Singer who became a social media phenomenon on platforms such as Instagram and musical.ly. He's amassed over 3.1 million Instagram followers as well as over 2 million on musical.ly. He released his first EP Holiday in July 2017.
The Weeknd is the stage name of Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer Abel Makkonen Tesfaye. He got recognition after posting many of his songs on YouTube under the username 'The Weeknd'. Inspired by legendary Michael Jackson to become a singer, he was later influenced by R&B stars like Aaliyah, Missy Elliott, Timbaland and The Neptunes. He started his career with mixtapes that he released from his own website for free. His three mixtapes, 'House of Balloons', 'Thursday', and 'Echoes of Silence', helped him create a loyal fan base. All of his studio albums were received with positive reviews. Suffering from shyness and insecurity as a child, Tesfaye made conscious efforts to shun publicity during his early career. He avoided giving interviews and didn't even use his own image in his mixtape covers. He interacted with his fans on Twitter. However, he gained confidence as his songs started to top charts worldwide. He has so far worked with stars like Kanye West, Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Kendrick Lamar and Drake. Tesfaye, who wants to be remembered for being unique and different, started with his Jean-Michel Basquiat-inspired hairstyle, which is his most recognizable feature.
Born Prince Rogers Nelson, this popular recording artist released ten platinum-selling albums and won multiple Grammy Awards for Purple Rain, including Best Performance and Best Soundtrack.
American R&B singer who has become a sensation with tracks like "Location," "Let's Go," and "Coaster." His early songs featured production work from artists like Syk Sense, <a title='Tunji Ige' href='/famous/tunji-ige.htm'>Tunji Ige</a>, and Smash David.
Alessia Cara is a popular Canadian singer of Italian descent, her specialty being Rhythm & Blue Pop with strong undertones of Jazz. Her first solo ˜Here' reached the top five in the US and top 20 in Canada. When she released her first official album ˜Know-it-all,' it peaked at the 19th spot on US Billboard 200. She is contractually signed to EP Entertainment and Def Jam recordings. Her 2016 single ˜Scars to Your Beautiful' reached the top ten on US Billboard Hot 100. With her down-to-earth personality, Cara comes across as someone who everybody can connect with, and this is one quality of hers which makes her extremely popular among the masses. She is way ahead of her generation in terms of maturity which reflects in the lyrics of her songs.
The American singer, actress, model, and producer, Whitney Houston is one of the world's most successful female entertainers of all time. Having been exposed to a family with a musical background, the naturally talented beauty became inspired to sing and play the piano at an early age. She entered the entertainment industry by touring nightclubs with her mother, while singing and modeling, until eventually signing her own recording contract and coming out with her debut album. This musical introduction would not only become her best-selling studio album to-date, but would earn her a Grammy, thrusting her into super-pop-stardom, followed by a string of Hollywood film features and production efforts. Throughout her career, she released seven studio albums and three movie soundtrack albums, winning her various awards. Her powerful voice, spirit, and beauty redefined the image of a soul artist. As much as the renowned singer was an international icon and inspiration to females, emerging recording artists, and the community, she also faced some personal challenges that would impair her influential status. From drug addictions to a troubled relationship with husband Bobby Brown, Houston's reputation was painted with a series of eventful ups and downs before she ultimately succumbed to her tragic death
August Anthony Alsina, Jr. is an American rhythm and blues singer and recording artist. He is associated with the American record label, ˜Def Jam Recordings'. Coming from a troubled family background he faced several hardships in his childhood which however could not deter him from his passion for music. While still in his teens, he came out with covers of songs by Musiq Soulchild and Lyfe Jennings and uploaded them on YouTube. The songs soon garnered thousands of views. As the situation in family deteriorated he got involved into drug dealings. However the incident of his brother's murder was an eye opener for him. It led him to channel his energy back to music again and he came out with a mix tape titled ˜The Product' (2012). One of its tracks ˜Sucka' featured American R&B singer Lloyd. The first single of ˜The Product 2' (2013), his second mixtape, titled ˜I Luv This Shit' climbed at # 13 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart and ranked #48 at the list of Hot 100. He furthered his fame with his 2014 debut studio album titled ˜Testimony' that climbed at #2 on the albums charts. Other notable musical endeavours of Alsina includes the 2013 EP titled ˜Downtown: Life Under The Gun' and 2015 album ˜This Thing Called Life'.
R&B singer performer who rose to fame after releasing his six-times Platinum-selling album My Way. His 2004 album Confessions became the fastest-selling R&B album in history.
Tremaine Aldon Neverson, better known as 'Trey Songz', is an American rapper, songwriter, record-producer and actor. He was raised as a military brat and since he had no positive male influence in his life, he cherishes his mother's influence a lot and brought her a house soon after achieving stardom. To negate the ill effects of fame and stardom, he constantly does a lot to give back to his community and to help the poor. Extremely shy and reserved in his childhood, his friends and family nudged him out of his cocoon and encouraged him to go ahead and work upon his singing ability. They suggested him to drop 'Rap' and 'Croon' instead, which suited his ˜tenor-voice'. Regular interventions and encouragement made him sign up for a talent show, where record-producer Troy Taylor heard him and recognised his potential. After completing his graduation, he moved to New Jersey to learn from the former. Before the launch of his first album, he got to collaborate and feature with some really big names of the industry like Lil' Kim, Trina, Snoop Dogg, Kevin Lyttle and Trick Daddy. From albums, he progressed onto mix-tapes, concerts and collaborations. Soon the biggest moment in his life arrived when he opened for Jay-Z on the latter's 'Fall-Tour' in 2009. Going by his career, he is recognised as one of the few artists who could maintain their mainstream status. In short, his story is one of faith, determination, struggle, hard work, humbleness and the power of dreaming
Aaliyah was an American singer best known for her debut album ˜Age Ain't Nothing but a Number' which sold three million copies in the United States. Her second album was also a resounding success and she soon became one of the hottest youth icons in the 1990s. Interested in music from an early age, she had inherited her singing talents from her vocalist mother. The recording artist Gladys Maria Knight was her close relative and played a major role in introducing young Aaliyah to the show business. She travelled often with Gladys and began auditioning for commercials and television programs. She got lucky and signed a deal with Jive Records and her uncle Barry Hankerson's Blackground Records, at the young age of 12. Her debut album, recorded when she was just 14 proved to be a sensational hit and is said to have defined R&B in the 1990s. A phenomenally successful singing career followed and she soon ventured into films as well, making her debut as an actress in ˜Romeo Must Die' starring opposite martial artist Jet Li. She also served as an executive producer of the film's soundtrack, where she contributed four songs. The rising star met an abrupt end in an aircraft crash in 2001, aged just 22.
John Roger Stephens, known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician best known for his albums, such as ˜Once Again', and ˜Darkness and Light'. Born in Springfield, Ohio, in the United States, Legend showed a keen interest in music from an early age. He started performing in his church choir at the age of four. From the age of seven, he started playing the piano. During his time at college, he served as the president and music director of a musical group named Counterparts. Having released a total of five studio albums till date, Legend has also collaborated with lots of other stars such as <a title='Kanye West' href='/famous/kanye-west.htm'>Kanye West</a>, Britney Spears, as well as Lauren Hill. In 2015, he won the Oscar for the song ˜Glory', which he had written for the historical movie ˜Selma.' He has also won several other significant awards, which include ten Grammy awards, as well as one Golden Globe Award. He is also an actor and has made an appearance in the movie ˜La La Land', which became a huge hit, winning six Oscars. He is known for his philanthropic activities, such as raising awareness to help the victims of the Hurricane Katrina.
Grammy Award-winning R&B singer who gained recognition for her first hit, "Goodies," in 2004, and her 2006 single, "Promise."
Jacquees is the stage name of Rodriquez Broadnax, an American singer and songwriter, touted as the next R&B star. After learning about the music of the Jacksons and the Temptations through television shows, he taught himself to sing when he was only nine years old. During his school days, he went on to participate in a number of talent shows, winning trophies back-to-back each year. His professional career started slowly, and then grew big pretty quick. He initially gained exposure by working with rapper <a title='T.I.' href='/famous/tip-harris.htm'>T.I.</a> on the single 'Krazy'. He then made a number of mixtapes before releasing his EP '19', which gave his career a jumpstart. Featuring on Billboard charts encouraged him to work harder, which soon resulted in a record deal with Cash Money Records. He met his idol Birdman and worked with him on the mixtape 'Lost At Sea'. With his support, he dreams of becoming the biggest R&B artist ever. He is currently finalizing his debut album, '4275'. In a recent interview, he revealed that he has auditioned for a few movie roles and is all set to make his acting debut soon.
Known by the stage name Jhené, she rose to fame as a singer with the American R&B group B2K and released hit songs such as "The Worst" and "Sail Out." In 2018, she released her first poetry collection titled, 2Fish.
Stevie Wonder is an American musician, singer and songwriter, considered to be one of the most creative musical performers of the 20th century. Blind from birth, he was a child prodigy and became a skilled musician by the age of eight. After signing a contract with Motown label, he was renamed ˜Little Stevie Wonder' and made his recording debut at the age of 12.Subsequently, he emerged as an able artist with his hit single Fingertips and later, his passionate delivery of the pounding single Uptight (Everything's Alright) confirmed the arrival of a compelling performer. In the following years, Wonder had numerous hits with several chartbusters including I Was Made to Love Her and For Once in My Life. In the 1970s, his albums produced a steady stream of classic hits such as Superstition, You Are the Sunshine of My Life, Living for the City, I Wish and ˜Sir Duke. The 1980's saw Wonder scoring his biggest hits and reaching an unprecedented level of fame which was evident by the increased album sales, high-profile collaborations and television appearances. Throughout his career, Wonder has recorded many critically acclaimed albums and hit singles. He has 25 Grammy Awards to his name ”the most ever won by a solo artist”and is considered to be among the best selling artists of all time
Greg Marks is an American R&B singer and actor. After gaining initial fame on social media, he became a mainstream sensation with the release of his debut single ˜Rock you to the Top'. Marks has been interested in music since he was a child and at the age of seven, he started learning the guitar. Subsequently, he began taking voice lessons after his guitar teacher advised him to do so. He set up his YouTube channel in July 2013 and initially posted covers of various popular songs there. Since the success of ˜Rock you to the Top', Marks has put out an extended play, ˜Ain't No Way'. As an actor, he has portrayed the same character, Henry, in two web shows ˜Attaway Appeal' and ˜Chicken Girls'.
Zonnique Pullins, also known by her stage name, Miss Star, is an R&B singer who was once associated with the girl group ˜OMG Girlz' along with singers <a title='Bahja Rodriguez' href='/famous/bahja-rodriguez.htm'>Bahja Rodriguez</a> and <a title='Breaunna Womack' href='/famous/breunna-womack.htm'>Breaunna Womack</a>. The trio is known for popular songs like ˜Ain't Nobody,' ˜Haterz,' ˜Gucci This (Gucci That)' and ˜So Official,' which helped them gain a healthy fan base. As a part of this group, Zonnique also performed at the Scream Tour: Next Generation in 2011 which further helped to boost her popularity. Being the daughter of the Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter, Tameka Harris, Zonnique was exposed to the world of music at a very young age. Having inherited her mother's talent and passion for music, the little girl dreamed of becoming a singer from the time she can remember. Her mom not only guided her in the right path, but also provided her all the requisite support to build a successful singing career. Even though ˜OMG Girlz' disbanded in 2015, Zonnique has continued her successful career as a solo performer.
Tinashe Kachingwe is a popular American singer and songwriter best known for her debut single ˜2 On'. Member of the former band ˜The Stunners', music runs in the veins of this amazingly talented performer, who embarked on a musical career when she was just 14. Interestingly, not many know that Tinashe first started her career in the entertainment world as a model and actor. She was just three when she started modelling and acting. After a couple of projects, Tinashe turned to her passion for music. She was a part of the group ˜The Stunners' that released EPs and singles. However, when the band disbanded, Tinashe embarked on a solo career. She released three critically acclaimed mixtapes, ˜In Case We Die', ˜Reverie' and ˜Black Water'. However, it was her debut single ˜2 On' that brought Kachingwe into instant limelight. Critics applauded her single which paved the way for the release of her debut album which was also well-received.
Bobby Brown popularized new jack swing, a blend of soul, funk, and hip-hop sounds with raps and melodious verses. His new sound appealed to pop music lovers and was responsible for keeping alive the new jack swing pioneered by Ted Riley. Born into a poor family, his love for music and the determination to succeed led him to form a band called New Edition with his friends. The band's first album, ˜Candy Girl', made them a teenage sensation. He exited the band eight years later to release his first solo album, ˜King of Stage' which along with the album Bobby did not do well. However, his third release ˜Don't Be Cruel' was a sensational hit. The album dominated the Billboard Hot 100, and was one of the best-selling albums of the decade. It also won for him a couple of American Music Awards. His other album, ˜Forever' flopped badly. Despite his talent, the singer made headlines for all the wrong reasons. His alcoholism and cocaine addiction affected his life and career. His marriage to pop star Whitney Houston was tumultuous and ended in divorce.
Tamar Braxton is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television star. Passionate about her craft from a young age, she began singing backup vocals for her sister at the age of 12. She dreamed of pursuing a singing career when she grew up. Her dream came true when she and her sisters formed ˜The Braxtons', an American R&B singing group, and released their debut album. She also began her solo career by signing with DreamWorks Records, and released her album. When Whitney Houston heard 14-year-old Braxton sing, she said that the teen will be a star one day. This boosted the young girl's determination to make it big. Besides singing, multi-talented Braxton's creativity is expressed in many other ways as well”she also produces, stars in, and presents TV series. She once went through a period when her music career was not peaking as expected, but that didn't discourage Braxton. During that period, she focused more on her TV career. Almost after 13 years, she returned to the music industry with her second album ˜Love and War', which was a success. She has also launched ˜Get Your Life', her own fashion line.
Ne-Yo is an American songwriter, singer, dancer, recording producer and actor, who first came to limelight in 2004 as a songwriter, when the song, "Let Me Love You", penned by him for singer Mario became a hit. The song impressed the label head of Def Jam so much that he signed a recording contract with him. Born in a musician family, Ne-Yo developed interest in song writing at a young age. Her mother was very supportive and motivated him to take his passion as his career. He started his music career with a band named ˜Envy' from which he unfortunately separated in 2000. After parting ways from ˜Envy', he got an entry in Columbia Records where his music album project was not launched for more than a year, forcing him to resign from the company. He eventually made his debut in 2006 with his album ˜In My Own Words' which was extraordinarily successful, and reached the top spot on the Billboard 200. More successful album releases followed and he became one of the most sought songwriters. Ne-Yo not only earned a name in the field of song writing but also showcased his talent as singer, dancer and an actor. He has acted in films like ˜Stomp the Yard', 'Battle: Los Angeles', 'Red Tails' and many others.
Kimberly Michelle Pate, who is popular by her stage name ˜K Michelle,' is an American singer and songwriter. She is known for her singles "I Just Can't Do This" and "Fakin" It' as well as for her album ˜Rebellious Soul'. The celebrity is also a talented guitarist and pianist and is often seen with the musical instruments in her albums. Besides this, K Michelle is a television personality who had been featured in many reality shows. The Soul Train award winner is best known for making her appearance on the popular reality series ˜Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta' and ˜K. Michelle: My Life'. Starting her music career with Jive Records in the year 2009, today the R&B singer has emerged as one of the biggest musical stars in the USA. Besides name and fame, K Michelle has also managed to earn millions of fans and followers from all across the globe. As June 2017, the American star had got 4.7 million followers on Instagram and 1.6 million followers on Twitter. Apart from this, she had over 561k subscribers on YouTube. Plus we have to mention, she is extremely popular on Facebook as well!
Kalin White is better known as a member of the American pop duo, ˜Kalin and Myles', who released their first self-titled album in November 2015. They knew each other from school days but got serious about making music together after they met at a friend's place and Myles heard Kalin sing ˜Beautiful Girls' by Sean Kingston. Myles, who was already in the music business, was so impressed with Kalin's singing that he got in touch with him on Facebook to get him to sing together as a duo. Before this they were doing their individual productions of R&B and Hip Hop music on a small scale, more for fun. In 2011, their premiere song as a duo, ˜More Than Friends' was recorded in a single day and released the very next day, when they were still in school. The song was an instant success and after the favourable response to their maiden joint effort, they were motivated to put their individual careers on hold and begin uploading a number of joint videos that made them famous. Unfortunately, the duo did not last long and broke up in March 2016 to go their separate ways. After a short break, Kalin was back with his music and today he is an established singer and songwriter with his own debut album. He bears a positive outlook and recently expressed interest in acting as well. His massive following on social media is definitely an indicator that he is a budding star.
Myles Parrish is not your typical outspoken, outgoing teen musician. By his own admission, he is somewhat reserved and socially awkward. The whole social atmosphere¦I don't think I ever really fit into that in high school. I'd always feel weird, awkward and uncomfortable at parties. So I'd usually try and avoid those, confesses Myles, who is an alumnus of the prestigious ˜Dublin High School'. These atypical qualities may make Myles seem like a misfit in an industry where extroversion and a colorful persona are prerequisites. But like most gifted introverts, he lets his talent speak for himself. Myles first announced his arrival in the hip-hop scene in late-2011, with the hit number, ˜More Than Friends.' From then on, he has gone from being a YouTube star to being a chartbuster artist. With an impressive discography featuring an album and four extended plays, the 21-year old prodigy is on the cusp of a major turning point in his career, following the end of his association with his long-time friend and fellow rapper, <a title='Kalin White' href='/famous/kalin-white.htm'>Kalin White</a>. Any account of Myles' career is incomplete without Kalin, as they started out, jammed, and rose to prominence together. At a certain point, ˜Kalin and Myles' were looked upon as the next big dynamic duo in hip-hop with an ever-growing fan base, who called themselves, ˜KAMFAM'. Here is the story of the genesis and evolution of one of the most exciting talents in the industry.