1.
2016 Summer Olympics
–
More than 11,000 athletes from 205 National Olympic Committees, including first time entrants Kosovo, South Sudan, and the Refugee Olympic Team, took part. With 306 sets of medals, the games featured 28 Olympic sports, including rugby sevens and golf and these sporting events took place at 33 venues in the host city, and at five in São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Salvador, Brasília, and Manaus. These were the first Summer Olympic Games under the International Olympic Committee presidency of Thomas Bach, the host city Rio de Janeiro was announced at the 121st IOC Session in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 2 October 2009. Rio became the first South American city to host the Summer Olympics, the United States topped the medal table for the fifth time in the past six Summer Olympics, winning the most golds and most medals overall, as well as its 1, 000th Olympic gold medal overall. Great Britain finished second and became the first country in the history of the modern Olympics to increase its tally of medals in the subsequent games after being the host nation. Host country Brazil won seven medals, its most at any single Summer Olympics. Bahrain, Fiji, Jordan, Kosovo, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Tajikistan, Ivory Coast and Vietnam each won their first gold medals, the bidding process for the 2016 Olympic Games was officially launched on 16 May 2007. The first step for each city was to submit an application to the International Olympic Committee by 13 September 2007. Completed official bid files, containing answers to a 25-question IOC form, were to be submitted by each 14 January 2008. Four candidate cities were chosen for the shortlist on 4 June 2008, Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, prague and Baku also failed to make the cut. Nawal El Moutawakel of Morocco headed the 10-member Evaluation Commission, having chaired the evaluation commission for the 2012 Summer Olympics bids. The commission made on-site inspections in the quarter of 2009. They issued a comprehensive technical appraisal for IOC members on 2 September, many restrictions are in place designed to prevent bidding cities from communicating with or influencing directly the 115 voting members. Cities may not invite any IOC member to visit nor may they send anything that could be construed as a gift, the final voting was held on 2 October 2009, in Copenhagen with Madrid and Rio de Janeiro perceived as favourites to land the games. Chicago and Tokyo were eliminated after the first and second rounds of voting, respectively, the lead held and Rio de Janeiro was announced as host of 2016 Summer Olympics. This comes just five months after CCO Flávio Pestana quit for personal reasons, Pestana withdrew later during the 2012 Summer Paralympics. Renato Ciuchin was then appointed as COO, events took place at eighteen existing venues, nine new venues constructed specifically for the Games, and seven temporary venues. Each event was held in one of four geographically segregated Olympic clusters, Barra, Copacabana, Deodoro, the same was done for the 2007 Pan American Games
2016 Summer Olympics
–
The then-President
Lula (center with
flag of Brazil), Brazilian footballer
Pelé (hugging) and then-governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro
Sérgio Cabral (right) when, in 2009,
Rio was announced as host.
2016 Summer Olympics
–
Official logo of the 2016 Summer Olympics.
More..
2016 Summer Olympics
–
Engenhão (Estádio Nilton Santos), site of
athletic events.
2016 Summer Olympics
–
Maracanã Stadium, site of the opening and closing ceremonies, in addition to the finals of football.
2.
Rio de Janeiro
–
Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the second-most populous municipality in Brazil and the sixth-most populous in the Americas. The metropolis is anchor to the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area, Rio de Janeiro is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazils third-most populous state. Part of the city has designated as a World Heritage Site, named Rio de Janeiro. Founded in 1565 by the Portuguese, the city was initially the seat of the Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro, later, in 1763, it became the capital of the State of Brazil, a state of the Portuguese Empire. Rio stayed the capital of the pluricontinental Lusitanian monarchy until 1822 and this is one of the few instances in history that the capital of a colonising country officially shifted to a city in one of its colonies. Rio de Janeiro has the second largest municipal GDP in the country, the home of many universities and institutes, it is the second-largest center of research and development in Brazil, accounting for 17% of national scientific output according to 2005 data. The Maracanã Stadium held the finals of the 1950 and 2014 FIFA World Cups, the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, the city is divided into 33 administrative regions. Europeans first encountered Guanabara Bay on 1 January 1502, by a Portuguese expedition under explorer Gaspar de Lemos captain of a ship in Pedro Álvares Cabrals fleet, allegedly the Florentine explorer Amerigo Vespucci participated as observer at the invitation of King Manuel I in the same expedition. The region of Rio was inhabited by the Tupi, Puri, Botocudo, in 1555, one of the islands of Guanabara Bay, now called Villegagnon Island, was occupied by 500 French colonists under the French admiral Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon. Consequently, Villegagnon built Fort Coligny on the island when attempting to establish the France Antarctique colony, Rio de Janeiro was the name of Guanabara Bay. Until early in the 18th century, the city was threatened or invaded by several, mostly French, pirates and buccaneers, such as Jean-François Duclerc, on 27 January 1763, the colonial administration in Portuguese America was moved from Salvador to Rio de Janeiro. The kingdoms capital was transferred to the city, which, thus, as there was no physical space or urban structure to accommodate hundreds of noblemen who arrived suddenly, many inhabitants were simply evicted from their homes. The first printed newspaper in Brazil, the Gazeta do Rio de Janeiro, from the colonial period until the first independent decades, Rio de Janeiro was a city of slaves. There was an influx of African slaves to Rio de Janeiro, in 1819. In 1840, the number of slaves reached 220,000 people, the Port of Rio de Janeiro was the largest port of slaves in America. As a political center of the country, Rio concentrated the political-partisan life of the Empire and it was the main stage of the abolitionist and republican movements in the last half of the 19th century. Rio continued as the capital of Brazil after 1889, when the monarchy was replaced by a republic, until the early years of the 20th century, the city was largely limited to the neighbourhood now known as the historic city centre, on the mouth of Guanabara Bay. Expansion of the city to the north and south was facilitated by the consolidation and electrification of Rios streetcar transit system after 1905, though many thought that it was just campaign rhetoric, Kubitschek managed to have Brasília built, at great cost, by 1960
Rio de Janeiro
–
From the top, left to right:
Christ the Redeemer, Botafogo's cove,
Rio Downtown,
Rio–Niterói bridge,
Maracanã Stadium, and panoramic view of
Barra da Tijuca from
Pedra da Gávea
Rio de Janeiro
–
Founding of Rio de Janeiro in 1565.
Rio de Janeiro
–
View of Rio de Janeiro from the church of the monastery of
São Bento, c. 1825.
Rio de Janeiro
–
Botafogo Bay in 1869.
3.
Davenport, Iowa
–
Davenport was founded on May 14,1836 by Antoine Le Claire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk War stationed at nearby Fort Armstrong. According to the 2010 census, the city had a population of 99,685, located approximately halfway between Chicago and Des Moines, Davenport is on the border of Iowa and Illinois. The city is prone to frequent flooding due to its location on the Mississippi River, there are two main universities, Saint Ambrose University and Palmer College of Chiropractic, which is where the first chiropractic adjustment took place. Several annual music festivals take place in Davenport, including the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, The Mississippi Valley Fair, an internationally known 7-mile foot race called the Bix 7 is run during the festival. The city has a Class A minor league team, the Quad Cities River Bandits. Davenport has 50 plus parks and facilities, as well as over 20 miles of paths for biking or walking. Four interstates and two major United States Highways serve the city, Davenport has seen steady population growth since its incorporation, with an exception being the 1980s, when the population decreased due to job loss. The Quad Cities was ranked as the most affordable metropolitan area in 2010 by Forbes, in 2007, Davenport, along with neighboring Rock Island, won the City Livability Award in the small-city category from the U. S. In 2012, Davenport as well as the Quad Cities Metropolitan Area was ranked among the areas in the nation in the growth of high-tech jobs. The current mayor of Davenport is Frank Klipsch, the land was originally owned by the Sauk people, Meskwaki, and Ho-Chunk – indigenous peoples of the Americas. In 1803 France sold it to the United States under the Louisiana Purchase, lieutenant Zebulon Pike was the first United States representative to officially visit the Upper Mississippi River area. On August 27,1805, Pike camped on the present day site of Davenport, in 1832, a group of Sauk, Meskwaki, and Kickapoo people were defeated by the United States in the Black Hawk War. The United States government then concluded the Black Hawk Purchase, sometimes called the Forty-Mile Strip or Scotts Purchase, the purchase was made for $640,000 on September 21,1832 and contained an area of some 6 million acres, at a price equivalent to 11 cents/acre. Although named after the defeated chief Black Hawk, he was being held prisoner at the time, the purchase was therefore agreed to by Sauk chief Keokuk, who had remained neutral in the war. It was made on the site of present-day Davenport, army General Winfield Scott and Governor of Illinois, John Reynolds, acted on behalf of the United States, with the future Davenport founder, half-Native, Antoine Le Claire serving as translator. Chief Keokuk gave a portion of land to Antoine Le Claires wife, Marguerite. Antoine built their home on the spot where the agreement was signed. Antoine did so, finishing the Treaty House in the spring of 1833, Davenport was established on May 14,1836 by Le Claire, and named after his friend Colonel George Davenport, who was stationed at Fort Armstrong during the war
Davenport, Iowa
–
Top row:
Village of East Davenport,
Figge Art Museum; Second row:
Downtown Davenport, Third row: Fountain in
Vander Veer Botanical Park, baseball in
Modern Woodmen Park; Bottom row:
Davenport Skybridge
Davenport, Iowa
–
Antoine LeClaire was the primary founder of Davenport
Davenport, Iowa
–
Aerial view of early Davenport c. 1800s (decade)
Davenport, Iowa
–
The
Claim House was constructed by George L. Davenport, son of Colonel George Davenport, in 1832 or 1833 and is believed to be the oldest structure in the city.
4.
Santa Clarita, California
–
Santa Clarita, officially the City of Santa Clarita, is the third largest city in Los Angeles County, California, and the seventeenth largest in the state of California. The city has annexed a number of unincorporated areas, contributing to the population increase. It is located about 35 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles and it is a notable example of a U. S. edge city or boomburb. Santa Clarita was ranked by Money magazine in 2006 as 18th of the top 100 places to live, the four communities retain separate identities, and it is common for residents to refer to a specific neighborhood when asked where they are from. Santa Clarita is bounded on the west by the Golden State Freeway, the Antelope Valley Freeway runs northeast-southwest through an irregular east border, and the Newhall Pass is the citys southernmost point. Santa Clarita was incorporated in December 1987, but its history stretches back several centuries, about AD450, the Tataviam arrived, numbering around 2,000 at their zenith. The Santa Clara River was named by Spanish explorers for Clare of Assisi, the valley and the settlement later became known as little Santa Clara in deference to the Northern California mission and city of Santa Clara, California. In time, little Santa Clara became Santa Clarita, in 1842, Francisco Lopez made the first documented discovery of gold in California. The event is memorialized in an 1842 mining claim issued by Gov. Juan B, the discovery was made in Placerita Canyon, an area later used as Hollywoods original back lot. Newhalls next business interest was railroads and he invested in rail companies that would connect San Francisco to other cities and became president of the San Francisco and San Jose Railroad. In 1870, he and his partners sold the company to Southern Pacific Railroad, after railroads, Newhall turned to real estate and ranching. He purchased a number of the old Spanish and Mexican land grants in the state for a total of 143,000 acres between Monterey and Los Angeles counties. The most significant portion was the 46,460 acres Rancho San Francisco in northern Los Angeles County, which he purchased for $2/acre, the first station built on the line he named for his hometown, Saugus, Massachusetts. After his death, Newhalls heirs incorporated the Newhall Land and Farming Company, on September 26,1876, Charles Alexander Mentry brought in the states first productive oil well at Mentryville, giving rise to the California oil industry. The oil was brought to a refinery at Newhall, now the oldest existing petroleum refinery in the world, it was operational from 1874 to 1888. A few days earlier, on September 5,1876, Charles Crocker and Leland Stanford joined their railroads in Canyon Country, linking Los Angeles with the rest of the nation for the first time. The Saugus Cafe, on Railroad Avenue in Saugus, was established in 1887 and appears to be, by far, the oldest still-operating restaurant in Los Angeles County. Filming in Santa Clarita began shortly after the turn of the 20th century with a veritable Whos Who of actors, including William S. Hart, Tom Mix, Harry Carey and a young John Wayne
Santa Clarita, California
–
Santa Clarita's Canyon Country in September 2008.
Santa Clarita, California
–
The Santa Clarita welcome sign in May 2010.
Santa Clarita, California
–
A typical stretch of Valencia Boulevard in the Valencia part of Santa Clarita in July 2004. The bridge in the distance carries a paseo (a type of dedicated pedestrian pathway) over the roadway.
Santa Clarita, California
–
Overlooking Santa Clarita from Ed Davis Park in Towsley Canyon.
5.
Pop music
–
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form in the United States and United Kingdom during the mid 1950s. The terms popular music and pop music are used interchangeably, although the former describes all music that is popular. Pop and rock were synonymous terms until the late 1960s, when they were used in opposition from each other. Although pop music is seen as just the singles charts, it is not the sum of all chart music. Pop music is eclectic, and often borrows elements from other such as urban, dance, rock, Latin. Identifying factors include generally short to medium-length songs written in a format, as well as the common use of repeated choruses, melodic tunes. David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop music as a body of music which is distinguishable from popular, jazz, according to Pete Seeger, pop music is professional music which draws upon both folk music and fine arts music. Although pop music is seen as just the singles charts, it is not the sum of all chart music, the music charts contain songs from a variety of sources, including classical, jazz, rock, and novelty songs. Pop music, as a genre, is seen as existing and developing separately, pop music continuously evolves along with the terms definition. The term pop song was first recorded as being used in 1926, Hatch and Millward indicate that many events in the history of recording in the 1920s can be seen as the birth of the modern pop music industry, including in country, blues and hillbilly music. The Oxford Dictionary of Music states that while pops earlier meaning meant concerts appealing to a wide audience. Since the late 1950s, however, pop has had the meaning of non-classical mus, usually in the form of songs, performed by such artists as the Beatles. Grove Music Online also states that, in the early 1960s pop music competed terminologically with beat music, while in the USA its coverage overlapped with that of rock and roll. From about 1967, the term was used in opposition to the term rock music. Whereas rock aspired to authenticity and an expansion of the possibilities of music, pop was more commercial, ephemeral. It is not driven by any significant ambition except profit and commercial reward, and, in musical terms, it is essentially conservative. It is, provided from on high rather than being made from below, pop is not a do-it-yourself music but is professionally produced and packaged. The beat and the melodies tend to be simple, with limited harmonic accompaniment, the lyrics of modern pop songs typically focus on simple themes – often love and romantic relationships – although there are notable exceptions
Pop music
–
The Oxford Dictionary of Music states that the term "pop" refers to music performed by such artists as
the Rolling Stones (pictured here in a 2006 performance)
Pop music
–
According to several sources,
MTV helped give rise to
pop stars such as
Michael Jackson and
Madonna; and Jackson and Madonna helped make MTV.
Pop music
6.
Electronic dance music
–
Electronic dance music is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres made largely for nightclubs, raves, and festivals. EDM is generally produced for playback by disc jockeys who create seamless selections of tracks, called a mix, EDM producers also perform their music live in a concert or festival setting in what is sometimes called a live PA. In the United Kingdom and in continental Europe, EDM is more commonly called dance music or simply dance. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, following the emergence of raving, pirate radio, at this time a perceived association between EDM and drug culture led governments at state and city level to enact laws and policies intended to halt the spread of rave culture. By the early 2010s the term dance music and the initialism EDM was being pushed by the US music industry. Early examples of dance music include the disco music of Giorgio Moroder. During the early 1980s, the popularity of disco music declined in the United States, abandoned by major US record labels. European disco continued evolving within the mainstream pop music scene. European acts Silver Convention, Love and Kisses, Munich Machine, and American acts Donna Summer, in 1977, Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte produced I Feel Love for Donna Summer. It became the first well-known disco hit to have a completely synthesised backing track, other disco producers, most famously American producer Tom Moulton, grabbed ideas and techniques from dub music to provide alternatives to the four on the floor style that dominated. The sound that originated from P-Funk the electronic side of disco, dub music. Much of the music produced during this time was, like disco, at this time creative control started shifting to independent record companies, less established producers, and club DJs. Other dance styles that began to become popular during the era include dance-pop, boogie, electro, Italo disco, house. In the early 1980s, electro emerged as a fusion of funk, also called electro-boogie, but later shortened to electro, cited pioneers include Zapp, D. Train, Sinnamon. Early hip hop and rap combined with German and Japanese electropop influences such as Kraftwerk, as the electronic sound developed, instruments such as the bass guitar and drums were replaced by synthesizers and most notably by iconic drum machines, particularly the Roland TR-808. Early uses of the TR-808 include several Yellow Magic Orchestra tracks in 1980-1981, the 1982 track Planet Rock by Afrikaa Bambaataa, and the 1982 song Sexual Healing by Marvin Gaye. In 1982, producer Arthur Baker with Afrika Bambaataa released the seminal Planet Rock which was influenced by the Yellow Magic Orchestra using Kraftwerk samples, Planet Rock was followed later that year by another breakthrough electro record, Nunk by Warp 9. In 1983, Hashim created an electro funk sound which influenced Herbie Hancock, the early 1980s were electros mainstream peak
Electronic dance music
–
Roland TB-303: The
bass line synthesizer that was used prominently in
acid house.
Electronic dance music
–
Typical tools for EDM production: computer, MIDI keyboard and mixer/sound recorder.
Electronic dance music
–
An EDM festival in 2013 with over 100,000 attendees, exhibiting the large crowds and dramatic lighting common at such events since the early 2000s.
7.
Republic Records
–
Republic Records is an American record company that operates as a division of Universal Music Group. The label was endowed by Monte Lipman and Avery Lipman in 1995, the labels main offices are located in New York City, New York, United States, other offices of the record label are located at the Interscope Center in Santa Monica, California, U. S. According to Mediabase, Republic Records was 2012s top charting U. S. label, according to Avery Lipman, he and his brother Monte Lipman first conceived of Republic Records at the kitchen table of their apartment, My brother and I had been working at record companies. He was in between jobs and we started putting out as a hobby. We had an approach to the business. The first record we put out happened to work really well, frustrated by the limitations of being an independent with a very small staff, the Lipman brothers accepted an offer from Universal. One of several labels that comprise Universal Motown Republic Group, the newly named Republic Records was formed in 1995 as a sub-label of MCAs Geffen Records, Avery Lipman told HitQuarters that the pairing was a complete disaster, saying, Our ideas and vision didn’t fit with the label. We didn’t trust our own instincts and we let others decide what was right for the project. As of 2006, Universal Republic has adopted an A&R and partnership-based growth strategy, in an era of music industry transition they have proven effective, as Universal Republic has continued to grow in the industrys declining years. In mid-2012, Universal Republic Records changed its name to its former name Republic Records, all Universal Republic Records roster were moved to Republic Records. The label has released albums by Lil Wayne, Kid Cudi. The new Republic became the one label in soundtrack production. On March 31,2014, it was announced that Big Machine and Republic Records revived Dot Records, vH1 and Republic has both used Social media in this campaign. In 2015 Republic Records had songs in six of the spots in the top 10 of the Mediabase Top 40 Chart, in the earlier days, Republic Records released the Bloodhound Gangs EP, Dingleberry Haze, as well as their first LP, Use Your Fingers. Universal Republic has created strategic partnerships and co-ventures, singer Jay Sean and producer Kevin Rudolf of Cash Money Records. Rudolfs single, Let It Rock was certified 3x Platinum and licensed by multiple television networks for sports, Jay Seans debut single Down sold 3 million copies in the United States and 6 million worldwide. Seans follow-up single Do You Remember also sold over a million copies, American singer Taylor Swift with Nashville-based Big Machine Records. Swift today is a Diamond artist with 10 Grammys and 40 million records sold worldwide, jack Johnson on Brushfire Records who has achieved multi-Platinum certifications twice and is estimated to have sold about 8 million albums worldwide
Republic Records
–
Republic Records
8.
Justin Tranter
–
Justin Drew Tranter is an American musician, songwriter and designer. His writing credits include collaborations with artists such as Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Linkin Park, Selena Gomez. Tranter is also the singer of Semi Precious Weapons, a New York rock band. Justin Tranter and his three brothers were raised by his parents in Lake Zurich, Illinois. He studied musical theatre at the Chicago Academy for the Arts from 1994–98, while at the Chicago Academy for the Arts, he started an annual AIDS Benefit. After graduation from high school Tranter moved to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music, along with songwriting, he also took classes in business management, in preparation for a career in music. Tranter graduated from Berklee in three years, with a GPA of 3.9 and a degree in songwriting, while at Berklee, Justin founded Musicians With a Mission, a scholarship fund for LGBT youth education. In 2003, Justin won an Outmusic Award for the song Blend In, co-written with Stephanie Delk, Tranter began his music career on the Lower East Side of New York Citys underground club circuit. Tranter recorded his first album, Scratched, while still at Berklee, after graduation Tranter moved to New York where he put together his first band as the house band for an off-broadway show called Rockstars NYC. The show closed after 3 weeks and Tranter went on to record his second album, in 2004, Tranter joined forces with fellow Berklee graduates, Cole Whittle, Dan Crean, and Aaron Lee Tasjan to form Semi Precious Weapons. He and Semi Precious Weapons opened for Lady Gaga on her Monster Ball from 11/09-5/11, after moving to Los Angeles in 2012, Tranter signed a new publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music to write songs for other artists. Since then he has collaborated on numerous Billboard hits including two songs, Good for You and Sorry, that held the one spot on Pop Radio for three weeks each. Late Fall 2015, Britney Spears shared on Instagram that she was collaborating on her 9th album with Tranter and his frequent writing partner, about this collaboration with Britney Spears, Tranter affirmed in a 2016 Billboard interview, Its been such a cool experience. Her voice is just so special, yeah, and shes a very underrated writer, Tranter is also to appear as a collaborator on The Knocks debut album, entitled 55, scheduled to be released within the early months of 2016. In December 2015, Tranter was named one of Rolling Stones 20 Biggest Breakouts of 2015 for his contributions to the 2015 pop charts. As of 2016, Tranter teamed up with Gwen Stefani to co-write her third album, along with Julia Michaels. He also provided vocals on Kygos song Carry Me, which was taken from his debut album. Tranter began his activism with the initiation of an annual AIDS benefit while attending school at the Chicago Academy for the Performing Arts
Justin Tranter
–
Justin Tranter in 2009
9.
Fifth Harmony
–
Fifth Harmony is an American girl group formed on the second season of The X Factor US in July 2012. The group consists of members Ally Brooke, Normani Kordei, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui and previously, Camila Cabello, whose departure was announced on December 18,2016. In January 2013, they signed a joint deal with Syco Music, owned by Simon Cowell, in December 2016, it was reported that all group members are also individually signed to Epic Records. Following their exit from The X Factor, they released their debut single Miss Movin On and its music video won the group the MTV Video Music Award for Artist to Watch. Their debut extended play, Better Together, had a first week position of six on the US Billboard 200. The group released their studio album Reflection in 2015, debuting at number five on the Billboard 200. The album included the platinum singles Boss, Sledgehammer and Worth It, the latter achieved triple platinum certification in the United States and reached the top-ten in thirteen countries. Work from Home, the single from their second album 7/27, became the groups first top-ten single on the US Billboard Hot 100. As of December 2016, Fifth Harmony has sold a total of 424,000 albums, seven million digital songs and earned 1.6 billion on-demand streams in the United States, according to Nielsen Soundscan. On July 27,2012, they were formed as a group at the end of bootcamp by Simon Cowell and Demi Lovato, originally, the groups name was LYLAS, but another group called The Lylas claimed that the show stole their name. Thereafter, LYLAS changed their name to 1432, which was announced on the first live show on October 31,2012, Simon Cowell and L. A. Reid were critical of the new name, and Cowell suggested that the group be renamed again. During the first live show on November 1,2012,1432 performed Skyscraper by Demi Lovato in a sing-off with Sister C. Cowell decided to send 1432 through to the Top 12 and he announced that they would be renamed by the viewers online, the name chosen by the public was announced, Fifth Harmony. In the semi-finals stage of the show, they performed Ellie Gouldings Anything Could Happen as well as Shontelles Impossible and their performance of Anything Could Happen was a finals-caliber performance according to L. A. Reid and described as magic by Britney Spears. Their performance of Impossible received mostly negative reviews from the judges because the group had performed the song at Simon Cowells home. Three members of the group sang parts of the song in fluent Spanish, the following nights public vote results advanced Fifth Harmony to the final 3 along with Tate Stevens and Carly Rose Sonenclar. On the Top three live show, Fifth Harmony performed Ellie Gouldings Anything Could Happen for the time as their Song of the Series song. Their second song was a duet with The X Factor judge Demi Lovato singing Give Your Heart a Break and their final song of the night was Let It Be by The Beatles, billed as their $5 million song
Fifth Harmony
–
Fifth Harmony performing in 2013
Fifth Harmony
–
Fifth Harmony performing on their Harmonize America Tour, August 2013.
10.
Hailee Steinfeld
–
Hailee Steinfeld is an American actress, model and singer. After singing Flashlight in Pitch Perfect 2, Steinfield released a version of the song and was later signed to Republic Records. She released her single, Love Myself, which has been certified platinum in several countries. In 2016, she released Starving, a collaboration with both Grey and Zedd, which peaked at number 12 on the U. S. Billboard Hot 100. In addition to her acting and singing careers, Steinfeld also has done modeling work, she was hired as the face of Miu Miu in 2011, shortly after True Grit was released. Steinfeld was born on December 11,1996, in the Tarzana neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Cheri, a designer, and Peter Steinfeld. She has a brother, Griffin. Her paternal uncle is fitness trainer Jake Steinfeld, and her maternal grand-uncle is former child actor Larry Domasin and her maternal first cousin, actress True OBrien, appeared in a television commercial when Steinfeld was eight years old, inspiring her to try acting as well. Her maternal grandfather was of half Filipino and half African-American descent and she was raised in Agoura Hills and later in Thousand Oaks, California, attending Ascension Lutheran School, Conejo Elementary, and Colina Middle School. She was home-schooled from 2008 until her school graduation in June 2015. Steinfeld began acting at the age of eight, she appeared in short films. She made several television guest appearances and commercials, Steinfeld was chosen for the role of Mattie Ross in True Grit when she was 13. Reviews from Roger Ebert, the Los Angeles Times, and Rolling Stone were also complimentary, the role earned Steinfeld a nomination at the 83rd Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress, the Oscar went to Melissa Leo. In May 2011, five months after Grit was released, Steinfeld was chosen to be the new face of Italian designer brand Miu Miu, also in 2011, Steinfeld was cast at age 14 to play Juliet Capulet in a 2013 adaptation of Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet. The screenwriter added that the films purity was important, and the characters dont make love until they have been married. The film was released in October 2013 to poor reviews in the United States, Steinfeld played Violet, one of the leads in the romance-drama Begin Again. The film was given a release in the United States on June 27,2014, grossing $134,064 on its opening weekend. It was re-released by The Weinstein Company on August 29, Steinfeld starred as Petra Arkanian in Enders Game, a science-fiction action-adventure film based on the book by Orson Scott Card
Hailee Steinfeld
–
Steinfeld at the 2011
Berlin Film Festival
Hailee Steinfeld
–
Steinfeld at the premiere of
Secretariat, September 2010
Hailee Steinfeld
–
Steinfeld attending the 2011 National Board of Review of Motion Pictures Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City
11.
Gwen Stefani
–
Gwen Renée Stefani is an American singer, songwriter, and fashion designer. During the bands hiatus, Stefani embarked on a pop career in 2004 by releasing her debut studio album Love. Inspired by pop music from the 1980s, the album was met both critical and commercial success. It spawned three successful singles, What You Waiting For. Rich Girl, and Hollaback Girl, the reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 while also becoming the first US download to sell one million copies. In 2006 Stefani released her studio album The Sweet Escape. The album produced two singles, Wind It Up and the albums title track The Sweet Escape. Her third solo album This Is What the Truth Feels Like was released in March 2016, Stefani has won three Grammy Awards. As a solo artist she has received accolades, including an American Music Award, Brit Award, World Music Award. In 2003, she debuted her clothing line L. A. M. B. and expanded her collection with the 2005 Harajuku Lovers line, drawing inspiration from Japanese culture, Stefani performs and makes public appearances with four back-up dancers known as the Harajuku Girls. She was married to British musician Gavin Rossdale from 2002 to 2015, Billboard magazine ranked Stefani the 54th most successful artist and 37th most successful Hot 100 artist of the 2000–09 decade. VH1 ranked her 13th on their 100 Greatest Women in Music list in 2012, including her work with No Doubt, Stefani has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. Stefani was born on October 3,1969, in Fullerton, California and she was named after a stewardess in the 1968 novel Airport, and her middle name, Renée, comes from The Four Tops 1968 cover of The Left Bankes 1966 song Walk Away Renée. Her father, Dennis Stefani, is Italian American and worked as a Yamaha marketing executive and her mother, Patti, worked as an accountant before becoming a housewife. Gwens parents were fans of music and exposed her to music by artists like Bob Dylan. She has two siblings, Jill and Todd, and an older brother named Eric. Eric was the keyboardist for No Doubt before leaving the band to pursue a career in animation on The Simpsons. Her brother Eric introduced Gwen to 2 Tone music by Madness and The Selecter and, in 1986, he invited her to provide vocals for No Doubt, finally, in 1991, the band was signed to Interscope Records
Gwen Stefani
–
Stefani at the
2011 Cannes Film Festival
Gwen Stefani
–
Stefani performing with No Doubt at
Voodoo 2002
Gwen Stefani
–
Stefani performing during the
Harajuku Lovers Tour in 2005
Gwen Stefani
–
Stefani performing during
The Sweet Escape Tour in 2007
12.
Billboard Hot 100
–
The Billboard Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for singles, published weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales, radio play and online streaming, the weekly sales period was originally Monday to Sunday, when Nielsen started tracking sales in 1991, but was changed to Friday to Thursday in July 2015. Radio airplay, which, unlike sales figures and streaming data, is available on a real-time basis. A new chart is compiled and officially released to the public by Billboard on Tuesdays, as of the issue for the week ending on April 15,2017, the Hot 100 has had 1,061 different number one hits. The current number one song is Shape of You by Ed Sheeran, prior to 1955, Billboard did not have a unified, all-encompassing popularity chart, instead measuring songs by individual metrics. At the start of the era in 1955, three such charts existed, Best Sellers in Stores was the first Billboard chart, established in 1936. This chart ranked the biggest selling singles in retail stores, as reported by merchants surveyed throughout the country, Most Played by Jockeys was Billboards original airplay chart. It ranked the most played songs on United States radio stations, as reported by radio disc jockeys, Most Played in Jukeboxes ranked the most played songs in jukeboxes across the United States. On the week ending November 12,1955, Billboard published The Top 100 for the first time, the Top 100 combined all aspects of a singles performance, based on a point system that typically gave sales more weight than radio airplay. The Best Sellers In Stores, Most Played by Jockeys and Most Played in Jukeboxes charts continued to be published concurrently with the new Top 100 chart. The week ending July 28,1958 was the publication of the Most Played By Jockeys and Top 100 charts. On August 4,1958, Billboard premiered one main all-genre singles chart, the Hot 100 quickly became the industry standard and Billboard discontinued the Best Sellers In Stores chart on October 13,1958. The Billboard Hot 100 is still the standard by which a songs popularity is measured in the United States, the Hot 100 is ranked by radio airplay audience impressions as measured by Nielsen BDS, sales data compiled by Nielsen Soundscan and streaming activity provided by online music sources. There are several component charts that contribute to the calculation of the Hot 100. Charts are ranked by number of gross audience impressions, computed by cross-referencing exact times of radio airplay with Arbitron listener data. Hot Singles Sales, the top selling singles compiled from a sample of retail store, mass merchant and internet sales reports collected, compiled. The chart is released weekly and measures sales of commercial singles. With the decline in sales of singles in the US
Billboard Hot 100
–
The Billboard logo
13.
Recording Industry Association of America
–
The Recording Industry Association of America is a continental North and South American trade organization that represents the recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors, which the RIAA says create, the RIAA headquarters is in Washington, D. C. The RIAA was formed in 1952 and its original mission was to administer recording copyright fees and problems, work with trade unions, and do research relating to the record industry and government regulations. Early RIAA standards included the RIAA equalization curve, the format of the record groove and the dimensions of 33 1/3 rpm,45 rpm. Since 2001, the RIAA has spent $2 to $6 million each year on lobbying in the United States, the RIAA also participates in the collective rights management of sound recordings, and it is responsible for certifying Gold and Platinum albums and singles in the United States. Cary Sherman has been the RIAAs chairman and CEO since 2011, Sherman joined the RIAA as its general counsel in 1997 and became president of the board of directors in 2001, serving in that position until being made chairman and CEO. Mitch Glazier has been the RIAAs senior executive vice president since 2011 and he served as executive vice president for public policy and industry relations from 2000 to 2011. The past RIAA chairman and CEO is Mitch Bainwol, who served from 2003 to 2011 and he left in 2011 to become president and CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. The board of directors consists of 26 members of the board, the RIAA operates an award program for albums that sell a large number of copies. The program originally began in 1958, with a Gold Award for singles, the criterion was changed in 1975 to the number of copies sold, with albums selling 500,000 copies awarded the Gold Award. In 1976, a Platinum Award was added for one million sales, the awards are open to both RIAA members and non-members. Since 2000, the RIAA also operates a program for Latin music sales. Currently, a Disco De Oro is awarded for 30,000 units, the RIAA defines Latin music as a type of release with 51% or more of its content recorded in Spanish. In 2006, digital ringtones were added to branch of certification. In the same year, the RIAA introduced the Latin Digital Award for digital recordings in Spanish and this release format includes DVD and VHS releases, and certain live albums and compilation albums. The certification criteria is different from other styles. Gold,50,000 Platinum,100,000 Multi-Platinum,200,000 copies The RIAA opposes unauthorized sharing of its music, studies conducted since the association began its campaign against peer-to-peer file-sharing have concluded that losses incurred per download range from negligible to moderate. The association has commenced high-profile lawsuits against file sharing service providers and it has also commenced a series of lawsuits against individuals suspected of file sharing, notably college students and parents of file sharing children
Recording Industry Association of America
–
Recording Industry Association of America
14.
Los Angeles
–
Los Angeles, officially the City of Los Angeles and often known by its initials L. A. is the cultural, financial, and commercial center of Southern California. With a census-estimated 2015 population of 3,971,883, it is the second-most populous city in the United States, Los Angeles is also the seat of Los Angeles County, the most populated county in the United States. The citys inhabitants are referred to as Angelenos, historically home to the Chumash and Tongva, Los Angeles was claimed by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo for Spain in 1542 along with the rest of what would become Alta California. The city was founded on September 4,1781, by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. It became a part of Mexico in 1821 following the Mexican War of Independence, in 1848, at the end of the Mexican–American War, Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, thereby becoming part of the United States. Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality on April 4,1850, the discovery of oil in the 1890s brought rapid growth to the city. The completion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913, delivering water from Eastern California, nicknamed the City of Angels, Los Angeles is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic diversity, and sprawling metropolis. Los Angeles also has an economy in culture, media, fashion, science, sports, technology, education, medicine. A global city, it has been ranked 6th in the Global Cities Index, the city is home to renowned institutions covering a broad range of professional and cultural fields, and is one of the most substantial economic engines within the United States. The Los Angeles combined statistical area has a gross metropolitan product of $831 billion, making it the third-largest in the world, after the Greater Tokyo and New York metropolitan areas. The city has hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1932 and 1984 and is bidding to host the 2024 Summer Olympics and thus become the second city after London to have hosted the Games three times. The Los Angeles area also hosted the 1994 FIFA mens World Cup final match as well as the 1999 FIFA womens World Cup final match, the mens event was watched on television by over 700 million people worldwide. The Los Angeles coastal area was first settled by the Tongva, a Gabrielino settlement in the area was called iyáangẚ, meaning poison oak place. Gaspar de Portolà and Franciscan missionary Juan Crespí, reached the present site of Los Angeles on August 2,1769, in 1771, Franciscan friar Junípero Serra directed the building of the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, the first mission in the area. The Queen of the Angels is an honorific of the Virgin Mary, two-thirds of the settlers were mestizo or mulatto with a mixture of African, indigenous and European ancestry. The settlement remained a small town for decades, but by 1820. Today, the pueblo is commemorated in the district of Los Angeles Pueblo Plaza and Olvera Street. New Spain achieved its independence from the Spanish Empire in 1821, during Mexican rule, Governor Pío Pico made Los Angeles Alta Californias regional capital
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
15.
Puerto Ricans
–
Puerto Ricans are the inhabitants or citizens of Puerto Rico. It is home to people of different national origins and equate their nationality with citizenship, allegiance. Over 90% of Puerto Ricans descend from migrants from these two regions of Spain. Puerto Rico has also influenced by African culture, Afro-Puerto Ricans being a significant minority. Puerto Rico has also received immigration from other parts of Spain such as Catalonia as well as from other European countries such as France, Ireland, Italy and Germany. The population of Puerto Ricans and descendants is estimated to be between 8 and 10 million worldwide, with most living within the islands of Puerto Rico and in the United States mainland. For 2009, the American Community Survey estimates give a total of 3,859,026 Puerto Ricans classified as Native Puerto Ricans. It also gives a total of 3,644,515 of the population being born in Puerto Rico and 201,310 born in the United States, the total population born outside Puerto Rico is 322,773. Of the 108,262 who were born outside the United States,92. 9% were born in Latin America,3. 8% in Europe,2. 7% in Asia,0. 2% in Northern America. Both run-away and freed African slaves were in Puerto Rico and this interbreeding was far more common in Latin America because of those Spanish and Portuguese mercantile colonial policies exemplified by the oft-romanticized male conquistadors. All of these factors would indeed prove detrimental for the Taínos in Puerto Rico, in 1791, the slaves in Saint-Domingue, revolted against their French masters. Many of the French escaped to Puerto Rico via what is now the Dominican Republic and settled in the west coast of the island, Some Puerto Ricans are of British heritage, most notably Scottish people and English people who came to reside there in the 17th and 18th centuries. They were followed by waves from other European countries and China. During the early 20th century Jews began to settle in Puerto Rico, the first large group of Jews to settle in Puerto Rico were European refugees fleeing German–occupied Europe in the 1930s and 1940s. The second influx of Jews to the island came in the 1950s, the native Taino population began to dwindle, with the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century, through disease and miscegenation. Many Spaniard men took Taino and West African wives and in the first centuries of the Spanish colonial period the island was overwhelmingly racially mixed. However, under Spanish rule, mass immigration shifted the ethnic make-up of the island, Puerto Rico went from being two-thirds black and mulatto in the beginning of the 19th century, to being nearly 80% white by the middle of the 20th century. This was compounded by more flexible attitudes to race under Spanish rule, amerindian ancestry showed less fluctuation, generally hovering between 5% and 20% irrespective of self-identified race
Puerto Ricans
–
Royal Decree of Graces, 1815
16.
Fiona Apple
–
Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and record producer. Classically trained on piano as a child, Apple began composing her own songs when she was 8 years old. Her debut album, Tidal, written when Apple was 17, was released in 1996 and she followed with When the Pawn. produced by Jon Brion, which was also critically and commercially successful and was certified platinum. For her third album, Extraordinary Machine, Apple again collaborated with Brion, however, Apple was reportedly unhappy with the production and opted not to release the record, leading fans to erroneously protest Epic Records, believing that the label was withholding its release. The album was eventually re-produced without Brion and released in October 2005 to critical acclaim, in 2012, she released her fourth studio album, The Idler Wheel. which received universal critical praise and was followed by an extensive tour of the USA. Born in New York City in 1977, Apple is the daughter of singer Diane McAfee and actor Brandon Maggart and her maternal grandparents were dancer Millicent Green and big band vocalist Johnny McAfee. Her sister sings cabaret under the stage name Maude Maggart, Apple grew up in Morningside Gardens in Harlem with her mother and sister, but spent summers with her father in Los Angeles. Apple was classically trained on piano as a child, and began composing her own pieces by the age of eight, when learning to play piano, she would often take sheet music and translate guitar tablature into the corresponding notes. Apple later began to play along with jazz standard compositions after becoming proficient, through which she discovered Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, at age 12, Apple was raped outside the apartment she shared with her mother and sister. She then developed an eating disorder, purposely slimming her developing body, in 2000, she insisted that she did not write songs about the trauma, It doesnt get into the writing. Its such a fuckin old pain that, you know, theres nothing poetic about it, schenker then passed the tape along to Sony Music executive Andy Slater. Apples abilities captured his attention, and Slater signed her to a record deal, in 1996, Apples debut album, Tidal, was released by Work Records and Columbia Records. The album sold 2.7 million copies and was certified three times platinum in the U. S. Criminal, the single, became a hit. The songs controversial Mark Romanek-directed music video played on MTV, other singles from Tidal included Shadowboxer, Sleep to Dream, and Never Is a Promise. Apple accepted MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist for her song Sleep to Dream in 1997 The New Yorker, when I have something to say, Ill say it, she said, responding to these criticisms in an article in Rolling Stone in January 1998. During this period, Apple also made recordings of The Beatles Across the Universe and she later canceled the last twenty-one dates on a tour in support of her album due to personal family problems. Apples second album, When the Pawn. was released in 1999 and its full title is a poem Apple wrote after reading letters that appeared in Spin regarding an article that had cast her in a negative light in an earlier issue. The titles length earned it a spot in the Guinness Book of Records for 2001
Fiona Apple
–
Fans in support of Fiona Apple demonstrating outside the
NYC headquarters of
Sony BMG Music Entertainment in January 2005.
Fiona Apple
–
Apple performing in Miami Beach, Florida, 2012
Fiona Apple
–
Apple performing in
Seattle, Washington, 2006
Fiona Apple
–
Apple performing at
Terminal 5, New York, 2012
17.
Lisa Mitchell
–
Lisa Helen Mitchell is an English-born Australian singer-songwriter who grew up in Albury, New South Wales. Mitchell currently lives in Sydney and is working on her studio album with producer Eric J to be released in 2016. In March 2015, Mitchells last single Wah Ha was remixed by electronic trio Seekae, Mitchell finished sixth in the 2006 season of Australian Idol. Her debut extended play, Said One to the Other, topped iTunes in Australia and she signed with London-based publisher, Little Victories, a subsidiary of Sony/ATV. By 2008 Mitchell had relocated to the UK where she recorded her debut album, Wonder. She won the 2009 Australian Music Prize of $30,000 for the album, Mitchell returned to Australia to live in Melbourne. Her second album, Bless This Mess reached No.7, lisa Helen Mitchell was born on 22 March 1990 in Canterbury, England. Her parents, Angus and Ruth, are doctors, and she has a younger sister, Nicola. The Mitchell family had moved to Australia when she was three and she grew up near Albury on a 20 hectares farm and she attended The Scots School Albury. She began guitar lessons at 12, and leant towards the folk, Mitchell later recalled her pivotal moment was seeing Missy Higgins perform Scar on a video hits program, My sister called me out to watch it. Missy was a normal, cool chick making music as her own thing. She performed in cafes and events as well as with a cover band, Chrome. At that time We thought that The Donnas and Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were the women of the world. Mitchell also formed a duo with another Albury-based friend, Katherine Green and we sang colonial folk tunes actually. We had brilliant fun playing in the tents at the folk festivals in Australia. Mitchell was later based in Sydney, London and then Melbourne, in fact, it wouldnt be overstating things to say it counts among the music industrys more unlikely career paths. For a naive teen with a voice, a guitar and vague acoustic-folk aspirations. Mitchell had auditioned in Albury in April, aged 16, in June 2009 Mitchell reflected on her time on Australian Idol, I was uncomfortable with elements of the show and unhappy about the compromises sometimes
Lisa Mitchell
–
Lisa Mitchell performing live at the
Falls Festival, December 2009
Lisa Mitchell
–
Bushfire Benefit Concert at the Ding Dong Lounge in Melbourne, February 2009
Lisa Mitchell
–
Mitchell at
Big Day Out,
Claremont, January 2010. On guitar is Stuart Barlow
18.
Laura Marling
–
Laura Beatrice Marling is a British folk singer-songwriter and musician from Eversley, Hampshire. She won the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist at the 2011 Brit Awards, the youngest of three daughters, Marling was born in Berkshire, England, and learned guitar at an early age. I couldn’t slot myself into the age-appropriate genre, Marling attended Waverley Primary School in Finchampstead, Berkshire and received a scholarship to attend Leighton Park School, a private Quaker school in Reading, Berkshire. During her secondary school years she felt uneasy around other people and was afraid of death, after completing her GCSEs at 16, she joined her older sisters and settled in the outskirts of London. Marling also appeared on The Rakes track Suspicious Eyes, from the bands 2007 album Ten New Messages, Marling would later collaborate with Mystery Jets and contributed guest vocals to the 2008 single Young Love. Early in her career, Marlings band included members of the band Mumford & Sons, Dwane, Mumford. She was invited to tour with Jamie T after he attended her second-ever solo gig and she has also toured with a number of other musicians including Adam Green from the anti-folk band The Moldy Peaches. Her debut album Alas, I Cannot Swim was released on 4 February 2008, the album, as well as subsequent singles, were released on Virgin Records. The third and final single from her album, Night Terror was released on 27 October 2008, Marlings television appearances include The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and Later With Jools Holland, performing Ghosts and New Romantic respectively. In 2008, she appeared on Russell Brands Radio 2 show alongside her sister and she once chose to perform on the street after being denied entry to one of her own performances for being underage. The follow-up to Alas, I Cannot Swim, titled I Speak Because I Can, was released on 22 March 2010, produced by Ethan Johns, the album has a more mature sound and lyricism, dealing with responsibility, particularly the responsibility of womanhood. The album is preceded by the singles Goodbye England, released on iTunes in December 2009, on 28 March 2010, I Speak Because I Can entered the UK Albums Chart at Number 4. It was also nominated for the 2010 Mercury Music Prize, in 2013, NME listed the album at 263 in their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Marlings third album, A Creature I Dont Know, was released on 12 September 2011, the album received positive reviews and reached number four on the UK album charts. During October 2012, Marling completed the Working Holiday Tour of the US as a solo performer. At the time, she announced that the album, later named Once I Was an Eagle, was finished and was scheduled for a February 2013 release, however. On 8 March 2013, Marling confirmed that the album would be released on 27 May 2013, the fourth albums first single Master Hunter was released on 17 April 2013, while Once I Was an Eagle entered the UK charts at number 3. Once I Was an Eagle is Marlings third album to be nominated for the Mercury Prize, the list of artists for the Prizes 2013 shortlist also included David Bowie and Savages
Laura Marling
–
Laura Marling performing at Sydney Opera House in February 2012.
Laura Marling
–
Laura Marling performing at
Glastonbury in 2010.
19.
Missy Higgins
–
Melissa Missy Morrison Higgins is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician and actress. Her Australian number-one albums are The Sound of White, On a Clear Night and The Ol Razzle Dazzle, Higgins was nominated for five ARIA Music Awards in 2004 and won Best Pop Release for Scar. In 2005, she was nominated for seven awards and won five. Higgins won her seventh ARIA in 2007 and her third album, The Ol Razzle Dazzle, was released in Australia in June 2012. As of August 2014, Higgins first three albums had sold over one million units. Higgins fourth studio album, OZ, was released in September 2014 and consists of versions of Australian composers. Alongside her music career, Higgins pursues interests in animal rights, in 2010 she made her acting debut in the feature film Bran Nue Dae and also performed on its soundtrack. Higgins was born in Melbourne, Victoria, to Christopher Higgins, an English-Australian general practitioner, and Margaret and her sister, Nicola, is seven years older, and brother, David, is six years older. Bored with practice, she gave up playing piano at that time, hoping for more freedom, she urged her parents to send her to Geelong Grammar School, an independent boarding school attended by her siblings. At Geelong she took up the piano again, this time playing jazz including performing with her brother Davids group on weekends and she was introverted and found that piano practice helped her cope with living at boarding school. At 15, she wrote All for Believing for a music assignment. The assignment earned an A and she performed her song in front of classmates and she approached a Melbourne record company and was told that they wanted more than one song. She wrote more songs and worked with the Kool Skools project, in 2001, her sister Nicola entered All for Believing on Higgins behalf into Unearthed, radio station Triple Js competition for unsigned artists. The song won the competition and was added to the play list. Two record companies showed an interest in Higgins—Sony and Eleven and she signed with Eleven, partly because they agreed that she would not be made into a pop star and partly because they were happy for her to take time off for a backpacking holiday. Higgins manager is Elevens John Watson, who also manages rock band Silverchair, Watson later disclosed that Missys the only time in my career I knew after 90 seconds I really wanted to sign her. She toured Australia, supporting Pete Murray and John Butler Trio and her four-track single Scar was released in July 2004 and debuted at No.1 on the ARIA Charts. Her first album, The Sound of White, was released in September, also produced by Porter, it sold over 500,000 copies
Missy Higgins
–
Missy Higgins,
ARIA No. 1 Chart Awards, 10 August 2012
Missy Higgins
–
Higgins,
San Francisco, United States, 11 August 2005 Courtesy Nabeel Hyatt
Missy Higgins
–
Higgins at the
ARIA Awards ceremony, December 2013, Star Event Centre, Sydney
20.
Paramore
–
Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York, the group released its debut album All We Know Is Falling in 2005, with the album reaching number eight on the UK Rock Chart and number thirty on Billboards Heatseekers Chart. While it only had a commercial performance initially, the album. The bands second album, Riot. was released in 2007, due to the success of the singles Misery Business, crushcrushcrush, and Thats What You Get, Riot. was a mainstream success and was certified Platinum in the United States. They then received a Best New Artist nomination at the 2008 Grammy Awards and their 2009 follow-up, Brand New Eyes, is the bands second-highest charting album to date, landing at number two on the Billboard 200 with 175,000 first week sales. It produced the top-forty single The Only Exception and went platinum in Ireland and the UK, as well as gold in the US, Canada, Australia, following the departure of Josh and Zac Farro in 2010, the band released their self-titled fourth album in 2013. It gave the band their first career number one on the US Billboard 200 and was also the one album in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Argentina. The bands lineup changed again after this album cycle with bassist Jeremy Davis leaving the band near the end of 2015. Shortly after arriving, she began taking lessons with Brett Manning. The other members of what was soon to be Paramore had been edgy about the whole thing of having Williams as vocalist. Williams said of the members when she first met them, They were the first people I met who were as passionate about music as I was. The band was formed by Josh Farro, Zac Farro, Davis and Williams in 2004. When Davis showed up, he was stunned to find out the drummer was only twelve years old and he admitted I had very, very, very, little faith in everyone in the band because of their age. I remember thinking, This is not going to work because this kid is way too young, I knew we were on to something. According to Williams, the name Paramore came from the name of the mother of one of their first bass players. Once the group learned the meaning of the homophone paramour, they decided to adopt the name, Williams was originally signed to Atlantic Records as a solo artist in 2003. Steunebrink and Richard Williams had originally discovered and signed her to a deal that was later bought out by Atlantic. The original plan of the label was to turn her into a pop singer, in an interview with HitQuarters the bands A&R at Atlantic, Steve Robertson, said, She wanted to make sure that we didnt look at her as some straight to Top 40 pop princess
Paramore
–
Paramore in 2010. From left to right:
Jeremy Davis,
Hayley Williams and
Taylor York
Paramore
–
Paramore performing in Portland, Oregon, 2006
Paramore
–
Lead vocalist Hayley Williams (left) and rhythm guitarist Taylor York (right) perform at the
Vans Warped Tour in
Vancouver, July 2007
Paramore
–
Josh Farro in Vancouver in the
Summer Tour 2009
21.
Juliet Simms
–
Juliet Nicole Simms is an American singer and former lead vocalist of the band Automatic Loveletter. In 2012, she competed on the season of The Voice. Simms was born in San Francisco, California, United States and she was raised as a member of Scientology and Simms and her family moved to Clearwater, Florida when she was 8 years old. In Florida she learned to play the guitar from her brother and she began writing songs at the age of 13. Simms toured and wrote for her band Automatic Loveletter for almost a decade and she released four EPs and a full-length album with the band. She was their constant, aside from her brother, Tommy Simms. Not long after Automatic Loveletters breakup, Simms competed on the nationally viewed singing competition The Voice and she was soon signed to Cee Los label and released the pop single Wild Child. Simms left the label sometime in 2013 due to creative restrictions, in summer 2014, Simms created a pledgemusic page to fund the EP All or Nothing, which was released early in 2015. She attended Vans Warped Tour the following summer while promoting the fashion company Dolls Kill. On April 16,2016, Simms married Black Veil Brides frontman Andy Biersack and her new EP, From the Grave, was released July 15,2016. In October 2016, Simms initiated an altercation with her husband while intoxicated on a plane, Simms was questioned by the FBI before being released with no charges filed. The band recorded in Tommy Simms home studio in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, the band was first called Stars and Scars and recorded its first rock song in December 2005. The song was named after the band and was written by Juliet Simms, the band then recorded Tin Lizzy, a song written by Tommy Simms. Following the formation of Automatic Loveletter, Simms was signed to Epic Records by Allison Hagendorf and she recorded a set of acoustic songs for a demo, written during the preceding three years with brother, Tommy, for a forthcoming album on the Epic label. Simms also collaborated with other writers, including Matthew Wilder of Tragic Kingdom. Several collaborations with Leah Haywood and Daniel James were also intended for the proposed record, Automatic Loveletter also signed with Epic and recorded its debut album in 2007, with producer Matt Squire. Simms shared her large collection of songs with Squire and the created a congruent collection. Unfortunately, the Squire album was never fully released, nonetheless, tracks such as The Answer, Parker, August, Hush, Make-up Smeared Eyes and Shut Your Mouth were all released on the EP Recover
Juliet Simms
–
Juliet Simms performing for Kuncocshun 2010 at UC San Diego
Juliet Simms
–
Simms performing with her band in 2008
Juliet Simms
–
Simms performing on the
Warped Tour, 2011
22.
Sarah Blasko
–
Sarah Blasko is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician and producer. From April 2002 Blasko developed her career after fronting Sydney-based band, Acquiesce. She had performed under her name, Sarah Semmens, and, after leaving Acquiesce. 5, I Awake – which made No, at the ARIA Music Awards of 2007, Blasko won Best Pop Release for her second album. Her third album won the Best Female Artist in 2009 and her album was nominated for the same category in 2013. In October 2010 As Day Follows Night was listed at No.19 in the book,100 Best Australian Albums and it sounded like little else in 2009, or most any other year. Sarah Blasko is the name of Sarah Elizabeth Blaskow who was born on 23 September 1976. Her family had just returned from French-speaking Réunion, where both of her parents were Christian missionaries, Blaskos mother, Ellie, was a nurse and her father, Nikolai David Blaskow, is a teacher. Her father is from a Bulgarian-German background, Blasko has an older sister, Kate. Blasko started singing at church with her tone-deaf mother alongside and she later recalled usic was something I kind of fell into. My sister was always the singer of the family, I wanted to be a vet, I grew up going to church which was often a very musical place. While Blasko was attending school she formed a jazz-blues group with Kate. By the age of 15, Blasko was concerned that she wouldnt make it and she eventually left the church in her final year of school, declaring that its emphasis on material success just didnt fit with her, or her interpretation of the scriptures. However, she has stated that she still believes in God. By the age of 18 she had written her first songs and she had no formal singing lessons until aged 19 and also started playing guitar. At university, Blasko completed a degree in English literature and film, by 1998 tracks were co-written by Blasko and Camilleri, the group recorded an extended play, Aa for Acquiesce, which was released in September 1999. Also that year the group won a New South Wales campus band competition, Dave Cullen replaced Langtree on bass guitar and they released a single, Breathing In, in November 2000. Both EP and single were produced by Hugh Wilson, Acquiesce disbanded by January 2001 and Blasko, as Sorija, teamed-up with acoustic guitarist, Nick Schneider in a short-lived project, also named Sorija
Sarah Blasko
–
Sarah Blasko performing,
The Astor Theatre, November 2010
Sarah Blasko
–
Blasko singing and on acoustic guitar,
Big Day Out, Melbourne, January 2006
Sarah Blasko
–
Blasko performing with her backing band in July 2013. They are Ben Fletcher (ex-
Bluebottle Kiss, The Devoted Few) on guitar and other instruments; David Hunt on piano and
ukulele; Fredrik Rundqvist on drums; and David Symes on bass guitar.
23.
The Fray
–
The Fray is an American rock band from Denver, Colorado. The Fray achieved national success with their first single, Over My Head, the release of their second single, How to Save a Life, brought the band worldwide fame. The song charted in the top three of the Billboard Hot 100 and was a top 5 single in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The groups self-titled, second album, released in 2009, debuted at number-one on the Billboard charts and was certified gold in the United States, Australia and it was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album in 2010. While both the albums were successful, critical reception was mixed. The Fray was ranked No.84 on Billboards Artists of the Decade list and their third album Scars & Stories, released in 2012, achieved moderate commercial success, debuting and peaking at number four on the Billboard 200. The album again received mixed reviews from critics, the bands fourth album, Helios, was released in February 2014. The bands fifth and latest album, Through the Years, The Best of the Fray, was released in November 2016. The Frays use of the piano as the instrument in their music has led critics to compare the band with English piano-driven bands such as Coldplay. However, the band lists its influences as the Wallflowers, Counting Crows, Better Than Ezra, the band members lives were largely formed in Denver churches where they helped lead worship, and in the Christian school three of them attended. Isaac Slade and guitarist Joe King were several years ahead of drummer Ben Wysocki at Faith Christian Academy, Wysocki and guitarist David Welsh played in the same worship band. In the spring of 2002, former schoolmates Isaac Slade and Joe King reconnected, Isaac and Joe later added Mike Ayars on guitar, Zach Johnson on drums, and Slades younger brother Caleb on bass, though Caleb was later asked to leave. Calebs departure from the band caused a rift in his relationship with Isaac and this later became the inspiration for the song Over My Head. Following this Johnson left the band as well to attend an art school in New York. Ben Wysocki, a bandmate of Isaac Slade, joined as drummer and later, Dave Welsh. The newly formed band was named the Fray, the band members decided on a name after asking people to put band names on a piece of paper from which they picked randomly. The band has had no permanent bassist since Caleb, instead employing touring bassists on a temporary basis, the current bassist is Jason Hardin, who has been touring with the band since 2014. The band released its first record, Movement EP in 2002, the next year, the band released Reason EP produced by How To Save A Life co-producer Aaron Johnson, which garnered the band local fame and acclaim
The Fray
–
The Fray in 2014
24.
Kygo
–
Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll, commonly known by his stage name Kygo, is a Norwegian DJ, record producer, songwriter and musician. Kygo has accumulated over 300 million views on his music on SoundCloud, Kygo has since released several singles, such as ID, Stole the Show, Here for You, and Stay, which have debuted on several international charts. Kygos debut studio album, Cloud Nine, was released on 13 May 2016, Kygo made history on 21 August 2016 at the 2016 Rio Olympics, when he became the first house music producer to perform at an Olympics closing ceremony. Kygo was born 11 September 1991 in Singapore, the son of Kjersti Gjerde a dentist and he has an older stepbrother Mads, two older sisters Johanne and Jenny, and a younger half-brother Sondre. During his younger years, he liv travel with his family in Brazil, Japan, Kenya, Kygo started getting piano lessons at the age of 6. He stopped when he was 15 or 16 and started producing music with Logic Studio, when he decided to pursue music full-time he was halfway through a degree in business and finance at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. On 1 December 2014, he released the single Firestone, featuring vocals from Conrad, after receiving over 80 million views on YouTube and SoundCloud, Kygo was contacted by both Avicii and Chris Martin of Coldplay to create an official remix of the song Midnight. He has also supported Avicii at Findings Festival in Oslo, Norway, on 19 September 2014, it was confirmed that Kygo was to replace Avicii at mainstage in TomorrowWorld, due to Aviciis health concerns. In July 2014, Kygo partnered with EDM lifestyle brand Electric Family to produce a collaboration bracelet for which 100% of the proceeds are donated to Médecins Sans Frontières, in that same month, he signed a record label deal with Sony International and Ultra Music. In February 2015, Kygos song ID was featured in the trailer for Ultra Music Festival. The same track is featured on FIFA16, a popular video game by EA Sports. In August 2015, Kygo was a headliner at Lollapalooza in Chicago. He made his U. S. television debut on The Late Late Show with James Corden in October 2015. On 21 March 2015, he released his single, titled Stole the Show, featuring Parson James. On 31 July 2015, he released his single, Nothing Left. Nothing Left reached number one on the Norwegian Singles Chart, three months later, his fifth single, Stay, produced with fellow Norwegian record producer William Larsen and featuring vocals by Maty Noyes, was released on 4 December 2015. After the release of the single, Kygo announced that he was embarking on a tour to promote his debut studio album. Soon after, he revealed that his studio album was going to be released on 19 February 2016
Kygo
–
Kygo in 2014
25.
Girls (TV series)
–
Girls is an American television series that premiered on HBO on April 15,2012. Created by and starring Lena Dunham, Girls is a following the lives of four young women living in New York City. The shows premise and major aspects of the character were drawn from Dunhams own life. Girls sixth and final season premiered on February 12,2017, left to her own devices in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Hannah navigates her twenties, one mistake at a time. Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet, Adam Driver, Lena Dunham as Hannah Helene Horvath, an aspiring writer living in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, known for her narcissism and immaturity, who struggles to support herself and find a direction in her life. In season two, she struggles with her OCD diagnosis, allison Williams as Marnie Marie Michaels, Hannahs best friend and, at the start of season 1, roommate. Along with Jessa, Charlie and Elijah, Marnie was a classmate of Hannahs at Oberlin College and she worked as an art gallery assistant, but is later fired in Season 2 and is left to pursue her dream, a career in music. Jemima Kirke as Jessa Johansson, One of Hannahs closest friends, Jessa is a citizen of British origin, and is noted for her bohemian, unpredictable. At the start of the series, she has returned to New York from a stint abroad. Jessa navigates many life struggles and poor choices, including a short-lived marriage, Zosia Mamet as Shoshanna Shapiro, Jessas bubble-headed and innocent American cousin whos a Media, Culture, and Communications major at New York University. She is a fan of the TV series Sex and the City and is embarrassed to still be a virgin at the start of the series, as the series progresses, Shoshanna graduates and struggles to find a career path that suits her. Adam Driver as Adam Sackler, an aloof, passionate man, Adam works as a part-time carpenter. At the start of the series, he is in a relationship with Hannah. Adam is an alcoholic who has been sober for years, Alex Karpovsky as Raymond Ray Ploshansky, Originally Charlies friend, but later a friend of the others, and the groups straight man. Eventually, he has sexual and romantic relationships with both Shoshanna and Marnie, at the start of season 3, he is made manager of a spin-off of Grumpys, called Rays. Andrew Rannells as Elijah Krantz, Hannahs ex-boyfriend from college, who reveals that he is gay, despite some initial hostility between the pair, they eventually become friends and later roommates on and off. The two grow closer as roommates. Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Desi Harperin, Adams co-star in Major Barbara, despite having a girlfriend, Clementine, he and Marnie engage in a sexual relationship that he keeps secret, to Marnies chagrin
Girls (TV series)
–
Promotional poster for the series premiere showing the cast. From left to right: Jemima Kirke (as Jessa), Allison Williams (Marnie), Lena Dunham (Hannah), and Zosia Mamet (Shoshanna).
Girls (TV series)
–
Girls
26.
Billboard (magazine)
–
Billboard is an American entertainment media brand owned by the Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group, a division of Eldridge Industries. It publishes pieces involving news, video, opinion, reviews, events and it is also known for its music charts, including the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200, tracking the most popular singles and albums in different genres. It also hosts events, owns a publishing firm, and operates several TV shows, Billboard was founded in 1894 by William Donaldson and James Hennegan as a trade publication for bill posters. Donaldson later acquired Hennegens interest in 1900 for $500, in the 1900s, it covered the entertainment industry, such as circuses, fairs and burlesque shows. It also created a service for travelling entertainers. Billboard began focusing more on the industry as the jukebox, phonograph. Many topics it covered were spun-off into different magazines, including Amusement Business in 1961 to cover outdoor entertainment so that it could focus on music. After Donaldson died in 1925, Billboard was passed down to his children and Hennegans children, until it was sold to investors in 1985. The first issue of Billboard was published in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 1,1894 by William Donaldson, initially, it covered the advertising and bill posting industry and was called Billboard Advertising. At the time, billboards, posters and paper advertisements placed in public spaces were the means of advertising. Donaldson handled editorial and advertising, while Hennegan, who owned Hennegan Printing Co. managed magazine production, the first issues were just eight pages long. The paper had columns like The Bill Room Gossip and The Indefatigable, a department for agricultural fairs was established in 1896. The title was changed to The Billboard in 1897, after a brief departure over editorial differences, Donaldson purchased Hennegans interest in the business in 1900 for $500, to save it from bankruptcy. That May, Donaldson changed it from a monthly to a paper with a greater emphasis on breaking news. He improved editorial quality and opened new offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, London and he also re-focused the magazine on outdoor entertainment like fairs, carnivals, circuses, vaudeville and burlesque shows. A section devoted to circuses was introduced in 1900, followed by more prominent coverage of events in 1901. Billboard also covered topics including regulation, a lack of professionalism, economics and it had a stage gossip column covering the private lives of entertainers, a tent show section covering traveling shows and a sub-section called Freaks to order. According to The Seattle Times, Donaldson also published articles attacking censorship, praising productions exhibiting good taste
Billboard (magazine)
–
An 1896 issue of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
–
Cover of Billboard (January 26, 2013).
27.
MTV Video Music Awards
–
An MTV Video Music Award is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in the music video medium. By 2001, the VMA had become a coveted award, the statue given to winners is an astronaut on the moon, one of the earliest representations of MTV, and colloquially called a moonman. The statue is now made by New York firm, Society Awards, since the 2006 ceremony, viewers are able to vote for their favorite videos in all general categories by visiting MTVs website. The first VMA ceremony was held in 1984 at New York Citys Radio City Music Hall, the ceremonies are normally held in either New York City or Los Angeles. However, the ceremonies have also hosted in Miami and Las Vegas. 1984, At the first MTV Video Music Awards in 1984, Madonna performed her hit Like a Virgin wearing a combination bustier/wedding gown, during the performance, she rolled around on the floor, revealing lacy stockings and a garter. Cyndi Lauper spoke in Exorcist-esque gibberish to explain the VMA rules right before winning the Best Female video for Girls Just Want to Have Fun, David Bowie and The Beatles were rewarded with the first ever Video Vanguard Awards for their work in pioneering the music video. 1988, At the 1988 Video Music Awards Michael Jackson appeared for the first time, a pre-recorded live performance of Bad was shown. He was also awarded the Video Vanguard Award, paula Abdul was nominated for six awards, picking up four wins. She performed a medley of her singles Straight Up, Cold Hearted. When Madonna won the Viewers Choice Award for her Like a Prayer video, the tone that the commercial sought to convey sharply contrasted with the music video. When Pepsi executives saw the video, they yanked the advertisement after only two airings, in an attempt to dissociate themselves from Madonna. She also gave one of the most memorable performances of her hit Express Yourself, the performance consisted of both a dramatic 18th-century reinterpretation of Vogue as well as her dramatically becorseted breasts. His video Thriller influenced and changed music videos into what it is like today, a conflict between Poisons Bret Michaels and C. C. DeVille culminated in a fistfight at the Video Music Awards in 1991, deVille was fired and replaced by Pennsylvanian guitarist Richie Kotzen. Paul Reubens had his first public appearance following an arrest for lewd-conduct earlier that year, taking the stage in costume as Pee-wee Herman, he received a standing ovation, after which he asked the audience, Heard any good jokes lately. Prince & The New Power Generation performed their sexually charged song Gett Off on a Caligula-esque set and his trousers were parodied numerous times throughout the following year, on In Living Color & even on the next years VMAs by Howard Stern. It also marked the last TV appearance of Kiss with Eric Carr,1992, In the 1992 show, MTV requested Nirvana perform Smells Like Teen Spirit, while the band itself had indicated it preferred to play new songs Rape Me and tourettes
MTV Video Music Awards
–
The 1983-1984 Video of the Year "Moonman" award.
MTV Video Music Awards
–
Radio City Music Hall, site of 11 VMAs, including the
first
MTV Video Music Awards
–
Madonna has won 20 VMAs, the most for any artist.
MTV Video Music Awards
–
West taking the microphone from Swift at the
2009 MTV Video Music Awards.
28.
MTV
–
MTV is an American cable and satellite television channel owned by Viacom Media Networks and headquartered in New York City. Launched on August 1,1981, the originally aired music videos as guided by television personalities known as video jockeys. In its early years, MTVs main target demographic was young adults and it has received criticism towards this change of focus, both by certain segments of its audience and musicians. MTVs influence on its audience, including issues involving censorship and social activism, has also been a subject of debate for several years, in recent years, MTV had struggled with the secular decline of music-related cable media. In April 2016, MTV announced it would start to return to its original music roots with the reintroduction of the classic MTV series MTV Unplugged. It was also reported that the series MTV Cribs would be making a return on Snapchat, MTV has spawned numerous sister channels in the US and affiliated channels internationally, some of which have gone independent. As of July 2015, approximately 92,188,000 US households have received MTV, several earlier concepts for music video-based television programming had been around since the early 1960s. The Beatles had used music videos to promote their records starting in the mid-1960s, CBS rejected the idea, but Williams premiered his own musical composition Classical Gas on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, where he was head writer. The series featured clips from various popular artists, but was canceled by its distributor in 1971. The channel, which featured video disc jockeys, signed a deal with US Cable in 1978 to expand its audience from retail to cable television, the service was no longer active by the time MTV launched in 1981. The QUBE system offered many specialized channels, One of these specialized channels was Sight on Sound, a music channel that featured concert footage and music-oriented television programs. With the interactive QUBE service, viewers could vote for their favorite songs, the original programming format of MTV was created by media executive Robert W. Pittman, who later became president and chief executive officer of MTV Networks. Pittman had test-driven the music format by producing and hosting a 15-minute show, Album Tracks, the inspiration for PopClips came from a similar program on New Zealands TVNZ network named Radio with Pictures, which premiered in 1976. The concept itself had been in the works since 1966, when record companies began supplying the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation with promotional music clips to play on the air at no charge. Few artists made the trip to New Zealand to appear live. A shortened version of the shuttle launch ID ran at the top of hour in various forms. The first music video shown on MTV was The Buggles Video Killed the Radio Star and this was followed by the video for Pat Benatars You Better Run. Sporadically, the screen would go black when an employee at MTV inserted a tape into a VCR, MTVs lower third graphics that appeared near the beginning and end of music videos would eventually use the recognizable Kabel typeface for about 25 years
MTV
–
Michael Jackson, whose discography included music videos such as "
Beat It ", "
Billie Jean ", and "
Thriller ".
MTV
–
MTV
MTV
–
1515 Broadway in
Times Square.
MTV
–
Ken Ober, host of the early MTV game show
Remote Control.
.jpg)
