Look up release, released, or releases in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Release or Released may refer to:

Media [link]

• Film release, the public distribution of a film
• Legal release, a legal instrument
• News release, a communication directed at the news media

Technology [link]

• Software release life cycle, the public distribution of software code and support materials
• Release (ISUP), a code to identify and debug events in ISUP signaling

Science [link]

• Release (phonetics), the opening of the closure of a stop consonant

Film and television [link]

• Release (2010 film), a 2010 British film starring Daniel Brocklebank

Television episodes [link]

• "Release" (Angel), episode 14 of season four in the television show Angel
• "Release" (Law & Order), the 379th episode of NBC's legal drama Law & Order
• Release (The X-Files), the 199th episode of the television series The X-Files

Music [link]

• Release (music), the public distribution of a musical recording
• Release Magazine, a Swedish alternative music web magazine
• Release Entertainment, a subsidiary of Relapse Records
• Release time, in a music synthesizer ADSR envelope, how quickly a sound reaches silence when a note ends
• Bridge in Thirty-two-bar form

Albums [link]

• Release (Cop Shoot Cop album), the fourth and final album by the experimental band Cop Shoot Cop
• Release (David Knopfler album), David Knopfler's first solo album after leaving Dire Straits
• Release (P·A·L album), a 2000 album by German industrial music artist P·A·L
• Release (Pet Shop Boys album), the twelfth studio album, by the English electronic music duo Pet Shop Boys
• Release (Sister Hazel album), Sister Hazel's seventh studio album
• Release, a double album release by George Acosta:
  • Release AM
  • Release PM
• Released (Jade Warrior album), the second studio album by British band Jade Warrior
• Released (Patti LaBelle album), the fourth studio solo album released by singer Patti LaBelle
• Released (Westlife album)
• Released: 1985–1995, an album by Kronos Quartet

Songs [link]

• "Release" (The Tea Party song), a 1998 song by Canadian rock band The Tea Party. It was released as a charity single in Canada and a promotional single in the USA. The music video was shot in Paris and Toronto
• "Release" (Timbaland song), a song recorded by Timbaland and Justin Timberlake on the 2007 album Shock Value
• "Release" (The Tension), a 1980 song by Patti LaBelle
• "Release, Release", a 1978 song by Yes
• "Release", a song by George from Polyserena
• "Release", a song by Pearl Jam from Ten
• "Release", a song by Afro Celt Sound System (featuring vocals by Sinéad O'Connor) from Volume 2: Release
• "Released", a song by Norther from Dreams of Endless War

Organizations [link]

• Release (agency), a UK agency that provides legal services for young people charged with drug possession
• Release International, an organization for monitoring persecution of Christians

See also [link]

• Delayed release, refers to the relatively late release of a product to the public
• Flash release (disambiguation)
• Dismissal (employment), the termination of employment by an employer against the will of the employee
• Layoff or redundancy

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor performing live in 2008
Background information
Birth name	Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor
Born	(1966-12-08) 8 December 1966 (age 45)
Origin	Glenageary, County Dublin, Ireland
Genres	Alternative rock, pop rock, folk rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician, priest
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards, percussion, low whistle
Years active	1986–present
Labels	Ensign, Vanguard, Chocolate and Vanilla, One Little Indian
Website	Official website

Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor ( /ʃɪˈneɪd oÊ?ˈkÉ’nÉ™r/;^[1] born 8 December 1966) is an Irish singer-songwriter who rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra. O'Connor achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U".

Since then, while maintaining her singing career, she has occasionally encountered controversy, partly due to her statements and gestures such as her ordination as a priest despite being female with a Roman Catholic background, and her expressed strong views on organized religion, women's rights, war, and child abuse.

In addition to her nine solo albums her work includes many singles, songs for films, collaborations with many other artists, and appearances at charity fundraising concerts.

Early life[link]

Sinéad O'Connor was born in Glenageary in County Dublin and was named after Sinéad de Valera, wife of Irish President Éamon de Valera and mother of the doctor presiding over the delivery, and Saint Bernadette of Lourdes.^[2] She is the third of five children, sister to Joseph, Eimear, John, and Eoin. Joseph O'Connor is a novelist.

Her parents are Sean O'Connor, a structural engineer later turned barrister, and Marie O'Connor. The couple married young and had a troubled relationship, separating when Sinéad was eight. The three eldest children went to live with their mother, where O'Connor claims they were subjected to frequent physical abuse. Her song "Fire on Babylon" is about the effects of her own child abuse, and she has consistently advocated on behalf of abused children. Sean O'Connor's efforts to secure custody of his children in a country which routinely denied custody to fathers and prohibited divorce, motivated him to become chairman of the Divorce Action Group and a prominent public spokesman. At one point, he even debated his wife on the subject on a radio show.

In 1979, O'Connor left her mother and went to live with her father and his new wife. However, at the age of 15, her shoplifting and truancy led to her being placed in a Magdalene Asylum,^[3] the Grianán Training Centre run by the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity. In some ways, she thrived there, especially in the development of her writing and music, but she also chafed under the imposed conformity. Unruly students there were sometimes sent to sleep in the adjoining nursing home, an experience of which she later commented, "I have never — and probably will never — experience such panic and terror and agony over anything."^[4]

One of the volunteers at Grianán was the sister of Paul Byrne, drummer for the band In Tua Nua, who heard O'Connor singing "Evergreen" by Barbra Streisand. She recorded a song with them called "Take My Hand" but they felt that at 15, she was too young to join the band.^[5]

In 1983, her father sent her to Newtown School, an exclusive Quaker boarding school in Waterford, an institution with a much more permissive atmosphere than Grianan. With the help and encouragement of her Irish language teacher, Joseph Falvey, she recorded a four-song demo, with two covers and two of her own songs which later appeared on her first album.^{[citation needed]}

Through an ad she placed in Hot Press in mid-1984, she met Columb Farrelly. Together they recruited a few other members and formed a band called Ton Ton Macoute.^[2] The band moved to Waterford briefly while O'Connor attended Newtown, but she soon dropped out of school and followed them to Dublin, where their performances received positive reviews. Their sound was inspired by Farrelly's interest in witchcraft, mysticism, and world music, though most observers thought O'Connor's singing and stage presence were the band's strongest features.^[2][6]

On 10 February 1985, O'Connor's mother was killed in a car accident, which despite their strained relationship devastated her.^{[citation needed]} Soon afterward she left the band, which stayed together despite O'Connor's statements to the contrary in later interviews, and she moved to London.^{[citation needed]}

Musical career[link]

1980s[link]

O'Connor's time as singer for Ton Ton Macoute brought her to the attention of the music industry, and she was eventually signed by Ensign Records. She also acquired an experienced manager, Fachtna O'Ceallaigh, former head of U2's Mother Records. Soon after she was signed, she embarked on her first major assignment, providing the vocals for the song "Heroine", which she co-wrote with U2's guitarist The Edge for the soundtrack to the film Captive. O'Ceallaigh, who had been fired by U2 for complaining about them in an interview, was outspoken with his views on music and politics, and O'Connor adopted the same habits; she defended the actions of the IRA and said U2's music was "bombastic".^[7]

Things were contentious in the studio as well. She was paired with veteran producer Mick Glossop, whom she later publicly derided. They had differing visions regarding her debut album and four months'-worth of recordings were scrapped. During this time she became pregnant by her session drummer John Reynolds (who went on to drum with the band Transvision Vamp). Due largely to O'Ceallaigh's efforts of persuasion, the record company allowed O'Connor, 20 years old and by then seven months pregnant, to produce her own album.^{[citation needed]}

Her first album The Lion and the Cobra was "a sensation" when it was released in 1987^[8] and it reached gold record status and earned a Best Female Rock Vocal Performance Grammy nomination. The single "Mandinka" was a big college radio hit in the United States, and "I Want Your (Hands on Me)" received both college and urban play in a remixed form that featured rapper MC Lyte. In her first US network television appearance, O'Connor sang "Mandinka" on Late Night with David Letterman in 1988.^[9] The single "Troy" was also released as a single in the UK and Ireland. A club mix of "Troy" would become a major US dance hit in 2002.^{[citation needed]}

Artists that influenced her at that time were Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Bob Marley, Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Pretenders.^[10]

1990s[link]

Her second album 1990s I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got gained considerable attention and mostly positive reviews : it was rated "second best album of the year" by the NME.^[11] She was praised for her voice and her original songs. She was also noted for her appearance: her trademark shaved head, often angry expression, and sometimes shapeless or unusual clothing.

In 1989 O'Connor joined The The frontman Matt Johnson as a guest vocalist on the band's album Mind Bomb, which spawned the duet "Kingdom of Rain."^{[citation needed]}

The album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got featured Marco Pirroni and Kevin Mooney, of Adam and the Ants fame, and contained her international breakthrough hit "Nothing Compares 2 U", a song written by Prince and originally recorded and released by a side project of his, The Family. Aided by a memorable and well received video by John Maybury which consisted almost solely of O'Connor's face as she performed the song, it became a massive international hit, reaching #1 in several countries. In Ireland it hit the top spot in July 1990 and remained there for 11 weeks; it is the eighth most successful single of the decade there. It had similar success in the UK, charting at #1 for 4 weeks, and in Germany (#1 for 11 weeks). In Australia, it reached #1 on the Top 100. It also claimed the #1 spot on the Hot 100 chart in the USA. She also received Grammy nominations including Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. She eventually won the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance, but boycotted the award show.^{[citation needed]}

Public Enemy's Hank Shocklee remixed the album's next single, "The Emperor's New Clothes", for a 12-inch that was coupled with the Celtic funk of "I Am Stretched On Your Grave." Pre-dating but included on I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got was also "Jump in the River", which originally appeared on the Married to the Mob soundtrack; the 12-inch version of the single had included a remix featuring performance artist Karen Finley. Also in 1990, O'Connor starred in a small independent Irish movie Hush-a-Bye Baby directed in Derry by Margo Harkin.^{[citation needed]}

In 1990, she joined many other guests for former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters' massive performance of The Wall in Berlin. (In 1996, she would guest on Broken China, a solo album by Richard Wright of Pink Floyd.) In 1991, her take on Elton John's "Sacrifice" was acclaimed as one of the best efforts on the tribute album Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin.

In 1990, she contributed a cover of "You Do Something to Me" to the Cole Porter tribute/AIDS fundraising album Red Hot + Blue produced by the Red Hot Organization. In 1998, she worked again with the Red Hot Organization to co-produce and perform on Red Hot + Rhapsody. Red Hot + Blue was followed by the release of Am I Not Your Girl?, an album of standards and torch songs that she had listened to while growing up. Also in 1992, she contributed backing vocals on the track "Come Talk To Me", and shared vocals on the single "Blood of Eden" from the studio album Us by Peter Gabriel.

Also in 1990, she was criticized after she announced that she would not perform if the United States national anthem was played before one of her concerts. Frank Sinatra threatened to "kick her ass".^[7] After receiving 4 Grammy Award nominations she withdrew her name from consideration.^[7]

After spending nine years dividing her time between London and Los Angeles, O'Connor returned to her home town of Dublin in late 1992 to live near her sister and focus on raising her son Jake, then six years old.^{[citation needed]} She spent the following months studying Bel Canto singing with teacher Frank Merriman at the Parnell School of Music. In an interview with The Guardian published 3 May 1993 she reported that her singing lessons with Merriman were the only therapy she was receiving, describing Merriman as "the most amazing teacher in the universe."^[13]

The 1993 soundtrack to the film In the Name of the Father featured "You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart", with significant contributions from U2 frontman Bono.

The more conventional Universal Mother (1994) did not succeed in restoring her mass appeal.^{[citation needed]} She toured with Lollapalooza in 1995, but dropped out when she became pregnant. The Gospel Oak EP followed in 1997, and featured songs based in an acoustic setting. It too, did not recapture previous album successes.^{[citation needed]}

In 1994, she appeared in A Celebration: The Music of Pete Townshend and The Who, also known as Daltrey Sings Townshend. This was a two-night concert at Carnegie Hall produced by Roger Daltrey of The Who in celebration of his 50th birthday. A CD and a VHS video of the concert were issued in 1994, followed by a DVD in 1998.

She appeared in Neil Jordan's The Butcher Boy in 1997, playing the Virgin Mary.^{[citation needed]}

2000s[link]

Sinéad O'Connor in Poznań in 2007

Faith and Courage was released in 2000, including the single "No Man's Woman", and featured contributions from Wyclef Jean of the Fugees and Dave Stewart of Eurythmics. On the eve of its release, O'Connor came out as a lesbian, and then retracted the statement.^{[citation needed]}

Her 2002 album, Sean-Nós Nua, marked a departure in that O'Connor interpreted or, in her own words, "sexed up" traditional Irish folk songs, including several in the Irish language.^[14] In Sean-Nós Nua, she covered a well-known Canadian folk song, Peggy Gordon, interpreted as a song of lesbian, rather than heterosexual, love. In her documentary, Song of Hearts Desire, she stated that her inspiration for the song was her friend, a lesbian who sang the song to lament the loss of her partner.

In 2003, she contributed a track to the Dolly Parton tribute album Just Because I'm a Woman, a cover of Parton's "Dagger Through the Heart". That same year, she also featured on three songs of Massive Attack's album 100th Window before releasing her double album, She Who Dwells in the Secret Place of the Most High Shall Abide Under the Shadow of the Almighty. This compilation contained one disc of demos and previously unreleased tracks and one disc of a live concert recording. Directly after the album's release, O'Connor announced her retirement from music.^[15] Collaborations, a compilation album of guest appearances, was released in 2005 - featuring tracks recorded with Peter Gabriel, Massive Attack, Jah Wobble, Terry Hall, Moby, Bomb The Bass, The Edge, U2, and The The.

Ultimately, after a brief period of inactivity and a bout with fibromyalgia, her retirement proved to be short-lived - O'Connor stated in an interview with Harp that she only intended to retire from making mainstream pop/rock music, and after dealing with her fibromyalgia, chose to move into other musical styles.^[16] The reggae album Throw Down Your Arms appeared in late 2005 and was greeted with positive reviews. It was based on the Rastafarian culture and lifestyle, O'Connor having spent time in Jamaica in 2004. She performed the single "Throw Down Your Arms" on The Late Late Show in November. She also made comments critical of the war in Iraq and the role played in it by Ireland's Shannon Airport.^{[citation needed]}

On 8 November 2006, O'Connor performed seven songs from her upcoming album Theology at The Sugar Club in Dublin. Thirty fans were given the opportunity to win pairs of tickets to attend along with music industry critics.^[17] The performance was released in 2008 as Live at the Sugar Club deluxe CD/DVD package sold exclusively on her website.

O'Connor released two songs from her album Theology to download for free from her official website: "If You Had a Vineyard" and "Jeremiah (Something Beautiful)". The album, a collection of covered and original Rastafari spiritual songs, was released in June 2007. The first single from the album, the Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber classic "I Don't Know How to Love Him", was released on 30 April 2007.^[18] To promote the album, O'Connor toured extensively in Europe and North America. She also appeared on two tracks of the new Ian Brown album The World Is Yours, including the anti-war single "Illegal Attacks".^[19]

2010s[link]

In January 2010, O'Connor performed a duet with R&B singer Mary J. Blige produced by former A Tribe Called Quest member Ali Shaheed Muhammad entitled "This Is To Mother You". The proceeds of the song's sales were donated to the organization GEMS (Girls Educational and Mentoring Services).^[20]

O'Connor announced she was working on recording a new album, entitled Home, to be released in the beginning of 2012.^[21] On October 10, 2011 O'Connor announced that the release date for the album, now entitled How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?, had been set for February 20, 2012.^[22][23], with the first single being "The Wolf is Getting Married".

Having planned an extensive tour in support of How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?, O'Connor announced on her website in April 2012 that she was "very unwell" and had suffered a serious breakdown between December 2011 and March 2012.^[24] This resulted in the cancellation of the tour and all other musical activities for the rest of 2012, at least.

The song "Lay Your Head Down", written by Brian Byrne and Glenn Close for the soundtrack of the film Albert Nobbs and performed by O'Connor, was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.

Controversy[link]

[edit] Saturday Night Live performance

On 3 October 1992, O'Connor appeared on Saturday Night Live as a musical guest. She sang an a cappella version of Bob Marley's "War", which she intended as a protest over the sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, by changing the lyric "racism" to "child abuse."^[25] She then presented a photo of Pope John Paul II to the camera while singing the word "evil", after which she tore the photo into pieces, said "Fight the real enemy", and threw the pieces towards the camera.^[26]

Saturday Night Live had no foreknowledge of O'Connor's plan; during the dress rehearsal she held up a photo of a refugee child. NBC Vice President of Late Night Rick Ludwin recalled that when he saw O'Connor's action he "literally jumped out of [his] chair." SNL writer Paula Pell recalled personnel in the control booth discussing the cameras cutting away from the singer.^[27] The audience was completely silent, with no booing or applause;^[28] executive producer Lorne Michaels recalled that "the air went out the studio". Michaels, who ordered that the applause sign not be used, described the incident as "on a certain level, a betrayal", but also "a serious expression of belief."^[27]

A nationwide audience saw O'Connor's live performance, which the New York Daily News's cover called a "HOLY TERROR".^[27] NBC received more than 500 calls on Sunday^[29] and 400 more on Monday, with all but seven criticizing O'Connor;^[28] the network received 4,400 calls in total.^[30] Contrary to rumour, NBC was not fined by the Federal Communications Commission for O'Connor's act; the FCC has no regulatory power over blasphemy.^[30] NBC did not edit the performance out of the West coast tape-delayed broadcast that night,^[31] but reruns of the episode use footage from the dress rehearsal.^[30] On 24 April 2010, MSNBC aired the live version during an interview with O'Connor on The Rachel Maddow Show. In 1993 issue of The Irish Times O'Connor wrote a public letter where she asked people to "stop hurting" her.

As part of SNL's apology to the audience, during his opening monologue the following week, host Joe Pesci held up the photo, explaining that he had taped it back together. He then tore up another photo - of O'Connor herself - to huge applause. Pesci also said that if it had been his show, "I would have gave her such a smack."^[32]

In a 2002 interview with Salon, when asked if she would change anything about the SNL appearance, O'Connor replied, "Hell, no!"^[33] In 2010, TV Guide Network listed the incident at No. 24 on their list of 25 Biggest TV Blunders.^[34]

Madonna's reaction[link]

On Madonna's next appearance on SNL (on an episode hosted by Harvey Keitel), after singing "Bad Girl", she held up a photo of Joey Buttafuoco^[35] and, saying "fight the real enemy", tore it up. Madonna also roundly attacked O'Connor in the press for the incident, telling the Irish Times: "I think there is a better way to present her ideas rather than ripping up an image that means a lot to other people." She added, "If she is against the Roman Catholic Church and she has a problem with them, I think she should talk about it."^[36] The New York Times called it "professional jealousy" and wrote that: "After Madonna had herself gowned, harnessed, strapped down and fully stripped to promote her album Erotica and her book Sex, O'Connor stole the spotlight with one photograph of a fully clothed man. But the other vilification that descended on O'Connor showed she had struck a nerve."^[37] Bob Guccione, Jr. in a 1993 SPIN editorial was adamant in his defense of O'Connor, writing, "...Madonna savaged her in the press, obviously to fuel publicity for Sex and sales of her new album, Erotica .... But when the Sinead controversy threatened to siphon some of the attention from the impending release of Sex, Madonna conveniently found religion again..."^[36] In November 1991, a year prior to the incident, O'Connor had told Spin Magazine: "Madonna is probably the hugest role model for women in America. There's a woman who people look up to as being a woman who campaigns for women's rights. A woman who in an abusive way towards me, said that I look like I had a run in with a lawnmower and that I was about as sexy as a Venetian blind. Now there's the woman that America looks up to as being a campaigner for women, slagging off another woman for not being sexy".^[38]

Bob Dylan tribute performance[link]

Two weeks after the Saturday Night Live appearance, she was set to perform "I Believe in You" at the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary tribute concert in Madison Square Garden.^[39] She was greeted by a thundering mixture of cheers and jeers. During the booing, Kris Kristofferson told her not to "let the bastards get you down", to which she replied, "I'm not down."^[40][41] The noise eventually became so loud that O'Connor saw no point in starting the scheduled song. She called for the keyboard player to stop and the microphone to be turned up, and then screamed over the audience with an improvised, shouted rendition of "War". This time, she sang the song, stopping just after the part in which the lyrics talk about child abuse, emphasizing the point of her previous action. She then looked straight to the audience for a second and left the stage. Kristofferson then comforted her, as she cried.^[42][43]

Garden State Arts Center performance[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (August 2011)

On 24 August 1990, O'Connor was scheduled to perform at the then-Garden State (now PNC Bank) Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey. The practice of the venue was to play a recording of the American national anthem before the show began. O'Connor, who said she was unaware of this practice until shortly before the show was to begin, refused to go on if the anthem was played. Venue officials acquiesced to her demand and omitted the anthem, and so O'Connor performed, but would never appear there again.

O'Connor said that she had a policy of not having the national anthem of any country played before her concerts, explaining that these were often written and composed during wars and amounted to nationalist tirades. She pointed out that she meant "no disrespect", but added that she "will not go on stage after the national anthem of a country which imposes censorship on artists. It's hypocritical and racist."

The incident made tabloid headlines, and O'Connor drew tabloid-derived criticism. Her songs were banned from some radio stations.

[edit] After Dark appearance

In January 1995 O'Connor "was so interested in a (television) discussion about abuse and the Catholic church that she rang in to ask if she could appear. They sent a taxi to her home".^[44] The Evening Standard wrote that After Dark "made a brief reappearance last Saturday night when, true to its unpredictable form, Sinéad O'Connor walked on to the set 10 minutes before closedown".^[45] Host Helena Kennedy described the event:

On that occasion, former taoiseach, Garret FitzGerald, was sharing the sofas with a Dominican monk and a representative of the Catholic church. “While we were on the air, Sinéad O’Connor called in,� says Kennedy. “Then I got a message in my earpiece to say she had just turned up at the studio. Sinéad came on and argued that abuse in families was coded in by the church because it refused to accept the accounts of women and children,� says Kennedy.^[46]

Personal life[link]

While her shaved head was initially an assertion against traditional views of women, years later, O'Connor said she had begun to grow her hair back, but that after being asked if she was Enya, O'Connor shaved it off again. "I don't feel like me unless I have my hair shaved. So even when I'm an old lady, I'm going to have it."^[47]

Romantic and family life[link]

She has been married four times. Her first marriage was to music producer John Reynolds, who co-produced several of her albums, including Universal Mother. They have one child together. They split up on good terms and Reynolds continues to work as her producer and drummer.

Her second marriage was to journalist Nicholas Sommerlad in 2002. For a period during 2006 and early 2007, she had a relationship with Frank Bonadio, the father of her fourth child. O'Connor acknowledged to the Irish Daily Mirror that the two had separated as of the weekend of 17 February 2007, citing difficulties between Bonadio and his former wife, singer Mary Coughlan.

O'Connor married long-time friend and collaborator Steve Cooney on 22 July 2010^[48][49] and divorced him in April 2011.^[50]

Her fourth marriage was to Irish therapist Barry Herridge, whom she met through the internet.^[51] They wed on 9 December 2011 in Las Vegas, but 17 days later she announced on her website that their marriage had ended, noting that they "lived together for 7 days only".^[52] The following week, on 3 January 2012, O'Connor issued a further string of internet announcements to the effect that the couple had re-united.^{[53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60]}

Sexuality[link]

In a 2000 interview in Curve, O'Connor commented, "I'm a dyke ... although I haven't been very open about that and throughout most of my life I've gone out with blokes because I haven't necessarily been terribly comfortable about being a big lesbian mule. But I actually am a dyke."^[61] However, soon after in an interview in The Independent, she stated, "I believe it was overcompensating of me to declare myself a lesbian. It was not a publicity stunt. I was trying to make someone else feel better. And have subsequently caused pain for myself. I am not in a box of any description." In a magazine article and in a programme on RTÉ (Ryan Confidential, broadcast on RTÉ on 29 May 2003), she stated that while most of her sexual relationships had been with men, she has had three relationships with women. In a May 2005 issue of Entertainment Weekly, she stated, "I'm three-quarters heterosexual, a quarter gay. I lean a bit more towards the hairy blokes".^[62]

Health[link]

On a 4 October 2007 broadcast of The Oprah Winfrey Show, O'Connor disclosed that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder four years earlier, and had attempted suicide on her 33rd birthday on 8 December 1999.^[63]

Religion[link]

In the late 1990s, Bishop Michael Cox of the Irish Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church (an Independent Catholic group not in communion with the Roman Catholic Church) ordained O'Connor as a priest. The Roman Catholic Church considers ordination of women to be either invalid, impossible, or both and asserts that a person attempting the sacrament of ordination upon a woman incurs excommunication.^[64] The bishop had contacted her to offer ordination following her appearance on the RTÉ's Late Late Show, during which she told the presenter, Gay Byrne, that had she not been a singer, she would have wished to have been a Catholic priest. After her ordination, she indicated that she wished to be called Mother Bernadette Mary.^[64]

In a July 2007 interview with Christianity Today, O'Connor stated that she considers herself a Christian and that she believes in core Christian concepts about the Trinity and Jesus Christ. She said, "I think God saves everybody whether they want to be saved or not. So when we die, we're all going home... I don't think God judges anybody. He loves everybody equally". She also expressed a belief in pantheism, viewing the physical universe as a body with divine "energy".^[65] In an October 2002 interview with Salon.com, she credited her Christian faith in giving her the strength to live through, and then overcome the effects of, her child abuse.^[25]

On 26 March 2010, O'Connor appeared on Anderson Cooper 360° to speak out about the Catholic sexual abuse scandal in Ireland.^[66] On 28 March 2010, she had an opinion piece published in the Sunday Edition of the Washington Post where she wrote about the Catholic sex abuse scandal and her time in a Magdalene laundry as a teenager.^[3] She wrote an article for the Sunday Independent newspaper of 17 July 2011 in response to the sexual abuse scandal in Cloyne diocese in which she described the Vatican as "a nest of devils". She wrote that an alternative church might have to be established because "Christ is being murdered by liars" in the Vatican.^[67]

Political beliefs[link]

O'Connor is a pacifist and, as such, she supports Ireland's tradition of neutrality in foreign wars.^[25]

Discography[link]

• 1987: The Lion and the Cobra
• 1990: I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
• 1992: Am I Not Your Girl?
• 1994: Universal Mother
• 2000: Faith and Courage
• 2002: Sean-Nós Nua
• 2005: Throw Down Your Arms
• 2007: Theology
• 2012: How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Guterman, Jimmy. Sinéad : Her Life and Music. Warner Books, 1991. ISBN 0-446-39254-5.
• Hayes, Dermott. Sinéad O'Connor: So Different. Omnibus, 1991. ISBN 0-7119-2482-1.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sinéad O'Connor

• Official site
• Facebook page
• Sinéad O'Connor at the Internet Movie Database
• Works by or about Sinéad O'Connor in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

This article appears to be written like an advertisement. Please help improve it by rewriting promotional content from a neutral point of view and removing any inappropriate external links. (July 2008)

Vickie Winans (born Viviane Bowman on October 18, 1953) is an American Gospel recording artist.

Biography[link]

The seventh of twelve children, Vickie was born in Detroit, Michigan to Mattie A. Bowman, a housewife, and Aaron Bowman, a father who worked at various times as a laborer, contractor, carpenter and mason. She began singing in church – the International Gospel Center – at the age of eight, and as a teenager she sang with a group known as the International Sounds of Deliverance. Some of her siblings include Beverly Bouldes, Sandi Tyler, Irma Crockett, Annette Tharpe, Aaron Bowman, Jr. (deceased), Carleen Riley, Cathy Williams, Tim Bowman, Mary Sturdivant, Bryan,and Lorne Bowman.^[1]

After high school, she married Bishop Ronald Brown of Faith Tabernacle Deliverance Temple in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Together they had a son, Mario Brown, now known as Mario Winans.^[1] In June 1978, she married Marvin Winans of the popular gospel group, The Winans. With Marvin she had a son, Marvin Jr. (Coconut). At the end of 2003, Vickie married businessman, Joe McLemore.^[1] Vickie lost her mother, Evangelist Mattie Bowman, on December 12, 2006.^[2]

Divorce[link]

In 1995 Vickie and Marvin Sr. divorced after almost 17 years of marriage. The stress of the divorce caused her to develop ulcers on her esophagus, diabetes and to gain weight. "I was sick from the stress of the divorce." Eventually, Vickie regained her health and re-energized her career.^[3]

Career[link]

It was her marriage to Marvin that led Vickie to consider a career in music. She was asked to, and joined, Winans Part II, a group that included then in-laws BeBe and CeCe Winans and brother Daniel Winans. However, the group never took off as BeBe and CeCe left to join the PTL Singers of the long-running Christian television show, The PTL Club.

Light Records: 1985–1990[link]

The Winans became the best selling act on their record label, Light Records, and this enabled husband Marvin to secure her a recording contract.^[1] Her solo album, Be Encouraged was released in 1987 and became a major gospel hit. The LP included a cover of Dottie Rambo's, "We Shall Behold Him", as well as "First Trumpet Sound," a gospelized remake of Gladys Knight & The Pips' "Midnight Train To Georgia." Be Encouraged netted a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album, a Stellar Award for Album of the Year, and an Excellence Award for Best Female Contemporary Artist.

Her followup album, Total Victory was markedly less successful, due in part to the financial floundering of Light Records after its flagship group, The Winans, left to join Quincy Jones' Qwest Records.

MCA Records: 1990–1991[link]

In 1990, Vickie signed, not to a gospel recording company but to Geffen Records. Unfortunately, Geffen was bought by Universal Records and Vickie's contract was shifted to sister label MCA Records. Dealing with a company that hadn't signed her, she found herself being subtly pushed to tone down the Christian message in her music. "They don't tell you, but you get the vibe," she said in 1999. "I don't ever, ever, ever want to be in that predicament again. It's one thing when you just sing a song where you don't use the actual name of Jesus, but it's a whole 'nother thing when you TRY not to use the name. For me, the name of Jesus will never be distasteful in my mouth. He's always the answer".^[4]

Her 1991 MCA release was The Lady which included production by R. Kelly, husband Marvin Winans, and her son Mario. The nine-song album was missing the name Jesus and controversially contained a rendition of West Side Story's "Somewhere". MCA then sent Vickie to that year's Stellar Awards television broadcast with dancers – a move that shocked the conservative Christian community, leading to the Winans having to issue a public apology.^[1]

This controversy led to the Gospel community not backing the album, and after also failing to break through on contemporary R&B radio, MCA eventually dropped Winans from their roster.

Intersound/CGI: 1994–2002[link]

After 3 years without a recording contract, former Word Records executive James Bullard signed Vickie to Intersound Records, an Atlanta-based classical recording label, for which he was forming a gospel music division. Her label debut Vickie Winans rose to #10 on the gospel charts, spawning the hits Work It Out and We Shall Behold Him. However, she developed nodes on her vocal cords, causing her to fail to hit all the right notes in her re-recording of We Shall Behold Him.^[1]

[edit] Live in Detroit

She ran across a James Cleveland classic tune from the 1960s called As Long As I Got King of Jesus and used it as the lead single and megahit for a traditionally-styled album in 1997 titled Live In Detroit. Recorded live at Bishop Andrew Merrit's Straight Gate Church, Winans recorded simple arrangements of "Great Is Thy Faithfulness", Bill Gaither's "Because He Lives" and Candi Staton's "The Blood Rushes". Another James Cleveland classic, "No Cross, No Crown", was also a hit from the album.

Intersound/CGI financed a video for "Long As I Got King Jesus", that boosted the sales of the album. It eventually sold 200,000 units.^[1] The album earned Winans a Grammy nomination for Best Soul Gospel Album and two Stellar Award nominations for Best Female Vocalist and Best Video ("Long As I Got King Jesus").

[edit] Live in Detroit II and Share the Laughter

Intersound/CGI realized and capitalized on Winans' star quality by planning to release three Vickie Winans albums in 1999; a May release of Live In Detroit II, followed by the Share The Laughter comedy album in July and capping the year with an October release called "Woman To Woman: Songs Of Survival. They launched their most expensive marketing campaign ever to promote the project^{[citation needed]}. They bought full page color ads in magazines, shot a concept video for the song "Already Been To The Water" and hired Capital Entertainment (which handled CeCe Winans and Bishop T. D. Jakes at the time) to handle Winans' press coverage. They were able to book Vickie on Queen Latifah, various BET shows and Jenny Jones, among other high profile television programs and got her the most press coverage she'd had since she toured with the Winans Family Tour in 1992.^[1]

Live in Detroit II was a major success, reaching #3 on the gospel charts, only failing to top the charts because of Kirk Franklin's success with The Nu Nation Project in the same year.

Share the Laughter did not do as well, but for a standup comedy album, its sales were far from disappointing considering Intersound/CGI was on its last legs and soon closed.^[5]

Hiatus: 2000–2002[link]

Vickie Winans troubles with recording companies continued after Intersound/CGI closed and released her from her contract. In early 2000, she signed with Tommy Boy Gospel. Woman To Woman was scheduled as the third album in the trilogy, but the label folded before the album could be released.

In 2002, she signed with Verity Records at the invitation of her longtime friend Max Siegel who had assumed leadership of the label.^[5]

Verity Records: 2003–2006[link]

After a four-year hiatus, in 2003, Winans released Bringing It All Together which featured "Shake Yourself Loose", written and produced by her son, Mario. Leaving nothing to chance, she dipped deep into her own pockets to create a marketing strategy that most gospel labels would never spend on a project. She spent well over $200,000 creating five music videos, hiring independent radio teams, promotional marketing teams and creating a 50 city-promotional concert tour to launch the CD.^[5]

The strategy paid off as the album debuted at #1 on the Billboard gospel music charts. It spent nine weeks at #1 and a full year in the Top 10.^[6] The album also garnered 8 Stellar Award nominations, winning 5, and a Grammy nomination.

Woman to Woman: Songs of Life, was released on August 8, 2006.^[7]

[edit] How I Got Over

How I Got Over (Destiny Joy Records) is the name of Winans' self-produced CD that was released on August 25, 2009. The eleven-song project is a well-blended collage of traditional and urban contemporary songs.^{[citation needed]} Her first radio single, “How I Got Over� is Winans’ personal testimony. Taking a line from an old hymn classic favorite, Winans creates a brand new song that celebrates her victories, faith and trust in God.^{[citation needed]} It opens with an upbeat, but old school church flavor and breaks down into a contemporary vamp before she slams a closing with her nephew, Tim Bowman Jr. who lays down some jazzy scats. The song's music video was shot in the basement of Winans' home.^[8]

Current activities[link]

Most recently, Winans requested and was granted a release from her recording contract with Verity Records in order to pursue her independent venture, Destiny Joy Records. The new label's name is very personal to Vickie Winans:

"Right after I had my son, Coconut (Marvin Winans Jr.), I got pregnant with a little girl. We were planning to name her Destiny Joy Winans. Unfortunately, however, I miscarried during my fifth month and lost my baby who only weighed one pound. I named that baby Marvlyn Loreal Winans after her father Marvin Lawrence Winans Sr and kept the name Destiny Joy alive - not knowing one day that I would start this label and name it after her".^[9]

Through Destiny Joy, she intends to release a fitness DVD titled Laugh While You Lose, a comedy DVD, and a Christmas album, in addition to releases from signees Denise Tichenor and Datisha Pickett^{[citation needed]}.

Her profile on BET's Sunday morning TV series "Lift Every Voice" remains the most watched episode in that program's history with over 800,000 viewers.^[6]

Recently, Black Entertainment Television (BET) signed Winans to host a new comedy TV series, “A Time to Laugh.� Winans has already begun taping and is signed on to tape 30 episodes that feature her plus other G-rated comedians and inspirational music. The show focuses on good clean family comedy. The series was supposed to debut on BET in January 2010. but never aired. Also In 2011 Winans premiered her new video for the song release it, from her mega hit album How I Got Over. In 2011 she was hired as the sarah/waters in the upcoming film Sparkle, staring whitney houston, jordan sparks and many other stars.

Albums[link]

• Be Encouraged (Light, 1985)
• Total Victory (Light, 1989)
• Best of All (Light, 1991)
• The Lady (Selah/MCA, 1991)
• Vickie Winans (Intersound, 1995)
• Live In Detroit (Intersound, 1997)
• Live In Detroit II (Intersound, 1999)
• Share the Laughter (CGI/Platinum, 1999)
• Best of Vickie Winans (CGI/Platinum, 2002)
• Bringing It All Together (Verity platinum, 2003)
• Greatest Hits (Light/Artemis, 2005)
• Woman to Woman: Songs of Life (Verity, 2006)
• Happy Holidays from Vickie Winans (Destiny Joy, 2007)
• Praise & Worship (Verity, 2008)
• How I Got Over (Destiny Joy, 2009)
• How I Got Over Remix (Destiny Joy, 2010)
• Radio One Family Comdedy Tour, Vol.1 (Destiny Joy, 2010)
• Vickie Winans "Unplugged and Hilarious" Comedy DVD Vol.1 (Destiny Joy, 2012)
• Vickie Winans Unplugged and Hilarious Comedy DVD Vol.2 (Destiny Joy, 2012)

Notable singles[link]

• "Don't Throw Your Life Away"
• "We Shall Behold Him"
• "Just When (featuring Marvin Winans)"
• "Work It Out"
• "Shake Yourself Loose"
• "It's Alright"
• "Special Day"
• "The Rainbow"
• "Kids Love Jesus Too"
• "How I Got Over"
• "Holiday Jam"
• "Release it"

External links[link]

• www.vickiewinans.com Vickie Winans official Internet site
• Vickie Winans at Allmusic

References[link]

Engelbert Humperdinck
Engelbert Humperdinck
Born	(1854-09-01)1 September 1854 Siegburg
Died	27 September 1921(1921-09-27) (aged 67) Neustrelitz
Nationality	German
Occupation	Composer
Known for	Hänsel und Gretel

Engelbert Humperdinck (German pronunciation: [ˈɛŋlÌ©bÉ›Ê?t ˈhÊ?mpÉ?dɪŋk]; 1 September 1854 – 27 September 1921) was a German composer, best known for his opera, Hänsel und Gretel. Humperdinck was born at Siegburg in the Rhine Province; he died at the age of 67 in Neustrelitz, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Life[link]

Birthplace of Humperdinck

After receiving piano lessons, Humperdinck produced his first composition at the age of seven. His first attempts at works for the stage were two Singspiele written when he was 13. His parents disapproved of his plans for a career in music and encouraged him to study architecture. Nevertheless, he began taking music classes under Ferdinand Hiller at the Cologne Conservatory in 1872. In 1876, he won a scholarship that enabled him to go to Munich, where he studied with Franz Lachner and later with Josef Rheinberger. In 1879, he won the first Mendelssohn Award given by the Mendelssohn Stiftung (foundation) in Berlin. He went to Italy and became acquainted with Richard Wagner in Naples. Wagner invited him to join him in Bayreuth and during 1880 and 1881 Humperdinck assisted in the production of Parsifal. He also served as music tutor to Wagner's son, Siegfried.

After winning another prize, he traveled through Italy, France, and Spain and spent two years teaching at the Gran Teatre del Liceu Conservatory in Barcelona. In 1887, he returned to Cologne. He was appointed professor at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt in 1890 and also teacher of harmony at Julius Stockhausen's Vocal School. By this time he had composed several works for chorus and a Humoreske for orchestra, which enjoyed a vogue in Germany.

[edit] Hänsel und Gretel

His reputation rests chiefly on his opera Hänsel und Gretel, which he began work on in Frankfurt in 1890.^[1] He first composed four songs to accompany a puppet show his nieces were giving at home. Then, using a libretto by his sister Adelheid Wette rather loosely based on the version of the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, he composed a Singspiel of 16 songs with piano accompaniment and connecting dialogue. By January 1891 he had begun working on a complete orchestration.

The opera premiered in Weimar on 23 December 1893, under the baton of Richard Strauss, who called it "a masterpiece of the highest quality... all of it original, new, and so authentically German." With its highly original synthesis of Wagnerian techniques and traditional German folk songs, Hänsel und Gretel was an instant and overwhelming success.

Hänsel und Gretel has always been Humperdinck's most popular work. In 1923 the Royal Opera House (London) chose it for their first complete radio opera broadcast. Eight years later, it was the first opera transmitted live from the Metropolitan Opera (New York). It remains a worldwide favorite.

Later career[link]

Engelbert Humperdinck

In 1896 the Kaiser made Humperdinck a Professor and he went to live at Boppard. Four years later, however, he went to Berlin where he was appointed head of a Meister-Schule of composition. Among his other stage works are:

• Die sieben Geißlein (The Seven Little Kids), 1895
• Königskinder (King's Children), 1897, 1910
• Dornröschen (Sleeping Beauty), 1902
• Die Heirat wider Willen (The Reluctant Marriage), 1905
• Bübchens Weihnachtstraum (The Christmas Dream), 1906
• Die Marketenderin (The Provisioner), 1914
• Gaudeamus: Szenen aus dem deutschen Studentenleben (Gaudeamus igitur: Scenes from German Student Life), 1919

While composing those works, Humperdinck held various teaching positions of distinction and collaborated in the theater, providing incidental music for a number of Max Reinhardt's productions in Berlin, for example, for Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice in 1905.^[2]

Though recognized as a disciple of Wagner rather than an innovator, he was nevertheless the first composer to use Sprechgesang—a vocal technique halfway between singing and speaking used later by Arnold Schoenberg—in his melodrama Die Königskinder (1897).

In 1914, Humperdinck seems to have applied for the post of director of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in Australia, but with the outbreak of World War I it became unthinkable for a German to hold that position, and the job went instead to Belgium's Henri Verbrugghen.^[3] Also in 1914, Humperdinck signed the Manifesto of the Ninety-Three, declaring support for German military actions during early World War I.^[4]

On 5 January 1912, Humperdinck suffered a severe stroke. Though he recovered, his left hand remained permanently paralyzed. He continued to compose, completing Gaudeamus with the help of his son, Wolfram, in 1918. On 26 September 1921, Humperdinck attended a performance of Carl Maria von Weber's Der Freischütz in Neustrelitz, Wolfram's first effort as a stage director. He suffered a heart attack during the performance and died the next day from a second heart attack. The Berlin State Opera performed Hänsel und Gretel in his memory a few weeks later.

References[link]

• This article is based on a text from the Etude magazine, prior to 1923, that is in the public domain.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Engelbert Humperdinck

• Free scores by Engelbert Humperdinck at the International Music Score Library Project
• Free scores by Engelbert Humperdinck in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)

Justin Timberlake
Timberlake at the premiere of Shrek The Third in 2007.
Background information
Birth name	Justin Randall Timberlake
Born	(1981-01-31) January 31, 1981 (age 31) Memphis, Tennessee
Origin	Shelby Forest, Tennessee, United States
Genres	Pop, dance, R&B
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, dancer, actor, businessman
Instruments	Vocals, keyboards, guitar, beatboxing
Years active	1993–present
Labels	Jive, RCA
Associated acts	'N Sync, The Y's, Timbaland, Nelly Furtado
Website	justintimberlake.com

Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981)^[1] is an American singer, actor, and businessman. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez. Timberlake became famous in the late 1990s as the lead singer and youngest member of the boy band 'N Sync, whose launch was financed by Lou Pearlman.

In 2002, he released his debut solo album, Justified, which sold more than seven million copies worldwide. The album was a commercial success, spawning the hits "Cry Me a River" and "Rock Your Body". Timberlake continued his success with his second solo album, FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006), debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, and produced the US number-one hit singles "SexyBack", "My Love", and "What Goes Around... Comes Around".

Timberlake has won six Grammy Awards and four Emmy Awards. His first two albums made him one of the most commercially successful singers in the world, each selling in excess of 7 million copies. He also has an acting career, having starred in films such as The Social Network, Bad Teacher and Friends with Benefits. His other ventures include record label Tennman Records, fashion label William Rast, and the restaurants Destino and Southern Hospitality.

Early life[link]

Timberlake was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of Lynn Harless (née Bomar) and Randall Timberlake.^[1] Timberlake is of almost entirely English descent, however he has some very distant German and Native American ancestry.^[2][3][4] His paternal grandfather, Charles L. Timberlake, was a Baptist minister, and Timberlake was raised Baptist, though now considers himself more "spiritual than religious".^[5]

Timberlake's parents divorced in 1985, and both have remarried. His mother, who now runs an entertainment company called Just-in Time Entertainment, remarried to Paul Harless, a banker, when her son was five. His father, a choir director at a Baptist church, has two children, Jonathan (born c. 1993) and Steven Robert (born August 14, 1998), from his second marriage to Lisa Perry. Timberlake's half-sister, Laura Katherine, died shortly after birth on May 14, 1997, and is mentioned in his acknowledgments in the album *NSYNC as "My Angel in Heaven."^[6] Timberlake grew up in Shelby Forest, a small community between Memphis and Millington. His first attempts at a singing career were country music songs on Star Search as "Justin Randall."^[7]

In 1993, Timberlake joined the cast of The Mickey Mouse Club. His castmates included future girlfriend and pop superstar Britney Spears, future tourmate Christina Aguilera, future bandmate JC Chasez, and future movie actor Ryan Gosling.^[8] The show ended in 1994, but late in 1995 Timberlake recruited Chasez to be in an all-male singing group organized by boy band manager Lou Pearlman^[9] that eventually became 'N Sync.

Entertainment career[link]

1995–2002: 'N Sync[link]

Timberlake and JC Chasez were the two lead singers of the popular 1990s boy band 'N Sync.^[10] The group formed in 1995, started its career 1996 in Europe, and hit it big in the United States in 1998 with the U.S. release of its debut album *NSYNC, which sold 11 million copies.^[11] The album included a number of hit singles, including "Tearin' Up My Heart". For the next two years, encouraged by similar developments with the Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync engaged in a lengthy legal battle with manager Lou Pearlman. Eventually the band signed with Jive Records.^[12] In March 2000, 'N Sync released a long-awaited album, No Strings Attached, which became the fastest-selling album of all time with 2.4 million copies sold in its first week^[13] and produced a #1 single, "It's Gonna Be Me". The release was followed by the band's third album, Celebrity, which was the second-fastest selling album of all time. In 2002, after the completion of a Celebrity Tour and the release of "Girlfriend", the third single from Celebrity, the group decided to take time off, at which point Timberlake began work on his first solo album and the group went into a hiatus. In its lifetime, 'N Sync was internationally famous and performed at the Academy Awards,^[14] the Olympics,^[15] and the Super Bowl,^[16] as well as selling more than 50 million copies worldwide,^[17] becoming the third-best selling boy band in history.^[18]

In late 1999, Timberlake made his acting debut in the Disney Channel movie Model Behavior. He played Jason Sharpe, a model who falls in love with a waitress after mistaking her for another model. It was released on March 12, 2000.^[19]

As a member of 'N Sync, Timberlake developed into a major celebrity in his own right in addition to achieving respect as a musician, since he was the writer or co-writer of all three singles from Celebrity. The rise of his own stardom and the general decline in the popularity of boy bands led to the dissolution of 'N Sync. Band member Lance Bass has stated that he believes the group is finished,^[20] and is openly critical of Timberlake's actions in his memoir Out of Sync. On the other hand, Chris Kirkpatrick remarked in August 2008 that the five remain friends, and he believed a reunion was possible:^[21] he repeated that opinion in October 2009.^[22] In September 2008, Bass also made conciliatory comments.^[23] However, in 2011 and 2012, JC Chasez said that a reunion will probably never happen.^[24][25][26]

[edit] 2002–04: Justified and Super Bowl

In August 2002, after months of recording Justified, his debut solo album, Timberlake performed at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards. He premiered his first single, "Like I Love You", a sparse dance track produced by The Neptunes.^[27] The song reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[28] Following the single, Timberlake released Justified on November 5, 2002.^[29] The album sold fewer copies than previous 'N Sync efforts. It debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 album chart, selling 439,000 copies in its first week of release. It eventually went on to sell more than three million copies in the U.S. and more than seven million copies worldwide.^[30] The album also received critical acclaim, thanks to its heavy R&B influence provided by hip-hop producers The Neptunes and Timbaland.^[31] It spun off hits throughout late 2002 and 2003, including the top ten singles "Cry Me a River" and "Rock Your Body".^[28] Timberlake supported the album by co-headlining the Justified/Stripped Tour with Christina Aguilera in the summer of 2003.^[32] At the end of the year, Timberlake recorded a song entitled "I'm Lovin' It". It was used by McDonald's as the theme to its "I'm Lovin' It" campaign. The deal with McDonald's earned Timberlake an estimated $6 million. A tour entitled Justified and Lovin' It Live was included with the deal as well.^[33] Timberlake was featured on Nelly's song, "Work It", which was remixed and included on Nelly's 2003 remix album.^[34]

In February 2004, during the halftime show of the Super Bowl XXXVIII broadcast on the CBS television network, Timberlake performed with Janet Jackson before a television audience of more than 140 million viewers. At the end of the performance, as the song drew to a close, Timberlake tore off a part of Jackson's black leather costume in a "costume reveal" meant to accompany a portion of the song lyrics. According to CBS, "both Jackson and Timberlake had confirmed they planned it 'independently and clandestinely' without informing anyone."^[35] Part of the costume detached, and Jackson's breast was briefly exposed.^[36] Timberlake apologized for the incident, stating he was "sorry that anyone was offended by the wardrobe malfunction during the halftime performance of the Super Bowl...."^[37] The phrase "wardrobe malfunction" has since been used by the media to refer to the incident and has entered pop culture.^[38] As a result of the controversy, Timberlake and Jackson were threatened with exclusion from the 2004 Grammy Awards unless they agreed to apologize on screen at the event.^[39] Timberlake attended and issued a scripted apology when accepting the first of two Grammy Awards he received that night (Best Pop Vocal Album for Justified and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Cry Me a River").^[40] He had also been nominated for Album of the Year for Justified, Record of the Year for "Cry Me a River", and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Where Is the Love?" with The Black Eyed Peas.^[41] In 2004 American Idol judge Simon Cowell described Timberlake in People Magazine as "just some white kid who's tried to act black over the last several years".

2004–06: Collaborations and acting[link]

After the Super Bowl controversy, Timberlake put his recording career on hold to act in several films, having starred in a few feature films earlier in his music career.^[8] The first role he took during this time was as a journalist in the thriller Edison Force, which was filmed in 2004 and received a direct-to-video release on July 18, 2006.^[42] He also appeared in the films Alpha Dog, Black Snake Moan, Richard Kelly's Southland Tales, and voiced Prince Artie Pendragon in the animated film Shrek the Third, released on May 18, 2007.^[43] He also appeared as a young Elton John, in the video for John's song "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore".^[44] Timberlake was considered to play the role of Roger Davis in the film version of the rock musical Rent, but director Chris Columbus had insisted that only the original Broadway members could convey the true meaning of Rent.^[45]

He continued to record with other artists. After "Where Is the Love?", he again collaborated with the Black Eyed Peas on the 2005 track "My Style" from their album Monkey Business.^[46] When recording the 2005 single "Signs" with Snoop Dogg, Timberlake discovered a throat condition.^[47] Nodules were subsequently removed from his throat in an operation that took place on May 5, 2005.^[48] He was advised not to sing or speak loudly for at least a few months.^[49] In the summer of 2005, Timberlake started his own record company, JayTee Records.^[50]

Timberlake made a cameo in the video for Nelly Furtado and Timbaland's single "Promiscuous", released on May 3, 2006.

[edit] 2006–07: FutureSex/LoveSounds

Timberlake at a concert in St. Paul, Minnesota (2007)

Timberlake released his second solo album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, on September 12, 2006.^[51] The album, which Timberlake created from 2005 to 2006, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart, selling 684,000 copies its first week.^[51] It is the biggest album for pre-orders on iTunes, and beat Coldplay's record for the biggest one-week sales of a digital album.^[52] The album was produced by Timbaland and Danja (who produced a bulk of the album), will.i.am, Rick Rubin and Timberlake himself, and features guest vocals by Snoop Dogg, Three 6 Mafia, T.I. and will.i.am.^[53] A studio representative described it as being "all about sexiness" and aiming for "an adult feel".^[48]

The album's lead single, "SexyBack", was performed by Timberlake at the opening of the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for seven consecutive weeks.^[54] "My Love", the album's second single, also produced by Timbaland and featuring rapper T.I., reached number one on the Hot 100, as did third single "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around Interlude". The song is reported to have been inspired by the break-up of his childhood friend and business partner, Trace Ayala, with actress Elisha Cuthbert.^[55] In October 2006, Timberlake said that he would focus on his music career rather than his film roles, specifying that leaving the music industry would be a "dumb thing to do at this point".^[54] He was the special guest performer at the 2006 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show for being where he sang SexyBack. In January 2007, Timberlake embarked on the FutureSex/LoveShow tour. "Summer Love/Set the Mood Prelude" was the fourth U.S. single off the album, and the next single in the UK was "LoveStoned/I Think She Knows Interlude". The song "Give It to Me", a Timbaland single on which Timberlake guests with Nelly Furtado, reached the Hot 100 number-one spot.^[56]

In February 2008, Timberlake was awarded two Grammy Awards. At the 50th Grammy Awards ceremony, Timberlake won the Male Pop Performance Award for "What Goes Around...Comes Around", and the Dance Recording Award for "LoveStoned/I Think She Knows".^[57]

2007– present: Last music appearance, return to acting[link]

The song "4 Minutes", was first played by Timbaland at Philadelphia's Jingle Ball on December 17, 2007.^[58] When released on March 17, 2008, "4 Minutes" was revealed to be a duet between Timberlake and Madonna, with backing vocals by Timbaland. It was lead single from Madonna's eleventh studio album Hard Candy, which featured four other song-writing collaborations with Timberlake. The single was an international hit, topping the charts in over 21 countries worldwide.^[59] Timberlake also appears in the music video, which was directed by Jonas & François. On March 30, 2008, Timberlake performed the song at Madonna's Hard Candy Promo Show at Roseland Ballroom in New York City.^[60] On November 6, 2008, Timberlake performed the song with Madonna on the Los Angeles stop of her Sticky & Sweet Tour.^[61]

Timberlake on his Justified World Tour

Around June 2007 Timberlake co-wrote, produced and provided vocals for the songs "Nite Runner" and "Falling Down" for Duran Duran's album Red Carpet Massacre, released on November 13, 2007. "Falling Down" had been released as a single in the UK on the previous day.^[62]

Also in 2007, Timberlake made an appearance on 50 Cent's third album, Curtis. Timberlake, along with Timbaland, is featured on a track called "Ayo Technology", which was the album's fourth single. Also, another possible collaboration was to occur with Lil Wayne for his album Tha Carter III with Nelly Furtado and Timbaland.^[63]

With the wrapping up of the FutureSex/LoveSounds tour of Australasia and the Middle East in November 2007, Timberlake resumed his film career. Projects underway early in 2008 were starring roles in Mike Myers' comedy The Love Guru (released June 20, 2008) and Mike Meredith's drama The Open Road (released August 28, 2009). In March 2008 it was announced that he was to be an executive producer in an American adaptation of the hit Peruvian comedy My Problem with Women for NBC.^[64]

On November 20, 2008, TV Guide reported that Timberlake’s next single, "Follow My Lead", which also featured vocals by Timberlake’s protégée, former YouTube star Esmee Denters, would be available for exclusive download through MySpace. All proceeds would go to Shriners Hospitals for Children, a charity dedicated to improving pediatric care for sick children.^[65]

In 2008 a collaboration between Timberlake and T.I., "Dead and Gone" featured on T.I.'s sixth studio album, Paper Trail, and was released as its fourth single late in 2009. In November 2008, it was confirmed that Timberlake would make a guest appearance and produce some tracks on R&B/pop singer Ciara's upcoming album Fantasy Ride due out May 5, 2009. Timberlake featured on Ciara's second single "Love Sex Magic", the video being shot on February 20, 2009.^[66] The single became a worldwide hit, reaching the top ten in numerous countries and peaking at number one in several countries including Taiwan, India, and Turkey. The single was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 52nd Grammy Awards.

Timberlake and his production team The Y's, along with Mike Elizondo, produced and co-wrote the song "Don't Let Me Down" for Leona Lewis's second studio album, Echo, released (in the US) on November 17, 2009.

Timberlake also co-wrote and performed on "Carry Out", the third single from Timbaland's album Shock Value II, released on December 1, 2009.^[67]

From 2010, Timberlake increased his acting work. He played Sean Parker, the founder of Napster, in the acclaimed film The Social Network (2010). He also appeared at the 2010 MTV VMAs on Sept. 12, 2010.^[68]

In 2011, he starred alongside Cameron Diaz in Bad Teacher and then alongside Mila Kunis in Friends with Benefits, and played Will Salas, the protagonist of In Time, a science fiction film by Andrew Niccol.^[69] He directed and made a cameo in the Free Sol music video "Hoodies On, Hats Low" which was released in August 2011.^[70]

On October 7, RCA Music Group announced it was disbanding Jive Records along with Arista Records and J Records. With the shutdown, Timberlake (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels) will release his future material on the RCA Records brand.^[71][72]

Other work[link]

Near the end of 2002, Timberlake was the first celebrity to appear on Punk'd, a "candid camera" type show created by Ashton Kutcher to trick celebrities.^[73] Timberlake, who cried during the episode, later admitted to being under the influence of marijuana when he was pranked.^[74] Three episodes later, he set up Kelly Osbourne to be "punk'd", thus making him the first celebrity to appear on the show more than once.^[75] Timberlake later spoofed Ashton Kutcher and Punk'd in a 2003 episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live.^[76]

Timberlake has hosted many music events, including the European MTV Music Awards in 2006. On December 16, 2006, Timberlake hosted Saturday Night Live, doing double duty as both host and musical guest for the second time. During this appearance, he and Andy Samberg performed an R&B song for a skit entitled "Dick in a Box", which some radio stations have aired as an unofficial single from Timberlake and has become one of the most viewed videos on YouTube. On May 9, 2009, he appeared in another SNL Digital Short opposite Samberg, Susan Sarandon and Patricia Clarkson entitled "Motherlover", a quasi-sequel to "Dick in a Box".^[77]

Timberlake appeared on Jimmy Fallon's debut as host of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on March 2, 2009.^[78]

In 2004, ABC hired Timberlake to write a song for its NBA coverage.

Timberlake is the executive producer on the MTV reality series The Phone, which premiered on April 21, 2009. According to People Magazine, the series "thrusts contestants into a heart-stopping action adventure worthy of a summer blockbuster. In six hour-long episodes, a mysterious stranger on the phone invites four strangers into the dangerous game. If they accept, they're paired into two teams and dared to perform physical and mental challenges reminiscent of Matt Damon's The Bourne Identity or Shia LaBeouf's Eagle Eye."^[79]

Other ventures[link]

Business[link]

Timberlake has co-owned or provided celebrity endorsement for three restaurants in the United States: "Chi" opened in West Hollywood, California in 2003,^[80] and "Destino" and "Southern Hospitalty" in New York opened in 2006 and 2007, respectively.^[81] He also has his own brand of tequila called 901; the name comes in part from the area code of his hometown of Memphis.^[82]

In 2005, Timberlake launched the William Rast clothing line with childhood friend Juan ("Trace") Ayala. The 2007 line contained cord jackets, cashmere sweaters, jeans and polo shirts.^[83] The pair reports inspiration from fellow Memphis native Elvis Presley: "Elvis is the perfect mixture of Justin and I," Ayala says. "You can go back and see pictures of him in cowboy boots and a cowboy hat and a nice button-down shirt, but then again you can see him in a tux and a collared shirt with rhinestones on it and slacks. We like to think 'If he was alive today, what would he be wearing?'"^[84] Target has announced that a William Rast collection, including denim, outerwear and sportswear for men and women, would launch in December and be available for a month.^[85]

Timberlake provides celebrity endorsement for many commercial products, this aspect of his business being managed by IMG Sports & Entertainment since April 2008.^[86] Major endorsements in 2009 included Sony electronic products,^[87] Givenchy's men's fragrance "Play",^[88] Audi's "A1",^[89] Callaway Golf Company products,^[90][91] and in 2011, MySpace.^[92][93]

An avid amateur golfer, in 2007 Timberlake purchased the run-down Big Creek Golf Course in his home town of Millington, Tennessee, which he redeveloped as the eco-friendly Mirimichi Golf Course at a cost of some $US16 million. It was reopened on 25 July 2009 but closed again on 15 January 2010 for further improvements expected to take six months.^[94] In October 2011, Timberlake received the Futures Award at the Environmental Media Awards for his green-conscious golf course.^[95]

Charitable causes[link]

Timberlake has been active in several charitable pursuits, initially through 'N Sync's "Challenge for the Children" aimed at a range of charities, and since 2001 through his "Justin Timberlake Foundation," which initially funded music education programs in schools, but now has a much broader agenda.^[96] In October 2005, the Grammy Association presented Timberlake with an award for his humanitarian efforts in Tennessee, alongside writer/director Craig Brewer, also a Memphis native.^[97]

In November 2007 he donated $A100,000 from takings from his Australian tour to Wildlife Warriors founded by Steve Irwin.^[98] On March 23, 2008, he donated $100,000 to the Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum and another $100,000 to the Memphis Music Foundation.^[99]

Timberlake golfing in 2006.

On November 12, 2007, the PGA Tour announced that Timberlake, an avid golfer who plays to a 6 handicap,^[100] would become the host of the tour's Las Vegas tournament starting in 2008. With Timberlake's agreement to host the tournament, its name was changed to the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. He played in the celebrity pro-am on the day before the competitive tournament and hosted a charity concert during the week of the tournament.^[101] The activity was a success, and was repeated in 2009. A review of the value of celebrities to fundraising concluded that Timberlake's contribution to Shriners Hospitals for Children was the single most valuable celebrity endorsement in the US during 2009, and worth over $US9 million.^[102]

Personal life[link]

Relationships[link]

Early in 1999, Timberlake began what eventually became a high-profile celebrity relationship with fellow pop singer Britney Spears, with whom he had worked on the New Mickey Mouse Club. This ended abruptly in March 2002. Lynn Harless says as a mother she too was devastated regarding the break-up, but to this day speaks warmly of Spears, "Britney grew up on my living room floor. I still love her to death. They (Justin and Britney) were together 10 or 11 years and had, from day one, instant chemistry between them. She's a sweet girl. I just hate what she's going through now." The breakup influenced the lyrics and theme of Timberlake's hit "Cry Me a River", one of the most popular singles from Justified.^[103]

Post-Spears, Timberlake has generally refused to discuss his personal life with the media, as a result of which his relationships have been the subject of much speculation in the tabloid and celebrity press. Prior to Spears, he was briefly romantically involved with Beyonce Knowles^[104] and singer-actress Stacy Ferguson.^[105] He was romantically linked with Janet Jackson (in July 2002),^[106] actress-dancer Jenna Dewan (in mid-2002),^[106] and actress-singer Alyssa Milano (between September and October 2002).^[106] Timberlake began dating actress Cameron Diaz soon after they met at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in April 2003. Regular rumours of break-ups reported in the tabloid press were either ignored or occasionally denied.^[107][108] On the December 16, 2006 episode of Saturday Night Live, Diaz introduced Timberlake as the night's musical guest, and the couple officially split shortly afterwards. After the tabloid press alleged an affair between Timberlake and Scarlett Johansson, with whom he had shot the video for his single "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around Interlude",^[109] Diaz and Timberlake issued a joint statement on January 11, 2007:^[110]

Later in January 2007 Timberlake was linked to Jessica Biel when pictures surfaced of the two snowboarding in Park City, Utah during the Sundance Film Festival. On May 12, 2007 romantic pictures of Timberlake and Biel on multiple dates were published.^[112][113] In the August 9–15, 2008 edition of Heat magazine, when Timberlake was asked to describe his perfect woman, he replied "About 5ft.7in.-5ft.8in., nice butt, Midwestern American, kind-of-German last name, green eyes, big pouty lips, fair skin, ahhh....sinewy bod..."^[114] However, during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on June 11, 2008 when Jay Leno questioned him about anything related to rumors of engagement and pregnancy, Timberlake jokingly responded that he "is engaging in a conversation with Leno" and "everybody in general can get pregnant."^[115] After four years together, the couple announced their split in March 2011.^[116][117] However, by fall 2011 the couple appeared to have reunited, and in late December 2011, Timberlake proposed to Biel in the mountains of Jackson, Wyoming.^{[118][119][120]}

Other interests[link]

Timberlake was given Sexiest Man titles by Teen People and Cosmopolitan magazines.^[121] On February 17, 2009, Timberlake was named the "Most Stylish Man in America" by GQ magazine.^[122] In 2011, he ranked No. 46 on AskMen's annual rundown of the 49 Most Influential Men.^[123]

Timberlake is a fan of English football club Manchester United.^[124][125]

Justin Timberlake was asked to take a fan to her unit's annual ball in July 2011 via YouTube, and he attended the Marine Corps Ball with her (Kelsey De Santis) on Sunday, November 13, 2011 in Richmond, Virginia.^[126][127]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• 2002: Justified
• 2006: FutureSex/LoveSounds

Extended plays[link]

• 2003: Justin & Christina

DVDs[link]

• 2003: Justified: The Videos
• 2003: Live from London
• 2007: Futuresex/Loveshow – Live from Madison Square Garden

Tours[link]

Headlining

• Justified and Lovin' It Live (2003–04)
• FutureSex/LoveShow (2007)

Co-headlining

• Justified/Stripped Tour (2003) (with Christina Aguilera)

Filmography[link]

See also[link]

Music portal

• List of awards and nominations received by Justin Timberlake
• Honorific nicknames in popular music

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Justin Timberlake

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Justin Timberlake

• Official website
• Justin Timberlake at Allmusic
• Justin Timberlake at the Internet Movie Database