''Recently'' may refer to:

''Recently'' (album), by Joan Baez

''Recently'' (EP), by Dave Matthews Band

fr:Recently it:Recently

name	Gucci Mane
background	solo_singer
birth name	Radric Davis
born	February 02, 1980 Birmingham, Alabama
origin	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
genre	Hip hop
occupation	Rapper
years active	2001 – present
label	1017 Brick Squad Records, Asylum, Warner Bros.
associated acts	1017 Brick Squad, OJ Da Juiceman, Yo Gotti, Soulja Boy, Shawty Lo, E-40, Nicki Minaj, French Montana, Ludacris, Devin the Dude, Waka Flocka Flame
website
notable instruments	}}

Radric Davis (born February 2, 1980), better known by his stage name Gucci Mane, is an American rapper. He debuted in 2005 with ''Trap House'' and followed with albums such as ''Hard to Kill'' in 2006, ''Trap-A-Thon'' and ''Back to the Trap House'' in 2007. In 2009, his second studio album ''The State vs. Radric Davis'' was released. Gucci Mane has released many other mixtapes as well.

While serving a six-month jail term for assault in late 2005, Davis was charged with murder, though the charges were later dropped due to a lack of evidence. In 2009, he served a year-long prison term for violating probation for his 2005 assault conviction.

Biography

Early life

Davis was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and later moved with his single mother to Atlanta. He enjoyed writing poetry as a child, and began rapping at age 14.

2005–2006: ''Trap House'' and ''Hard to Kill''

In 2005, Davis released his independent debut album entitled ''Trap House'', which featured the successful single "Icy" with Young Jeezy. Disputes over the rights to this single caused a rift between the two artists. ''Hard to Kill'' followed in 2006. ''Hard To Kill'' included the hit single "Freaky Gurl". The song peaked at number 12 on the Hot Rap Tracks, number 19 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs, and at number 62 on the Hot 100.

2007: ''Back to the Trap House''

The official remix of Freaky Gurl featuring Ludacris and Lil Kim was included on his 2007 commercial debut album ''Back to the Trap House''. Gucci Mane appeared on OJ da Juiceman's "Make Tha Trap Say Aye" and began working on various mixtapes. Gucci Mane signed to Warner Bros. Records in May 2009.

2009–2010: ''The State vs. Radric Davis''

He appeared on remixes of the songs "Boom Boom Pow" by The Black Eyed Peas, "Obsessed" by Mariah Carey and "5 Star Chick" by Yo Gotti and made a guest appearance on Mario's "Break Up" (he has made 17 guest appearances total in 2009). Gucci Mane's second studio album ''The State vs. Radric Davis'' was released under the label Warner Bros. Records on December 8, 2009. Its first single, "Wasted" featuring Plies, was originally from Mane's 2009 mixtape ''Writing on the Wall''. It peaked at number 36 on the Hot 100, number 3 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs, and number 3 on the Rap Songs making it Gucci Mane's most successful single to date. The second single is "Spotlight" featuring Usher. The third single is "Lemonade". The fourth single is "Bingo". On October 2, 2009, Gucci Mane was listed at number 6 on MTV's annual Hottest MC in the Game list.

2010–present: ''The Appeal: Georgia's Most Wanted''

After being released from jail, Gucci Mane stated that he would start or change the label name from So Icey Entertainment to 1017 Brick Squad Records. ''The Appeal: Georgia's Most Wanted'', was released on September 28, 2010. The first single from this release was titled "Gucci Time", produced by Swizz Beatz. It premiered on Gucci Mane's official MySpace page on August 6. The single features Swizz Beatz and was released to US urban radio stations on August 24, 2010.

Legal issues

In April 2001, Davis was arrested on cocaine charges and sentenced to 90 days in county jail.

On May 10, 2005, Davis was attacked by a group of men at a house in Decatur, Georgia. Davis and his companions shot at the group, killing one. The corpse of one of the attackers, Henry Lee Clark III, was found later behind a nearby middle school. Davis turned himself in to police investigators on May 19, 2005, and was subsequently charged with murder. Davis claimed that the shots fired by him and his party were in self-defense. The DeKalb County district attorney's office dropped the murder charge in January 2006 due to insufficient evidence. The previous October, in an unrelated matter, Davis had pleaded no contest to a charge of assault for assaulting a nightclub promoter the previous June; at the time the murder charge was dropped, he was serving a six-month prison sentence for this. Davis was released from jail in late January 2006.

In September 2008, Gucci Mane was arrested for a probation violation for completing only 25 out of 600 community service hours following his 2005 arrest for assault. He was sentenced to a year in jail but was released after six months. He was incarcerated in the Fulton County jail for probation violation and released on May 12, 2010.

On November 2, 2010, Gucci Mane was arrested for driving on the wrong side of the road, running a red light or stop sign, damage to government property, obstruction, no license, no proof of insurance and other traffic charges. He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital.

On January 4, 2011, A judge in the Superior Court of Georgia’s Fulton County ordered rapper Gucci Mane to a psychiatric hospital, according to court documents. The documents reveal that his lawyers filed a Special Plea of Mental Incompetency on Dec. 27 arguing that he is unable “to go forward and/or intelligently participate in the probation revocation hearing.”

Discography

Studio Albums

2007: ''Back to the Trap House''

2009: ''The State vs. Radric Davis''

2010: ''The Appeal: Georgia's Most Wanted''

Compilations

2011: ''Global Attack Mixtape, Vol. 1''

References

External links

Official website

Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:African American rappers Category:American people convicted of assault Category:Asylum Records artists Category:People convicted of drug offenses Category:People from Birmingham, Alabama Category:Rappers from Alabama Category:Rappers from Atlanta, Georgia Category:Warner Bros. Records artists

de:Gucci Mane es:Gucci Mane fr:Gucci Mane ko:구치 매인 hr:Gucci Mane it:Gucci Mane hu:Gucci Mane ja:グッチ・メイン pl:Gucci Mane pt:Gucci Mane ru:Gucci Mane simple:Gucci Mane fi:Gucci Mane

Name	Trey Songz
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Tremaine Aldon Neverson
Alias
Birth date	November 28, 1984
Birth place	Petersburg, Virginia,
Instrument	Vocals, keyboards, sampler
Genre	R&B;, hip hop
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, record producer, actor
Years active	2004–present
Label	Atlantic, Songbook
Associated acts	Drake, Troy Taylor, Twista, Juvenile, Bun B, Rick Ross, Plies
Website	www.treysongz.com }}

Tremaine "Trey" Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), better known by his stage name Trey Songz, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. His debut album, ''I Gotta Make It'', was released in 2005, while his second album, ''Trey Day'', was released in 2007. His third album, ''Ready'', was released in 2009 while his fourth studio album, ''Passion, Pain & Pleasure'', was released on September 14, 2010.

Life and career

1984–2004: Early life and career beginnings

Songz was born Tremaine Aldon Neverson on November 28, 1984, in Petersburg, Virginia. Raised as a military brat, Songz did not have aspirations to have a musical career as a child due to his shyness, saying "Singing wasn't a reality for me, until other people started noticing I sounded good." He recognized his vocal abilities at the age of 14. Reluctant to sing, he began performing with encouragement by friends and family in high school. Record producer Troy Taylor discovered Songz during a talent show in 2000, which led him to signing a recording contract with Atlantic Records in 2002. After graduating from high school in 2002, Songz moved to New Jersey to begin recording his debut album, though recording didn't actually begin until 2003.

2004–2008''I Gotta Make It'' and ''Trey Day''

While recording his debut album in 2004, Songz released multiple mixtapes under the alias ''Prince of Virginia''. One of the mixtapes featured an "answer track" to R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet", entitled "Open the Closet". The song gave Trey some notoriety. His debut album, ''I Gotta Make It'' was released on July 26, 2005. It debuted at #20 on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 40,000 copies in its first week of sales. It has sold 300,000 records in the US, but was never certified by the RIAA. Songz's debut single, ''Gotta Make It'', featuring Twista, was released in March 2005 and reached #87 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and #21 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs. It garnered success in the R&B;/urban community but failed to make a mark in mainstream music. The album's second and final single, ''Gotta Go'', was released in July 2005 and reached #67 on the Hot 100 and #11 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming even more successful than his debut single in the R&B;/urban community and in the mainstream community. After promotion for his debut concluded, he was featured on the lead single from Twista's fifth album, ''The Day After''. The single, "Girl Tonite", reached #14 on the Hot 100 and #3 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming a huge hit.

In mid-2006, Songz began work on a follow-up album to his debut with longtime collaborator Troy Taylor and also employed hitmakers Bryan-Michael Cox, Danja, Stargate (production team) and R. Kelly to help create the album. Trey aimed for the album to be more mainstream-oriented than his debut album. His second studio album, ''Trey Day'', was released on October 2, 2007. The album reached #11 on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 73,000 copies in its first week. It has since sold 400,000 records in the US, becoming his second album not to be certified by the RIAA. The album was going to be released on May 8, 2007, but was continually delayed in order for a successful single to precede the album, as the lead single failed to impact charts.

His second album was preceded by the lead single, "Wonder Woman", which was released in February 2007. It reached #54 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart, but failed to impact the Hot 100. Because of the single's failure, his second album was delayed from May 2007 to October 2007. The album's second single, "Can't Help but Wait", was released in August 2007 and was released to promote his second album and the film ''Step Up 2 the Streets'' soundtrack as a single for it. The single reached #14 on the Hot 100, and #2 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It became Songz's first Top 20 hit on the Hot 100, and helped to boost his second album's sales. The single was also nominated for Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance at the 2008 50th Grammy Awards. The third single from the album, "Last Time", was released in January 2008 and reached #69 on the Hot 100, and #9 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The fourth and final single from the album, "Missin' You", was released in May 2008, but failed to chart completely. In mid-2008, Songz was nominated for a BET Award for Best Male R&B; Artist but did not win the award.

2009–2011: ''Ready'' and ''Passion, Pain & Pleasure''

In late 2008, Trey began work on his third studio album with Bryan-Michael Cox, Sean Garrett, Stargate and Troy Taylor and aimed for the record to be more mature than his first two. Before releasing his third album, Songz released a mixtape titled ''Anticipation'' in June 2009 through his blog, which featured songs from his third album. Another mixtape from Trey was released in the summer of 2009, called ''Genesis''. ''Genesis'' was a collection of Trey Songz's first recordings when he was fifteen years old and was released to show his fans the dedication that he had to making a record when he was young. Trey released his third studio album, ''Ready'', on August 31, 2009. The album reached #3 on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 131,000 copies in its first week. These are his best first week sales to date and the album was his first to reach the Top 10 on the Billboard 200. The album has since sold over 800,000 records in the US, earning a Gold certification from the RIAA in February 2010, becoming his first album to be certified by the RIAA.

The lead single from the album, "I Need a Girl", was released in April 2009 and reached #5 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop songs chart and #59 on the Hot 100, becoming an R&B;/urban hit but not a mainstream hit. A promotional single, "Successful", featuring rapper Drake, was released in June 2009 and reached #17 on the Hot 100, becoming Songz's third Top 20 hit. The single also served as the second and final single from Drake's EP, ''So Far Gone''. The second official single from his third album, "LOL Smiley Face", featuring Soulja Boy Tell 'Em and Gucci Mane, was released in August 2009 and reached #51 on the Hot 100 and #12 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The third single from the album, "I Invented Sex", featuring Drake, was released in October 2009 and reached #42 on the Hot 100 but #1 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming his first single to top that chart. Like the first two singles from the album, it achieved success in the R&B;/urban community but only some mainstream success. charted within the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and topped the R&B; chart. The fourth single from the album, "Say Aah", featuring rapper Fabolous, was released in January 2010 and reached #9 on the Hot 100 and #3 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The single has become Trey's highest charting single on the Hot 100 and one of his most successful singles on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

The fifth and final single from the album, "Neighbors Know My Name", was released in February 2010 and reached #43 on the Hot 100 and #4 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart. A sixth single, "Yo Side of the Bed", was going to be released in June 2010, but its release was canceled due to unknown reasons. A music video, featuring singer Keri Hilson, was filmed and released, however. Songz was also the opening act for Jay-Z on his Jay-Z Fall Tour in late 2009. The album was nominated for Best Contemporary R&B; Album at the 52nd Grammy Awards in 2010, but lost to Beyoncé's ''I Am... Sasha Fierce''. On April 1, 2010, he recorded an episode of MTV Unplugged, which aired on April 26, 2010. A documentary-series about Trey, ''Trey Songz: My Moment'', began in June 2010 to positive reviews and high ratings. The 10-part series will end in August 2010 and follows Trey during his time as opening act on Jay-Z's Jay-Z Fall Tour in late 2009.

Songz's fourth studio album, ''Passion, Pain & Pleasure'', was released on September 14, 2010. Trey began work on the album in early 2010 with Sean Garrett, Troy Taylor and Stargate and has stated that the album will be his most personal to date. The album was completed in July 2010. The album's lead single, "Bottoms Up", featuring female rapper Nicki Minaj, was released on July 27, 2010 and has reached number twenty-four on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart and was shared enough on Facebook to appear as a trending video on ItsTrending. Its video was filmed on July 31, 2010 and is pending release. Trey also filmed the video for the album's second single, "Can't Be Friends", on August 1, 2010. "Can't Be Friends" was released as the album's second single in August 2010. Songz embarked on the ''Passion, Pain & Pleasure Tour'' on August 6, 2010 with singer Monica. The tour is his first headlining tour to date and consists of shows in venues that seat 3,000 to 5,000 people. Songz also contributed the song "Already Taken" to the ''Step Up 3D'' soundtrack, which was released on July 27, 2010. He filmed a video for the song, which was released in July 2010. The leading lady in the video is former girlfriend and professional dancer Helen Gedlu. Songz appeared at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010. Songz performed at BET Awards 2011 which broadcasted on June 26, 2011.

In July 2011, he was cast in ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D'' as Ryan, the male lead role.

2011–present: ''Inevitable'' and ''Chapter 5''

On August 18, 2011, it was announced Songz will be working on his fifth studio titled ''Chapter 5''. In an interview Trey said the album, which will act as the follow-up to ''Passion, Pain & Pleasure'', is said to be nearing completion. He also carried on to say "It’s my sixth year in the game so I’ve been here for a while now. You can expect the best me you’ve ever heard. I don’t have any release dates in mind right now but I’m just making music and enjoying myself in the studio and having fun. When I get to a place where I feel comfortable saying a date or all of that, people will definitely know. I have a few dream collaborations on that album that I want, but they say if you blow out your candle and make a wish you can’t tell people what you ask for or it won’t come true."

On November 28, 2011, on his birthday, Songz released his Inevitable EP to prepare for the release of his album. In February 2012, Songz will embark on his Anticipation 2our to promote his mixtape Anticipation 2 and to raise awareness of his new album.

Discography

''I Gotta Make It'' (2005)

''Trey Day'' (2007)

''Ready'' (2009)

''Passion, Pain & Pleasure'' (2010)

''Chapter V'' (2012)

Tours

Passion, Pain & Pleasure Tour (headliner) (2010)

OMG Tour (opening for Usher) (2010)

Anticipation 2our (headliner) (2012)

Filmography

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" !style="background:#B0C4DE;"|Year !style="background:#B0C4DE;"|Title !style="background:#B0C4DE;"|Role !style="background:#B0C4DE;"|Notes |- |2008 |''Queen of Media'' |DJ I.V. |film |- |2009 |''Lincoln Heights'' |Himself |Episode: "Relative Unknown" |- |2010 |''Preacher's Kid'' |small role |- |2010 |''When I Was 17'' |Himself |Interview-like show, about what he did when he was 17 |- |2010 |''Trey Songz: My Moment'' |Himself |Interview-Documentary show, following him around on tour with Jay-Z. |- |2012 |''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D'' |Ryan |film |}

Awards and nominations

{|class="wikitable" !Year !Award !Result |- |rowspan="3"|2008 |BET Award for Best Male R&B; Artist | |- |Grammy Award for Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance for "Can't Help but Wait" | |- |Ozone Award for Best R&B; Artist | |- |rowspan="1"|2009 |Soul Train Awards for Best Collaboration "Successful" | |- |rowspan="5"|2010 |Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B; Album for "Ready" | |- |BET Award for Best Male R&B; Artist | |- |BET Award for Best Collaboration for "Say Ahh" w/ Fabolous | |- |BET Award for Best Collaboration for "Successful" w/ Drake | |- |BET Award for Viewer's Choice for "Say Ahh" w/ Fabolous | |- |rowspan="2"|2011 |BET Award for Best Male R&B; Artist | |- |BET Award for Coca-Cola's Viewer's Choice for "Bottom's Up" | |}

References

External links

Official website

Category:1984 births Category:African-American actors Category:African American musicians Category:African American singers Category:American actors Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American tenors Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:Living people Category:Military brats Category:People from Petersburg, Virginia Category:Musicians from Virginia

da:Trey Songz de:Trey Songz es:Trey Songz fr:Trey Songz hr:Trey Songz it:Trey Songz he:טריי סונגז sw:Trey Songz mk:Треј Сонгз nl:Trey Songz ja:トレイ・ソングス no:Trey Songz pl:Trey Songz pt:Trey Songz simple:Trey Songz so:Trey songz fi:Trey Songz sv:Trey Songz tr:Trey Songz zh:崔·颂

Name	Kelly Rowland
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Kelendria Trene Rowland
Birth date	February 11, 1981
Origin	Houston, Texas
Genre	R&B;, pop, hip hop, dance
Occupation	Singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, television personality
Years active	1997–present
Label	Columbia, Universal Motown, Universal Republic
Associated acts	Destiny's Child, Nelly, David Guetta
Website	}}

Kelly Rowland (born Kelendria Trene Rowland on February 11, 1981) is an American recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American R&B; girl group Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. As a solo artist, Rowland has sold four million albums and 18 million lead/featured singles worldwide.

Rowland began her solo career in 2002 with the release of her debut album ''Simply Deep'', which contained influences of alternative-R&B; and rock music. It included her joint worldwide number-one single "Dilemma" with rapper Nelly, as well as subsequent singles "Stole", "Can't Nobody" and "Train on a Track". Following the group's disbandment in 2005, Rowland released her second solo effort ''Ms. Kelly'' in 2007. Considerably less successful than its predecessor, the album produced the hit singles "Like This" and "Work". In 2009, Rowland scored her second number-one hit with French DJ David Guetta on his single, "When Love Takes Over". The song resulted into their 2010 joint single "Commander". This was Rowland's third number-one hit on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart and first offering from her third album ''Here I Am'' (2011). The album spawned five other singles, including the US R&B; number-one "Motivation", and the UK top-ten hit "Down for Whatever".

Apart from her work in music, Rowland has also launched a career in film and television. In 2002, she made her debut with guest stints on sitcom series such as ''The Hughleys'' and ''Taina'', prior to appearing in the big-screen movies like the horror film ''Freddy vs. Jason'' (2003) and the romantic comedy ''The Seat Filler'' (2004). In 2009, she served as the host of the first season of the Bravo competition series ''The Fashion Show'' alongside Isaac Mizrahi. In 2011, Rowland joined the judging panel on the eighth series of the British reality television competition ''The X Factor''. Rowland's work has earned her several achievements, including four Grammy Awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with Destiny's Child. She has been honored by ASCAP and ''Essence'' magazine for her contributions to music.

Life and career

1981–1996: Early life and career beginnings

Kelendria Trene Rowland was born in Atlanta, Georgia. She is the daughter of Doris Rowland Garrison and Christopher Lovett. When she was seven, her mother took her and left her father, who was an abusive alcoholic. At the age of eight, she relocated to Houston. Rowland was placed into a rapping and dancing group, along with friends Beyoncé Knowles and LaTavia Roberson. Originally named Girl's Tyme, they were eventually cut down to six members. West coast R&B; producer, Arne Frager, flew into Houston to see them and eventually brought them to his studio, The Plant Recording Studio, in Northern California. the biggest talent show on national TV at that time.

To manage the group, Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé's father, resigned in 1995 from his job as a medical-equipment salesman. He dedicated his time and established a "boot camp" for their training. At this time Rowland moved in with the Knowles. Not long after the inclusion of Rowland, Mathew cut the original lineup to four with LeToya Luckett joining in 1993. Rehearsing in Tina Knowles' hair styling salon and their backyards, the group continued performing as an opening act for other established R&B; girl groups of the time. They auditioned before record labels and were finally signed to Elektra Records, only to be dropped months later, before they could release an album.

1997–02: Breakthrough with Destiny's Child

Taken from a passage in the Biblical Book of Isaiah, the group changed their name to Destiny's Child in 1993. Together, they performed in local events and, after four years on the road, the group was signed to Columbia Records in late 1997. That same year, Destiny's Child recorded their major label debut song, "Killing Time", for the soundtrack to the 1997 film, ''Men in Black''. The following year, the group released their self-titled debut album, spawning hits such as "No, No, No". The album established the group as a viable act in the music industry, amassing moderate sales and winning the group three Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. The group rose to stardom after releasing their multi-platinum second album, ''The Writing's on the Wall'', in 1999. The record features some of the group’s most widely known songs such as "Bills, Bills, Bills", Jumpin' Jumpin' ", and "Say My Name," which became their most-successful song at the time, and would remain one of their signature songs. "Say My Name" won the Best R&B; Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and the Best R&B; Song at the 2001 Grammy Awards. ''The Writing's on the Wall'' sold more than 15 million copies worldwide, essentially becoming their breakthrough album.

thumb|upight|right|Destiny's Child performing their 2000 hit "Say My Name" during their farewell concert tour, Destiny Fulfilled ... And Lovin' It. Along with their commercial successes, the group became entangled in much-publicized turmoil involving the filing of a lawsuit by Luckett and Roberson for breach of contract. The issue was heightened after Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin appeared on the video of "Say My Name", implying that Luckett and Roberson had already been replaced. Eventually, Luckett and Roberson left the group. Franklin would eventually fade from the group after five months, as evidenced by her absences during promotional appearances and concerts. She attributed her departure to negative vibes in the group resulting from the strife. After settling on their final lineup, the trio recorded "Independent Women Part I", which appeared on the soundtrack to the 2000 film, ''Charlie's Angels''. It became their best-charting single, topping the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for eleven consecutive weeks. The success cemented the new lineup and skyrocketed them to fame. Later that year, Luckett and Roberson withdrew their case against their now-former band mates, while maintaining the suit against Mathew, which ended in both sides agreeing to stop public disparaging.

Later that year, while Destiny's Child was completing their third album ''Survivor'', Rowland appeared on the remix of Avant's single "Separated" which reached the top spot of the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. Survivor, which channeled the turmoil the band underwent, spawned its lead single of the same name, which was a response to the experience. The song went on to win a Grammy Award for Best R&B; Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The themes of "Survivor", however, caused Luckett and Roberson to refile their lawsuit; the proceedings were eventually settled in June 2002. Meanwhile, the album was released in May 2001, debuting at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200 with 663,000 units sold. To date, ''Survivor'' has sold over twelve million copies worldwide, over forty percent of which were sold in the US alone. The album also spawned the number-one hit—"Bootylicious". After releasing their remix album, ''This Is the Remix'' (2002), the group announced their temporary break-up to pursue solo projects.

2002–05: ''Simply Deep'', ''Destiny Fulfilled'' and group disbandment

150px|left|upight|thumb|Rowland in 2003. Still with Destiny's Child, Rowland teamed up with rapper Nelly in 2002 to record the chorus and bridge vocals on the track "Dilemma" for his album ''Nellyville''. Released as the album's second single, the song rose to one of the most successful singles of the year, topping many charts worldwide, and saw Rowland establishing herself as a solo artist, winning her a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and a Billboard Award the following year.

:Originally due in early 2003, the success of the collaboration caused the label to advance the release date of her debut solo album, ''Simply Deep'', which Rowland rushed within three weeks to get done. The album has a mixture of alternative-R&B; and rock music. Featuring production contribution by Mark J. Feist, Big Bert, Rich Harrison, and singers Brandy and Solange Knowles providing background vocals, the album took Rowland's solo work further into an alternative music mixture, which Rowland described as a "weird fusion [of] a little bit of Sade and a little bit of rock." Released stateside in October 2002 and internationally in 2003, ''Simply Deep'' peaked at number twelve on the ''Billboard'' 200 in the US, where it was eventually certified gold by the RIAA for more than 600,000 copies sold. Released to even bigger success in international territories, the album topped the UK Albums Chart and became a gold-seller in Ireland, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and other countries, resulting into a worldwide sales total of 2.5 million copies. In her review for ''Simply Deep'', Caroline Sullivan of ''The Guardian'' wrote, "Thanks to the ubiquitous 'Dilemma', a song that practically peeled off its clothes on the spot, Destiny's Child's Kelly Rowland is no longer a mere backing vocalist for Beyoncé Knowles."

The album yielded three singles. "Stole", a rock pop-influenced mid-tempo track about loss, was released as the album's lead single and became an international top ten, peaking at number two in Australia and the United Kingdom, where it remains her highest-charting solo single to date. Stateside, the song failed to capitalize on the success of "Dilemma", reaching the top thirty only. The album's second single, an up-tempo track entitled "Can't Nobody", charted significantly lower in the US, but enjoyed top twenty success throughout Australia and parts of Europe, where it became another top five hit on the UK Singles Chart. Final single "Train on a Track" was featured on the soundtrack of the romantic comedy film ''Maid in Manhattan'' (2003) but failed to chart or sell noticeably, except for the UK again, where it became her fourth consecutive top twenty entry.

After a three-year journey that involved concentration on individual solo projects, Rowland rejoined Beyoncé Knowles and Michelle Williams for Destiny's Child's fourth studio album ''Destiny Fulfilled'', released in November 2004. The album hit number two on the ''Billboard'' 200, and spawned "Lose My Breath", "Soldier", "Girl", and "Cater 2 U" as notable mainstream records. In support of the album, Destiny's Child embarked on the 2005 Destiny Fulfilled ... And Lovin' It world tour, which started in April and ran through September. On the Barcelona, Spain visit, the group announced their disbandment after the end of their final North American leg. In October 2005, the group released a compilation album, entitled ''#1's'', including all of Destiny's Child's number-one hits and most of their well-known songs. The greatest hits collection also includes three new tracks, including their final single "Stand Up for Love". Destiny's Child was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in March 2006. According to ''Time'' magazine, they were recognized as the world's best-selling female group of all time.

That same year, Rowland was featured on American rapper Trina's single "Here We Go", the lead single of the ''Glamorest Life'' album (2005). The song peaked at number seventeen on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, successfully becoming another top twenty entry in Finland, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom with the collaboration.

2007–08: ''Ms. Kelly''

Rowland's second solo album, ''Ms. Kelly'', was released in June 2007. Not as successful as its predecessor, the album produced the hit singles "Like This" and "Work". Originally entitled ''My Story'', the album's first version was actually scheduled for a June 2006 release, but the singer, her management and Columbia Records decided to shelve the album last minute to re-work a version with a different vibe as the singer considered the final tracklisting "too full of midtempos and ballads." Rowland eventually consulted additional producers to collaborate on the album, renamed ''Ms. Kelly'', including Billy Mann, Scott Storch, and Atlanta-based Polow da Don, who contributed to the single "Like This", a collaboration with rapper Eve, to the album. A moderate success around the globe, the song reached the top ten in Canada, Ireland, Slovenia and the United Kingdom. Upon its release, ''Ms. Kelly'' debuted at number two on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart, with moderately successful first week sales of 86,000 copies. Outside the United States, the album widely failed to reprise the success of ''Simply Deep'', barely reaching the top forty on the majority of all charts it appeared on, except for the United Kingdom where it opened at number thirty-seven.

Rowland had been working on the conception of her second solo album on and off since 2004, with some of her early recordings — such as the Bryan Michael Cox-produced "Bad Habit" — even being used on the Destiny's Child's albums ''Destiny Fulfilled'' (2004) and ''Destiny's Child: Live in Atlanta'' (2006). The album's first draft, entitled ''My Story'', saw her actually writing and recording with a wider range of well-known contemporary R&B; producers and artists as she wanted to go "in the urban, more R&B; route [in general]" with the album, involving Big Tank, Patrick "J. Que" Smith, Rich Harrison, Rodney Jerkins, and Robin Thicke. Female rappers Remy Ma and Shawnna also lent their voices to guest parts. Anxious to avoid hasty productions as on previous album ''Simply Deep'', Rowland took a wider role in the production of the album: she co-wrote the majority of the songs and shared ideas in which one to produce. "I wrote a lot on this record [...] and it's especially from me [to my fans]," she said of the album. "It's more R&B; [...] and it definitely has a feel-good vibe to it as well."

A few months before the scheduled release of ''My Story'' however, Rowland felt the album was not going into the direction she had previously envisioned, and thus, she asked to revamp the album. "It was basically a list of songs that I put together about the past three years of my life, with love and relationships," she said of the original track listing. "And I remember listening to the record, and I was just like, 'I don't want this to be too deep to where, you know, [I] lose people.' And the record was too full of midtempos and ballads, so I wanted to bring it up a little bit." Rowland eventually consulted new producers to collaborate on the album, including Mysto & Pizzi, Sean Garrett, Scott Storch, Polow da Don, and Eve.

In addition, the singer decided to rename the album. "I really put my heart and soul into this record," she said, "and not only am I excited that everyone's going to hear the music, I'm looking forward to people getting to hear the real me. That's the reason I called the album ''Ms. Kelly''. Because the title is all about respect, being an adult and that's how I feel about my life, and my music." Rowland cited former bandmate Beyoncé Knowles, and singers Brandy and Whitney Houston as major inspirations while recording her album.

In continued support of the album, Rowland released the album cuts "Ghetto" and "Work" as singles, respectively. While the Snoop Dogg-featured "Ghetto" underperformed stateside, the latter became a top ten hit in most European markets including France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. In 2008, a reissued version of the album, branded ''Ms. Kelly Deluxe'', received a release. Its lead single is the previously unreleased Bobby Womack cover "Daylight", a collaboration with Travie McCoy (of alternative rap group Gym Class Heroes) that reached the top twenty of the UK Singles Chart. By April 2008, ''Ms. Kelly'' had managed to sell just over 1.2 million copies worldwide. Also in 2008, Rowland recorded a single with French singer Nâdiya, an uptempo urban pop track entitled "No Future in the Past", for which a video was shot in Miami, Florida during July 2008.

2009–present: New management, label, ''Here I Am'' and fourth studio album

In February 2009, a duet with Italian singer Tiziano Ferro, entitled "Breathe Gentle", was released as a single and reached the top ten of the Italian Singles Chart and the Dutch Singles Chart. Also, in early 2009, Rowland ended her professional relationship with both manager Mathew Knowles and former label Columbia Records to explore other ventures. Her first step was the house collaboration "When Love Takes Over", the lead single of French DJ David Guetta's 2009 studio album ''One Love'', for which Rowland contributed vocals on three tracks. The song was released in April 2009 and saw major international success, peaking at number-one in several countries around the globe. The same year, it was announced that Rowland had drafted Jeff Rabhan as her new manager.

In 2010, Rowland signed up to record the MTN theme song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South African, "Everywhere You Go", featuring an all-star supergroup of international artists called Rhythm of Africa United. Rowland also continued touring Europe, Asia and Australia as a solo artist throughout late 2009 and early 2010, including a performance as one of the headlining acts of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras party with George Michael also headlining. She was also part of the world tour Supafest, which took place in 2010, touring the major cities in the world.

Despite being without a label for almost one year, Rowland embarked on the recording sessions for her third studio album ''Here I Am'' and it was during one of these recording sessions that she caught the attention of label boss Sylvia Rhone which led to the signing of a new record deal with Universal Motown Records, and later switching to Universal Republic Records Since then she has been completing the project which Rowland described as containing a lot of "up-tempo tracks" and being "a mixture of different sounds that express me and where I'm at right now in my career". The album is known to include collaborations with David Guetta and Rico Love which includes the album's lead single "Commander". It was Rowland's third number-one hit on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. In addition, Dr. Luke, Ester Dean and Ne-Yo with StarGate are respectively responsible for the American album's two U.S. lead singles, "Rose Colored Glasses" and "Grown Woman". The latter was later excluded from ''Here I Am'' due to the single not performing well on the U.S. charts. American record producer Jim Jonsin also contributed to the album and described Rowland's new sound as Donna Summer-esque, In December 2010, Rowland collaborated with Tinie Tempah on his single "Invincible," taken from his album ''Disc-Overy'' (2010). It reached number eleven on the UK Singles Chart. In addition, she reunited with rapper Nelly on the single "Gone" from his album entitled ''5.0'' (2010). She also appeared on Italian DJ Alex Gaudino's single "What a Feeling", released in March 2011.

In April 2011, Rowland released the song "Motivation" featuring Lil Wayne, as the fourth overall single from ''Here I Am''. It topped the U.S. Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart for seven consecutive weeks. The U.S. version of ''Here I Am'' was released in July 2011. The album debuted at number three on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200, and number one on the Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart, with first week sales of 77,000 copies. To date, it is Rowland's highest debuting and charting album in the United States. In August 2011, Rowland was announced as the ambassador and spokesperson for Empress, the second perfume by Sean Combs. In December 2011, TW Steel unveiled Rowland as a worldwide ambassador Special Edition timepiece watches to follow in Summer 2012. As of December 2011, ''Here I Am'' has sold 178,000 copies in the US. "Lay It on Me" and "Down for Whatever" were released as the album's fifth and sixth overall singles, respectively. The international version of ''Here I Am'' was released on November 28, 2011 in the UK.

Work on Rowland's fourth album reportedly began in August 2011. Rico Love remarked in an interview with ''Rap-Up'' magazine, "While she's on tour, I'm gonna be writing records for her new album. We can kinda roll that out and drop her new single in late spring 2012. Excited about that". In an interview with MTV News, Rowland stated that the album will have a theme: "I made sure that I locked in on a concept and everyone that's come in to work on this album, we've all built around it. It's just building up so beautifully. I'm so proud! So I can't wait till all of my fans hear it." Rowland was honoured for her contribution to the music industry at ''Essence'' magazine's 2012 Black Women in Music event, which took place on February 8, 2012. Rowland's song, "Need a Reason", featuring rappers Future and Bei Major, appeared on the soundtrack of the upcoming film, ''Think Like a Man'' (2012). She was recently in Australia for the urban music festival, Supafest.

Musical style and influences

Rowland cites Whitney Houston as her greatest music inspiration, and after Houston's death she has declared:"I am beyond heartbroken..Whitney Houston was undoubtedly one of the greatest singers & performers of all time & such a huge influence on me..She embraced me when I first started out with Destiny's Child, with love, with encouragement and with that powerhouse voice". Beside "The Voice", Rowland cites among her great music influences Sade, Brandy and Janet Jackson too. For her second solo album she says was inspired by Beyoncé's energy. From the beginning of her career Rowland has always sung R&B; music, with influences hip hop, soul, pop and rock. As brought on her official website, beginning from 2008, with the remix of "Work ", produced by Freemasons, Rowland experiments a new sound, more directed to the dance music with influences europop and house. Notable her collaborations with djs David Guetta, Alex Gaudino and Diplo According american record producer Jim Jonsin in the Rowland's new sound there are many elements of Donna Summer's music.

Other ventures

Film and television career

Rowland branched out into acting with a guest stint on the sitcom ''The Hughleys'' in 2002, before appearing in other UPN shows such as ''Eve'' and ''Girlfriends'' in the years of 2003 and 2006 respectively. Having played the role of Tammy Hamilton, an ambitious 21-year-old apprentice to realtor Toni (Jill Marie Jones) in latter sitcom, Rowland initially hoped her three-episode stint would expand to a larger recurring role, but as the show was moved to The CW network the following year plans for a return eventually went nowhere. Also in 2003, she appeared in ''American Dreams'' as Martha Reeves of Martha & The Vandellas, singing a version of the group's single "Nowhere to Run".

In 2004, Rowland made her big screen debut in the slasher film ''Freddy vs. Jason'', a crossover film directed by Ronny Yu. Cast as one of the female leads, she portrayed Kia Waterson, the frank best friend of lead character Lori Campbell, played by Monica Keena. Released to generally mixed reviews from critics, the movie topped the U.S. box office, gaining $36.4 million on its first weekend. Budgeted at $25 million, the film became a financial success, resulting in a worldwide box office total of $114.3 million.

The following year, Rowland returned to the big screen, this time for a lead role in the romantic comedy ''The Seat Filler'', starring opposite Duane Martin and Shemar Moore. Executive produced by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, the film hit theaters in the summer of 2005 and debuted at number eighteen at the box office top twenty. It eventually earned a total domestic gross ticket sales of $10.2 million. In the film, for which she recorded two songs, Rowland played a pop star who falls for an awards-show seat filler in which she mistakes for a high-profile entertainment attorney. Released to a limited number of festivals only, the film went straight to DVD in 2006.

In October 2007, Rowland auditioned for the role of Louise, Carrie Bradshaw's assistant, in the 2008 film adaptation of HBO's comedy series ''Sex and the City''. The part eventually went to Jennifer Hudson. In fall 2007, Rowland appeared as a choirmaster on the NBC reality show ''Clash of the Choirs''. Rowland was among superstars like Michael Bolton, Patti LaBelle, Nick Lachey, and Blake Shelton. Rowland's choir finished fifth in the competition. In 2009, she was cast to host Bravo's reality competition series ''The Fashion Show'' alongside Isaac Mizrahi. The series premiered on May 7, 2009.

On 30 May 2011, Rowland was confirmed as a judge for the eighth series of British television show ''The X Factor''. In addition to her judging stint, Rowland also had a supporting role in the motion picture ''Think Like a Man'' (2012) which was filmed earlier this year. The film also stars Keri Hilson, Chris Brown and Gabrielle Union. On 30 April 2012 it was officially announced that Rowland had stepped down as a judge on X Factor UK, due to a conflicting schedule.

Philanthropy

Rowland and the Knowles family founded the Survivor Foundation, a charitable entity set up to provide transitional housing for 2005 Hurricane Katrina victims and storm evacuees in the Houston, Texas area. The Survivor Foundation extended the philanthropic mission of the Knowles-Rowland Center for Youth, a multi-purpose community outreach facility in downtown Houston. Also in 2005, Rowland and Knowles lent their voices to a collaboration with Kitten K. Sera, entitled "All That I'm Lookin for." The song appeared on ''The Katrina CD'' album, whose proceeds went to the ''Recording Artists for Hope'' organization.

In 2006, Rowland joined other artists such as Pink and Avril Lavigne in ads for so-called empowerment tags for the ALDO Fights AIDS campaign, which went on sale exclusively at ALDO stores and benefited the YouthAIDS initiative. In 2007, Rowland, along with stars such as Jessica Simpson and the cast of ''Grey's Anatomy'' autographed pink Goody Ouchless brushes that were made available for auction on eBay, with all proceeds going to Breast Cancer Awareness. In addition, the singer teamed up with Kanye West, Nelly Furtado and Snoop Dogg to design a Nike sneaker for another eBay auction. All proceeds went to AIDS Awareness.

In 2008, Rowland officially became ambassador for MTV's Staying Alive Foundation, which aims to reduce discrimination against HIV and AIDS victims. She has since visited projects in Tanzania and Kenya to promote the charity, and underwent a HIV and AIDS test in Africa to raise awareness of the deadly diseases. In March 2009, she spearheaded a bone marrow drive. As reported, Rowland also is readying a new charity called I Heart My Girlfriends, which will serve as an interactive support system for teenage girls.

In 2009, Rowland connected with Serve.MTV.com, MTV’s platform to connect young people with local volunteerism opportunities, for a series of on-air PSAs. From battling homelessness to beautifying impoverished neighborhoods to saving whales, Rowland was joined by the likes of Cameron Diaz, will.i.am, and Sean Kingston as they discuss causes they volunteer to support, and urge young people to join with their friends in making civil service a part of their lifestyle. Also in 2009, Rowland along with fellow singers Alesha Dixon and Pixie Lott created T-shirts for River Island in aid of the Prince's Trust, profits from which help change young lives. In March 2010 Rowland launched her brand new charity, I Heart My Girlfriends. According to Rowland’s official website, the charity focuses on self-esteem, date violence prevention, community service, abstinence, sports, drug and alcohol and smoking avoidance, obesity, disabilities, education and more. On April 26, 2010, she was at Grand Ballroom's "City of Hope — Spirit of Life Awards" for a charity event.

Discography

''Simply Deep'' (2002)

''Ms. Kelly'' (2007)

''Here I Am'' (2011)

Tours

Headlining

2003: Simply Deeper Tour

2007: Ms. Kelly Tour

Supporting

2010: Supafest

2011: F.A.M.E. Tour (as an opening act for North America)

2012: Supafest

Awards and nominations

A

American Music Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
style="text-align:center;"	Herself	Best R&B;/Soul Female Artist

ASCAP Women Behind the Music Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
	Herself	Outstanding Women in the Music Industry

B

Billboard Music Award

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
style="text-align:center;"		Top R&B; Song

Billboard R&B;/Hip Hop Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
		Hot Rap Track of The Year

C

Capital FM Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
	"Dilemma" (With Nelly)	Favorite International Single

D

Danish DeeJay Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
		Best International Club-Hit
Best International DeeJay Favorite

G

Grammy Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"
style="text-align:center;" rowspan="4"
Best R&B; Song
style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"
style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"		Record of the Year
align=center	"Lose My Breath"
style="text-align:center;" rowspan="4"
Best R&B; Song
	Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
''Destiny Fulfilled''
style="text-align:center;"	"When Love Takes Over" (With David Guetta)
style="text-align:center;"	"Motivation" (feat. Lil Wayne)	Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

I

International Dance Music Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
		Best Pop Dance Track
Best House/Garage Track
Best Music Video
		Best R&B;/Urban Dance Track

M

MTV Europe Music Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
style="text-align:center;"	"When Love Takes Over" (With David Guetta)

MTV Video Music Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
style="text-align:center;"	"Dilemma" (With Nelly)

MTV Video Music Awards Latin America

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
	"When Love Takes Over" (With David Guetta)	Best Live Performance at "Los Premios 2009"

MTV Video Music Awards Japan

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
	"When Love Takes Over" (With David Guetta)	Best Dance Video

N

NRJ Music Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
	"When Love Takes Over" (With David Guetta)	International Song of the Year

S

Soul Train Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
		Best Dance Performance
Song of the Year
Herself	Best R&B;/Soul Artist

T

Teen Choice Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
	Herself	Choice Music Hip-Hop/R&B; Artist

TMF Awards Holland

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
	Herself	Best R&B; International artist
"Dilemma" (With Nelly)	Best Video International

W

World Music Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
style="text-align:center;"	"When Love Takes Over" (With David Guetta)	World's Best Single

Filmography

''Freddy vs. Jason'' ''The Seat Filler'' ''The Goree Girls'' ''God Save My Shoes'' ''Think Like A Man'' ''Taina (TV series) ''American Dreams'' ''Girlfriends'' ''Single Ladies (TV series) ''The Fashion Show (U.S. TV series) ''The X Factor (UK TV series) ''Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business'' ''Kourtney and Kim Take New York'' ''La La's Full Court Life''

colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"	Cinema
! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes
1999	''Beverly Hood''	Girl #2
2003	|	Kia Waterson	Supporting role
2004	|	Jhnelle	Lead role
2012	|	Jill	Supporting role
2012	|	Herself	Cameo appearance
2012	|	Brenda	Supporting Role
colspan="6" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"	Telefilms
! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes
2002	''The Hughleys''	Carly
2002	Taina'' ||	Nicole	1 episode
rowspan="2"	2003	|	Martha Reeves	2 episodes
''Eve (TV series)	Eve''	Cleo
2006	|	Tammy Hamilton	3 episodes
rowspan="2"	2011	Single Ladies'' ||	DJ Denise Phillips	1 episode
''Bag of Bones (Stephen King Mini Series)''	Blues Singer
colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"	Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes
2007	''Clash of the Choirs''	Judge
2009	The Fashion Show'' ||	Co-host	Reality series
2011	The X Factor'' (United Kingdom) ||	Judge	Talent show
colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"	Television guest appearances
! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes
1997	''Smart Guy''	Herself
rowspan="6"	2010	|	Herself; Guest appearance	2 episodes
''The Spin Crowd''	Herself; Guest appearance
''X Factor (Germany season 1)	X Factor Germany''	Herself; Mentor
''The X Factor (Australia season 2)	X Factor Australia''	Herself; Mentor
''La La's Full Court Wedding''	Herself; Guest Appearance
''The A-List: New York''	Herself; Guest Appearance
rowspan="2"	2011	|	Herself	Kim Kardashian>Kim's birthday)
''Keeping Up With The Kardashians''
rowspan="1"	2012	|	Herself; Guest Appearance	3 episodes

References

External links

Category:1981 births Category:Actors from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Actors from Texas Category:African American dancers Category:African American film actors Category:African American female singer-songwriters Category:African American television personalities Category:American child singers Category:American dance musicians Category:American philanthropists Category:American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Category:Destiny's Child members Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Hip hop singers Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Musicians from Texas Category:People from Atlanta, Georgia Category:People from Houston, Texas Category:People from Sugar Land, Texas Category:The X Factor judges Category:The X Factor (UK)

ar:كيلي رولاند bg:Кели Роуланд cs:Kelly Rowland da:Kelly Rowland de:Kelly Rowland es:Kelly Rowland fa:کلی رولند fr:Kelly Rowland id:Kelly Rowland it:Kelly Rowland he:קלי רולנד kk:Келли Роуленд sw:Kelly Rowland lv:Kellija Roulenda lt:Kelly Rowland hu:Kelly Rowland nl:Kelly Rowland ja:ケリー・ローランド nap:Kelly Rowland no:Kelly Rowland pl:Kelly Rowland pt:Kelly Rowland ro:Kelly Rowland ru:Роуленд, Келли sq:Kelly Rowland simple:Kelly Rowland sk:Kelly Rowlandová sr:Кели Роуланд fi:Kelly Rowland sv:Kelly Rowland th:เคลลี โรว์แลนด์ tr:Kelly Rowland uk:Келлі Роуленд vi:Kelly Rowland zh:凯莉·罗兰

name	Simon Cowell
background	non_performing_personnel
birth name	Simon Phillip Cowell
birth date	October 07, 1959
birth place	Lambeth, London, England
origin	Elstree, Hertfordshire, England
occupation	A&R; executive, television producer, entrepreneur, television personality
years active	1979–present
label	EMIE&S; MusicFanfare RecordsBMGS RecordsSony Music EntertainmentSyco
associated acts	Westlife, Sinitta, Leon Jackson, Jai McDowall, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Curiosity Killed the Cat, Sonia, Five, Robson & Jerome, Ultimate Kaos, WWF Wrestlers, Zig and Zag, Leona Lewis, Alexandra Burke, Joe McElderry, Shayne Ward, Il Divo, Susan Boyle, Paul Potts, JLS
notable instruments	}}

Simon Phillip Cowell (born 7 October 1959) is an English A&R; executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as ''Pop Idol'', ''The X Factor'', ''Britain's Got Talent'' and ''American Idol''. He is also the owner of the television production and music publishing house Syco.

As a judge, Cowell is known for his blunt and often controversial criticisms, insults and wisecracks about contestants and their abilities. He is also known for combining activities in the television and music industries, having promoted singles and records for various artists, including television personalities. He was most recently featured on the seventh series of ''The X Factor'' and the fifth series of ''Britain's Got Talent''. In September 2011, he will feature as a judge on the first season of the American version of ''The X Factor''.

In 2010, the British magazine ''New Statesman'' listed Cowell at number 41 in a list of "The World's 50 Most Influential Figures 2010".

Early life

Cowell was born in Lambeth, London and brought up in Elstree, Hertfordshire. His father, Eric Philip Cowell (1918–1999), was an estate agent developer and music industry executive; his mother, Julie Brett (née Josie Dalglish), is a former ballet dancer and socialite. Cowell's paternal grandparents, Joseph Cowell and Esther Malinsky, were English Jews, and his maternal grandfather was Scottish. He has one brother and three half-brothers; younger brother Nicholas Cowell, half-brother John Cowell, half-brother Tony Cowell and half-brother Michael Cowell. Michael is the oldest, followed by John, Tony, Simon and Nicholas respectively.

Cowell attended Radlett Preparatory School and the independent Dover College as did his brother, but left after taking GCE O levels. He passed in English Language and Literature and then attended Windsor Technical College where he gained another GCE in Sociology. At the age of 17, he dated model Paula Hamilton. Cowell took a few menial jobs—including, according to Tony, working as a runner on Stanley Kubrick's ''The Shining''—but did not get along well with colleagues and bosses, until his father who was executive at the recording giant EMI Music Publishing, managed to get him a job in the mail room.

Career

Cowell's father's connections originally got him rehired as the assistant to an A&R; man. From there onwards, Simon worked his way up and eventually got promoted to a music publishing position but left during the early 1980s to form E&S; Music with his boss at EMI, Ellis Rich (later Chairman of the Performing Right Society). The company had several hit records at one point with five singles in the UK top 40. The offices were in a converted gentleman's washroom in the NCP car park on Brewer Street in London's Soho district. Cowell left by mutual agreement a few years later. He worked for Iain Burton, manager of choreographer Arlene Phillips, co-founder of dance group Hot Gossip and of nascent independent record label Fanfare Records. Cowell worked with Burton for eight years at Fanfare where he achieved his first real success in the music industry, becoming a partner and building Fanfare into a highly successful 'indie' pop label. Fanfare had numerous top ten hits with various pop artists and particularly Sinitta, selling more than 500,000 copies of her debut single "So Macho", and more than 500,000 copies of her album ''Rondo Veneziano''. Next in 1984, Cowell and Burton met up with Pete Waterman for the first time.

Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman formed the songwriting and record producing trio known as Stock Aitken Waterman. Stock Aitken Waterman helped Fanfare during the second half of the 1980s producing several hit singles for Sinitta and licensing ''The Hit Factory'' SAW Compilation Albums to Fanfare. Next in 1989, Fanfare's parent, Public Company, found itself in difficulties, forcing Fanfare into the hands of BMG, and an in-debt Cowell was forced to move back in with his parents. Later that year, he became an A&R; consultant for BMG.

Subsequently, Cowell signed up a number of acts to ''S-Records'' that became successful, including Curiosity Killed the Cat, Sonia, Five, Westlife, Robson & Jerome, and Ultimate Kaos. He also released several novelty recordings featuring the likes of wrestlers of the World Wrestling Entertainment, Teletubbies, Zig and Zag and the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, that were huge successes. Cowell set up another label, Syco Music, in 2002 which later became part of Columbia Records and Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Artists such as Leona Lewis, Il Divo and contestants from ''The X Factor'' and ''America's Got Talent'' are released on Syco. Cowell explained, "There has to come a point when I will step down from being on camera and remain behind the scenes because you can't keep doing this forever...I think by [the end of my contract] that the public will be sick to death of me anyway and it will be time to go."

In 2006, Cowell signed to two more record-breaking deals. In the USA, he agreed to remain as a judge on ''American Idol'', earning £20 million (US$33 million) per season for another five years. He also has a deal with FOX which allows his production company to broadcast ''Got Talent'' and ''American Inventor'' on other networks, but he may not appear on them. In the UK, he signed a "golden handcuffs" deal with ITV, worth approximately £6.5 million a year for three years, which gave ITV rights to his talent show ''The X Factor'', a British singing talent show, and ''Grease Is the Word'', a musical talent show to find the stars of a ''Grease'' production in London's West End. In late 2005, he signed a new contract to remain working for Sony BMG.

In 2010, Cowell finalised a deal which secures the long-term business future of Syco with Sony Music Entertainment. The deal will also see him launching a US version of X Factor on 21 September 2011.

''Idol'' franchise and ''Il Divo''

Cowell was given the role of judge on the first series of Pop Idol by then ITV Controller of Entertainment Claudia Rosencrantz in 2001, he was then judge on the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002. With his notoriously critical reputation, Cowell is likened to TV personalities, such as Judge Judy, and ''Weakest Link'''s Anne Robinson. Though comparable to Anne Robinson, Cowell has expressed his dislike for her and has commented in an interview, "I hate her and I hate her show because it's just an act". Cowell's prominence grew, fed by his signature phrase, "I don't mean to be rude, but ...", inevitably followed by an unsparingly blunt appraisal of the contestant's talents, personality, or even physical appearance. A lot of these one-liners were the product of coaching that Cowell received from noted publicist Max Clifford. Cowell also appeared on the one-off ''World Idol'' programme in 2003, where it became clear that each country's version of the ''Idol'' had attempted to come up with its own "Simon Cowell" type personality. In 2003, Cowell placed No 33 on Channel 4's list of the all-time 100 Worst Britons. Cowell's S Records signed the top two finishers of the first season of ''Pop Idol'', Will Young and Gareth Gates, both of whom went on to have No 1 UK hits. Efforts begun in 2001 materialised in 2004, when Cowell returned to his group manufacturing roots with his latest brainchild, the internationally successful operatic pop group Il Divo, consisting of three opera singers and one pop singer of four different nationalities. Inspired by the success of Il Divo, Simon created a child version, Angelis, beating competition from many similar groups emerging at Christmas 2006.

On 11 January 2010, Cowell's exit from ''American Idol'' was made official. The 2010 season was Cowell's last on the show. It was also announced that Fox has acquired the rights to an American version of Cowell's popular British show, ''The X Factor'', which is slated to begin production in autumn 2011.

''The X Factor''

In 2004, with Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh, Cowell was a judge on the first series of the British television music competition ''The X Factor'', which he created using his production company, Syco. ''The X Factor'' was an instant success with the viewers and will begin its eighth series in 2011.

Leona Lewis, the winner of the third series of ''The X Factor'', was signed to Cowell's label Syco and has gone on to become an international star, with number one singles and album sales around the world. Cowell returned for a fourth series on 18 August 2007 alongside Osbourne, Walsh and new judge, Dannii Minogue. Walsh had previously been sacked from the judging panel by Cowell for the fourth series, and was subsequently replaced by Brian Friedman, who was a judge on ''Grease Is the Word''. Walsh was later brought back a week into the auditions by Cowell when he and Osbourne realised that they missed Walsh and that without him, there was no chemistry between the judges. Cowell returned for the fifth series in 2008, with Walsh, Minogue and new judge Cheryl Cole, as Sharon Osbourne decided to quit before the show began.

''The X Factor'' has been confirmed to return to Australian television in 2010 on the Seven Network with Kyle Sandilands, Ronan Keating, Guy Sebastian and Natalie Imbruglia as judges. Matthew Newton will host the show. Auditions will begin in May 2010.

Cowell will also launch the U.S. version of ''The X Factor'' in September 2011 on American broadcaster Fox. It was announced that he would be a judge both on the UK and US editions of the show, which will air at similar times of the year, but MTV officially reported on 17 April 2011 that this was not true; Cowell will no longer be a judge in the UK version., but instead will be an enormous presence backstage.

In October 2010, Cowell signed new three-year deals with ITV for both ''Britain's Got Talent'' and ''The X Factor''.

''Got Talent'' franchise

Following the success of the ''Idol'' and ''X-Factor'' franchises, Cowell, his company Syco, and its business partners developed a talent show format open to performers of any kind, not only singers, but also dancers, instrumentalists, magicians, comedians, novelty acts, and so on. The origins of the ''Got Talent'' format can be traced to the British show ''Opportunity Knocks'', which began as a radio programme in the 1940s and later transferred to television, where it was an ITV staple for several decades. Looking further back, ''Opportunity Knocks'' had its roots in the variety show traditions of British music hall and American vaudeville.

Cowell is the executive producer of ''America's Got Talent'', which debuted in June 2006, along with Fremantle producers of the ''Idol'' series, but he does not appear on the show due to the terms of his ''American Idol'' contract. The show was a huge success for NBC, drawing around 12 million viewers a week, and beating ''So You Think You Can Dance'' on FOX (produced by rival and ''Idol'' creator Simon Fuller).

''Britain's Got Talent'' debuted on ITV in June 2007. Cowell appears as a judge alongside Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan. The show was a ratings success and second and third seasons followed in 2008 and 2009. The third series featured a publicity coup when Susan Boyle made a global media impact with her regional audition performance comparable to that of any previous talent show series winner.

''American Inventor''

On 16 March 2006, Simon Cowell's next competition show, ''American Inventor'', debuted on ABC. Fledgling entrepreneurs from across the United States competed to see who could come up with the best new product concept. The 2006 winner, Janusz Liberkowski, received $1 million and the opportunity to develop his idea into a business. The show returned one more time in 2007 for a second season.

''Celebrity Duets''

In 2006, Cowell executive-produced ''Celebrity Duets'', which was described as "an Idol show for Hollywood superstars." The show was hosted by Wayne Brady, and its judges were Marie Osmond, Little Richard and David Foster.

''Grease Is the Word''

Cowell was also the executive producer of ''Grease Is the Word'' for ITV. This show set out to find performers to play Danny and Sandy in the 2007 West End revival of Grease. It was hosted by Zoe Ball and judged by Britons David Ian and Sinitta and Americans David Gest and Brian Friedman. The musical theatre casting concept had already been introduced by the BBC with the ratings hit ''How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?'', but Cowell's show was not the hoped for success. He himself said, "It has been slaughtered by the critics – and rightly so. It is far too similar to our other formats."

''Rock Rivals''

Cowell collaborated with UK production company Shed Media to produce 2008 ITV drama series ''Rock Rivals'', which is based on an ''X Factor'' type show.

Other activities

Cowell has been involved in charity work for many years. He supports children from The Association Of Children's Hospices and invites them backstage to the screenings of ''The X Factor''. When he can, he stops by some of the hospices to visit the children. He also supports animal rights and has appeared in a video for PETA in which he reminds drivers of the cruelty to animals that can occur when their pets are locked in cars in the summer. In view of his charitable works, particularly the production of the charity single ''Everybody Hurts'' in aid of victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, as well as his services to the music industry, there was considerable media speculation as to whether Cowell would receive a knighthood in the Queen's 2010 Birthday Honours, a proposal allegedly put forward by former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. Cowell stated that he believed his chances of receiving the honour were "zero" following what he described as being a "royal row"; ultimately Cowell did not receive an honour in the list.

In December 2003, Cowell published his autobiography titled ''I Don't Mean to be Rude, but...''. In it, he told the whole story of his childhood, his years working in music and experiences on ''Pop Idol'', ''Pop Stars Rivals'', and ''American Idol'', and finally, his tips for being successful as a pop star.

Cowell has appeared as a guest voice in an episode of ''The Simpsons'' ("Smart and Smarter"), in which he gets beaten up by Homer Simpson (while criticising Homer's punches). His voice was also heard on an episode of ''Family Guy'' ("Lois Kills Stewie"), in which he told Stewie that his singing was so awful that he should be dead. He made an MTV Movie Award-winning cameo appearance as himself in ''Scary Movie 3'', where he sits in judgment during a battle rap (and subsequently gets killed by gunfire for criticising the rappers). He also appears in the DVD version of ''Shrek 2'' as a judge in ''Far Far Away Idol'', and also provided the voice.

He appeared on an episode of ''Who Wants to be a Millionaire?'' (the original British version) and ''Saturday Night Live'' in 2004. Cowell has also guest-starred (filling in for Regis Philbin) in the popular talk show ''Live with Regis and Kelly'' during ''American Idol'''s finalist week in early 2006. Cowell was once the fastest "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" on BBC's motoring show ''Top Gear'', driving a Suzuki Liana around the show's test track in a time of 1:47.1. When ''Top Gear'' retired the Liana along with its rankings after the eighth series, Cowell was the eighth fastest overall and the third fastest non-professional driver. On 11 November 2007 Cowell yet again appeared on Top Gear, achieving a time of 1:45.9 thus putting him ahead of Gordon Ramsay and back at the top of the table. Cowell introduced entertainer Dick Clark at the 2006 Primetime Emmy Awards. He was seen on ''Comic Relief Does The Apprentice'' where he donated £25,000 for a fun fair ticket. Cowell has also appeared on the MTV shows Cribs and Punk'd. On Punk'd, Ryan Seacrest and Randy Jackson set him up to believe his $400,000 Rolls Royce was stolen and had caused an accident by using a nearly identical car.

Cowell was chosen as the first subject of the re-launched ''This Is Your Life'' in an episode broadcast on 2 June 2007. He was presented with the Red Book by Sir Trevor McDonald while presenting ''American Idol''.

On 1 July 2007 Cowell appeared alongside Randy Jackson and Ryan Seacrest as a speaker at the Concert For Diana, held at Wembley Stadium.

Simon Cowell was a partner in the Royal Ascot Racing Club, a thoroughbred horse racing syndicate which owned the 2005 Epsom Derby winner, Motivator.

In May 2010, he portrayed himself again, in another episode of ''The Simpsons'', "Judge Me Tender".

In December 2010, he was added as a new entry to the latest edition of ''Who's Who''.

Personal life

In late 2002, Cowell started dating longtime friend Terri Seymour. In November 2008, ''TV Guide'' reported that Cowell and Seymour had since broken up.

Cowell is the godfather of pop singer Sinitta's adopted children.

Upon his appearance on ''Top Gear'', it was revealed that Cowell pays more than £21.7m per year in income tax, suggesting that his taxable income is over £54.25m per year with income tax at the time approximately 40%. (NB: UK Income Tax 40% for earnings over £34,600). Cowell was estimated to have a fortune of £200 million in the ''Sunday Times Rich List'' of 2011, making him the sixth richest person in the British music industry.

Cowell has admitted to using Botox.

Cowell has a $22 million, home in Beverly Hills.

In May 2009, in the ''Daily Mail'' tabloid newspaper, Cowell revealed that he is often plagued by "dark moods and miserable thoughts". He claims that he has considered seeking therapy for this, stating that it would be a 'long session'.

Cowell became engaged to make up artist Mezhgan Hussainy in February 2010. They met on the set of ''American Idol''.

Cowell endorsed David Cameron to be Prime Minister and claimed that he has the 'substance and the stomach to navigate us through difficult times'. In the aftermath of the election, it was reported that he had fallen out with fellow X Factor judge Cheryl Cole (who had declared her support for Labour and Gordon Brown) in a telephone conversation about politics.

References

External links

Simon Cowell at itv.com/xfactor

Simon Cowell for PETA

Simon Cowell on World Top 100 A&R; Chart

New York Times: How a Hit Almost Failed Its Own Audition

Reviews and short bio of Simon Cowell

Playboy Interview: Simon Cowell, February 2007

Interview, HitQuarters Oct 2001

2011 radio interview with Simon Cowell

{{navboxes|list=

}}

Category:1959 births Category:Living people Category:American Idol participants Category:American music industry executives Category:Anglo-Scots Category:A&R; people Category:British music industry executives Category:British people of Jewish descent Category:British racehorse owners and breeders Category:English expatriates in the United States Category:English memoirists Category:English people of Scottish descent Category:English record producers Category:Got Talent series Category:Idol series judges Category:Old Dovorians Category:Pop Idol Category:Reality television judges Category:The X Factor judges Category:The X Factor (UK) Category:People educated at Licensed Victuallers' School

ar:سيمون كويل cy:Simon Cowell da:Simon Cowell de:Simon Cowell es:Simon Cowell fa:سایمون کاول fr:Simon Cowell gl:Simon Cowell ko:사이먼 코웰 hr:Simon Cowell id:Simon Cowell it:Simon Cowell he:סיימון קאוול lv:Saimons Kauels ms:Simon Cowell nl:Simon Cowell ja:サイモン・コーウェル no:Simon Cowell pl:Simon Cowell pt:Simon Cowell ru:Ковелл, Саймон simple:Simon Cowell fi:Simon Cowell sv:Simon Cowell th:ไซมอน โคเวลล์ vi:Simon Cowell zh:西蒙·高維爾