Alyssa is a currently popular feminine given name with multiple origins.

As used in western countries, the name is usually derived from the name of the flower alyssum. The name of the flower derives from the Greek roots a- ("not") and lyssum (insane); the flower was formerly thought to cure skin diseases. It shares many variants in common with the name Alice and is occasionally considered a form of that name as well.

It has been a popular name in the United States, where it ranked as the 19th most popular name given to baby girls born in 2009, having ranked among the top 100 names for girls since 1986 and among the top 20 names since 1997.

Alissa/Alisa and Elissa (Arabic: اليسار / ALA-LC: Alīssār; اليسا / Alīssā; عليسا ‘Alīssā; عليسة / ‘Alīssah) are variations of the name of Queen Elissa, the founder of Carthage, and is used in Middle Eastern countries. The name Elissa is likely a variant of the Phoenician name Elishat, meaning "wanderer".

Alyssa Reid (born March 15, 1993) is a Canadian singer/songwriter born in Edmonton, Alberta, and raised in Brampton, Ontario. Reid rose to fame in 2011, following the release of her debut single "Alone Again", which uses the chorus and part of the first verse of "Alone" by Heart.

Alyssa Reid was first discovered by her record label after performing a Justin Bieber song on YouTube, which went viral. Her fame started throughout the competition on "The Next Star" where she got signed after the competition.

Her single "Alone Again" featuring P. Reign, released in November 2010, uses lyrics from Heart's 1987 hit "Alone", and was co-written with Wax Records label owner Jamie Appleby. The song entered the Canadian Hot 100 at #79 for the week of January 1, 2011 and peaked at #11 the week of April 23, 2011. As of the week of September 24, 2011, the single has spent 39 weeks on the chart. It is a certified Gold record in Canada. She also starred in an episode of Party Mama's on Slice.^{[citation needed]}

Ariana Grande-Butera (born June 26, 1993) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She made her performance debut on Broadway at age 15. Recently, she has gained attention for her role as Cat Valentine on the Nickelodeon sitcom Victorious.

Grande was born and raised in Boca Raton, Florida. She is of Italian descent, half Sicilian, half Abruzzese.

In 2008, Grande played the role of Charlotte in the musical 13 on Broadway, for which she won a National Youth Theatre Association Award. When she joined the musical, Grande left her high school, North Broward Preparatory School, but continued to be enrolled. The school sent materials to her for study with tutors. She played the role of Miriam in the first reading of the forthcoming musical Cuba Libre composed by Desmond Child. Grande teaches music and dance to children in South Africa each year as a member of Broadway in South Africa.

Grande plays the character Cat Valentine on the Nickelodeon television show Victorious, which premiered in March 2010.

Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born June 7, 1990), better known by her stage name Iggy Azalea is an Australian hip hop recording artist signed to Grand Hustle Records. She is perhaps better known for her promotional songs "Two Times", "Pu$$y" and "My World" whose music videos went viral on YouTube. On 27 September 2011, Azalea released her first project, a mixtape titled Ignorant Art, saying she made it "with the intent to make people question and redefine old ideals".

Iggy Azalea was born Amethyst Amelia Kelly in Sydney, Australia but moved with her family to Mullumbimby when she was still a baby, into a house on 12 acres that her father built by hand from mudbricks in New South Wales. Her father was a comic artist and painter and her mother a real estate agent. Azalea says her father "made her look at [art] as a teenager" which has always influenced her life and work.

Azalea began rapping at age 14. Azalea took her stage name from her family's dog while growing up. Before embarking on a solo career, Azalea formed a group with two other girls from her neighborhood: "I was like, I could be the rapper. This could be like TLC. I’ll be Left Eye." Azalea eventually decided to leave the group because the other girls weren’t taking it seriously: "I take everything I do serious. I’m too competitive."

Pharrell Williams (born April 5, 1973), commonly known simply as Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Williams and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing hip hop and R&B music. He is also the lead vocalist and drummer of hip-hop band N.E.R.D, which he formed with Hugo and childhood friend Shay Haley. He released his first single "Frontin'" in 2003 and followed up with his first album In My Mind in 2006.

As part of The Neptunes, Williams has produced numerous hit singles for various musicians. The two have earned three Grammy Awards amongst ten nominations. He is also the co-founder of the clothing brands Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream Clothing. He is a member of the supergroup V.A. Playaz with Fam-Lay, Clipse, Skillz, Missy Elliott, and Timbaland & Magoo.

Pharrell Williams was born on April 5, 1973, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the eldest of three sons of Carolyn, a teacher, and Pharaoh Williams, a handyman. He met Chad Hugo in a seventh-grade summer band camp where Williams played the keyboards and drums and Hugo played tenor saxophone. They were also both members of a marching band; Williams played the snare drum while Chad was student conductor. With Hugo, Williams attended Princess Anne High School where they played in the school band; there he got the name Skateboard P.