope Benedict XVI. She performed Schubert's "Ave Maria" for the Pope later in the day following the Pope's speech. Clarkson, raised a Baptist, was said to be honored by the invitation and appreciative of the rosary given to her and her band by the Pope, who were invited over by the Pope immediately following the performance for the rosary honor.
Clarkson performed "What Hurts the Most" with Rascal Flatts at the ACM Awards in 2006 and returned again to sing a duet with Reba McEntire in 2007. This was her second performance on a country music award show, even though she is in the pop/rock genre. Along with her performance with Rascal Flatts, Clarkson also performed "Cigarettes", with the country duo The Wreckers during one of their shows in Texas.
Building on her country music status, Clarkson and Reba McEntire, who first met after Clarkson won the first season of ''American Idol'', recorded an hour-long ''CMT Crossroads'' special at Nashville's famed Ryman Auditorium on February 22, 2007. It aired on CMT and Palladia (then known as MHD) on June 24, 2007. Previously, Clarkson was a performer on CMT's ''Giants: Reba McEntire''. where she sang McEntire's hit song "Why Haven't I Heard From You", introduced Dolly Parton, and later also sang McEntire's hit "Does He Love You" with Martina McBride. Clarkson also appeared on an episode of McEntire's sitcom ''Reba'', that aired on January 14, 2007.
At the Academy of Country Music Awards on May 16, 2007, Clarkson and McEntire sang a duet of Clarkson's own 2005 single, "Because of You", which also became the lead single from McEntire's album of all-star duets. The music video for this version of the song later debuted on June 20, 2007. This collaboration with McEntire earned Clarkson a CMA Award nomination for "Musical Event of the Year" in 2007 and a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Country Collaboration With Vocal" in 2008. Additionally, the song was featured on ''Now That's What I Call Country'', which was released in August 2008.
Clarkson was a surprise guest at the 2007 CMA Music Festival in Nashville on June 7, 2007, where she performed "Does He Love You" and "Because of You" with Reba McEntire during the internationally-renowned annual event. The performance of "Because of You" was taped and aired as part of the "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night To Rock" television special that aired on ABC on July 23, 2007.
On January 17, 2008, Clarkson embarked on the 2 Worlds, 2 Voices Tour 2008, a co-headlining tour with Reba McEntire. Reba and Clarkson have since stayed in touch and Clarkson is now managed by McEntire's husband Narvel Blackstock.
On May 18, 2008, Clarkson performed on stage at the Academy of Country Music Awards All-Star Jam with Reba McEntire and Ronnie Dunn of Brooks and Dunn. The All-Star jam is the final event of the week taking place immediately after the awards show. Clarkson was not announced ahead of time for an appearance.
2008–10: ''All I Ever Wanted''
Clarkson's fourth album, ''All I Ever Wanted'', was released on March 10, 2009. During recording of the album, Clarkson worked closely with producer-songwriters Ryan Tedder, Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Howard Benson, among others. In its first week of sales, it sold 255,000 copies in the U.S., debuting at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200; it stayed at number one for two weeks. ''All I Ever Wanted'' received a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Pop Vocal Album". Clarkson was placed eighth on ''Billboard'' Magazine's Top Female Artists of 2009 and ninth on ''Billboard'' Magazine's Top Hot Artists of 2000s. She was ranked second on ''Billboard'' Magazine's Best of 2000s: Pop Song Artist, behind Pink.The first single from ''All I Ever Wanted'', "My Life Would Suck Without You", entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 97 and rose to number one the following week; this broke the record for the largest leap to the top spot, formerly held by Britney Spears' "Womanizer".This was the second time Clarkson broke this record. Moreover, "My Life Would Suck Without You" was Clarkson's first number one in the United Kingdom and it made her the first ''American Idol'' winner to achieve a number one single in the UK. The album's second single, "I Do Not Hook Up", peaked at number 20 in the U.S. "I Do Not Hook Up" did not fare very well overseas and the believed reason for this is due to a lack of radio support because a previous version had been recorded by Katy Perry. The third single, "Already Gone", reached number 13 in the USA but failed to achieve international success, attaining only number 66 in the UK.
"Already Gone" sparked another conflict between Clarkson and her label. There was a widely reported scandal with the album's third single, which Clarkson wrote with OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder. Many critics had noticed that the backing track and style of the song sounded similar to Beyoncé's "Halo". After becoming aware of the comparisons, Clarkson did not want to release the song out of respect for Beyoncé, instead requesting release for a self-penned song, "Cry", which later hailed extremely positive reviews, most notably from the BBC. However, her record company refused, publishing "Already Gone" against Clarkson's wishes. In response to the entire fiasco, Clarkson penned a song called "Wash Rinse Repeat" in which she states her view on the lack of creativity record labels give their artists; it is widely believed the song is an attack on Ryan Tedder.
The fourth single was "All I Ever Wanted". Clarkson performed as one of many guests for the return of ''VH1 Divas'' in September 2009. Clarkson also became a guest mentor on the Dutch television series ''X Factor'' in November 2009.
Clarkson was announced as one of the VH1 Save the Music Foundation ambassadors for 2009–2010. She began her 32-date ''All I Ever Wanted'' tour in October, following a string of summer concerts around the United States. Clarkson toured all over the world with the album, reaching territories such as Europe, South Africa, Oceania and Asia.The fall tour shows were performed in arena/theater type venues, with the summer tour being performed in outdoor amphitheatres. Her Indonesia show was initially sponsored by tobacco company Djarum, but after complaints from some fans and anti-tobacco groups, the promoter removed the sponsor. The tour ended in May 2010 in China.
2010–present: ''Don't You Wanna Stay'' and ''Stronger''
On August 23, 2010, it was announced that Clarkson had recorded a duet called "Don't You Wanna Stay" with country star Jason Aldean for Aldean's upcoming album, ''My Kinda Party''. They performed the song at the 2010 CMA Awards on November 10, 2010 and again on April 14, 2011 during the elimination show of ''American Idol'' season ten. On the week ending February 27, 2011, the song moved to number one on ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs, making Clarkson her first number one hit on the chart. As of July 21, 2011, "Don't You Wanna Stay" has sold nearly 1.9 million digital singles, becoming the most downloaded country music collaboration of all time. "Don't You Wanna Stay" is nominated for a 2012 Grammy Award for "Best Country Duo/Group Performance".Clarkson's fifth studio album, ''Stronger'', was released on October 24, 2011. Clarkson began writing the material on November 2009 and was originally intended for a late 2010 release. Clarkson collaborated with several producers including Greg Kurstin, Ester Dean, Darkchild, Toby Gad, Steve Jordan and Howard Benson. Clarkson completed recording on February 28, 2011, and stated that it "was influenced by Prince, Tina Turner, Sheryl Crow, Radiohead and there's a little bit of a country vibe/influence on a couple of songs." On March 15, 2011, she announced that the album had been pushed back to September 2011. Rodney Jerkins told ''The Hollywood Reporter'' that it was a "smart decision", while Claude Kelly, said to MTV News that the move could work in her favor. ''Associated Content'' also reported that the delay was caused by the company restructuring at Sony Music with the former Universal Music Group chairman Doug Morris entering as its new CEO. The release of the album was accompanied by a limited release of Clarkson's first extended play, ''The Smoakstack Sessions'', which featured alternate versions of ''Stronger'' and ''All I Ever Wanted'' songs.
The first single, "Mr. Know It All", premiered via a live webcast on on August 30, 2011 and was commercially released on September 5, 2011. The song entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 18, becoming her second highest debut since "Never Again" (2007); On November 3, the song ascended to number 10, earning Clarkson her ninth top ten single. On October 2, 2011, Clarkson performed the song at the 2011 NRL Grand Final in Sydney, Australia, marking Clarkson's first appearance at the event since the 2003 NRL Grand Final. The following week, "Mr. Know It All" hit #1 on the Australian charts, the first single of her career to top the charts in that country. 'Mr Know It All charted at number 4 in the UK and 8 in New Zealand. The song recieved 2x Platinum in Australia and Gold in New Zealand. The album's second single, "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)", was released in December 2011 and impacted radio on January 17, 2012. The song has charted at number 2 in the United States, 4 in both New Zealand and Poland and 8 in the UK.
The song "Tell Me A Lie" on the debut album by the boy band One Direction was co-written by Clarkson, which was originally intended for ''Stronger''. The song was leaked onto the internet a few months before. Clarkson's second extended play, ''iTunes Session'', was announced on November 23, 2011, and was released on December 27, 2011. On December 2 Clarkson released her first Christmas single, a cover of "I'll Be Home For Christmas" which is included on ''iTunes Session'' EP.
Clarkson is also confirmed to mentor country singer Blake Shelton's contestants on the second season of ''The Voice'' in its live shows in 2012. With this feat, Clarkson becomes the only reality singing competition contestant to appear on ''Idol'', ''The X Factor'' and ''The Voice''. Also, at Super Bowl 46 Clarkson sang the American National Anthem.
Politics
On December 29, 2011, Clarkson posted on Twitter her endorsement of US Congressman Ron Paul as a 2012 presidential candidate, saying, "I love Ron Paul. I liked him a lot during the last Republican nomination and no one gave him a chance. If he wins the nomination for the Republican Party in 2012 he's got my vote. Too bad he probably won't."
Film career
Soon after the first season of ''American Idol'' ended, Clarkson starred with ''Idol'' runner-up Justin Guarini in the movie ''From Justin to Kelly'' (2003). The film was poorly received by critics and grossed only $5 million at the North American box office, less than half its reported budget. Clarkson has mentioned in interviews that she is shocked when people send her scripts after ''From Justin to Kelly'', often citing contractual obligation as her sole reason for involvement in the film. Clarkson was quoted telling ''People'', "I knew when I read the script it was going to be real, real bad, but when I won, I signed that piece of paper and I could not get out of it." The script was written by Kim Fuller, Simon Fuller's brother.She played Brenda Lee in the television drama ''American Dreams'' and appeared in the sitcom ''Reba''. She also participated in sketch comedy on ''MADtv'' (2002) and ''Saturday Night Live'' (2005).
Filmography (acting roles only)
Source: IMDb {|class="wikitable" border="1" |- ! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Role ! scope="col" | Episode |- |rowspan=5|2002 ||''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' ||rowspan=3| as an extra (uncredited) || "The Whole Ball of Wax" |- |''Dharma & Greg'' || |- |''That '80s Show'' || "Valentine's Day" (S1, Ep2) |- |''Issues 101'' ||Crystal (as an extra) || Theatrical film |- |''MADtv'' ||Herself / Skits || Season 8, Ep 1 |- |rowspan=2|2003 ||''From Justin to Kelly'' ||Kelly Taylor|| Theatrical film |- |rowspan=2| ''American Dreams'' ||rowspan=2| Brenda Lee || "And Promises To Keep" |- |rowspan=2|2004 || "Tidings of Comfort and Joy" |- |''King of the Hill'' || Herself/Dawn|| "Stressed For Success" |- | rowspan=2|2005 || ''Saturday Night Live'' ||Herself / Skits / Musical Guest|| Host – Jason Bateman |- |''Damage Control'' ||Herself||Season 1, Ep. 1 |- |2007 ||''Reba'' ||Kelly|| "As We Forgive Those" |- |2009 || ''Saturday Night Live'' ||Herself / Musical Guest|| Host – Tracy Morgan |- |2011|| ''Phineas and Ferb'' ||Herself || "A Phineas and Ferb Family Christmas" |- |2012 || ''Saturday Night Live'' ||Herself / Musical Guest|| Host – Charles Barkley confirmed on air |}
Vocal ability
Clarkson possesses the vocal range of a soprano; her vocal talents and abilities have been met with praise from critics and celebrities alike. On an interview with ''Good Morning America'', Simon Cowell was asked of the then six ''American Idol'' winners, who he thought had the best voice. Cowell immediately answered that Clarkson did "by a mile", noting that she was "up there" with other great singers such as Celine Dion.Arion Berger of ''Rolling Stone'' has said of Clarkson that "her high notes are sweet and pillowy, her growl is bone-shaking and sexy, and her midrange is amazingly confident for a pop posy whose career is tied for eternity to the whims of her ''American Idol'' overlords."
Dr. Luke, a songwriter and producer of some of Clarkson's hits stated that "She has powerful lungs. She's like the Lance Armstrong of vocal cords."
''Esquire'' wrote that Clarkson has “the best voice in the history of pop music".
Discography
Tours
;Headlining;Promotional
;Co-headlining
Awards
See also
References
Further reading
Phares, Heather. [ "Kelly—Biography"]. ''Allmusic''. Retrieved February 11, 2006.
External links
Category:1982 births Category:Actors from Texas Category:American Christians Category:American female singers Category:American film actors Category:American Idol winners Category:American people of Greek descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of Welsh descent Category:American pop singer-songwriters Category:American record producers Category:English-language singers Category:American sopranos Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Texas Category:People from Fort Worth, Texas Category:RCA Records artists
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| Coordinates | 34°03′″N118°15′″N |
|---|---|
| name | Katy Perry |
| background | solo_singer |
| birth name | Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson |
| alias | Katy Hudson |
| birth date | October 25, 1984 |
| birth place | Santa Barbara, California, U.S. |
| genre | Pop, rock, gospel |
| occupation | Singer-songwriter, actress |
| instrument | Vocals, guitar, piano |
| years active | 2001–present |
| label | Red Hill, Island, Columbia, Capitol |
| website | }} |
After signing with Capitol Music Group in 2007, her fourth record label in seven years, she adopted the stage name Katy Perry and released her first Internet single "Ur So Gay" that November, which garnered public attention but failed to chart. She rose to fame with the release of her second single "I Kissed a Girl" in 2008, which went on to top international charts. Perry's first mainstream studio album ''One of the Boys'' followed later that year and subsequently became the 33rd-best selling album worldwide of 2008. It was accredited platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America, while "I Kissed a Girl" and her second single "Hot n Cold" both received multi-platinum certifications.
Her second studio album ''Teenage Dream'' was released in August 2010 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album included the Billboard chart-toppers "California Gurls", "Teenage Dream", "Firework", and "E.T." and most recently "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)". The album produced five Hot 100 toppers, making ''Teenage Dream'' only the second album—after Michael Jackson's ''Bad''—to do so. With "E.T." at number one on the chart of May 12, 2011, Perry became the first artist in history to spend 52 consecutive weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.
Perry was a guest judge on the seventh series of British television show ''The X Factor'', has released a fragrance called "Purr", and voices Smurfette in the 2011 film ''The Smurfs''. Perry had a long relationship with Travie McCoy; she married Russell Brand on October 23, 2010.
Early life and career
1984–2006: Early life and career beginnings
Perry was born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson in Santa Barbara, California to Keith, a West Coast scenester in the 1960s, and Mary Hudson (née Perry), an evangelist who grew up in Southern California and had "a tempestuous first marriage in Zimbabwe". Perry has German, Portuguese, Irish, and English ancestry. She is the second child of two pastors. She has an older sister and younger brother. Perry's mother's aunt and uncle were screenwriter Eleanor Perry and director Frank Perry.Perry was incorporated into her parents' ministry and sang in their church between the ages of nine and seventeen. She grew up listening to gospel music, was not allowed to listen to what her mother called "secular music", and attended Christian schools and camps. As a child, Perry learned how to dance in a recreation building in Santa Barbara. She was taught by seasoned dancers and began with swing, Lindy Hop, and jitterbug. She took her GED after her freshman year at Dos Pueblos High School and decided to leave school in the pursuit of a career in music. Perry initially started singing "because [she] was at that point in [her] childhood where [she] was copycatting [her] sister and everything she [would do]." Her sister practiced with cassette tapes, while Perry took the tapes herself when her sister was not around. She rehearsed the songs and performed them in front of her parents, who suggested she take vocal coaching. She grabbed the opportunity and began taking lessons at the age of nine and continued until she was sixteen. She later enrolled in at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, and studied Italian opera for a short period of time.
At the age of 15, Perry's singing in church attracted the attention of rock veterans from Nashville, Tennessee, who brought her there to polish her writing skills. In Nashville, Perry started recording demos and was taught by country music veterans on how to craft songs and play guitar. Perry signed to the Christian music label Red Hill, under which she recorded her first album at the age of 15. Performing as Katy Hudson, she released the self-titled Gospel-rock album in 2001. The album was unsuccessful, however, after the label ceased operations at the end of 2001. She later changed her surname to Perry, her mother's maiden name, because "Katy Hudson" was too close to film actress Kate Hudson.
At the age of 17, Perry left her home for Los Angeles, where she worked with Glen Ballard on an album for record label Island. Growing up listening to mostly gospel music, Perry had few references when she began recording songs. Asked by the producer with whom she would like to collaborate, Perry had no idea. That night, she went with her mother to a hotel. Inside, she turned on VH1 and saw producer Glen Ballard talking about Alanis Morissette; Ballard produced Morissette's ''Jagged Little Pill'', which had had a "huge influence" on Perry. She expressed interest in working with Ballard to her initial collaborator, who arranged a meeting for her with Ballard in Los Angeles. Perry presented one her songs to Ballard, and received a call back a day later. Ballard then helped Perry develop her songwriting over the next few years. The album was due for release in 2005, but ''Billboard'' reported it also went nowhere. Perry was dropped by The Island Def Jam Music Group. Some of Perry and Ballard's collaborations included "Box", "Diamonds" and "Long Shot", were posted on her official MySpace page. "Simple", one of the songs she recorded with Ballard, was released on the soundtrack to the 2005 film ''The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants''.
Perry signed to Columbia Records in 2004. However, the label was not amenable with her vision, not putting her in the "driver's seat". Instead, one of Columbia's ideas was to pair Perry with the record production team The Matrix, who was working on an album, to serve as its female vocalist. Although the album was later shelved, she caught the attention of the music press: Her burgeoning music career led to her being named "The Next Big Thing" in October 2004 by ''Blender'' magazine. With no album project ongoing, Perry began recording her own. Eighty percent completed, however, Columbia decided not to finish it and dropped her off the label. While waiting to find another label, she worked in an independent A&R; company called Taxi Music. In 2006, Perry was featured in the tail-end of the video to P.O.D.'s single "Goodbye for Now". She made a cameo appearance in Carbon Leaf's video, "Learn to Fly". She also appeared in other videos like Timbaland's "If We Ever Meet Again" and more. There were other videos she was included in too.
2007–09: ''One of the Boys'' and ''MTV Unplugged''
While in the process of being dropped by Columbia in 2006, the company's publicity executive Angelica Cob-Baehler enthusiastically recommended Perry to Virgin Records chairman Jason Flom. At the time Flom was leading a complete revival in fortunes at the label and looking to crown recent achievements by breaking a global pop act. Despite mixed reactions from fellow Virgin executives, Flom became convinced that Perry could be that breakthrough star, and at the start of 2007 extended discussions with Columbia resulted in Katy Perry signing to the newly created Capitol Music Group, a merger between Virgin and Capitol. As part of the deal, the label secured the masters to the unfinished album, recorded while at Columbia, that would go on form a significant part of her official mainstream debut album, ''One of the Boys''. The Columbia recordings were seen by Flom as being "very strong but lacking an undeniable smash or two that would work both at U.S. pop radio and internationally" and so one of the executive's first actions after completing the signing was to set up a collaboration between Perry and the writer-producer Dr. Luke. The results were the songs "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold". Establishing her image was one of the immediate concerns of her management. A campaign was started in November 2007 with the release of the video to "Ur So Gay", aimed at introducing her to the music market. A digital EP led by "Ur So Gay" was later released to create online buzz and press story. This was a successful move that resulted in bringing Perry to the attention of Madonna, who mentioned her on KISS FM and KRQ's ''JohnJay & Rich'' morning show in Arizona. On March 10, 2008, she appeared as herself on the ABC Family television series, ''Wildfire'', on the episode "Life's Too Short".She went on the next step of promoting the album, undertaking a two-month tour of radio stations. The album's official lead single, "I Kissed a Girl", was released on May 6, 2008. Perry's A&R;, Chris Anokute, told HitQuarters the song and its controversial theme met with strong resistance at the label, "People said, 'This is never going to get played on the radio. How do we sell this? How’s this going to be played in the bible belt?'" Anokute said that they needed the support of one of the label's radio promoters to convince people to believe in the record otherwise Perry would have likely been dropped again. Capitol's SVP of Promotions Dennis Reese saw the vision and helped push the single on national radio. The first station to pick it up and take a chance was The River in Nashville. After playing it for three days they were innundated with enthusiastic calls. With the song climbing atop the charts, Perry embarked on the annual Warped Tour music festival, which her management used to "establish her as a credible performer and make sure she wasn't seen as just a one-hit wonder." The single was a commercial success, peaking at number one for seven weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It has since become a major worldwide hit, topping charts in 30 countries, including Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. On June 12, 2008, Perry appeared as herself on the daytime soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'', posing for the cover to the June 2008 issue of the fictional magazine ''Restless Style''. Perry also performed backing vocals on the song, "Another Night in the Hills" from Gavin Rossdale's 2008 solo album ''Wanderlust''.
''One of the Boys'' was released on June 17, 2008 to mixed critical reviews. The album has reached number nine on the ''Billboard'' 200, and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Perry released her second single, "Hot n Cold", which became her second top three single in dozens of countries around the world, including the United States where it reached number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, as well as topping the charts in Germany, Canada, and Denmark. After Perry wrapped up her appearance at the Warped Tour, she went on tours in Europe. She later launched her first headlining tour, the Hello Katy Tour, in January 2009. "I Kissed a Girl" earned Perry a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Perry was nominated in five categories at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, including Best New Artist and Best Female Video, but lost to Britney Spears. She won Best New Act at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards, which she co-hosted, and Best International Female Artist at the 2009 BRIT Awards. On February 9, 2009, both "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold" were certified three-time platinum by Recording Industry Association of America for individual digital sales of over three million. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Perry in its 2010 version as the "Best Start on the US Digital Chart by a Female Artist," for having her first two singles sell over two million digital copies.
The Matrix's self-titled debut album, which features Perry, was later released via the team's label, Let's Hear It, during Perry's solo tour. When the release date was scheduled, "I Kissed a Girl" had been charting well. Matrix member Lauren Christy spoke to Perry about the decision, but she wanted to hold the release until the fourth single of ''One of the Boys'' had been dispatched. Despite their communication, ''The Matrix'' was released on January 27, 2009, via iTunes Store. thumb|left|upright|Perry performing in June 2009 In December 2008, Perry apologized to British singer Lily Allen for remarks in which she called herself a "skinnier version" of her, saying she meant it as a joke. Allen retaliated and told a British radio station that she "happen[ed] to know for a fact that she [Perry] was an American version" of her because their record company needed "to find something controversial and 'kooky'" like her.
On May 16, 2009, Perry performed at the opening ceremony of the annual Life Ball in Vienna, Austria. In June 2009, lawyers acting for Katy Perry opposed the recent trademark of Australian fashion designer Katie Perry who uses her own name to market loungewear. Some media outlets reported this as a lawsuit, which Katy Perry has denied on her blog. Katie Perry the designer reports on her blog that at a hearing with IP Australia on July 10, 2009, the singer's lawyers withdrew their opposition to the trademark. During the summer of 2009 Perry filmed a cameo appearance for ''Get Him to the Greek''; her scene, in which she kisses her future fiancé Russell Brand was cut, and does not appear in the final film. Discussing the issue with MTV, Perry hypothesized there may have been some fear that seeing the two make out would have taken viewers out of the experience. In 2009, Perry was featured on two singles: a remix of Colorado-based band 3OH!3's song "Starstrukk" in August (the idea for the collaboration came after Perry's tour that featured 3OH!3 as the supporting act). The song was released over iTunes on September 8, 2009; and "If We Ever Meet Again", the fourth single off Timbaland's album ''Shock Value II'' in December. In October 2009, ''MTV Unplugged'' revealed that Perry was one of the artists to perform for them, and that she would be releasing a live album of the performance, including two new tracks, "Brick by Brick" and Fountains of Wayne cover "Hackensack". The album was released on November 17, and includes both a CD and a DVD.
2010–present: ''Teenage Dream'' and Film debut
Perry appeared as a guest judge alongside Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh during the Dublin audition stage of the seventh series of the British television show ''The X Factor'' on June 28, 2010 (later televised on August 28). She was one of the many celebrities chosen to fulfil the role of judge whilst Dannii Minogue was on maternity leave. She later returned to the show on October 17 to perform "Firework". Perry's second mainstream studio album was titled ''Teenage Dream'' and was released in August 2010. The first single from the album was titled "California Gurls". The single peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was the fastest rising single from a Capitol Records artist since Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billie Joe" in 1967. The cover art for ''Teenage Dream'' is a painting by Will Cotton in which depicts Perry lying naked on clouds of cotton candy; resembling the shots of Perry in the video for "California Gurls". The booklet of the physical edition of the album, in keeping with the theme of cotton candy, has a cotton candy scent. The album's second single "Teenage Dream" was released in July 2010. "Firework" is the album's third single.Perry appeared at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010. She was nominated for two awards, including the Best Female Video and Best Pop Video for "California Gurls", and presented the award of "Best Male Video" with Nicki Minaj to Eminem. On September 14, she returned to her old high school, Dos Pueblos High School, where she performed a short set for the school's students. Perry performed "Hot n Cold" with Elmo from ''Sesame Street'', which was originally to appear on the forty-first-season premiere of the educational children's program on September 27, 2010. However, four days before the scheduled airing, Sesame Workshop announced, "In light of the feedback we've received on the Katy Perry music video ... we have decided we will not air the segment on the television broadcast of ''Sesame Street'', which is aimed at preschoolers. Katy Perry fans will still be able to view the video on YouTube." The main reason was that parents complained about what appeared to be a great amount of cleavage shown by her dress. Perry shot the video for ''Firework'' in Budapest in September 2010. An open casting call drew an unprecedented 38,000 applicants. She proceeded to perform at a concert in Budapest on October 1, her first concert in Central and Eastern Europe. Perry released a perfume named "Purr" in November. It comes in a cat-shaped bottle, and is available through Nordstrom stores. ''Teenage Dream'' led Perry to nominations four awards at the 2011 Grammy Awards: Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Teenage Dream", and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "California Gurls". Following the Grammys, Perry released "E.T." as the fourth single from the album. The single was a remixed version featuring Kanye West. The music video for "E.T." was directed by Floria Sigismondi and features Shaun Ross as the main love interest. In June 2011, Perry released the fifth single, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)". A remixed version featuring American rapper Missy Elliot was released in early August. The single has topped U.S. download and radio charts. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 on August 17, 2011, making Perry the first female artist ever to have five #1 singles from one album. Katy Perry appeared at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28, 2011. She was nominated for ten awards, received the most nominations of the ceremony and was the only singer in history to have four different music videos shown on various categories, eventually winning three of those, including Video of the Year for "Firework", Best Collaboration and Best Special Effects for "E.T.".
On September 17, 2011, Perry hits the 69th consecutive weeks in the Top 10.
On September 23 she attended the opening day of the 2011 Rock in Rio festival, which was extended to October 2. During the show, produced one of the most striking scenes of the event, when he called to the scene ''Júlio César de Salvo'', a fan who was an anonymous until then. The man, who became known as "''Júlio de Sorocaba''", became an instant celebrity when he was "harassed" by the singer with a kiss, getting the opportunity to give back also one another. The fact made headlines in most Brazilian television news programs, including the Fantástico and the Jornal Nacional, including therefore becoming a trend topic, not just in Twitter, but at Internet in general.
Artistry
Musical style and themes
Perry has a contralto vocal range. Perry's first album is of the gospel music genre. She related that her perspective in music was "a bit enclosed and very strict", and everything she did was church-related. Her second album, ''One of the Boys'', is described as "secular" and "rock," and reflects a departure from her religious musical roots. Her next album ''Teenage Dream'' featured more pop songs in the vein of ''Boys''. Among Perry's musical influences are Alanis Morissette, pop rockers Cyndi Lauper, Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, Shirley Manson, and Freddie Mercury, the late frontman of the British band Queen. In her tribute to Mercury on what would have been his 65th birthday, Perry stated; "Without you I wouldn't be making music or doing what I do because your lyrics inspired me as a 15 year old girl." She was especially inspired by the Queen song, "Killer Queen" to pursue a career in pop music after her first album. She also described Morissette's album, ''Jagged Little Pill'' as having influenced her music profoundly; even going on to work with Morissette's collaborator on the album, Glen Ballard because of that.Perry is artistically involved in her projects, especially in the writing process. Since she could play guitar, she would start writing songs at home and present it to her producers. Perry is mostly inspired by specific moments of her life. She said it is easy for her to write songs about heartbreak. Most of the themes in ''One of the Boys'' deal with heartbreak, teen adventure, and "puking into toilets". Perry's mother reportedly told British tabloid ''Daily Mail'' that she dislikes her daughter's music, calling it "shameful and disgusting". Perry said her mother was misquoted and told MTV that it was false information. Her songs "Ur So Gay" and "I Kissed a Girl" have received negative reactions from both religious and gay sectors. The songs have been respectively labeled as being homophobic and promoting homosexuality, as well as "lez ploitational". MTV mentioned criticism suggesting that Perry is using "bi-curiosity" as a way to sell records. Perry responded to the controversy surrounding "Ur So Gay": "It's not a negative connotation. It's not, 'you're so gay,' like, 'you're so lame,' but the fact of the matter is that this boy should've been gay. I totally understand how it could be misconstrued or whatever ... It wasn't stereotyping anyone in particular, I was talking about ex-boyfriends."
Public image
Perry is known for her unconventional style of dress. It is often humorous, bright in color, and reminiscent of different decades, and she frequently used fruit-shaped accessories, mainly watermelon, as part of her outfits. Since the Teenage Dream era, Perry has included more glamorous and food-related outfits in her wardrobe. Having learned dancing at an early age, she fantasized about having her own style. Perry's transformation into an artist began with fashion, inspired by American film actress Dominique Swain's portrayal in 1997 film adaptation of the novel ''Lolita''. She defines her fashion style as "a bit of a concoction of different things". Johnny Wujek, Perry's stylist, described her style, upon meeting her for the first time, as "very colorful and vintage". Her fashion has caught the attention of designers. In June 2008, a publicity photo that showed Perry posing with a switchblade was criticized. The picture was defended as only an effort to give Perry a "sexy, harder edge". The criticism leveled at her was mocked by Perry who subsequently posed with a spoon instead. She has appeared in FHM Magazine's 100 Sexiest Women poll twice, ranking at No.23 in 2009 and No.37 in 2010.
She was ranked 7th in ''Rolling Stone''
Personal life
Perry has been generally associated with three men: Matt Thiessen, Travie McCoy, and Russell Brand. She dated Relient K frontman Matt Thiessen for a few years. Thiessen has worked on Teenage Dream. Perry dated Gym Class Heroes frontman Travie McCoy, whom she met in a recording studio in New York. They broke up in December 2008.Perry first met British comedian Russell Brand in the summer of 2009 when Perry filmed a cameo appearance for Brand's film ''Get Him to the Greek''. Perry and Brand began dating after meeting again in September 2009 at the MTV Video Music Awards, where Brand, as host, remarked, "Katy Perry didn't win an award and she's staying at the same hotel as me, so she's gonna need a shoulder to cry on. So in a way, I'm the real winner tonight." The couple became engaged in December 2009 while vacationing in India. Perry stated that she plans to take dual British citizenship. "One of the first things I'll do is apply for dual citizenship. I'm not too sure if I have to take a test as I've not had time to look into it. But England is like my second home". Perry and Brand married on October 23, 2010 in a traditional Hindu ceremony near the Ranthambhore tiger sanctuary in Rajasthan, India, where Brand had proposed.
In an interview with ''Rolling Stone'' she said, "I am sensitive to Russell taking the Lord's name in vain and to Lady Gaga putting a rosary in her mouth. I think when you put sex and spirituality in the same bottle and shake it up, bad things happen."
Discography
Tours
Filmography
Television
| !Year | !Title | !Role | Notes |
| '''' | Herself | Episode 8914 | |
| Herself | |||
| ''American Idol'' | Guest judge | ||
| Guest judge | |||
| ''Sesame Street'' | Herself | Online special (deleted from televised episode due to viewer controversy) | |
| ''The Simpsons'' | Herself | 1 episode, "The Fight Before Christmas" | |
| 2011 | ''How I Met Your Mother'' | Honey | 1 episode, "Oh Honey" |
| 2011 | ''America's Got Talent'' | Guest Judge | July 27 (Season 6, Qtr Finals 3 results) |
Films
| !Year | !Title | !Role | class="unsortable" | Notes |
| ''Get Him to the Greek'' | Herself | Deleted sceneUncredited | ||
| ''Out in the Desert'' | Herself | Post-production | ||
| 2011 | Smurfette | Voice |
Awards and nominations
References
External links
Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from California Category:American bloggers Category:American Christians Category:American contraltos Category:American dance musicians Category:American female guitarists Category:American female pop singers Category:American film actors Category:American musicians of German descent Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of German descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of Portuguese descent Category:American pop rock singers Category:American pop singer-songwriters Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Brit Award winners Category:Capitol Records artists Category:English-language singers Category:Female rock singers Category:Musicians from California Category:People from Santa Barbara, California Category:Singers from California Category:The X Factor judges
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| Coordinates | 34°03′″N118°15′″N |
|---|---|
| birth name | Whitney Elizabeth Houston |
| background | solo_singer |
| birth date | August 09, 1963 |
| birth place | |
| death date | February 11, 2012 |
| death place | |
| instrument | Vocals, piano |
| genre | R&B;, soul, pop, dance, gospel |
| occupation | Singer, actress, model, film producer, record producer, songwriter |
| years active | 1977–2012 |
| label | Arista, RCA |
| associated acts | Cissy Houston, Dionne Warwick, Dee Dee Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Jermaine Jackson, Mariah Carey, Enrique Iglesias, Bobby Brown |
| website | 130pxWhitney Houston's Autograph }} |
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American recording artist, actress, producer, and model. In 2009, the ''Guinness World Records'' cited her as the most-awarded female act of all-time. Houston was also one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold over 170 million albums, singles and videos worldwide. She released seven studio albums and three movie soundtrack albums, all of which have diamond, multi-platinum, platinum or gold certification. Houston's crossover appeal on the popular music charts, as well as her prominence on MTV, starting with her video for "How Will I Know", influenced several African-American female artists to follow in her footsteps.
Houston is the only artist to chart seven consecutive No. 1 ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hits. She is the second artist behind Elton John and the only female artist to have two number-one ''Billboard'' 200 Album awards (formerly "Top Pop Album") on the ''Billboard'' magazine year-end charts. Houston's 1985 debut album ''Whitney Houston'' became the best-selling debut album by a female act at the time of its release. The album was named ''Rolling Stone''s best album of 1986, and was ranked at number 254 on ''Rolling Stone''s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Her second studio album ''Whitney'' (1987) became the first album by a female artist to debut at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart.
Houston's first acting role was as the star of the feature film ''The Bodyguard'' (1992). The film's original soundtrack won the 1994 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Its lead single "I Will Always Love You", became the best-selling single by a female artist in music history. With the album, Houston became the first act (solo or group, male or female) to sell more than a million copies of an album within a single week period under Nielsen SoundScan system. The album makes her the top female act in the top 10 list of the best-selling albums of all time, at number four. Houston continued to star in movies and contribute to their soundtracks, including the films ''Waiting to Exhale'' (1995) and ''The Preacher's Wife'' (1996). ''The Preacher's Wife'' soundtrack became the best-selling gospel album in history.
On February 11, 2012, Houston was found dead in her guest room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in Beverly Hills, California, of causes not immediately known. News of her death coincided with the 2012 Grammy Awards and featured prominently in American and international media.
Life and career
1963–1976: Early life
Whitney Houston was born in what was then a middle-income neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey, the second child of Army serviceman and entertainment executive John Russell Houston, Jr. (September 13, 1920 – February 2, 2003), and gospel singer Cissy Houston (née Emily Drinkard). She was of African American, Native American and Dutch descent. Her mother, along with cousins Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick, godmother Darlene Love and honorary aunt Aretha Franklin were all notable figures in the gospel, rhythm and blues, pop, and soul genres. She met her honorary aunt at age 8, or 9, when her mother took her to a recording studio. Houston was raised a Baptist, but was also exposed to the Pentecostal church. After the 1967 Newark riots, the family moved to a middle-class area in East Orange, New Jersey, when she was four.At the age of 11, Houston began to follow in her mother's footsteps and started performing as a soloist in the junior gospel choir at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, where she also learned to play the piano. Her first solo performance in the church was "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah". When Houston was a teenager, she attended Mount Saint Dominic Academy, a Catholic girls' high school in Caldwell, New Jersey, where she met her best friend Robyn Crawford, whom she described as the "sister she never had". While Houston was still in school, her mother continued to teach her how to sing. In addition to her mother, Franklin, and Warwick, Houston was also exposed to the music of Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, and Roberta Flack, most of whom would have an impact on her as a singer and performer.
1977–1984: Early career
Houston spent some of her teenage years touring nightclubs where her mother Cissy was performing, and she would occasionally get on stage and perform with her. In 1977, at age 14, she became a backup singer on the Michael Zager Band's single "Life's a Party". In 1978, at age 15, Houston sang background vocals on Chaka Khan's hit single "I'm Every Woman", a song she would later turn into a larger hit for herself on her monster-selling ''The Bodyguard'' soundtrack album. She also sang back-up on albums by Lou Rawls and Jermaine Jackson.In the early 1980s, Houston started working as a fashion model after a photographer saw her at Carnegie Hall singing with her mother. She appeared in ''Seventeen'' and became one of the first women of color to grace the cover of the magazine. She was also featured in layouts in the pages of ''Glamour'', ''Cosmopolitan'', ''Young Miss'', and appeared in a Canada Dry soft drink TV commercial. Her striking looks and girl-next-door charm made her one of the most sought after teen models of that time. While modeling, she continued her burgeoning recording career by working with producers Michael Beinhorn, Bill Laswell and Martin Bisi on an album they were spearheading called ''One Down'', which was credited to the group Material. For that project, Houston contributed the ballad "Memories", a cover of a song by Hugh Hopper of Soft Machine. Robert Christgau of ''The Village Voice'' called her contribution "one of the most gorgeous ballads you've ever heard". She also appeared as a lead vocalist on one track on a Paul Jabara album, entitled ''Paul Jabara and Friends'', released by Columbia Records in 1983.
Houston had previously been offered several recording agencies (Michael Zager in 1980, and Elektra Records in 1981), however her mother declined the offers stating her daughter must first complete high school. In 1983, Gerry Griffith, an A&R; representative from Arista Records, saw her performing with her mother in a New York City nightclub and was impressed. He convinced Arista's head Clive Davis to make time to see Houston perform. Davis too was impressed and offered a worldwide recording contract which Houston signed. Later that year, she made her national televised debut alongside Davis on ''The Merv Griffin Show''.
Houston signed with Arista in 1983, but did not begin work on her album immediately. The label wanted to make sure no other label signed the singer away. Davis wanted to ensure he had the right material and producers for Houston's debut album. Some producers had to pass on the project due to prior commitments. Houston first recorded a duet with Teddy Pendergrass entitled "Hold Me" which appeared on his album, ''Love Language''. The single was released in 1984 and gave Houston her first taste of success, becoming a Top 5 R&B; hit. It would also appear on her debut album in 1985.
1985–1986: Rise to international prominence
With production from Michael Masser, Kashif, Jermaine Jackson, and Narada Michael Walden, Houston's debut album ''Whitney Houston'' was released in February 1985. ''Rolling Stone'' magazine praised Houston, calling her "one of the most exciting new voices in years" while ''The New York Times'' called the album "an impressive, musically conservative showcase for an exceptional vocal talent". Arista Records promoted Houston's album with three different singles from the album in the US, UK and other European countries. In the UK, the dance-funk "Someone for Me", which failed to chart in the country, was the first single while "All at Once" was in such European countries as the Netherlands and Belgium, where the song reached the top 5 on the singles charts, respectively.In the US, the soulful ballad "You Give Good Love" was chosen as the lead single from Houston's debut to establish her in the black marketplace first. Outside the US, the song failed to get enough attention to become a hit, but in the US, it gave the album its first major hit as it peaked at No. 3 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, and No. 1 on the Hot R&B; chart. As a result, the album began to sell strongly, and Houston continued promotion by touring nightclubs in the US. She also began performing on late-night television talk shows, which were not usually accessible to unestablished black acts. The jazzy ballad "Saving All My Love for You" was released next and it would become Houston's first No. 1 single in both the US and the UK. She was then an opening act for singer Jeffrey Osborne on his nationwide tour. "Thinking About You" was released as the promo single only to R&B-oriented; radio stations, which peaked at number ten on the US R&B; Chart. At the time, MTV had received harsh criticism for not playing enough videos by black, Latino, and other racial minorities while favoring white acts. The third US single, "How Will I Know", peaked at No. 1 and introduced Houston to the MTV audience thanks to its video. Houston's subsequent singles from this, and future albums, would make her the first African-American female artist to receive consistent heavy rotation on MTV.
By 1986, a year after its initial release, ''Whitney Houston'' topped the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart and stayed there for 14 non-consecutive weeks. The final single, "Greatest Love of All", became Houston's biggest hit at the time after peaking No. 1 and remaining there for three weeks on the Hot 100 chart, which made her debut the first album by a female artist to yield three No. 1 hits. Houston was No. 1 artist of the year and ''Whitney Houston'' was the No. 1 album of the year on the 1986 ''Billboard'' year-end charts, making her the first female artist to earn that distinction. At the time, Houston released the best-selling debut album by a solo artist. Houston then embarked on her world tour, ''Greatest Love Tour''. The album had become an international success, and was certified 13× platinum (diamond) in the United States alone, and has sold a total of 25 million copies worldwide.
At the 1986 Grammy Awards, Houston was nominated for three awards including Album of the Year. She was not eligible for the Best New Artist category due to her previous hit R&B; duet recording with Teddy Pendergrass in 1984. She won her first Grammy award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female for "Saving All My Love for You". Houston's performance of the song during the Grammy telecast later earned her an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program.
Houston won seven American Music Awards in total in 1986 and 1987, and an MTV Video Music Award. The album's popularity would also carry over to the 1987 Grammy Awards when "Greatest Love of All" would receive a Record of the Year nomination. Houston's debut album is listed as one of ''Rolling Stone''s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and on The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's Definitive 200 list. Houston's grand entrance into the music industry is considered one of the 25 musical milestones of the last 25 years, according to ''USA Today''. Following Houston's breakthrough, doors were opened for other African-American female artists such as Janet Jackson and Anita Baker to find notable success in popular music and on MTV.
1987–1991: ''Whitney'', ''I'm Your Baby Tonight'' and "The Star Spangled Banner"
With many expectations, Houston's second album, ''Whitney'', was released in June 1987. The album again featured production from Masser, Kashif and Walden as well as Jellybean Benitez. Many critics complained that the material was too similar to her previous album. ''Rolling Stone'' said, "the narrow channel through which this talent has been directed is frustrating". Still, the album enjoyed commercial success. Houston became the first female artist in music history to debut at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart, and the first artist to enter the albums chart at number one in both the US and UK, while also hitting number one or top ten in dozens of other countries around the world. The album's first single, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)", was also a massive hit worldwide, peaking at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and topping the singles chart in many countries such as Australia, Germany and the UK. The next three singles, "Didn't We Almost Have It All", "So Emotional", and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" all peaked at number one on the US Hot 100 chart, which gave her a total of seven consecutive number one hits, breaking the record of six previously shared by The Beatles and The Bee Gees. Houston became the first female artist to generate four number-one singles from one album. ''Whitney'' has been certified 9× Platinum in the US for shipments of over 9 million copies, and has sold a total of 20 million copies worldwide.At the 30th Grammy Awards in 1988, Houston was nominated for three awards, including Album of the Year, winning her second Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)". Houston also won two American Music Awards in 1988 and 1989, respectively, and a Soul Train Music Award. Following the release of the album, Houston embarked on the ''Moment of Truth World Tour'', which was one of the ten highest grossing concert tours of 1987. The success of the tours during 1986–87 and her two studio albums ranked Houston No. 8 for the highest earning entertainers list according to ''Forbes'' magazine. She was the highest earning African-American woman overall and the third highest entertainer after Bill Cosby and Eddie Murphy.
Houston was a supporter of Nelson Mandela and the anti-apartheid movement. During her modeling days, the singer refused to work with any agencies who did business with the then-apartheid South Africa. On June 11, 1988, during the European leg of her tour, Houston joined other musicians to perform a set at Wembley Stadium in London to celebrate a then-imprisoned Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday. Over 72,000 people attended Wembley Stadium, and over a billion people tuned in worldwide as the rock concert raised over $1 million for charities while bringing awareness to apartheid. Houston then flew back to the US for a concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City in August. The show was a benefit concert that raised a quarter of a million dollars for the United Negro College Fund. In the same year, she recorded a song for NBC's coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics, "One Moment in Time", which became a Top 5 hit in the US, while reaching number one in the UK and Germany. With her world tour continuing overseas, Houston was still one of the top 20 highest earning entertainers for 1987–88 according to ''Forbes'' magazine.
In 1989, Houston formed The Whitney Houston Foundation For Children, a non-profit organization that has raised funds for the needs of children around the world. The organization cares for homelessness, children with cancer or AIDS, and other issues of self-empowerment. With the success of her first two albums, Houston was undoubtedly an international crossover superstar, the most prominent since Michael Jackson, appealing to all demographics. However, some black critics believed she was "selling out". They felt her singing on record lacked the soul that was present during her live concerts.
At the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards, when Houston's name was called out for a nomination, a few in the audience jeered. Houston defended herself against the criticism, stating, "If you're gonna have a long career, there's a certain way to do it, and I did it that way. I'm not ashamed of it". Houston took a more urban direction with her third studio album, ''I'm Your Baby Tonight'', released in November 1990. She produced and chose producers for this album and as a result, it featured production and collaborations with L.A. Reid and Babyface, Luther Vandross, and Stevie Wonder. The album showed Houston's versatility on a new batch of tough rhythmic grooves, soulful ballads and up-tempo dance tracks. Reviews were mixed. ''Rolling Stone'' felt it was her "best and most integrated album". while ''Entertainment Weekly'', at the time thought Houston's shift towards an urban direction was "superficial".
The album contained several hits: the first two singles, "I'm Your Baby Tonight" and "All the Man That I Need" peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart; "Miracle" peaked at number nine; "My Name Is Not Susan" peaked in the top twenty; "I Belong to You" reached the top ten of the US R&B; chart and garnered Houston a Grammy nomination; and the sixth single, the Stevie Wonder duet "We Didn't Know", reached the R&B; top twenty. The album peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200 and went on to be certified 4× platinum in the US while selling twelve million total worldwide.
In 1990, Houston was the spokesperson for a youth leadership conference hosted in Washington, D.C. She had a private audience with President George H. W. Bush in the Oval Office to discuss the associated challenges.
With America entangled in the Persian Gulf War, Houston performed "The Star Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV at Tampa Stadium on January 27, 1991. Due to overwhelming response to her rendition, it was released as a commercial single and video of her performance, and reached the Top 20 on the US Hot 100, making her the only act to turn the national anthem into a pop hit of that magnitude (Jose Feliciano's version reached No. 50 in November 1968). Houston donated all her share of the proceeds to the American Red Cross Gulf Crisis Fund. As a result, the singer was named to the Red Cross Board of Governors.
Her rendition was considered the benchmark for singers and critically acclaimed. ''Rolling Stone'' commented that "her singing stirs such strong patriotism. Unforgettable", and the performance ranked No. 1 on the 25 most memorable music moments in NFL history list. VH1 listed the performance as one of the greatest moments that rocked TV. Following the attacks on 9/11, it was released again by Arista Records, all profits going towards the firefighters and victims of the attacks. This time it peaked at No. 6 in the Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Later in 1991, Houston put together her ''Welcome Home Heroes'' concert with HBO for the soldiers fighting in the Persian Gulf War and their families. The free concert took place at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia in front of 3,500 servicemen and women. HBO descrambled the concert so that it was free for everyone to watch. Houston's concert gave HBO its highest ratings ever. She then embarked on the ''I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour''.
1992–1994: Marriage to Bobby Brown and ''The Bodyguard''
Throughout the 1980s, Houston was romantically linked to American football star Randall Cunningham and actor Eddie Murphy, whom she dated. She then met R&B; singer Bobby Brown at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards. After a three-year courtship, the two were married on July 18, 1992. On March 4, 1993, Houston gave birth to their daughter Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown, her only child, and his fourth. Brown would go on to have several run-ins with the law, including some jail time.With the commercial success of her albums, movie offers poured in, including offers to work with Robert De Niro, Quincy Jones, and Spike Lee; but Houston felt the time wasn't right. Houston's first film role was in ''The Bodyguard'', released in 1992 and co-starring Kevin Costner. Houston played Rachel Marron, a star who is stalked by a crazed fan and hires a bodyguard to protect her. ''USA Today'' listed it as one of the 25 most memorable movie moments of the last 25 years in 2007. Houston's mainstream appeal allowed people to look at the movie color-blind.
Still, controversy arose as some felt the film's advertising intentionally hid Houston's face to hide the film's interracial relationship. In an interview with ''Rolling Stone'' in 1993, the singer commented that "people know who Whitney Houston is – I'm black. You can't hide that fact." Houston received a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actress. ''The Washington Post'' said Houston is "doing nothing more than playing Houston, comes out largely unscathed if that is possible in so cockamamie an undertaking", and ''The New York Times'' commented that she lacked passion with her co-star. Despite the film's mixed reviews, it was hugely successful at the box office, grossing more than $121 million in the U.S. and $410 million worldwide, making it one of the top 100 grossing films in film history at its time of release, though it is no longer in the top 100 due to rising ticket prices since the time the film was released.
The film's soundtrack also enjoyed big success. Houston executive produced and contributed six songs for the motion picture's adjoining soundtrack album. ''Rolling Stone'' said it is "nothing more than pleasant, tasteful and urbane". The soundtrack's lead single was "I Will Always Love You", written and originally recorded by Dolly Parton in 1974. Houston's version of the song was acclaimed by many critics, regarding it as her "signature song" or "iconic performance". ''Rolling Stone'' and ''USA Today'' called her rendition "the tour-de-force". The single peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for a then-record-breaking 14 weeks, number one on the R&B; chart for a then-record-breaking 11 weeks, and number one on the Adult Contemporary charts for five weeks, thus becoming the first single to top those three charts simultaneously for five weeks.
The single was certified 4× platinum by the RIAA, making Houston the first female artist with a single to reach that level in the RIAA history and becoming the best-selling single by a female artist in the US. The song also became a global success, hitting number-one in almost all countries, and one of the best-selling singles of all time with 12 million copies sold. The soundtrack topped the ''Billboard'' 200 chart and remained there for 20 non-consecutive weeks, the longest tenure by any album on the chart in the Nielsen SoundScan era, and became one of the fastest selling albums ever. During Christmas week of 1992, the soundtrack sold over a million copies within a week, becoming the first album to achieve that feat under Nielsen SoundScan system. With the follow-up singles "I'm Every Woman", a Chaka Khan cover, and "I Have Nothing" both reaching the top five, Houston became the first female artist to ever have three singles in the Top 11 simultaneously. The album was certified 17× platinum in the US alone, with worldwide sales of 44 million, making ''The Bodyguard'' the biggest-selling album by a female act on the list of the world's Top 10 best-selling albums, topping Shania Twain's 40 million sold for ''Come On Over''.
Houston won three Grammys for the album in 1994, including two of the Academy's highest honors, Album of the Year and Record of the Year. In addition, she won a record 8 American Music Awards at that year's ceremony including the Award of Merit, 11 Billboard Music Awards, 3 Soul Train Music Awards in 1993–94 including Sammy Davis, Jr. Award as Entertainer of the Year, 5 NAACP Image Awards including Entertainer of the Year, a record 5 World Music Awards, and a BRIT award. Following the success of the project, Houston embarked on another expansive global tour, ''The Bodyguard World Tour'', in 1993–94. Her concerts, movie, and recording grosses made her the third highest earning female entertainer of 1993–94, just behind Oprah Winfrey and Barbra Streisand according to ''Forbes'' magazine. Houston placed in the top five of ''Entertainment Weekly''s annual "Entertainer of the Year" ranking and was labeled by ''Premiere'' magazine as one of the 100 most powerful people in Hollywood.
In October 1994, Houston attended and performed at a state dinner in the White House honoring newly elected South African president Nelson Mandela. At the end of her world tour, Houston performed three concerts in South Africa to honor President Mandela, playing to over 200,000 people. This would make the singer the first major musician to visit the newly unified and apartheid free nation following Mandela's winning election. The concert was broadcast live on HBO with funds of the concerts being donated to various charities in South Africa. The event was considered the nation's "biggest media event since the inauguration of Nelson Mandela".
1995–1997: ''Waiting to Exhale'', ''The Preacher's Wife'', and ''Cinderella''
In 1995, Houston starred alongside Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, and Lela Rochon in her second film ''Waiting to Exhale'', a motion picture about four African-American women struggling with relationships. Houston played the lead character Savannah Jackson, a TV producer in love with a married man. She chose the role because she saw the film as "a breakthrough for the image of black women because it presents them both as professionals and as caring mothers". After opening at number one and grossing $67 million in the US at the box office and $81 million worldwide, it proved that a movie primarily targeting a black audience can cross over to success, while paving the way for other all-black movies such as ''How Stella Got Her Groove Back'' and the Tyler Perry movies that have become popular in the 2000s. The film is also notable for its portrayal of black women as strong middle class citizens as opposed to stereotypes. The reviews were mainly positive for the ensemble cast. ''The New York Times'' said "Ms. Houston has shed the defensive hauteur that made her portrayal of a pop star in 'The Bodyguard' seem so distant." Houston was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for "Outstanding Actress In A Motion Picture", but lost to her co-star Bassett.The film's accompanying soundtrack, ''Waiting to Exhale: Original Soundtrack Album'', was produced by Houston and Babyface. Though Babyface originally wanted Houston to record the entire album, she declined. Instead, she "wanted it to be an album of women with vocal distinction", and thus gathered several African-American female artists for the soundtrack, to go along with the film's strong women message. As a result, the album featured a range of contemporary R&B; female recording artists along with Houston, such as Mary J Blige, Aretha Franklin, Toni Braxton, Patti Labelle, and Brandy. Houston's "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" peaked at No. 1, and then spent a record eleven weeks at the No. 2 spot and eight weeks on top of the R&B; Charts. "Count On Me", a duet with CeCe Winans, hit the US Top 10; and Houston's third contribution, "Why Does It Hurt So Bad", made the Top 30. The album debuted at No. 1, and was certified 7× Platinum in the United States, denoting shipments of seven million copies. The soundtrack received strong reviews as ''Entertainment Weekly'' said "the album goes down easy, just as you'd expect from a package framed by Whitney Houston tracks.... the soundtrack waits to exhale, hovering in sensuous suspense" and has since ranked it as one of the 100 Best Movie Soundtracks. Later that year, Houston's children's charity organization was awarded a VH1 Honor for all the charitable work.
In 1996, Houston starred in the holiday comedy ''The Preacher's Wife'', with Denzel Washington. She plays a gospel-singing wife of a pastor (Courtney B. Vance). It was largely an updated remake of the 1948 film "The Bishop's Wife" which starred Loretta Young, David Niven and Cary Grant. Houston earned $10 million for the role, making her one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood at the time and the highest earning African American actress in Hollywood. The movie, with its all African-American cast, was a moderate success, earning approximately $50 million at the U.S. box offices. The movie gave Houston her strongest reviews so far. ''The San Francisco Chronicle'' said Houston "is rather angelic herself, displaying a divine talent for being virtuous and flirtatious at the same time" and that she "exudes gentle yet spirited warmth, especially when praising the Lord in her gorgeous singing voice". Houston was again nominated for an NAACP Image Award and won for Outstanding Actress In A Motion Picture.
Houston recorded and co-produced, with Mervyn Warren, the film's accompanying gospel soundtrack. ''The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album'' included six gospel songs with Georgia Mass Choir that were recorded at the Great Star Rising Baptist Church in Atlanta. Houston also duetted with gospel legend Shirley Caesar. The album sold six million copies worldwide and scored hit singles with "I Believe in You and Me" and "Step by Step", becoming the largest selling gospel album of all time. The album received mainly positive reviews. Some critics, such as that of ''USA Today'', noted the presence of her emotional depth, while ''The Times'' said "To hear Houston going at full throttle with the 35 piece Georgia Mass Choir struggling to keep up is to realise what her phenomenal voice was made for".
In 1997, Houston's production company changed its name to BrownHouse Productions and was joined by Debra Martin Chase. Their goal was "to show aspects of the lives of African-Americans that have not been brought to the screen before" while improving how African-Americans are portrayed in film and television. Their first project was a made-for-television remake of Rodgers & Hammerstein's ''Cinderella''. In addition to co-producing, Houston starred in the movie as the Fairy Godmother along with Brandy, Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, and Bernadette Peters. Houston was initially offered the role of Cinderella in 1993, but other projects intervened. The film is notable for its multi-racial cast and nonstereotypical message. An estimated 60 million viewers tuned into the special giving ABC its highest TV ratings in 16 years. The movie received seven Emmy nominations including Outstanding Variety, Musical or Comedy, while winning Outstanding Art Direction in a Variety, Musical or Comedy Special.
Houston and Chase then obtained the rights to the story of Dorothy Dandridge. Houston was to play Dandridge, who was the first African American actress to be nominated for an Oscar. She wanted the story told with dignity and honor. However, Halle Berry also had rights to the project and she got her version going first. Later that year, Houston paid tribute to her idols such as Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, and Dionne Warwick by performing their hits during the three-night HBO Concert ''Classic Whitney'', live from Washington, D.C. The special raised over $300,000 for the Children's Defense Fund. Houston received The Quincy Jones Award for outstanding career achievements in the field of entertainment at the 12th Soul Train Music Awards.
1998–2000: ''My Love Is Your Love'' and ''Whitney: The Greatest Hits''
After spending much of the early and mid 1990s working on motion pictures and their soundtrack albums, Houston's first studio album in eight years, the critically acclaimed ''My Love Is Your Love'', was released in November 1998. Though originally slated to be a greatest hits album with a handful of new songs, recording sessions were so fruitful that a new full-length studio album was released. Recorded and mixed in only six weeks, it featured production from Rodney Jerkins, Wyclef Jean and Missy Elliott. The album debuted at number thirteen, its peak position, on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. It had a funkier and edgier sound than past releases and saw Houston handling urban dance, hip hop, mid-tempo R&B;, reggae, torch songs, and ballads all with great dexterity.From late 1998 to early 2000, the album spawned several hit singles: "When You Believe" (US No. 15, UK No. 4), a duet with Mariah Carey for 1998's ''The Prince of Egypt'' soundtrack, which also became an international hit as it peaked in the Top 10 in several countries and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song; "Heartbreak Hotel" (US No. 2, UK No. 25) featured Faith Evans and Kelly Price, received a 1999 MTV VMA nomination for Best R&B; Video, and number one on the US R&B; chart for seven weeks; "It's Not Right But It's Okay" (US No. 4, UK No. 3) won Houston her sixth Grammy Award for Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance; "My Love Is Your Love" (US No. 4, UK No. 2) with 3 million copies sold worldwide; and "I Learned from the Best" (US No. 27, UK No. 19). These singles became international hits as well, and all the singles, except "When You Believe", became number one hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance/Club Play chart. The album sold four million copies in America, making it certified 4× platinum, and a total of eleven million copies worldwide.
The album gave Houston some of her strongest reviews ever. ''Rolling Stone'' said Houston was singing "with a bite in her voice" and ''The Village Voice'' called it "Whitney's sharpest and most satisfying so far". In 1999, Houston participated in VH-1's Divas Live '99, alongside Brandy, Mary J. Blige, Tina Turner, and Cher. The same year, Houston hit the road with her 70 date ''My Love Is Your Love World Tour''. The European leg of the tour was Europe's highest grossing arena tour of the year. In November 1999, Houston was named Top-selling R&B; Female Artist of the Century with certified US sales of 51 million copies at the time and ''The Bodyguard Soundtrack'' was named the Top-selling Soundtrack Album of the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). She also won The Artist of the Decade, Female award for extraordinary artistic contributions during the 1990s at the 14th Soul Train Music Awards, and an MTV Europe Music Award for Best R&B;.
In May 2000, ''Whitney: The Greatest Hits'' was released worldwide. The double disc set peaked at number five in the United States, reaching number one in the United Kingdom. In addition, the album reached the Top 10 in many other countries. While ballad songs were left unchanged, the album features house/club remixes of many of Houston's up-tempo hits. Included on the album were four new songs: "Could I Have This Kiss Forever" (a duet with Enrique Iglesias), "Same Script, Different Cast" (a duet with Deborah Cox), "If I Told You That" (a duet with George Michael), and "Fine", and three hits that had never appeared on a Houston album: "One Moment in Time", "The Star Spangled Banner", and "If You Say My Eyes Are Beautiful", a duet with Jermaine Jackson from his 1986 ''Precious Moments'' album. Along with the album, an accompanying VHS and DVD was released featuring the music videos to Houston's greatest hits, as well as several hard-to-find live performances including her 1983 debut on ''The Merv Griffin Show'', and interviews. The greatest hits album was certified 3× platinum in the US, with worldwide sales of 10 million.
2000–2005: ''Just Whitney'', and personal struggles
Though Houston was seen as a "good girl" with a perfect image in the 1980s and early 1990s, by the late 1990s, her behavior changed. She was often hours late for interviews, photo shoots and rehearsals, and canceling concerts and talk-show appearances. With the missed performances and weight loss, rumors about Houston using drugs with her husband circulated. On January 11, 2000, airport security guards discovered marijuana in both Houston's and husband Bobby Brown's luggage at a Hawaii airport, but the two boarded the plane and departed before authorities could arrive. Charges were later dropped against them, but rumors of drug usage between the couple would continue to surface. Two months later, Clive Davis was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Houston had been scheduled to perform at the event, but failed to show up.Shortly thereafter, Houston was scheduled to perform at the Academy Awards but was fired from the event by musical director and long time friend Burt Bacharach. Her publicist cited throat problems as the reason for the cancellation. In his book ''The Big Show: High Times and Dirty Dealings Backstage at the Academy Awards'', author Steve Pond revealed that "Houston's voice was shaky, she seemed distracted and jittery, and her attitude was casual, almost defiant", and that while Houston was to sing "Over the Rainbow", she would start singing a different song. Houston later admitted to having been fired. Later that year, Houston's long-time executive assistant and friend, Robyn Crawford, resigned from Houston's management company.
In August 2001, Houston signed the biggest record deal in music history with Arista/BMG. She renewed her contract for $100 million to deliver six new albums, on which she would also earn royalties. She later made an appearance on ''Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special''. Her extremely thin frame further spurred rumors of drug use. Houston's publicist said, "Whitney has been under stress due to family matters, and when she is under stress she doesn't eat." The singer was scheduled for a second performance the following night but canceled. Within weeks, Houston's rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" would be re-released after the September 11 attacks, with the proceeds donated to the New York Firefighters 9/11 Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Fraternal Order of Police. The song peaked at No. 6 this time on the US Hot 100, topping its previous position.
In 2002, Houston became involved in a legal dispute with John Houston Enterprise. Although the company was started by her father to manage her career, it was actually run by company president Kevin Skinner. Skinner filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit and sued for $100 million (but lost), stating that Houston owed the company previously unpaid compensation for helping to negotiate her $100 million contract with Arista Records and for sorting out legal matters. Houston stated that her 81-year-old father had nothing to do with the lawsuit. Although Skinner tried to claim otherwise, John Houston never appeared in court. Houston's father later died in February 2003. The lawsuit was dismissed on April 5, 2004, and Skinner was awarded nothing.
Also in 2002, Houston did an interview with Diane Sawyer to promote her then-upcoming album. The interview was the highest-rated television interview in history. During the prime-time special, Houston spoke on topics including rumored drug use and marriage. She was asked about the ongoing drug rumors and replied, "First of all, let's get one thing straight. Crack is cheap. I make too much money to ever smoke crack. Let's get that straight. Okay? We don't do crack. We don't do that. Crack is wack." The line was from Keith Haring's mural which was painted in 1986 on the handball court at 128th Street and 2nd Avenue. Houston did, however, admit to using other substances at times, including cocaine.
In December 2002, Houston released her fifth studio album, ''Just Whitney...''. The album included productions from then-husband Bobby Brown, as well as Missy Elliott and Babyface, and marked the first time that Houston did not produce with Clive Davis as Davis had been released by top management at BMG. Upon its release, ''Just Whitney...'' received mixed reviews. The album debuted at number 9 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart and it had the highest first week sales of any album Houston had ever released. The four singles released from the album, didn't fare well on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, but became Hot Dance Club Play hits. ''Just Whitney...'' was certified platinum in the United States, and sold approximately three million worldwide.
On a June 2003 trip to Israel, Houston said of her visit, "I've never felt like this in any other country. I feel at home, I feel wonderful."
In late 2003, Houston released her first Christmas album ''One Wish: The Holiday Album'', with a collection of traditional holiday songs. Houston produced the album with Mervyn Warren and Gordon Chambers. A single titled "One Wish (for Christmas)" reached the Top 20 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and the album was certified gold in the US. Having always been a touring artist, Houston spent most of 2004 touring and performing in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Russia. In September 2004, she gave a surprise performance at the World Music Awards in a tribute to long time friend Clive Davis. After the show, Davis and Houston announced plans to go into studio to work on her new album.
In early 2004, husband Bobby Brown starred in his own reality TV program, ''Being Bobby Brown'' (on the Bravo network), which provided a view into the domestic goings-on in the Brown household. Though it was Brown's vehicle, Houston was a prominent figure throughout the show, receiving as much screen time as Brown. The series aired in 2005 and featured Houston in, what some would say, not her most flattering moments. The ''Hollywood Reporter'' said it was "undoubtedly the most disgusting and execrable series ever to ooze its way onto television." Despite the perceived train-wreck nature of the show, the series gave Bravo its highest ratings in its time slot and continued Houston's successful forays into film and television. The show was not renewed for a second season after Houston stated that she would no longer appear in it, and Brown and Bravo could not come to an agreement for another season.
2006–2012: Return to music, ''I Look to You'', tour and film comeback
After years of controversy and turmoil, Houston separated from Bobby Brown in September 2006, filing for divorce the following month. On February 1, 2007, Houston asked the court to fast track their divorce. The divorce was finalized on April 24, 2007, with Houston granted custody of the couple's daughter. On May 4, Houston sold the suburban Atlanta home featured in ''Being Bobby Brown'' for $1.19 million. A few days later, Brown sued Houston in Orange County, California court in an attempt to change the terms of their custody agreement. Brown also sought child and spousal support from Houston. In the lawsuit, Brown claimed that financial and emotional problems prevented him from properly responding to Houston's divorce petition. Brown lost at his court hearing as the judge dismissed his appeal to overrule the custody terms, leaving Houston with full custody and Brown with no spousal support. In March 2007, Clive Davis of Arista Records announced that Houston would begin recording a new album. In October 2007, Arista released another compilation ''The Ultimate Collection'' outside the United States.Houston gave her first interview in seven years in September 2009, appearing on Oprah Winfrey's season premiere. The interview was billed as "the most anticipated music interview of the decade". Whitney admitted on the show to using drugs with former husband Bobby Brown, who "laced marijuana with rock cocaine". By 1996, she told Oprah, "[doing drugs] was an everyday thing... I wasn't happy by that point in time. I was losing myself."
Houston released her new album, ''I Look to You'', in August 2009. The album's first two singles are "I Look to You" and "Million Dollar Bill". The album entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1, with Houston's best opening-week sales of 305,000 copies, marking Houston's first number one album since '' The Bodyguard'', and Houston's first studio album to reach number one since 1987's ''Whitney''. Houston also appeared on European television programs to promote the album. She performed the song "I Look to You" on the German television show ''Wetten, dass..?''. Three days later, she performed the worldwide first single from I Look To You, Million Dollar Bill, on the French television show Le Grand Journal. Houston appeared as guest mentor on ''The X Factor'' in the United Kingdom. She performed "Million Dollar Bill" on the following day's results show, completing the song even as a strap in the back of her dress popped open two minutes into the performance. She later commented that she "sang [herself] out of [her] clothes".
The performance was poorly received by the British media, and was variously described as "weird" and "ungracious", "shambolic" and a "flop". Despite this reception, "Million Dollar Bill" jumped to its peak from 14 to number 5 (her first UK top 5 for over a decade), and three weeks after release "I Look to You" went gold. Houston appeared on the Italian version of ''The X Factor'', performing the same song "Million Dollar Bill" to excellent reviews. She was awarded the Gold Certificate for achieving over 50,000 CD sales of "I Look To You" in Italy. In November, Houston performed "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" at the 2009 American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California. Two days later, Houston performed both songs on the Dancing With The Stars season 9 finale. As of December 2009, "I Look to You" has been certified platinum by the RIAA for sales of more than one million copies in the United States. On January 26, 2010, her debut album was re-released in a special edition entitled ''Whitney Houston – The Deluxe Anniversary Edition''.
Houston later embarked on a world tour, entitled the Nothing but Love World Tour. It was her first world tour in over ten years and was announced as a triumphant comeback. However, some poor reviews and rescheduled concerts brought some negative media attention. Houston canceled some concerts due to illness and received widespread negative reviews from fans who were disappointed in the quality of her voice and performance. Some fans reportedly walked out of her concerts.
In January 2010, Houston was nominated for two NAACP Image Awards, one for Best Female Artist and one for Best Music Video. She won the award for Best Music Video for her single "I Look to You". On January 16, she received The BET Honors Award for Entertainer citing her lifetime achievements spanning over 25 years in the industry. The 2010 BET Honors award was held at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. and aired on February 1, 2010. Jennifer Hudson and Kim Burrell performed in honor of her, garnering positive reviews. Houston also received a nomination from the Echo Awards, Germany's version of the Grammys, for Best International Artist. In April 2010, the UK newspaper ''The Mirror'' reported that Houston was thinking about recording her eighth studio album and wanted to collaborate with will.i.am (of The Black Eyed Peas), her first choice for a collaboration.
Houston also performed the song "I Look to You" on the 2011 BET ''Celebration of Gospel'', with gospel–jazz singer Kim Burrell, held at the Staples Center, Los Angeles. The performance aired on January 30, 2011. Early in 2011, she gave an uneven performance in tribute to cousin Dionne Warwick at music mogul Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy gala. In May 2011, Houston enrolled in a rehabilitation center again, as an out-patient, citing drug and alcohol problems. A representative for Houston said that it was a part of Houston's "longstanding recovery process".
In September 2011, ''The Hollywood Reporter'' announced that Houston would produce and star alongside Jordin Sparks and Mike Epps in the remake of the 1976 film ''Sparkle''. In the film, Houston portrays Sparks' "not-so encouraging mother". Houston will have executive producer credits on top of acting credits according to Debra Martin Chase, producer of ''Sparkle''. She stated that Houston deserved the title considering she had been there from the beginning in 2001, when Houston obtained ''Sparkle'' production rights. R&B; singer Aaliyah - originally tapped to star as Sparkle – died in a 2001 plane crash. Her death derailed production, which would have begun in 2002. Houston's remake of ''Sparkle'' was filmed in the fall of 2011, and is set for release by TriStar Pictures in August 2012.
Death
On February 9, 2012, Houston visited singers Brandy and Monica, together with Clive Davis, at their rehearsals for Davis' pre-Grammy Awards party at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverley Hills. That same day, she made her last public performance, when she joined Kelly Price on stage in Hollywood, CA and sang "Jesus Loves Me".On February 11, 2012, Houston was found dead in suite 434 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, submerged in the bathtub. The cause of death was not immediately known. Beverly Hills paramedics arrived at approximately 3:30 p.m. and found the singer unresponsive and performed CPR. Houston was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. PST. Local police said there were "no obvious signs of criminal intent."
Houston had an invitation-only memorial on Saturday, February 18, 2012, at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. The service was scheduled for two hours, but lasted for four hours. Among those who performed at the funeral were Stevie Wonder (rewritten version of "Ribbon in the Sky," and "Love's in Need of Love Today"), CeCe Winans ("Don't Cry" and "Jesus Loves Me"), Alicia Keys ("Send Me an Angel"), Kim Burrell (rewritten version of "A Change Is Gonna Come") and R. Kelly ("I Look to You"), interspersed with hymns by the church choir and remarks by Clive Davis, Houston’s record producer; Kevin Costner; Ricky Minor her music director; her cousin Dionne Warwick and Ray Watson, her security guard for the past 11 years. Aretha Franklin was listed on the program and was expected to sing, but was unable to attend the service. Bobby Brown, Houston's ex-husband, was also invited to the funeral but he left before the service began. Houston was buried on Sunday, February 19, 2012, in Fairview Cemetery, in Westfield, New Jersey next to her father, John Russell Houston, who died in 2003.
Reaction
The Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party that Houston was expected to attend, and that featured many of the biggest names in music and movies, went on as scheduled although it was quickly turned into a tribute to Houston. Davis spoke about Houston's death at the evening's start: "By now you have all learned of the unspeakably tragic news of our beloved Whitney's passing. I don't have to mask my emotion in front of a room full of so many dear friends. I am personally devastated by the loss of someone who has meant so much to me for so many years. Whitney was so full of life. She was so looking forward to tonight even though she wasn't scheduled to perform. Whitney was a beautiful person and a talent beyond compare. She graced this stage with her regal presence and gave so many memorable performances here over the years. Simply put, Whitney would have wanted the music to go on and her family asked that we carry on."Tony Bennett spoke of Houston's death before performing at Davis' party. He said, "First, it was Michael Jackson, then Amy Winehouse, now, the magnificent Whitney Houston". Bennett sang "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" and said of Houston, "When I first heard her, I called Clive Davis and said, 'You finally found the greatest singer I've ever heard in my life.'"
Some celebrities opposed Davis' decision to continue on the party while a police investigation was being conducted in Houston's hotel room and her body was still in the building. Chaka Khan, in an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan on February 13, 2012, shared that she felt the party should have been canceled, saying "I thought that was complete insanity. And knowing Whitney I don't believe that she would have said 'the show must go on.' She's the kind of woman that would've said 'Stop everything! Un-unh. I'm not going to be there.' [...] I don't know what could motivate a person to have a party in a building where the person whose life he had influenced so enormously and whose life had been affected by hers. They were like... I don't understand how that party went on." Sharon Osbourne, on February 15 episode of ''The Talk'', also condemned the Davis party, declaring "I think it was disgraceful that the party went on. I don't want to be in a hotel room when there's someone you admire who's tragically lost their life four floors up. I'm not interested in being in that environment and I think when you grieve someone, you do it privately, you do it with people who understand you. I thought it was so wrong."
Several other celebrities released statements responding to Houston's death. Dolly Parton, whose song "I Will Always Love You" was covered by Houston, said, "I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song and I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, 'Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed'." Aretha Franklin said, "It's so stunning and unbelievable. I couldn't believe what I was reading coming across the TV screen." Mariah Carey said, "Heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend ... She will never be forgotten as one of the greatest voices to ever grace the earth." Oprah Winfrey, who did an in-depth interview with Houston in 2009, wrote on Twitter "To me Whitney was THE VOICE. We got to hear a part of God every time she sang. Heart is heavy, spirit grateful for the GIFT of her." Quincy Jones said, "I am absolutely heartbroken at the news of Whitney’s passing. Ashford & Simpson first made me aware of Whitney when she was just sixteen, and I always regretted not having had the opportunity to work with her. She was a true original and a talent beyond compare. I will miss her terribly."
Moments after news of her death emerged, CNN, MSNBC and Fox News all broke from their regularly scheduled programming to dedicate time to non-stop coverage of Houston's death. All three featured live interviews with people who knew Houston including those that have worked with her, interviewed her along with some of her peers in the music industry. ''Saturday Night Live'' displayed a photo of a smiling Houston, alongside Molly Shannon, from her 1996 appearance. MTV and VH-1 interrupted their regularly scheduled programming on Sunday February 12 to air many of Houston's classic videos with MTV often airing news segments in between and featuring various reactions from fans and celebrities.
Houston's former husband, Bobby Brown, was reported to be "in and out of crying fits" since receiving the news. He did not cancel a scheduled performance and within hours of his ex-wife's sudden death, an audience in Mississippi observed as Brown blew kisses skyward, tearfully saying: "I love you, Whitney".
Ken Ehrlich, executive producer of the 54th Grammy Awards announced that Jennifer Hudson would perform a tribute to Houston at the February 12, 2012, awards. He said "event organizers believed Hudson – an Academy Award-winning actress and Grammy Award-winning artist – could perform a respectful musical tribute to Houston". Ehrlich went on to say: "It's too fresh in everyone's memory to do more at this time, but we would be remiss if we didn't recognize Whitney's remarkable contribution to music fans in general, and in particular her close ties with the Grammy telecast and her Grammy wins and nominations over the years". At the start of the awards ceremony, a footage of Houston performing "I Will Always Love You" from 1994 Grammys was shown following a prayer read by host, LL Cool J. Later in the program following a montage of photos of musicians who died in 2011 with Houston singing "Saving All My Love for You" at the 1986 Grammys, Hudson paid tribute to Houston and the other artists by performing "I Will Always Love You".
Houston was honored in the form of various tributes at the 43rd NAACP Image Awards, held on February 17. A image montage of Houston and important black figures who died in 2011 was followed by video footage from the 1994 ceremony, which depicted her accepting two Image Awards for outstanding female artist and entertainer of the year. Following the video tribute, Yolanda Adams delivered a rendition of "I Love the Lord" from ''The Preacher's Wife Soundtrack''. In the finale of the ceremony, Kirk Franklin and The Family started their performance with "Greatest Love of All." The 2012 BRIT Awards, which took place at London's O2 Arena on February 21, also paid tribute to Houston by playing a 30-second-video montage of her music videos with a snippet of "One Moment in Time" as the background music in the ceremony's first segment. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said that all New Jersey state flags would be flown at half-staff on Tuesday, February 21 to honor Houston. Accompanied by Esperanza Spalding belting out "What a Wonderful World" along with the Southern California Children's Choir, Houston was featured in the In Memoriam montage alongside other cinema greats at the 84th Academy Awards, held at the Hollywood and Highland Center on February 26, 2012.
Artistry and legacy
Voice
Houston was a mezzo-soprano, and was commonly referred to as "The Voice" in reference to her exceptional vocal talent. Her vocal range extended from G below middle C (G3) to high B-flat (B5); she could belt out to treble F (F5). She was third in MTV's list of 22 Greatest Voices, and sixth on ''Online Magazine COVE''s list of the 100 Best Pop Vocalists with a score of 48.5/50. In 2008, ''Rolling Stone'' listed Houston as the thirty-fourth of the 100 greatest singers of all time, stating, "Her voice is a mammoth, coruscating cry: Few vocalists could get away with opening a song with 45 unaccompanied seconds of singing, but Houston's powerhouse version of Dolly Parton's 'I Will Always Love You' is a tour de force." Matthew Perpetua from ''Rolling Stone'' also eulogized Houston's vocal, enumerating ten performances, including "How Will I Know" from the 1986 MTV VMAs and "The Star Spangled Banner" at the 1991 Super Bowl. "Whitney Houston was blessed with an astonishing vocal range and extraordinary technical skill, but what truly made her a great singer was her ability to connect with a song and drive home its drama and emotion with incredible precision," he stated. "She was a brilliant performer, and her live shows often eclipsed her studio recordings."Jon Caramanica of ''The New York Times'' commented, "Her voice was clean and strong, with barely any grit, well suited to the songs of love and aspiration. [...] Hers was a voice of triumph and achievement, and it made for any number of stunning, time-stopping vocal performances." Mariah Carey stated, "Whitney has a really rich, strong mid-belt that very few people have. She sounds really good, really strong." While in her review of ''I Look to You'', music critic Ann Powers of the ''Los Angeles Times'' writes, "[Houston's voice] stands like monuments upon the landscape of 20th century pop, defining the architecture of their times, sheltering the dreams of millions and inspiring the climbing careers of countless imitators", adding "When she was at her best, nothing could match her huge, clean, cool mezzo-soprano".
Lauren Everitt from BBC News Magazine commented on melisma used in Houston's recording and its influence. "An early 'I' in Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You' takes nearly six seconds to sing. In those seconds the former gospel singer-turned-pop star packs a series of different notes into the single syllable," stated Everitt. "The technique is repeated throughout the song, most pronouncedly on every 'I' and 'you'. The vocal technique is called melisma, and it has inspired a host of imitators. Other artists may have used it before Houston, but it was her rendition of Dolly Parton's love song that pushed the technique into the mainstream in the 90s. [...] But perhaps what Houston nailed best was moderation." Everitt said that "[i]n a climate of reality shows ripe with 'oversinging', it's easy to appreciate Houston's ability to save melisma for just the right moment".
Houston's vocal stylings have had a significant impact on the music industry. She has been called the "Queen of Pop" for her influence during the 1990s, commercially rivaling Mariah Carey and Celine Dion. Stephen Holden from ''The New York Times'', in his review of Houston's Radio City Music Hall concert on July 20, 1993, praised her attitude as a singer highly, writing, "Whitney Houston is one of the few contemporary pop stars of whom it might be said: the voice suffices. While almost every performer whose albums sell in the millions calls upon an entertainer's bag of tricks, from telling jokes to dancing to circus pyrotechnics, Ms. Houston would rather just stand there and sing." With regard to her singing style, he added: "Her [Houston's] stylistic trademarks – shivery melismas that ripple up in the middle of a song, twirling embellishments at the ends of phrases that suggest an almost breathless exhilaration – infuse her interpretations with flashes of musical and emotional lightning."
Elysa Gardner of the ''Los Angeles Times'' in her review for ''The Preacher's Wife Soundtrack'' praised Houston's vocal ability highly, commenting, "She is first and foremost a pop diva – at that, the best one we have. No other female pop star – not Mariah Carey, not Celine Dion, not Barbra Streisand – quite rivals Houston in her exquisite vocal fluidity and purity of tone, and her ability to infuse a lyric with mesmerizing melodrama."
Influence
During the 1980s, MTV was coming into its own and received harsh criticism for not playing enough videos by black artists. With Michael Jackson breaking down the color barrier for black male artists, Houston did the same for black female artists. She became the first black female artist to receive heavy rotation on the network following the success of the "How Will I Know" video. Following Houston's breakthrough, other African-American female artists, such as Janet Jackson and Anita Baker, were successful in popular music. Baker commented that "Because of what Whitney and Sade did, there was an opening for me... For radio stations, black women singers aren't taboo anymore."Allmusic noted her contribution to the success of black artists on the pop scene, commenting, "Houston was able to handle big adult contemporary ballads, effervescent, stylish dance-pop, and slick urban contemporary soul with equal dexterity" and that "the result was an across-the-board appeal that was matched by scant few artists of her era, and helped her become one of the first black artists to find success on MTV in Michael Jackson's wake". ''The New York Times'' stated that "Houston was a major catalyst for a movement within black music that recognized the continuity of soul, pop, jazz and gospel vocal traditions". Richard Corliss of ''Time'' magazine commented on her initial success breaking various barriers:
Of her first album's ten cuts, six were ballads. This chanteuse [Houston] had to fight for air play with hard rockers. The young lady had to stand uncowed in the locker room of macho rock. The soul strutter had to seduce a music audience that anointed few black artists with superstardom. [...] She was a phenomenon waiting to happen, a canny tapping of the listener's yen for a return to the musical middle. And because every new star creates her own genre, her success has helped other blacks, other women, other smooth singers find an avid reception in the pop marketplace.
Stephen Holden of ''The New York Times'' said that Houston "revitalized the tradition of strong gospel-oriented pop-soul singing". Ann Powers of the ''Los Angeles Times'' referred to the singer as a "national treasure". Jon Caramanica, other music critic of ''The New York Times'', called Houston "R&B;'s great modernizer," adding "slowly but surely reconciling the ambition and praise of the church with the movements and needs of the body and the glow of the mainstream". He also drew comparisons between Houston's influence and other big names' on 1980s pop:
She was, alongside Michael Jackson and Madonna, one of the crucial figures to hybridize pop in the 1980s, though her strategy was far less radical than that of her peers. Jackson and Madonna were by turns lascivious and brutish and, crucially, willing to let their production speak more loudly than their voices, an option Ms. Houston never went for. Also, she was less prolific than either of them, achieving most of her renown on the strength of her first three solo albums and one soundtrack, released from 1985 to 1992. If she was less influential than they were in the years since, it was only because her gift was so rare, so impossible to mimic. Jackson and Madonna built worldviews around their voices; Ms. Houston’s voice was the worldview. She was someone more to be admired, like a museum piece, than to be emulated.
''The Independant''s music critic Andy Gill also wrote about Houston's influence on modern R&B; and singing competitions, comparing it to Michael Jackson's. "Because Whitney, more than any other single artist ― Michael Jackson included ― effectively mapped out the course of modern R&B;, setting the bar for standards of soul vocalese, and creating the original template for what we now routinely refer to as the 'soul diva'," stated Gill. "Jackson was a hugely talented icon, certainly, but he will be as well remembered (probably more so) for his presentational skills, his dazzling dance moves, as for his musical innovations. Whitney, on the other hand, just sang, and the ripples from her voice continue to dominate the pop landscape." Gill said that there "are few, if any, Jackson imitators on today's TV talent shows, but every other contestant is a Whitney wannabe, desperately attempting to emulate that wondrous combination of vocal effects – the flowing melisma, the soaring mezzo-soprano confidence, the tremulous fluttering that carried the ends of lines into realms of higher yearning".
Houston was considered by many to be a "singer's singer", who had an influence on countless other vocalists, both female and male. Similarly, Steve Huey from Allmusic wrote that the shadow of Houston's prodigious technique still looms large over nearly every pop diva and smooth urban soul singer – male or female – in her wake, and spawned a legion of imitators. ''Rolling Stone'', on her biography, stated that Houston "redefined the image of a female soul icon and inspired singers ranging from Mariah Carey to Rihanna". ''Essence'' ranked Houston the fifth on their list of 50 Most Influential R&B; Stars of all time, calling her "the diva to end all divas".
A number of artists have acknowledged Houston as an influence, including Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton, Christina Aguilera, LeAnn Rimes, Jessica Simpson, Nelly Furtado, Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears, Ciara, P!nk, Ashanti, Robin Thicke, Jennifer Hudson, Stacie Orrico, Amerie, and Destiny's Child. Mariah Carey, who was often compared to Houston, said, "Houston has been a big influence on me." She later told ''USA Today'' that "none of us would sound the same if Aretha Franklin hadn't ever put out a record, or Whitney Houston hadn't." Celine Dion who was the third member of the troika that dominated female pop singing in the 1990s, did a telephone interview with ''Good Morning America'' on February 13, 2012, telling "Whitney's been an amazing inspiration for me. I've been singing with her my whole career, actually. I wanted to have a career like hers, sing like her, look beautiful like her." Beyoncé told the ''Globe and Mail'' that Houston "inspired [her] to get up there and do what [she] did". She also wrote on her website on the day after Houston's death, "I, like every singer, always wanted to be just like [Houston]. Her voice was perfect. Strong but soothing. Soulful and classic. Her vibrato, her cadence, her control. So many of my life's memories are attached to a Whitney Houston song. She is our queen and she opened doors and provided a blueprint for all of us."
Mary J. Blige said that Houston inviting her onstage during VH1's ''Divas Live'' show in 1999 "opened doors for [her] all over the world". Brandy stated, "The first Whitney Houston CD was genius. That CD introduced the world to her angelic yet powerful voice. Without Whitney, half of this generation of singers wouldn't be singing." Kelly Rowland, in an ''Ebony'' feature article celebrating black music in June 2006, recalled that "[I] wanted to be a singer after I saw Whitney Houston on TV singing 'Greatest Love of All'. I wanted to sing like Whitney Houston in that red dress." She added that "And I have never, ever forgotten that song [Greatest Love of All]. I learned it backward, forward, sideways. The video still brings chills to me. When you wish and pray for something as a kid, you never know what blessings God will give you."
Alicia Keys, in an interview about her album ''The Element of Freedom'' with ''Billboard'' magazine, also said "Whitney is an artist who inspired me from [the time I was] a little girl". Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson cites Houston as her biggest musical influence. She told ''Newsday'' that she learned from Houston the "difference between being able to sing and knowing how to sing". Leona Lewis, who has been called "the new Whitney Houston", also cites her as an influence. Lewis stated that she idolized her as a little girl.
Awards and achievements
Houston was the most awarded female artist of all time, according to Guinness World Records, with two Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among a total of 415 career awards as of 2010. She held the all-time record for the most American Music Awards of any female solo artist and shared the record with Michael Jackson for the most AMAs ever won in a single year with eight wins in 1994. Houston won a record 11 Billboard Music Awards at its fourth ceremony in 1993. She also had the record for the most WMAs won in a single year, winning five awards at the 6th World Music Awards in 1994.In May 2003, Houston placed at number three on VH1's list of "50 Greatest Women of the Video Era", behind Madonna and Janet Jackson. She was also ranked at number 116 on their list of the "200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons of All Time". In 2008, ''Billboard'' magazine released a list of the Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists to celebrate the US singles chart's 50th anniversary, ranking Houston at number nine. Similarly, she was ranked as one of the "Top 100 Greatest Artists of All Time" by VH1 in September 2010. In November 2010, ''Billboard'' released its "Top 50 R&B;/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years" list and ranked Houston at number three whom not only went on to earn eight number one singles on the R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart, but also landed five number ones on R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums.
Houston's debut album is listed as one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine and is on Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Definitive 200 list. In 2004, ''Billboard'' picked the success of her first release on the charts as one of 110 Musical Milestones in its history. Houston's entrance into the music industry is considered one of the 25 musical milestones of the last 25 years, according to ''USA Today'' in 2007. It stated that she paved the way for Mariah Carey's chart-topping vocal gymnastics. In 1997, the Franklin School in East Orange, New Jersey was renamed to The Whitney E. Houston Academy School of Creative and Performing Arts. In 2001, Houston was the first artist ever to be given a BET Lifetime Achievement Award.
Houston was also one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold over 200 million albums and singles worldwide. Although she released relatively few albums, she was ranked as the fourth best-selling female artist in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, with 55 million certified albums sold in the US alone.
She held an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities from Grambling State University, Louisiana.
Discography
;Studio Albums;Holiday Albums
Filmography
| + Film roles | |||
| ! Year | ! Title | ! Role | Notes and awards |
| ''The Bodyguard'' | Rachel Marron | Nominated – 1993 MTV Movie Award for Best Female PerformanceNominated – 1993 MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough PerformanceNominated – 1993 MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo with co-star Kevin CostnerNominated – 1992 Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress | |
| ''Waiting to Exhale'' | Savannah Jackson | Nominated – 1996 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture | |
| ''The Preacher's Wife'' | Julia Biggs | ||
| Fairy Godmother | Made-for-television film, part of a revival of the ''Wonderful World of Disney''.Nominated – 1998 Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy SpecialNominated – 1998 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Television Movie/Mini-Series | ||
| Emma | Posthumous release |
| + Television roles | ! Year | ! Title | ! Network | ! Role | Notes |
| ''Gimme a Break!'' | NBC | Rita | "Katie's College" (Season 3, Episode 20) | ||
| ''Silver Spoons'' | NBC | Herself | "Head Over Heels" (Season 4, Episode 1, Air date: September 15, 1985)She performed the edited version of "Saving All My Love for You", changing some of the words. | ||
| ''Boston Public'' | Fox | Herself | She performed "Try It On My Own" from the 2002 studio album ''Just Whitney''. |
| + Commercials | |||||||
| ! Year | ! Company | ! Promoting | ! Country | Notes | |||
| Dr Pepper/Seven Up | Canada Dry(soft drink beverage) | United States | * Houston appeared in this commercial before debut as a professional singer and sang the praises of sugar free Canada Dry Ginger Ale. | ||||
| Coca-Cola | Diet Coke(soft drink beverage) | United States | * Houston sang the Diet Coke theme song, "Just for the taste of it". | ||||
| Coca-Cola | Diet Coke(soft drink beverage) | United States | * Houston sang the other version of the Diet Coke advertising slogan at the time, "Just for the taste of it". | * Outside the United States, the second version of advertising was released, in which "Greatest Love of All" was used as background music. | 1989 MTV Video Music Awards#Video of the Year>Video of the Year winning "This Note's for You" by Neil Young, parodied parts of this advertising to criticize pop/rock stars who make commercial endorsements, most notably Michael Jackson for Pepsi and Houston for Diet Coke, using look-alikes for them. | ||
| Sanyo | Electronics(the stereo, TV) | Japan | Keith Thomas (producer)>Keith Thomas. It was released as a CD single in Japan and included in Japanese edition of ''I'm Your Baby Tonight''. | * Sanyo also sponsored Houston's 1990 Japan only Feels So Right Tour. | |||
| AT&T; | Telephone services | United States | * Houston sang its theme song, "True Voice". | ||||
| Nissin | Consumer credit business | Japan | * Houstons appeared on both print advetisement and TV commercial for Nissin, a nonbank finance company that lends to consumers and small businesses in Japan, with then the company's slogan "Make it happen with Nissin" |
| + Production | |||
| ! Year | ! Title | ! Director | Notes and awards |
| 1997 | Robert Iscove | Executive producerNominated – 50th Primetime Emmy Awards | |
| 2001 | [[Garry Marshall | ProducerWon – 2002 Young Artist Award for Best Family Feature Film – ComedyNominated – 2002 Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Family Film (Live Action) Nominated – 2002 Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Family FilmNominated – 2002 Teen Choice Award for Film – Choice Movie, Comedy | |
| 2003 | Oz Scott | Producer | |
| 2004 | ''The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement'' | Garry Marshall | Producer |
| 2006 | Kenny Ortega | Co-executive producer |
Tours
;World tours
;Regional tours
;Televised concerts
See also
References
Further reading
External links
Category:1963 births Category:2012 deaths Category:20th-century actors Category:American people of Dutch descent Category:American people of Native American descent Category:Actors from New Jersey Category:African American female singers Category:African American film actors Category:African American record producers Category:African-American film producers Category:American dance musicians Category:American female models Category:American gospel singers Category:American mezzo-sopranos Category:American pop singers Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:Arista Records artists Category:Articles with inconsistent citation formats Category:Baptists from the United States Category:Death in California Category:Emmy Award winners Category:English-language singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Musicians from New Jersey Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from East Orange, New Jersey Category:People from Newark, New Jersey Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics Category:People self-identifying as substance abusers
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