name	Nights Out
type	studio
artist	Metronomy
cover	METRONOMYNIGHTSOUT.jpg
released	8 September 2008
genre	ElectronicPop music
label	Because Music
producer	Joseph Mount
last album	''Pip Paine (Pay The £5000 You Owe)''(2006)
this album	''Nights Out''(2008)
next album	''The English Riviera''(2011) }}

'''Nights Out''' is the second album by British electronic act Metronomy, released on the 8th of September, 2008 through Because Music.

The starting point for the album was, according to lead singer Joseph Mount, "a half-arsed concept album about going out and having a crap time."

Joseph Mount wrote and recorded most of the album by himself but Gabriel Stebbing and Oscar Cash "play bits on a couple of tracks on the album and it’s kind of become….Metronomy used to be a him and now it’s definitely a they - which takes the heat off me a bit as well".

The artwork for the album was created by airbrush artist Philip Castle.

The commercial pressing of the album has a printing error on the cover; instead of reading ''Nights Out'', it just says ''Nights''. The promotional version is unaffected. It is unknown whether this will be rectified in the next pressing of the album.

The album was placed at No. 6 by NME in their best albums of 2008 list.

Track listing

''Nights In''

A 6-track bonus CD was released alongside the album and was available if the album was purchased in Rough Trade stores or in the Rough Trade Album Club. The CD contains:

Singles and EPs

So far four singles/EPs from Nights Out have been released: Radio Ladio - EP, My Heart Rate Rapid - EP, Holiday - Single and Heartbreaker.

Radio Ladio, released on 12 November 2007, the accompanying video by Daniel Breteton features Joseph, Oscar and Gabriel with their skin painted blues and greens, playing kiddie-like pianos that have incorrect keys while they lust after an unobtainable woman. The video was critically well received, although Pitchfork published a scathing review claiming that the band appeared too Australian in the video.

My Heart Rate Rapid, released on 7 April 2008, featured remixes from Primary 1 and Maton while the video directed by Dandi Wind featured zentai-suited women dancing in front of a backdrop of lava flows, eruptions fire, toy trains and psychedelic animations.

Holiday was first released as a single on 7 July 2008, along with a video by Daniel Bereton. It features the band playing in a studio with weird objects such as a warped mirror, a colored lilo and many men walking through, holding such objects entering and leaving the shot. Most notably the band all wear sunglasses with the word Holiday written on the lens.

Holiday was jointly released in France with Heartbreaker on 1 August 2008 with remixes by other artists.

Heartbreaker is the fourth song, released on 1 September 2008 and features the ''Heartbreaker - EP'' and ''Heartbreaker (Dark Disco Remixes) - EP''. The video was released on an enhanced version of ''Nights Out'' and shows Oscar Cash (apparently having been dumped by a girl) with his friends in their car going to a arcade, a fair and the beach, among others.

A Thing For Me is the fifth single and the first released subsequent to the release of ''Nights Out''. The video features the band and several girls and karaoke words on them with the rolling ball hitting them on the head as it is sung along. It also features cutaways to a projector slideshow with speech bubbles featuring the lyrics (even though some are just words that sound alike). The song was recently remixed by French artist Breakbot (on Ed Banger Records).

References

Category:2008 albums Category:Metronomy albums Category:Because Music albums

fr:Nights Out

Name	Carrie Underwood
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Carrie Marie Underwood
Birth date	March 10, 1983
Birth place	Muskogee, Oklahoma
Origin	Checotah, Oklahoma, United States
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, actress
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano
Genre	Country, country pop
Years active	2005–present
Label	19 / Arista Nashville (2005–current)Arista (2005–2009)
Associated acts	Brad Paisley, Randy Travis
Website	}}

Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of ''American Idol'', in 2005. Underwood has since become a multi-platinum selling recording artist, a winner of several Grammy Awards, Billboard Music Awards and American Music Awards, a Golden Globe Award nominee, a three-time Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association Female Vocalist winner, and a two-time ACM Entertainer of the Year. She is the first-ever female artist to win back-to-back Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards for Entertainer of the Year (2009/10). Underwood was inducted into and became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2008. She was also inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2009.

Her debut album, ''Some Hearts'', was certified seven times platinum and, since February 2006, is the fastest selling debut country album in Nielsen SoundScan history. It is also the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history, since February 2008. ''Some Hearts'' yielded three number one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs. Her second album, ''Carnival Ride'', was released on October 23, 2007. It has sold over 3 million copies as of January 2010, being certified 3 times Platinum, and produced four consecutive number one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs. Underwood released her third album, ''Play On'', on November 3, 2009. It has been certified 2 times Platinum by the RIAA As of May 16, 2011, Carrie became the "American Idol" US Top Earner, selling so far 12.3 million album copies and 18.5 million digital tracks, along with amassing $66 million in tour revenues, since winning Season 4.

Having eleven number one hits on Billboard Hot Country Songs, Underwood is tied with Reba McEntire as the Female Country Artist with Most number one Hits on such chart from 1990 to present. She is the only artist in history to have all singles on the top 2 of the Hot Country Songs. Underwood is also the only solo Country Artist to have a number one hit on Billboard Hot 100 Songs in the 2000 decade, as "Inside Your Heaven" reached the top of the chart on July 2005. Some Hearts, Underwood's debut album, was named the ''Best Country Album of the 2000 Decade'' by Billboard, and she's the only Female Artist to appear on the Top 10 of Billboard's Best Country Artists of the 2000 Decade list, ranked at #10. She was also ranked number 50 on the Artists of the Decade list by Billboard. In June 2011, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Carrie as the #11 Queen of Pop, based on a lot of criteria from 2009 until 2011. In July 2011, Forbes reported that Underwood earned over $20 million between May 2010 and May 2011.

Early life

Underwood was born to Stephen and Carole Underwood on March 10, 1983, in Muskogee, Oklahoma. She was raised on her parents' farm in the rural town of Checotah, Oklahoma. Her father worked in a sawmill, while her mother taught elementary school. She has two older sisters, Shanna and Stephanie. During her childhood, Underwood performed at Robbins Memorial Talent Show, and sang at her local church, First Free Will Baptist Church. She later sang for local events in Checotah, including Old Settler's Day and the Lion's Club.

A local admirer arranged for her to go to Nashville when she was 14 to audition for Capitol Records. While at Checotah High School, she was an Honor Society member and also played basketball, softball, and cheerleading. Underwood graduated from Checotah High School in 2001 as salutatorian. She chose not to pursue singing after graduation. She said, "After high school, I pretty much gave up on the dream of singing. I had reached a point in my life where I had to be practical and prepare for my future in the 'real world'". She spent part of one of her summers as a page for Oklahoma State Representative Bobby Frame. She also waited tables at a pizzeria, worked at a zoo, and at a veterinary clinic. For two years during the summer, she performed in Northeastern State University's Downtown Country show in Tahlequah. She also competed in numerous beauty pageants at the university and was selected as Miss NSU runner-up in 2004.

''American Idol''

In the summer of 2004, Carrie was part of Downtown Country at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The show was under the direction of Kelli Doolen Farmer. Underwood auditioned for ''American Idol'' in St. Louis, Missouri. After she sang "Could've Been" by Tiffany on the top 12 girls night, judge Simon Cowell commented that she would be one of the favorites to win the competition. During the top 11 finalists' performance on the March 22, 2005, ''Idol'' episode, Underwood sang a rendition of the number one 1980s rock hit "Alone", made famous by Heart, and Cowell predicted that Underwood would not only win the competition, but she would also outsell all previous ''Idol'' winners. One of the show's producers later said she dominated the voting, winning each week handily. She gained a fan base known as "Carrie's Care Bears" during the course of the show. During the final, she sang with Rascal Flatts their song "Bless the Broken Road". Underwood became the fourth season winner on May 25, 2005. Her winnings included a recording contract worth at least a million dollars, use of a private jet for a year, and a Ford Mustang convertible.

Performances and results

!Week	!Theme	!Song	!Original artist	!Result
Auditions	Contestant's Choice	"I Can't Make You Love Me"	Bonnie Raitt	Advanced
Hollywood Round 1	Contestant's Choice	"Young Hearts Run Free"	Candi Staton	Advanced
Top 75	Contestant's Choice		Martina McBride	Advanced
Semi-Finals 1	Contestant's Choice	"Could've Been"		Safe
Semi-Finals 2	Contestant's Choice	"Piece of My Heart"	Erma Franklin	Safe
Semi-Finals 3	Contestant's Choice	"Because You Love Me"	Jo Dee Messina	Safe
Top 12	Song of the 1960s		The Everly Brothers	Safe
Top 11	Billboard Number Ones		i-TEN	Safe
Top 10	1990s	"Independence Day"	Martina McBride	Safe
Top 9	Classic Broadway		from ''The King and I''	Safe
Top 8	Year They Were Born	"Love Is a Battlefield"	Pat Benatar	Safe
Top 7	1970s Dance Music		Richard Harris	Safe
Top 6	21st Century	"When God-Fearin' Women Get the Blues"	Martina McBride	Safe
Top 5	Lieber & StollerCurrent Billboard Chart		Elvis PresleyNitty Gritty Dirt Band	Safe
Top 4	CountryGamble & Huff	"Sin Wagon""If You Don't Know Me by Now"	Dixie ChicksHarold Melvin & the Blue Notes	Safe
Top 3	Clive Davis' ChoiceContestant's ChoiceJudge's Choice: Randy Jackson		Roy OrbisonAir SupplyShania Twain	Safe
Top 2	Idol SingleContestant's ChoiceProducer's Choice	"Inside Your Heaven""Independence Day""Angels Brought Me Here"	Carrie Underwood/Bo BiceMartina McBrideGuy Sebastian	Winner

Career

2005–2007: ''Some Hearts''

Underwood's debut album, ''Some Hearts'', was released in November 2005, entering the ''Billboard'' charts with 315,000 copies sold, debuting at number one on the Hot Country Albums and at number two on the Hot 200 Albums. The large first week sales of ''Some Hearts'' made it the biggest debut of any country artist since the advent of the SoundScan system in 1991. The album was the Best-Selling Album overall of 2006 in the United States and the Best-Selling country album of both 2006 and 2007 in the U.S.. ''Some Hearts'' has since been certified seven-times Platinum by the RIAA, and is the fastest-selling debut country album in the history of the SoundScan era and also the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history, as of February 2008. "Inside Your Heaven", Underwood's first single, was released in June, debuting at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Canadian Singles Chart. It was the longest running single of 2005 in Canada. "Inside Your Heaven" is the only single by a solo country artist in the 2000 decade to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It sold nearly one million copies and was certified gold by the RIAA and two times platinum by the CRIA. The album's second single, "Jesus, Take the Wheel" was released to radio in October and later peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs, topping it for six consecutive weeks, and at twenty on the Hot 100. Underwood's third single, "Some Hearts", was also released in October, but just to the pop radios. "Don't Forget to Remember Me", her fourth single also proved successful, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Later that autumn, Underwood's third country single, "Before He Cheats", hit number one on Billboard's Hot Country Songs, staying there for 5 consecutive weeks. The song peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, achieving the slowest climb ever to the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, breaking the record that was previously held by Creed from July 2000. On April 11, 2007, Underwood continued her streak of top Country singles with the release of "Wasted". The song peaked at number one on the Hot Country Songs Chart. On August 2008, "Jesus, Take the Wheel" was reported to have been certified Platinum, making Underwood the first country artist ever to have two songs hit Platinum Mastertone status together with "Before He Cheats", which has been certified earlier in 2007. Underwood started her first headlined tour, Carrie Underwood: Live 2006, with dates across North America.

At the 2005 Billboard Music Awards, her hit song "Inside Your Heaven" won the coveted Top-Selling Hot 100 Song of the Year award and also Top-Selling Country Single of the Year award. At the 2006 Academy of Country Music Awards, she won Top New Female Vocalist and Single of the Year, for "Jesus, Take the Wheel". At the 40th Annual Country Music Association Awards she won both the Horizon Award (now Best New Artist) and Female Vocalist of the Year. At the 2006 CMT Awards, Underwood won both the Breakthrough Video of the Year and Female Video of the Year for "Jesus, Take The Wheel". She later won the Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award at the American Music Awards, and was also nominated for Favorite Female Country Artist. She won 5 awards at the 2006 Billboard Music Awards, including the coveted Album of the Year, Top 200 Female Artist of the Year, Female Country Artist, New Country Artist, and Country Album of the Year. Also that year, Underwood won a Gospel Music Association (GMA) Dove Award for Country Recorded Song of the Year, for "Jesus, Take The Wheel". At the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2007, Underwood won Album of the Year, Video of the Year, and Female Vocalist of the Year. She was nominated for "World's Best Selling New Artist" at the 2006 World Music Awards. At the 2007 CMT Awards in Nashville, Tennessee, on April 16, Underwood's "Before He Cheats" won three awards, including Video of the Year, Female Video of the Year, and Video Director of the Year. Underwood won two awards at the 2007 CMA Awards: Female Vocalist of the Year, for the second consecutive time, and Single Record of the Year, for "Before He Cheats". In 2007, at the 49th Grammy Awards, ''Some Hearts'' received four Grammy nominations and Underwood won her first two Grammy Awards: Best New Artist and Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Jesus, Take the Wheel. She sang the Eagles song "Life in the Fast Lane" alongside Grammy nominees Rascal Flatts. She also sang the Eagles' "Desperado" to honour Don Henley of The Eagles. She also paid tribute to Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys by performing "New San Antonio Rose". At the 50th Grammy Awards, in 2008, Underwood was nominated for two more Grammys: Best Female Country Vocal Performance, for "Before He Cheats" and Best Country Collaboration with Vocals, for "Oh, Love" a duet with Brad Paisley. She won one Grammy Award that night, for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, and performed the song at the ceremony.

In December 2005, Underwood was named Oklahoman of the Year by ''Oklahoma Today''. In December 2006, Underwood joined Tony Bennett, Michael Bublé and Josh Groban to sing "For Once In My Life" on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Also that month, she paid tribute to Dolly Parton, by singing "Islands in the Stream" with Kenny Rogers (originally by Parton and Rogers) at the Kennedy Center Honors, which honored Parton that year. Underwood performed with the USO Christmas Tour in Iraq during the 2006 Holiday season. Underwood also performed at the 2007 Idol Gives Back concert singing "I'll Stand By You", a cover of The Pretenders hit. Her version of the song debuted at #6 on Billboard's Hot 100 Songs. Also in 2007, Victoria's Secret named Underwood the Sexiest Female Musician.

2007–2009: ''Carnival Ride''

Underwood's second album, ''Carnival Ride'', was released in October 2007. On ''Carnival Ride'', Underwood was more involved in the songwriting process; she set up a writers' retreat at Nashville's famed Ryman Auditorium to collaborate with such Music Row tunesmiths as Hillary Lindsey, Craig Wiseman, Rivers Rutherford, and Gordie Sampson. ''Carnival Ride'' moved over 527,000 copies in its first week, debuting at number one on both the Billboard Hot 200 Albums and Hot Country Albums, as well as number one on the Canadian Albums Chart and United World Chart. ''Carnival Ride'' was certified double platinum in just two months after its release, in December. The album is certified 3-time Platinum by the RIAA, for sales of over three million. "So Small", the first single from the album, was released in July 2007 and reached number one on ''Billboard'''s Hot Country Songs. "All-American Girl", the second single, also reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs. The next single "Last Name" reached number one on the Hot Country Song chart as well. This made Underwood the first female artist to have two consecutive albums each release three number-ones on this chart since Shania Twain in 1998. Her single, "Just a Dream" was released on July 2008 and later peaked at number one on the Hot Country Songs chart, staying there for 2 consecutive weeks. With that, Underwood became the third female artist in country music history to have released four consecutive Number Ones from the same album with Rosanne Cash's "King's Record Shop" and Shania Twain's "The Woman in Me" being the other two that have done so. The album's fifth single, "I Told You So", a duet with the original singer of the song, Randy Travis, was released in February 2009. It peaked at number two on the Billboard Country charts and #9 on the Hot 100. As of February 2011, ''Carnival Ride'' produced 2 platinum selling singles, "All American Girl" and "Last Name". In January 2008, Underwood embarked on a joint tour with Keith Urban named the ''Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Carnival Ride Tour'', with dates fixed nationwide that continued through April. She then started her headlined tour, the Carnival Ride Tour, in February 2008, with dates across all North America, and ended it on December 14, 2008.

By the end of 2007, Underwood won 5 awards at the Billboard Awards, including the coveted Billboard 200 Artist of the Year and also Country Artist of the Year. Also in late 2007, she won three American Music Awards: Artist of the Year, Favorite Female Country Artist and Favorite Country Album, for her debut album, Some Hearts. At the 2008 Academy of Country Music Awards, she won Female Vocalist of the Year, for the 2nd consecutive time. She received two nominations for the 2008 Country Music Association Awards. Underwood and Brad Paisley co-hosted the awards show and she walked away with the Female Vocalist of the Year award for the third consecutive time, but lost the Album of the Year award to George Strait. At the 2008 American Music Awards, Carnival Ride won the Favorite Country Album award, thus making that her 2nd consecutive win in such category. In 2008, Underwood also won her first international award, which was "Female Vocalist of the Year" at the European Country Music Association Awards. For the 44th Academy of Country Music Awards, in 2009, Underwood was nominated for four major awards. Underwood won for Female Vocalist of the Year and ''Entertainer of The Year'', thus making her the first woman to win the award in ten years and the 7th female to take it in the award show's four decade run. Underwood was nominated for Video of the Year at the 2009 CMT Awards for "Just A Dream". In 2009, at the 51st Grammy Awards, she won, for the third year in a row, the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, for "Last Name", and performed the song at the ceremony. At the 52nd Grammy Awards, in 2010, Underwood won her fifth Grammy Award: She won the Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for "I Told You So" with Randy Travis and was also nominated again for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, for "Just A Dream". At the ceremony, she performed with Celine Dion, Usher, Smokey Robinson and Jennifer Hudson during the 3-D Michael Jackson tribute. Grammy Awards producer Ken Ehrlich stated that Michael Jackson greatly admired Underwood, which is why she was hand-picked to perform during his tribute.

On May 13, 2008, Underwood was invited by Randy Travis to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry, later that month she was officially inducted by Garth Brooks into the Grand Ole Opry. A few months earlier, she sang Julie Andrews' classic, the title song from The Sound of Music, at the 2007 ''Movies Rock: A Celebration Of Music In Film''. On October 22, 2008, Underwood unveiled her wax figure at Madame Tussauds New York. In 2009, ''Forbes'' reported that Underwood was the top earning ''American Idol'' alumni from June 2008 – May 17, 2009. She earned more than twice as much as the second place finisher, with estimated earnings of $14 million during this time period. She appeared on the holiday CD ''Hear Something Country Christmas 2007'' with a rendition of "Do You Hear What I Hear?". The song reached number two on the AC Chart, and remained there for 3 consecutive weeks. She recorded the song "Ever Ever After" for the soundtrack of the 2007 Walt Disney film ''Enchanted''. Underwood co-wrote a song for ''Idol'' alum Kristy Lee Cook's major-label debut album ''Why Wait''. At the 2008 Idol Gives Back, she sang George Michael's classic "Praying For Time" and later recorded it. In November 2008, Underwood recorded a virtual and posthumous duet with Elvis Presley, on his classic "I'll Be Home For Christmas", for his 2008 album ''Christmas Duets''. Elvis' ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, herself asked Underwood to do the duet: "Priscilla wanted me to do 'I'll Be Home For Christmas,'" she says. "I couldn't say 'no'." In March 2009, she tracked a cover of Mötley Crüe's ballad "Home Sweet Home" for the American Idol season 8 farewell theme. Her version debuted at #21 on the Hot 100 Songs.

2009–present: ''Play On''

Underwood released her third studio album in November 2009. The album debuted atop both the Billboard Hot 200 Albums and Hot Country Albums, selling nearly 318,000 copies, giving Underwood the second-highest female artist first week sales for 2009. Underwood wrote a song with pop/R&B; singer-songwriter Ne-Yo for the album. The first single from the album, "Cowboy Casanova", co-written by Underwood, Brett James and hip hop producer Mike Elizondo, was released in September, peaked at number one on ''Billboard'''s Hot Country Songs and at eleven on the Hot 100 Songs, sold 1.6 million and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. Second single, "Temporary Home" hit number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and the RIAA certified it Gold. "Undo It", Underwood's third single from "Play On", was released to radio in May. It was later certified Platinum by the RIAA and hit number one on the Hot Country Songs chart, giving Underwood her 10th #1 single on the Hot Country Songs. The 4th single from Play On, Mama's Song, was released to country radio in September and peaked at two on the Hot Country Songs. The album is certified Double Platinum by the RIAA. The second leg of the tour started on September 25, 2010 in Portland, Oregon, and ended January 1, 2011 in Detroit, Michigan. Underwood sold out the prestigious Hollywood Bowl on October 2, 2010. In December 2010, Pollstar.com ranked the Play On Tour one of the Top 50 tours of 2010, at #18 on the North American raking, and #31 worldwide. ''Billboard'' also ranked Underwood's tour at #24 for all worldwide tours of 2010. On January 4, 2011, official statistics revealed that Underwood played to over 1 million fans throughout the tour.

At the 2009 CMA Awards she received two nominations and co-hosted the ceremony with Brad Paisley. Underwood was nominated for 6 Academy of Country Music Awards. At the show, Underwood was named Entertainer of the Year, making her the only country female artist in history to win this award twice. Host Reba McEntire presented Underwood with the "ACM Triple Crown Award" signifying her winning Top New Artist, Top Female Vocalist and Entertainer of the Year during her career. She was only the second Female to win the coveted "Triple Crown Award", the first being Barbara Mandrell. At the CMT Music Awards Underwood walked away with Video of the Year for "Cowboy Casanova". She also won CMT Performance of the Year for "Temporary Home" from CMT: Invitation Only presents Carrie Underwood. Underwood won two international awards at the 8th French Country Music Awards, wich were Best Female Vocalist and Video of the Year, for "Cowboy Casanova". At the 2010 American Music Awards, she won "Favorite Country Album", for "Play On", making her the only artist in the American Music Award history to have all albums awarded in such a category. She co-hosted the 2010 CMA Awards with Brad Paisley for the third year in a row. Underwood was the 2010 American Country Awards' top winner with six wins, Artist of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, Album of the Year for (''Play On''), Female Artist Single of the Year for ("Cowboy Casanova"), Female Artist Video of the Year for ("Cowboy Casanova") and Touring Artist of the Year. At the 2011 Grammy Awards, Underwood was nominated for 'Best Female Country Vocal Performance' for "Temporary Home." Underwood was honored by the CMT Artists of the Year special as one of the 5 top Artists of the year in 2010 in country music. The event aired on CMT on December 3, 2010. At the 2011 Academy of Country Music Awards, Underwood sang with Steven Tyler both her song "Undo It" and Aerosmith's "Walk This Way". In May 2011, Underwood was one of the seven women to be honered by the Academy of Country Music at the ''Girls' Night Out: Superstar Women of Country'' special. She was recognized for being the first and only female artist in the Academy's history to ever win Entertainer of the Year twice. At the ceremony, Vince Gill introduced Underwood and presented her with the special award. He sang one of her hits, "Jesus, Take The Wheel", and joined Underwood on a rendition performance of "How Great Thou Art". The video of the performance turned into a viral sensation, reaching 3 million views on YouTube within two days.

In late 2009, Underwood had her very own CMT Invitation Only and also hosted a Christmas special, ''Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special'', a two-hour variety show on Fox that featured Dolly Parton, with whom she sang a rendition duet of "I Will Always Love You", seventh-season ''American Idol'' champion David Cook, Kristin Chenoweth, Brad Paisley and others. In May 2010, Underwood was selected on People Magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People List for 2010. This was the 4th year in a row that she was selected for this prestigious list. Also in May, Victoria's Secret named her legs the Sexiest Legs in Hollywood. Underwood appeared on the CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother". Her character, Tiffany, is a pharmaceutical sales representative who becomes the love interest for another main character on the show. A few months earlier, she performed a voice-over as 'Carrie Underworm', a parodied "worm" character, in an episode of the PBS children's television series, ''Sesame Street'', Underwood co-wrote and recorded a song entitled "There's a Place for Us," the lead single from ''The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader''. Underwood and songwriters, David Hodges and Hillary Lindsey, received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. In March 2011, Underwood sang John Lennon's "Instant Karma!" at the NBC's special ''All Together Now – A Celebration of Service'', which honored ex-President George H. W. Bush. She made her big screen debut in ''Soul Surfer'', in April 2011. At the season ten finale of ''American Idol'' Underwood selected a song for contestant Lauren Alaina to sing.

Carrie is featured on "Remind Me", a duet with Brad Paisley that reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs, giving Underwood her 11th #1 single on such chart and 14th overall. She has also a duet with Tony Bennett on his 2011 album ''Duets II'' and another duet with Randy Travis on his 2011 ''Anniversary Celebration'' album. Underwood will be one of the headliners of the iHeartRadio Music Festival. The event will take place on September 23 and 24, 2011.

Voice and Recognition

Carrie Underwood's voice spans up to a four octave vocal range. Since winning American Idol in 2005, Underwood's Voice has been hugely praised by the critics and celebrities some like Simon Cowell who said, "when she came into the room it was like everything went from black and white to color, Anything she sings sounds amazing." Randy Jackson commented on Jimmy Kimmel Live; "She's the best American Idol of all time." Another celebrity was Brad Paisley who said, "I think she's the best singer we have, maybe ever had, in any format"; while country music legend Vince Gill praised Underwood by saying, "The possibility of Carrie's longevity is through the roof. There are fine singers, and there are gifted, great singers, and she's one of those. Her vocal skills are unbelievable!". Loretta Lynn's stated: "Carrie's right on the beat. She's done it. She's great, she's a great singer." Dolly Parton's also praised Underwood: "She's the real thing", she says, "Another country gal like me who sings from the heart. I loved working with her and I love listening to her." Michael Jackson was also reported to have had "greatly admired Underwood", as stated by Grammy Award producer Ken Ehrlich.

Personal interests

Underwood is an animal lover and a vegetarian. She stopped eating meat at the age of thirteen because she could not stand the thought of eating one of her own animals. She was voted "World's Sexiest Vegetarian" by PETA in 2007 for the second time, the first being in 2005 alongside Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. In a 2007 interview with PETA, Underwood stated, "Ever since I was little I loved animals [...] If you told me I could never sing again, I'd say that was horrible, but it's not my life. If you told me I could never be around animals again, I would just die." Underwood is a supporter of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and has done several public service announcements for the organization. Underwood has also done a "Protect Your Pets" public service announcement for Do Something.

To benefit cancer research, in August 2008 Underwood joined Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige and other female artists to record the song "Just Stand Up!". The proceeds benefited Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C). As a result of their fund raising efforts, the SU2C scientific advisory committee, overseen by the American Association for Cancer Research was able to award $73.6 million towards novel, groundbreaking research. The song peaked at #11 on Billboard's Hot 100 Songs. In August 2009, she formed the Checotah Animal Town and School (C.A.T.S.) Foundation to benefit her hometown of Checotah, Oklahoma. On August 28, 2009, Underwood visited Checotah High School with ABC news anchor Robin Roberts, where she gave a presentation on stage, sang with a young girl in front of students and school faculty, and donated over $117,000 worth of musical instruments to three music programs at three of Checotah's schools. Underwood has participated in the annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball tournament for charity for many years. The event takes place in Nashville, Tennessee, and benefits research for life-threatening diseases.

Underwood has also stated she has a great interest in sports. In 2005, she performed the "Star-Spangled Banner" at Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons, and in 2006 at the NBA All-Star Game. She also performed the "Star-Spangled Banner" at the NFC Championship Game between the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers in 2006, as well as at the 2006 edition of NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600, the MLB All Star Game in Pittsburgh, P.A., and at Game 3 of the 2007 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and Colorado Rockies. On February 7, 2010, Underwood performed the National Anthem for Super Bowl XLIV.

Personal life

Underwood performed at halftime of the 2006 Thanksgiving Day football game at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas, and was friends with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. She attended his birthday party in April 2007, and on May 15, 2007, he escorted her to the Academy of Country Music Awards. They were rumored to be dating on and off throughout 2007. Although she denied the rumor when asked, Romo confirmed it by saying "[...] I'm dating Carrie Underwood" on his website. He also told an Illinois newspaper that they were dating. In August 2007, Underwood began dating Chace Crawford of the American television series ''Gossip Girl''. On October 4, 2007, ''People'' magazine reported that the two were seen holding hands in New York City, though according to further reports, they ended their relationship in the spring of 2008.

She became engaged in December 2009 to then Ottawa Senators (now Nashville Predators) hockey player Mike Fisher, whom she began dating after they met at one of her concerts in 2008. Underwood and Fisher appeared together publicly for the first time in January 2010, at the Bell Sens Soiree, an annual fundraiser in Gatineau for the Ottawa Senators' official charity. After appearing together at the CMT Awards in June 2010, Underwood told reporters that Fisher was planning a surprise honeymoon for the two of them after their summer wedding.

On July 10, 2010, Underwood and Fisher wed at the Ritz Carlton Resort at Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Georgia, with more than 250 people in attendance. The couple gave ''People'' the following statement, which they signed "Mike & Carrie Fisher": "We could not feel more blessed to have found each other and to have shared this day with our friends and family that mean so much to us!" According to ''People'', Monique Lhuillier created a dress of Chantilly lace for Underwood and also designed the bridesmaids' dresses. The ceremony featured classical music and readings of the couple's favorite Bible verses. National Hockey League players, as well as Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Garth Brooks, ''American Idol'' contestants, and judges Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson were in attendance. She surprised her husband by having one of their favorite artists, Brandon Heath, sing his song "Love Never Fails" for their first dance.

On February 11, 2011, 105.3 CISS-FM, an Ottawa radio station, banned Underwood's music to be played because her husband, Mike Fisher, was traded to the Nashville Predators the day before. Due to Underwood's fans' threats to never tune into the radio station on Facebook, the station later modified their statements. They apologized for their actions, saying that their statements were meant to be taken as a joke as they do not play Underwood's country songs anyway and was their tongue-in-cheek way of wishing Mike Fisher the best of luck in Nashville. Mike Fisher later criticized the station saying "obviously Carrie had nothing to do with the move or the trade or anything so to imply something like that was just wrong", and both he and Underwood were disappointed in the negativity that was created by the radio station.

Discography

2005: ''Some Hearts''

2007: ''Carnival Ride''

2009: ''Play On''

Filmography

!Year	!Appearance	!Role
2005	''American Idol''	Herself – Winner
2009	''Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special''	Herself
	''How I Met Your Mother''	Tiffany
''Sesame Street''	"Carrie Underworm"
''The Buried Life''	Herself
''Extreme Makeover: Home Edition''	Herself
		Sarah Hill
''Blue Bloods''	Herself

Tours

2005: American Idols LIVE! Tour 2005

2006: Carrie Underwood: Live 2006

2008: Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Carnival Ride Tour (w/ Keith Urban)

2008: Carnival Ride Tour

2010: Play On Tour

Awards

List of awards received by Carrie Underwood

See also

List of artists who reached number one in the United States

List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. country chart

List of best-selling music artists in the United States

List of best-charting music artists in the U.S.

References

Bibliography

Tracey, Kathleen. ''Carrie Underwood: American Idol IV''. September 2005. Blue Banner Biography series (Juvenile) ISBN 1-58415-425-X

Footnotes

External links

Official site of Carrie Underwood from Arista Records

Carrie Underwood at Billboard.com

Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:People from Muskogee, Oklahoma Category:American country singer-songwriters Category:American female singers Category:American pianists Category:American female guitarists Category:American country guitarists Category:American Idol winners Category:American singers of Native American descent Category:American vegans Category:Arista Records artists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Grand Ole Opry members Category:Northeastern State University alumni Category:Musicians from Oklahoma Category:American Christians Category:Baptists from the United States Category:Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame inductees

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name	Vince Gill
background	solo_singer
birth name	Vincent Grant Gill
birth date	April 12, 1957
origin	Norman, Oklahoma, U.S.
instrument	VocalsElectric guitarMandolinDobroBanjo
genre	CountryBluegrassBlue-eyed soulCountry pop
occupation	Singer-songwriter
years active	1979–present
label	RCAMCAMCA Nashville
associated acts	The Notorious Cherry BombsPure Prairie LeagueRodney CrowellAmy GrantDolly PartonRicky SkaggsEmmylou Harris Carrie UnderwoodSara Evans
Spouse(s):	Amy Grant (2000-present) 1 child
Website	VinceGill.com }}

Vincent Grant "Vince" Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American neotraditional country singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman to the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s, and as a solo artist beginning in 1983, where his talents as a vocalist and musician have placed him in high demand as a guest vocalist, and a duet partner. Gill has recorded more than twenty studio albums, charted over forty singles on the U.S. ''Billboard'' charts as Hot Country Songs, and has sold more than 22 million albums. He has been honored by the Country Music Association with 18 CMA Awards, including two Entertainer of the Year awards and five Male Vocalist Awards. Gill has also earned 20 Grammy Awards, more than any other male Country music artist. In 2007, Gill was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Biography

Vincent Grant "Vince" Gill was born in Norman, Oklahoma. His father, J. Stanley Gill, was a lawyer and administrative law judge who played in a country music band part time and encouraged Gill to pursue a musical career. His homemaker mother, Jerene, played the harmonica. At the encouragement of his father, Gill learned to play several instruments, including the banjo and guitar, before he started high school at Oklahoma City's Northwest Classen High School. He first played with a teenage band called Bluegrass Revue in the late 1970s. The other members were: Billy Perry on the banjo, Bobby Clark on the mandolin and Mike Perry on the bass.

While in high school, he performed with "Mountain Smoke," a bluegrass band that once opened for Pure Prairie League. After he graduated, he played in a number of bluegrass bands, including Ricky Skaggs' "Boone Creek" and Byron Berline and Sundance; later, he became a member of Rodney Crowell's road band, The Cherry Bombs.

Career

Gill debuted on the national scene with the country rock band Pure Prairie League in 1979, appearing on that band's album ''Can't Hold Back.'' Gill is the lead singer on their hit song "Let Me Love You Tonight".

Mark Knopfler once invited Gill to join Dire Straits, but Gill declined the offer (although he sang backup on Dire Straits' album ''On Every Street'').

Vince Gill is scheduled to appear at the 44th Annual Country Music Awards on Nov 10, 2010.

Vince Gill was mentioned at length by Lewis Black in Black's "Stark Raving Black" stand-up act. Black goes on to joke about how awful it was to follow Gill at a USO benefit show because of how well Vince and wife, Amy Grant, performed.

Is currently collaborating with Joe Bonamassa on his forthcoming album Dust Bowl.

In July 2011, Vince Gill appeared as a guest on NPR's new quiz show Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me.

Personal life

Gill married country singer Janis Oliver of Sweethearts of the Rodeo fame, in 1980. The couple have one daughter, Jennifer Jerene Gill, born May 5, 1982. Gill occasionally mixed sound for his wife's band at concerts. Vince and Janis separated in the mid-1990s and eventually divorced in June 1998. Vince married Christian/pop singer Amy Grant in March 2000. They have one daughter, Corrina Grant Gill, born March 12, 2001.

Gill, along with his wife Amy, are fans of the Nashville Predators. They have been season ticket holders since the opening season and are often shown on the jumbo screen. In the 2007 playoffs, he and Amy sang the national anthem for each game.

Though Gill never attended college, he's a big fan of the University of Oklahoma football team. He also attends nearly every men's basketball game at Belmont University in Nashville.

Discography

Albums

1983: ''Here Today''

1984: ''Turn Me Loose''

1985: ''The Things That Matter''

1987: ''The Way Back Home''

1989: ''When I Call Your Name''

1991: ''Pocket Full of Gold''

1992: ''I Still Believe in You''

1993: ''Let There Be Peace on Earth''

1994: ''When Love Finds You''

1995: ''The Essential Vince Gill''

1995: ''Souvenirs''

1996: ''High Lonesome Sound''

1998: ''The Key''

1998: ''Breath of Heaven: A Christmas Collection''

2000: ''Let's Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye''

2000: '''Tis The Season''

2003: ''Next Big Thing''

2006: ''These Days''

Selected awards

Academy of Country Music

1984 Top New Male Vocalist

1992 Song of the Year with John Barlow Jarvis - "I Still Believe In You"

1992 Top Male Vocalist

1993 Top Male Vocalist

Country Music Association

1990 Single of the Year - "When I Call Your Name"

1991 Male Vocalist of the Year

1992 Male Vocalist of the Year

1992 Song of the Year with Max D. Barnes - "Look At Us"

1993 Album of the Year - "I Still Believe in You"

1993 Male Vocalist of the Year

1993 Song of the Year with John Barlow Jarvis - "I Still Believe in You"

1994 Entertainer of the Year

1994 Male Vocalist of the Year

1995 Male Vocalist of the Year

1999 Vocal Event of the Year with Patty Loveless - "My Kind of Woman, My Kind of Man"

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Inducted in 2007

Grammy Awards

1990 Best Country Vocal Performance, Male - "When I Call Your Name"

1991 Best Country Vocal Collaboration with Ricky Skaggs and Steve Wariner - "Restless"

1992 Best Country Song with John Barlow Jarvis - "I Still Believe in You"

1992 Best Country Vocal Performance, Male - "I Still Believe in You"

1993 Best Country Instrumental Performance with Asleep at the Wheel, Chet Atkins, Eldon Shamblin, Johnny Gimble, Marty Stuart, and Reuben "Lucky Oceans" Gosfield - "Red Wing"

1994 Best Country Vocal Performance, Male - "When Love Finds You"

1995 Best Country Song - "Go Rest High on That Mountain"

1995 Best Male Country Vocal Performance - "Go Rest High on That Mountain"

1996 Best Male Country Vocal Performance - "Worlds Apart"

1997 Best Country Instrumental Performance with Randy Scruggs - "A Soldier's Joy"

1997 Best Male Country Vocal Performance - "Pretty Little Adriana"

1998 Best Male Country Vocal Performance - "If You Ever Have Forever In Mind"

1999 Best Country Instrumental Performance with Tommy Allsup, Asleep at the Wheel, Floyd Domino, Larry Franklin, and Steve Wariner - "Bob's Breakdowns"

2001 Best Country Instrumental Performance with Jerry Douglas, Gen Duncan, Albert Lee, Steve Martin, Leon Russell, Earl Scruggs, Gary Scruggs, Randy Scruggs, Paul Shaffer and Marty Stuart - "Foggy Mountain Breakdown"

2002 Best Male Country Vocal Performance - "The Next Big Thing"

2006 Best Male Country Vocal Performance - "The Reason Why"

2007 Best Country Album - "These Days"

2008 Best Country Instrumental Performance with Brad Paisley, James Burton, John Jorgenson, Albert Lee, Brent Mason, Redd Volkaert and Steve Wariner - "Cluster Pluck"

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame

Inducted in 2005

See also

Best selling music artists

References

External links

Official Vince Gill UMG Nashville Artist Page

How to Capture Vince Gill’s Guitar Tone

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Gill, Vince

Category:1957 births Category:American country guitarists Category:American country singers Category:American country singer-songwriters Category:American male singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Grand Ole Opry members Category:Country Music Hall of Fame inductees Category:Living people Category:American mandolinists Category:MCA Records artists Category:Musicians from Oklahoma Category:Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame inductees Category:People from Oklahoma Category:People from Norman, Oklahoma Category:Resonator guitarists Category:The Notorious Cherry Bombs members Category:American session musicians

de:Vince Gill es:Vince Gill fr:Vince Gill nl:Vince Gill pt:Vince Gill ru:Vince Gill simple:Vince Gill

Name	Tommy Hilfiger
Nationality	American
Birth date	March 24, 1951
Birth place	Elmira, New York, U.S.
Education	Elmira Free Academy
Label name	Tommy Hilfiger }}

Thomas Jacob "Tommy" Hilfiger (born March 24, 1951) is an American fashion designer and founder of the premium lifestyle brand Tommy Hilfiger.

Early life

Hilfiger born in Elmira, New York. The second of nine children, he grew up in an Irish-American family; he claims direct descendence from Scottish poet Robert Burns. His parents originally intended for him to be an engineer. He attended Elmira Free Academy for high school. Rather than furthering his education, he started to work in retail at the age of 18. Hilfiger would go to New York City to buy jeans and bell-bottom pants, which he customized and resold at a local downtown Elmira store, Brown's.

He later opened his own store, named The People's Place, around the block in downtown Elmira. Although the store was a hot spot for teens with frequent contests and live DJ appearances, there were often more people hanging out than shopping. Over the years, a number of stores closed in downtown Elmira as shopping traffic shifted to the new Arnot Mall in Horseheads, New York. It wasn't long before The People's Place became another casualty. After seven years, The People's Place went bankrupt, when Hilfiger was 25. The site of the original store has since been demolished to make room for First Arena, home of the Elmira Jackals Hockey team.

Career

After turning to the design of clothing by designing for the rest of his stores in upstate New York, Hilfiger moved to New York City with his now estranged wife, Susie. Although he was offered design assistant positions with designers Calvin Klein and Perry Ellis, and was broke, he turned them both down with greater plans in mind.

In 1984, he founded the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation,'' (NYSE:TOM)'', with support from The Murjani Group, which went public in 1992, introducing his signature menswear collection. By 2004 the company had 5,400 employees and revenues in excess of $1.8 billion. Hilfiger was named Menswear Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 1995..

In 1998, Hilfiger gave singer Aaliyah her endorsement deal, in which he honored her in his Summer 1998 fashion show in Jamaica.

In 2005, a CBS TV reality show called ''The Cut'' tracked the progress of sixteen contestants as they competed for a design job with Hilfiger in similar fashion to Donald Trump's ''The Apprentice''. In the end Hilfiger chose Chris Cortez.

Largely due to declining sales, in 2006, Tommy Hilfiger sold his company for $1.6 billion, or $16.80 a share, to Apax Partners, a private investment company.

In March 2010, Phillips-Van Heusen, owner of Calvin Klein, bought the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation for $3 billion.

Personal life

Hilfiger has four children with his ex-wife, Susie: Alexandria ("Ally"), Richard, Elizabeth, and Kathleen. His daughter Ally was featured in the MTV reality show ''Rich Girls'' and his son, Rich, was signed to hip hop super producer Swizz Beatz' label Full Surface. Rich, who goes by the hip-hop stage name Rich Hil, was arrested on August 1, 2010 in West Hollywood for possession of marijuana and intent to sell.

Hilfiger put his Greenwich, Connecticut, mansion on the market in the summer of 2008 for an asking price of $27 million.

On December 12, 2008, he married his second wife Dee Ocleppo (''née'' Erbug), former wife of Gianni Ocleppo, famous Italian tennis player of the 1980s.

On February 25, 2009, the New York Post reported that Ocleppo was three months pregnant, and Hilfiger would welcome a fifth child later in 2009.

On May 4, 2009, Hilfiger and Ocleppo announced they were expecting a boy, who was born on Tuesday, August 4, 2009, and named Sebastian Thomas Hilfiger.

Criticisms

Hilfiger has been criticized for manufacturing clothes in sweatshop conditions in the United States territory of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. As a U.S. Commonwealth, clothes made there can be labeled "Made in the USA", but federal labor laws including the minimum wage do not apply. In March 2000, the company, along with other defendants, settled a class action suit brought by Saipan garment workers, which had alleged mistreatment by over 20 large U.S. clothing manufacturers.

Libelous hoax email

An email saying that Hilfiger appeared on the Oprah Winfrey television show on "28 November" and made racist remarks, and calling for a boycott of Hilfiger's merchandise, has circulated widely. It was first seen in 1996, seemed to disappear, but reappeared and was still in circulation . Winfrey made clear on her show and website in 1999 that Hilfiger had never appeared on her show until then, much less made the remarks attributed to him in the email; and Hilfiger paid investigators, who traced it to a college campus but could not identify the perpetrator. Allegations were reported to the Anti-Defamation League; they wrote to Hilfiger in 2001 "We have concluded that these rumors are completely false, and it is apparent that you never made the statements attributed to you, nor did you appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show". Hilfiger appeared on the Winfrey show on 1 January 2006, where he and Winfrey repeated that he had not appeared before. Winfrey said about the email "You're supposed to say, 'That's a big fat lie.'"

Product lines

Hilfiger Denim, a premium-upscale denim collection for men and women. Designs are inspired by American classics and finished with a modern edge.

True Star Gold, fragrance created by Hilfiger and spokeswoman Beyoncé Knowles

True Star, another fragrance created by Hilfiger and with spokesperson Beyoncé Knowles & True Star Men, a fragrance created by Hilfiger and with spokesperson Enrique Iglesias

Tommy Girl, fragrance for women

Red Label, a line of denim-themed products including jeans, t-shirts, and sweatshirts

H by Tommy Hilfiger, an upscale line which was ended after Tommy Hilfger sold his company, the same sort of style is now carried on under the Tommy Hilfiger label in their specialty stores

Tommy Hilfiger, the company line of clothes sold in department stores, company stores, and specialty stores

Tommy Sport, a defunct line that came out in the 1990s and capitalized on Hilfiger's popularity in urban areas.

Tommy Hilfiger for the Home, a line of bedding and bath products

Tommy Sailing, was due to be released in January or February 2007.

Tommy, a brightly colored casual line.

Tommy Jeans, a denim inspired clothing collection and corresponding fragrance

Hilfiger Athletics, a sport inspired clothing line and fragrance

References

External links

Official website

Urban Legends that allege false claims against Hilfiger

Anti-Defamation League; Letter to Tommy Hilfiger

Category:1951 births Category:American fashion businesspeople Category:American fashion designers Category:Companies established in 1985 Category:American people of Irish descent Category:Living people Category:People from Elmira, New York Category:People from New York City Category:Irish American history

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name	Katy Perry
background	solo_singer
birth name	Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson
alias	Katy Hudson
birth date	October 25, 1984
birth place	Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
genre	Pop, rock, gospel
occupation	Singer-songwriter, actress
instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano
years active	2001–present
label	Red Hill, Island, Columbia, Capitol
website	}}

Katy Perry (born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson; October 25, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents. Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a career in music. As Katy Hudson, she released a self-titled gospel album in 2001, which was unsuccessful. She later recorded an album with production team The Matrix and completed the majority of a solo album from 2004–05, the later of which was never released. Perry is the first female artist to get five hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in one year.

After signing with Capitol Music Group in 2007, her fourth record label in seven years, she adopted the stage name Katy Perry and released her first Internet single "Ur So Gay" that November, which garnered public attention but failed to chart. She rose to fame with the release of her second single "I Kissed a Girl" in 2008, which went on to top international charts. Perry's first mainstream studio album ''One of the Boys'' followed later that year and subsequently became the 33rd-best selling album worldwide of 2008. It was accredited platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America, while "I Kissed a Girl" and her second single "Hot n Cold" both received multi-platinum certifications.

Her second studio album ''Teenage Dream'' was released in August 2010 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album included the Billboard chart-toppers "California Gurls", "Teenage Dream", "Firework", and "E.T." and most recently "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)". The album produced five Hot 100 toppers, making ''Teenage Dream'' only the second album—after Michael Jackson's ''Bad''—to do so. With "E.T." at number one on the chart of May 12, 2011, Perry became the first artist in history to spend 52 consecutive weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.

Perry was a guest judge on the seventh series of British television show ''The X Factor'', has released a fragrance called "Purr", and voices Smurfette in the 2011 film ''The Smurfs''. Perry had a long relationship with Travie McCoy; she married Russell Brand on October 23, 2010.

Early life and career

1984–2006: Early life and career beginnings

Perry was born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson in Santa Barbara, California to Keith, a West Coast scenester in the 1960s, and Mary Hudson (née Perry), an evangelist who grew up in Southern California and had "a tempestuous first marriage in Zimbabwe". Perry has German, Portuguese, Irish, and English ancestry. She is the second child of two pastors. She has an older sister and younger brother. Perry's mother's aunt and uncle were screenwriter Eleanor Perry and director Frank Perry.

Perry was incorporated into her parents' ministry and sang in their church between the ages of nine and seventeen. She grew up listening to gospel music, was not allowed to listen to what her mother called "secular music", and attended Christian schools and camps. As a child, Perry learned how to dance in a recreation building in Santa Barbara. She was taught by seasoned dancers and began with swing, Lindy Hop, and jitterbug. She took her GED after her freshman year at Dos Pueblos High School and decided to leave school in the pursuit of a career in music. Perry initially started singing "because [she] was at that point in [her] childhood where [she] was copycatting [her] sister and everything she [would do]." Her sister practiced with cassette tapes, while Perry took the tapes herself when her sister was not around. She rehearsed the songs and performed them in front of her parents, who suggested she take vocal coaching. She grabbed the opportunity and began taking lessons at the age of nine and continued until she was sixteen. She later enrolled in at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, and studied Italian opera for a short period of time.

At the age of 15, Perry's singing in church attracted the attention of rock veterans from Nashville, Tennessee, who brought her there to polish her writing skills. In Nashville, Perry started recording demos and was taught by country music veterans on how to craft songs and play guitar. Perry signed to the Christian music label Red Hill, under which she recorded her first album at the age of 15. Performing as Katy Hudson, she released the self-titled Gospel-rock album in 2001. The album was unsuccessful, however, after the label ceased operations at the end of 2001. She later changed her surname to Perry, her mother's maiden name, because "Katy Hudson" was too close to film actress Kate Hudson.

At the age of 17, Perry left her home for Los Angeles, where she worked with Glen Ballard on an album for record label Island. Growing up listening to mostly gospel music, Perry had few references when she began recording songs. Asked by the producer with whom she would like to collaborate, Perry had no idea. That night, she went with her mother to a hotel. Inside, she turned on VH1 and saw producer Glen Ballard talking about Alanis Morissette; Ballard produced Morissette's ''Jagged Little Pill'', which had had a "huge influence" on Perry. She expressed interest in working with Ballard to her initial collaborator, who arranged a meeting for her with Ballard in Los Angeles. Perry presented one her songs to Ballard, and received a call back a day later. Ballard then helped Perry develop her songwriting over the next few years. The album was due for release in 2005, but ''Billboard'' reported it also went nowhere. Perry was dropped by The Island Def Jam Music Group. Some of Perry and Ballard's collaborations included "Box", "Diamonds" and "Long Shot", were posted on her official MySpace page. "Simple", one of the songs she recorded with Ballard, was released on the soundtrack to the 2005 film ''The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants''.

Perry signed to Columbia Records in 2004. However, the label was not amenable with her vision, not putting her in the "driver's seat". Instead, one of Columbia's ideas was to pair Perry with the record production team The Matrix, who was working on an album, to serve as its female vocalist. Although the album was later shelved, she caught the attention of the music press: Her burgeoning music career led to her being named "The Next Big Thing" in October 2004 by ''Blender'' magazine. With no album project ongoing, Perry began recording her own. Eighty percent completed, however, Columbia decided not to finish it and dropped her off the label. While waiting to find another label, she worked in an independent A&R; company called Taxi Music. In 2006, Perry was featured in the tail-end of the video to P.O.D.'s single "Goodbye for Now". She made a cameo appearance in Carbon Leaf's video, "Learn to Fly". She also appeared in other videos like Timbaland's "If We Ever Meet Again" and more. There were other videos she was included in too.

2007–09: ''One of the Boys'' and ''MTV Unplugged''

While in the process of being dropped by Columbia in 2006, the company's publicity executive Angelica Cob-Baehler enthusiastically recommended Perry to Virgin Records chairman Jason Flom. At the time Flom was leading a complete revival in fortunes at the label and looking to crown recent achievements by breaking a global pop act. Despite mixed reactions from fellow Virgin executives, Flom became convinced that Perry could be that breakthrough star, and at the start of 2007 extended discussions with Columbia resulted in Katy Perry signing to the newly created Capitol Music Group, a merger between Virgin and Capitol. As part of the deal, the label secured the masters to the unfinished album, recorded while at Columbia, that would go on form a significant part of her official mainstream debut album, ''One of the Boys''. The Columbia recordings were seen by Flom as being "very strong but lacking an undeniable smash or two that would work both at U.S. pop radio and internationally" and so one of the executive's first actions after completing the signing was to set up a collaboration between Perry and the writer-producer Dr. Luke. The results were the songs "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold". Establishing her image was one of the immediate concerns of her management. A campaign was started in November 2007 with the release of the video to "Ur So Gay", aimed at introducing her to the music market. A digital EP led by "Ur So Gay" was later released to create online buzz and press story. This was a successful move that resulted in bringing Perry to the attention of Madonna, who mentioned her on KISS FM and KRQ's ''JohnJay & Rich'' morning show in Arizona. On March 10, 2008, she appeared as herself on the ABC Family television series, ''Wildfire'', on the episode "Life's Too Short".

She went on the next step of promoting the album, undertaking a two-month tour of radio stations. The album's official lead single, "I Kissed a Girl", was released on May 6, 2008. Perry's A&R;, Chris Anokute, told HitQuarters the song and its controversial theme met with strong resistance at the label, "People said, 'This is never going to get played on the radio. How do we sell this? How’s this going to be played in the bible belt?'" Anokute said that they needed the support of one of the label's radio promoters to convince people to believe in the record otherwise Perry would have likely been dropped again. Capitol's SVP of Promotions Dennis Reese saw the vision and helped push the single on national radio. The first station to pick it up and take a chance was The River in Nashville. After playing it for three days they were innundated with enthusiastic calls. With the song climbing atop the charts, Perry embarked on the annual Warped Tour music festival, which her management used to "establish her as a credible performer and make sure she wasn't seen as just a one-hit wonder." The single was a commercial success, peaking at number one for seven weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It has since become a major worldwide hit, topping charts in 30 countries, including Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. On June 12, 2008, Perry appeared as herself on the daytime soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'', posing for the cover to the June 2008 issue of the fictional magazine ''Restless Style''. Perry also performed backing vocals on the song, "Another Night in the Hills" from Gavin Rossdale's 2008 solo album ''Wanderlust''.

''One of the Boys'' was released on June 17, 2008 to mixed critical reviews. The album has reached number nine on the ''Billboard'' 200, and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Perry released her second single, "Hot n Cold", which became her second top three single in dozens of countries around the world, including the United States where it reached number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, as well as topping the charts in Germany, Canada, and Denmark. After Perry wrapped up her appearance at the Warped Tour, she went on tours in Europe. She later launched her first headlining tour, the Hello Katy Tour, in January 2009. "I Kissed a Girl" earned Perry a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Perry was nominated in five categories at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, including Best New Artist and Best Female Video, but lost to Britney Spears. She won Best New Act at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards, which she co-hosted, and Best International Female Artist at the 2009 BRIT Awards. On February 9, 2009, both "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold" were certified three-time platinum by Recording Industry Association of America for individual digital sales of over three million. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Perry in its 2010 version as the "Best Start on the US Digital Chart by a Female Artist," for having her first two singles sell over two million digital copies.

The Matrix's self-titled debut album, which features Perry, was later released via the team's label, Let's Hear It, during Perry's solo tour. When the release date was scheduled, "I Kissed a Girl" had been charting well. Matrix member Lauren Christy spoke to Perry about the decision, but she wanted to hold the release until the fourth single of ''One of the Boys'' had been dispatched. Despite their communication, ''The Matrix'' was released on January 27, 2009, via iTunes Store. thumb|left|upright|Perry performing in June 2009 In December 2008, Perry apologized to British singer Lily Allen for remarks in which she called herself a "skinnier version" of her, saying she meant it as a joke. Allen retaliated and told a British radio station that she "happen[ed] to know for a fact that she [Perry] was an American version" of her because their record company needed "to find something controversial and 'kooky'" like her.

On May 16, 2009, Perry performed at the opening ceremony of the annual Life Ball in Vienna, Austria. In June 2009, lawyers acting for Katy Perry opposed the recent trademark of Australian fashion designer Katie Perry who uses her own name to market loungewear. Some media outlets reported this as a lawsuit, which Katy Perry has denied on her blog. Katie Perry the designer reports on her blog that at a hearing with IP Australia on July 10, 2009, the singer's lawyers withdrew their opposition to the trademark. During the summer of 2009 Perry filmed a cameo appearance for ''Get Him to the Greek''; her scene, in which she kisses her future fiancé Russell Brand was cut, and does not appear in the final film. Discussing the issue with MTV, Perry hypothesized there may have been some fear that seeing the two make out would have taken viewers out of the experience. In 2009, Perry was featured on two singles: a remix of Colorado-based band 3OH!3's song "Starstrukk" in August (the idea for the collaboration came after Perry's tour that featured 3OH!3 as the supporting act). The song was released over iTunes on September 8, 2009; and "If We Ever Meet Again", the fourth single off Timbaland's album ''Shock Value II'' in December. In October 2009, ''MTV Unplugged'' revealed that Perry was one of the artists to perform for them, and that she would be releasing a live album of the performance, including two new tracks, "Brick by Brick" and Fountains of Wayne cover "Hackensack". The album was released on November 17, and includes both a CD and a DVD.

2010–present: ''Teenage Dream'' and Film debut

Perry appeared as a guest judge alongside Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh during the Dublin audition stage of the seventh series of the British television show ''The X Factor'' on June 28, 2010 (later televised on August 28). She was one of the many celebrities chosen to fulfil the role of judge whilst Dannii Minogue was on maternity leave. She later returned to the show on October 17 to perform "Firework". Perry's second mainstream studio album was titled ''Teenage Dream'' and was released in August 2010. The first single from the album was titled "California Gurls". The single peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was the fastest rising single from a Capitol Records artist since Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billie Joe" in 1967. The cover art for ''Teenage Dream'' is a painting by Will Cotton in which depicts Perry lying naked on clouds of cotton candy; resembling the shots of Perry in the video for "California Gurls". The booklet of the physical edition of the album, in keeping with the theme of cotton candy, has a cotton candy scent. The album's second single "Teenage Dream" was released in July 2010. "Firework" is the album's third single.

Perry appeared at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010. She was nominated for two awards, including the Best Female Video and Best Pop Video for "California Gurls", and presented the award of "Best Male Video" with Nicki Minaj to Eminem. On September 14, she returned to her old high school, Dos Pueblos High School, where she performed a short set for the school's students. Perry performed "Hot n Cold" with Elmo from ''Sesame Street'', which was originally to appear on the forty-first-season premiere of the educational children's program on September 27, 2010. However, four days before the scheduled airing, Sesame Workshop announced, "In light of the feedback we've received on the Katy Perry music video ... we have decided we will not air the segment on the television broadcast of ''Sesame Street'', which is aimed at preschoolers. Katy Perry fans will still be able to view the video on YouTube." The main reason was that parents complained about what appeared to be a great amount of cleavage shown by her dress. Perry shot the video for ''Firework'' in Budapest in September 2010. An open casting call drew an unprecedented 38,000 applicants. She proceeded to perform at a concert in Budapest on October 1, her first concert in Central and Eastern Europe. Perry released a perfume named "Purr" in November. It comes in a cat-shaped bottle, and is available through Nordstrom stores. ''Teenage Dream'' led Perry to nominations four awards at the 2011 Grammy Awards: Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Teenage Dream", and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "California Gurls". Following the Grammys, Perry released "E.T." as the fourth single from the album. The single was a remixed version featuring Kanye West. The music video for "E.T." was directed by Floria Sigismondi and features Shaun Ross as the main love interest. In June 2011, Perry released the fifth single, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)". A remixed version featuring American rapper Missy Elliot was released in early August. The single has topped U.S. download and radio charts. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 on August 17, 2011, making Perry the first female artist ever to have five #1 singles from one album. Katy Perry appeared at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28, 2011. She was nominated for ten awards, received the most nominations of the ceremony and was the only singer in history to have four different music videos shown on various categories, eventually winning three of those, including Video of the Year for "Firework", Best Collaboration and Best Special Effects for "E.T.".

On September 17, 2011, Perry hits the 69th consecutive weeks in the Top 10.

On September 23 she attended the opening day of the 2011 Rock in Rio festival, which was extended to October 2. During the show, produced one of the most striking scenes of the event, when he called to the scene ''Júlio César de Salvo'', a fan who was an anonymous until then. The man, who became known as "''Júlio de Sorocaba''", became an instant celebrity when he was "harassed" by the singer with a kiss, getting the opportunity to give back also one another. The fact made ​​headlines in most Brazilian television news programs, including the Fantástico and the Jornal Nacional, including therefore becoming a trend topic, not just in Twitter, but at Internet in general.

Artistry

Musical style and themes

Perry has a contralto vocal range. Perry's first album is of the gospel music genre. She related that her perspective in music was "a bit enclosed and very strict", and everything she did was church-related. Her second album, ''One of the Boys'', is described as "secular" and "rock," and reflects a departure from her religious musical roots. Her next album ''Teenage Dream'' featured more pop songs in the vein of ''Boys''. Among Perry's musical influences are Alanis Morissette, pop rockers Cyndi Lauper, Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, Shirley Manson, and Freddie Mercury, the late frontman of the British band Queen. In her tribute to Mercury on what would have been his 65th birthday, Perry stated; "Without you I wouldn't be making music or doing what I do because your lyrics inspired me as a 15 year old girl." She was especially inspired by the Queen song, "Killer Queen" to pursue a career in pop music after her first album. She also described Morissette's album, ''Jagged Little Pill'' as having influenced her music profoundly; even going on to work with Morissette's collaborator on the album, Glen Ballard because of that.

Perry is artistically involved in her projects, especially in the writing process. Since she could play guitar, she would start writing songs at home and present it to her producers. Perry is mostly inspired by specific moments of her life. She said it is easy for her to write songs about heartbreak. Most of the themes in ''One of the Boys'' deal with heartbreak, teen adventure, and "puking into toilets". Perry's mother reportedly told British tabloid ''Daily Mail'' that she dislikes her daughter's music, calling it "shameful and disgusting". Perry said her mother was misquoted and told MTV that it was false information. Her songs "Ur So Gay" and "I Kissed a Girl" have received negative reactions from both religious and gay sectors. The songs have been respectively labeled as being homophobic and promoting homosexuality, as well as "lez ploitational". MTV mentioned criticism suggesting that Perry is using "bi-curiosity" as a way to sell records. Perry responded to the controversy surrounding "Ur So Gay": "It's not a negative connotation. It's not, 'you're so gay,' like, 'you're so lame,' but the fact of the matter is that this boy should've been gay. I totally understand how it could be misconstrued or whatever ... It wasn't stereotyping anyone in particular, I was talking about ex-boyfriends."

Public image

Perry is known for her unconventional style of dress. It is often humorous, bright in color, and reminiscent of different decades, and she frequently used fruit-shaped accessories, mainly watermelon, as part of her outfits. Since the Teenage Dream era, Perry has included more glamorous and food-related outfits in her wardrobe. Having learned dancing at an early age, she fantasized about having her own style. Perry's transformation into an artist began with fashion, inspired by American film actress Dominique Swain's portrayal in 1997 film adaptation of the novel ''Lolita''. She defines her fashion style as "a bit of a concoction of different things". Johnny Wujek, Perry's stylist, described her style, upon meeting her for the first time, as "very colorful and vintage". Her fashion has caught the attention of designers. In June 2008, a publicity photo that showed Perry posing with a switchblade was criticized. The picture was defended as only an effort to give Perry a "sexy, harder edge". The criticism leveled at her was mocked by Perry who subsequently posed with a spoon instead. She has appeared in FHM Magazine's 100 Sexiest Women poll twice, ranking at No.23 in 2009 and No.37 in 2010.

She was ranked 7th in ''Rolling Stone'''s global Queen of Pop poll in July 2011.

Personal life

Perry has been generally associated with three men: Matt Thiessen, Travie McCoy, and Russell Brand. She dated Relient K frontman Matt Thiessen for a few years. Thiessen has worked on Teenage Dream. Perry dated Gym Class Heroes frontman Travie McCoy, whom she met in a recording studio in New York. They broke up in December 2008.

Perry first met British comedian Russell Brand in the summer of 2009 when Perry filmed a cameo appearance for Brand's film ''Get Him to the Greek''. Perry and Brand began dating after meeting again in September 2009 at the MTV Video Music Awards, where Brand, as host, remarked, "Katy Perry didn't win an award and she's staying at the same hotel as me, so she's gonna need a shoulder to cry on. So in a way, I'm the real winner tonight." The couple became engaged in December 2009 while vacationing in India. Perry stated that she plans to take dual British citizenship. "One of the first things I'll do is apply for dual citizenship. I'm not too sure if I have to take a test as I've not had time to look into it. But England is like my second home". Perry and Brand married on October 23, 2010 in a traditional Hindu ceremony near the Ranthambhore tiger sanctuary in Rajasthan, India, where Brand had proposed.

In an interview with ''Rolling Stone'' she said, "I am sensitive to Russell taking the Lord's name in vain and to Lady Gaga putting a rosary in her mouth. I think when you put sex and spirituality in the same bottle and shake it up, bad things happen."

Discography

''Katy Hudson'' (2001)

''One of the Boys'' (2008)

''Teenage Dream'' (2010)

Tours

Warped Tour 2008 (2008)

Hello Katy Tour (2009)

California Dreams Tour (2011)

Filmography

Television

!Year	!Title	!Role	Notes
	''''	Herself	Episode 8914
	Herself
	''American Idol''	Guest judge
	Guest judge
''Sesame Street''	Herself	Online special (deleted from televised episode due to viewer controversy)
''The Simpsons''	Herself	1 episode, "The Fight Before Christmas"
2011	''How I Met Your Mother''	Honey	1 episode, "Oh Honey"
2011	''America's Got Talent''	Guest Judge	July 27 (Season 6, Qtr Finals 3 results)

Films

!Year	!Title	!Role	class="unsortable"	Notes
	''Get Him to the Greek''	Herself	Deleted sceneUncredited
''Out in the Desert''	Herself	Post-production
	2011		Smurfette	Voice

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official website

Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from California Category:American bloggers Category:American Christians Category:American contraltos Category:American dance musicians Category:American female guitarists Category:American female pop singers Category:American film actors Category:American musicians of German descent Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of German descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of Portuguese descent Category:American pop rock singers Category:American pop singer-songwriters Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Brit Award winners Category:Capitol Records artists Category:English-language singers Category:Female rock singers Category:Musicians from California Category:People from Santa Barbara, California Category:Singers from California Category:The X Factor judges

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