Ross Shor Lynch is an American singer, songwriter, actor, and musician. He is one of the founding members of the pop rock band R5. He is best known for his debut role as Austin Moon on the Disney Channel original series Austin & Ally
Lynch can play the piano, drums, and bass; he specializes in guitar. He has danced for the Rage Boyz Crew, a group founded by a dance company in Southern California. He has been on So You Think You Can Dance and has had guest appearances on shows like Moises Rules!, and can even be seen in movies such as Grapple, with Anton Troy. In 2009, he appeared in the Kidz Bop music video for "Let It Rock". He has also been seen in Cymphonique's music video "Lil' Miss Swagger". Lynch was cast in early 2011 to appear in the pilot for the Disney Channel television program entitled Austin & Ally playing the lead male role of Austin Moon, a teenage singer who becomes an overnight sensation after a music video featuring a performance by him is uploaded to the internet and later forms a partnership with Ally, played by Laura Marano. The pilot was later picked up for a full season's production; the show debuted in December 2011, and was renewed for a second season in March 2012.In the spring of 2013 it was announced that there would be a third season.
In early 2012, Lynch began working on the Disney Channel Original Movie, Teen Beach Movie. The movie was shot in Puerto Rico. He plays the role of Brady, the male lead in the film. The film was directed by Jeffrey Hornaday and premiered July 19, 2013, earning around 8.4 million viewers.His first promotional single, "A Billion Hits", was released on April 2, 2012. On July 13, 2012 Lynch released his debut soundtrack single, "Heard It on the Radio", which reached number 196 on UK Singles Chart. On September 12, 2012 he released his debut soundtrack, Austin & Ally from the show of the same name.The album peaked at twenty-seven on the Billboard Top 200, one on the Billboard's Top Soundtracks and one on the Billboard's Kid Albums. Lynch has recorded a multitude of songs for Austin & Ally. He sang all 14 songs for the TV show's soundtrack, which was released in September 2012. These songs include "Can't Do It Without You" (the theme song for the series), "A Billion Hits", "Heard It On the Radio", and two songs with his band R5. Lynch had a cameo appearance in the movie Muppets Most Wanted (2014).
Faheem Rashad Najm better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany, which reached number one on the Billboard 200. His third studio album, Thr33 Ringz, was released in 2008. T-Pain has earned two Grammy Awards alongside artists Kanye West and Jamie Foxx.
T-Pain is the founder of the record label Nappy Boy Entertainment, established in 2005. Throughout his career as a singer, T-Pain is known for using and popularizing the Auto-Tune pitch correction effect. From 2006 to 2010, T-Pain was featured on more than 50 chart topping singles, his most successful feature to date was in Flo Rida's debut single "Low" which has since been certified 6x Platinum.
On April 1, 2013 after the announcement of T-Pain cutting off his signature dreads, he announced the title of his fifth studio album entitled Stoicville: The Phoenix stating, "To me, a Phoenix represents new beginnings. A new era, a new life, I'm rising from the ashes." Prior to releasing his fifth studio album, he released T-Pain Presents Happy Hour, a greatest hits compilation. Its first single, "Up Down (Do This All Day)", produced by DJ Mustard and featuring B.o.B, was officially released on August 13, 2013.The song peaked at number 62 on the Billboard Hot 100. The second single "Drankin Patna" was released a year later on July 21, 2014.
On November 7, 2014, T-Pain premiered the intro/title track off of Stoicville. On November 21, 2014 T-Pain premiered "Coming Home" as the first single off Stoicville and made it available for free on his official website until the track is later released on iTunes.
Those who get stuck doing the same things for too long are bound to get left behind the strong who press on and re-invent themselves.
-T-Pain
Christina María Aguilera is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Born in Staten Island, New York and raised in Rochester and Wexford, Pennsylvania, she appeared on the television series Star Search and The Mickey Mouse Club in her early years. In 1999, Aguilera rose to prominence with her self-titled debut album, which debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and spawned the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "Genie in a Bottle", "What a Girl Wants", and "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)". A year later, she released her first Spanish-language album Mi Reflejo, which sold over three million copies worldwide and the holiday album My Kind of Christmas. Displeased with her lack of input in her image and music, Aguilera assumed creative control for her fourth studio album, Stripped (2002), which draws influences from a variety of genres including soul, hip hop, Latin, and rock. The album spawned the top-ten singles "Dirrty" and "Beautiful", and earned a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Beautiful".
Aguilera's fifth studio album, Back to Basics (2006), incorporates elements of 1920s–1940s blues, soul, and jazz music. The album debuted atop the record charts of thirteen nations, and yielded a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the single "Ain't No Other Man". In 2010, Aguilera released her electronic-inspired sixth studio album, Bionic, which failed to match the chart impact and sales of her previous albums. Later that year, Aguilera starred alongside Cher in the film Burlesque. In 2011, Aguilera became an original coach on the U.S. television series The Voice, and has since appeared on four of its seven seasons. Her seventh studio album, Lotus (2012), became the lowest-selling album of her career. She experienced revitalized commercial success on the US top-ten singles "Feel This Moment" and "Say Something" in 2013.
Aguilera is an established pop icon; her work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including five Grammy Awards, one Latin Grammy Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As of April 2011, Aguilera has sold 50 million albums worldwide. Rolling Stone ranked her at number 58 on their list of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time, becoming the youngest singer to appear on the list, while Billboard recognized Aguilera as the twentieth most successful artist of the 2000s. Besides her work in the entertainment industry, Aguilera is involved in charitable activities through human rights, world issues, and her work as a UN ambassador for the World Food Programme
Aguilera became engaged to Rutler in February 2014. The couple has one child together, a daughter, born in August 2014. In April 2014, Aguilera announced she had started working on her eighth studio album. For the sixth and seventh seasons of The Voice, Aguilera was respectively replaced by Shakira and Gwen Stefani. However, it was announced that she would serve as a coach again for the eighth season.In January 2015, Aguilera confirmed to Extra that she was working alongside The Voice co-star Pharrell Williams on her album, stating: "I just have to make sure it's right, and it's genuine and it's heartfelt, and I'm very excited to pour my heart out into this record fully. I've been gathering and writing and coming up with these amazing ideas for different parts of how I was feeling the past year, so I'm really excited to vocalize all of it and make it all come together."At the 57th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2015, Aguilera won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Say Something" with A Great Big World.
I'm an ocean, because I'm really deep. If you search deep enough you can find rare exotic treasures.
-Christina Aguilera
Jennifer Lynn Lopez also known as J. Lo, is an American actress, author, fashion designer, dancer, producer, singer, and songwriter. She became interested in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry following a minor role in the 1986 film My Little Girl, to the dismay of her Puerto Rican parents, who believed that it was an unrealistic career route for a Hispanic. Lopez gained her first regular high-profile job as a Fly Girl dancer on In Living Color in 1991, where she remained a regular until she decided to pursue an acting career in 1993. She received her first leading role in the Selena biopic of the same name in 1997. Lopez became the first Latina actress to earn over $1 million for a role the following year, with the film Out of Sight. She ventured into the music industry in 1999 with her debut studio album, On the 6.
With the simultaneous release of her second studio album J.Lo and her film The Wedding Planner in 2001, Lopez became the first person to have a number one album and film in the same week. Her 2002 remix album, J to tha L–O! The Remixes, became the first in history to debut at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, while her fifth studio album, Como Ama una Mujer (2007), received the highest first-week sales for a Spanish album in the United States. With past record sales of over 60 million and a cumulative film gross of over $2 billion, Lopez is regarded as the most influential Hispanic performer in the United States, as well as its highest paid Latin entertainer As of 2014, she has an estimated net worth of $400 million.Along with Pitbull and Claudia Leitte, she recorded "We Are One (Ole Ola)", which served as the official song of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Beyond entertainment, Lopez enjoyed a highly successful business career, consisting of various clothing lines, accessories, fragrances, a production company, television shows and a charitable foundation among other business interests. Lopez's personal relationships have attracted worldwide media attention; she has been married three times. Following the breakdown of her first marriage, Lopez dated rapper and entertainment mogul Sean Combs. Following the breakdown of her second marriage to husband Cris Judd, she dated actor Ben Affleck. Their relationship was the subject of much media interest; their planned wedding was cancelled four days before the ceremony. Lopez then wed longtime friend Marc Anthony; they separated after seven years of marriage. Lopez gave birth to their twins, Emme and Maximilian, in 2008
People assume I'm out there having this great life, but money doesn't erase the pain. When you're young you barrel through life, making choices without thinking of repercussions. A few years down the line, you wake up in a certain place and wonder how the hell you got there.
-Jennifer Lopez
Aubrey Drake Graham who records under the mononym Drake, is a Canadian rapper, songwriter, and actor. He was born in Toronto, Ontario. He first garnered recognition for his role as Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation. He later rose to prominence as a rapper, releasing several mixtapes like Room for Improvement before signing to Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment in June 2009.
Drake's EP, So Far Gone (2009), spawned the hit single "Best I Ever Had" and the moderate hit "Successful". His first studio album, Thank Me Later (2010), debuted at number one on the Billboard 200and generated notable singles, "Over" and "Find Your Love". It was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His second album, Take Care (2011), is his most successful to date, topping charts in the United States and Canada and producing multiple hit singles, including "Headlines", "Take Care", "Make Me Proud", and "The Motto", the last of which is also credited for popularizing the widely used acronym YOLO. In promotion of Take Care, Drake embarked on the worldwide Club Paradise Tour, which became the most successful hip-hop tour of 2012, grossing over $42 million.His third studio album Nothing Was the Same was released on September 24, 2013. It has so far been supported by the singles "Started from the Bottom" and "Hold On, We're Going Home".
Drake has sold over 5 million albums worldwide. His work has earned him a Grammy Award, three Juno Awards, six BET Awards, and set several significant Billboard records. With twelve number-one singles, Drake has more than any other artist on Billboard's Hot Rap Songs chart. With ten number-one singles, he also has more than any other rapper on Billboard 's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, passing Jay-Z in August 2012. He is one of two artists (the other being 50 Cent) that has simultaneously occupied the chart's top three positions.
Drake, along with being a record producer under the pseudonym C. Papi, has also written songs for other artists, including Alicia Keys ("Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)"), Rita Ora ("R.I.P."), Jamie Foxx and Trey Songz. He featured as a voice actor in Ice Age: Continental Drift as the mammoth Ethan. Drake was tied with Rihanna for the most nominations at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards.He was ranked No. 2 on MTV's Hottest MCs in the Game VII list in 2012.Drake became the #1 Rhythmic artist of 2012 based on Mediabase.
I feel connected to my generation through the music, but I also fear for us. We're in a very self-destructive state where we're addicted to outside opinions and we all feel like we have fans.
-Drake
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, director, entrepreneur, and fashion designer. West first gained prominence as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records; he achieved recognition for his work on rapper Jay-Z's The Blueprint (2001), as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and Janet Jackson. His style of production originally used high-pitched vocal samples from soul songs incorporated with his own drums and instruments. He later broadened his influences to include 1970s R&B, baroque pop, trip hop, arena rock, house, folk, alternative, electronica, synthpop, industrial, and classical music.
West was raised in a middle-class household in Chicago, Illinois, and began rapping in the third grade, becoming involved in the city's hip hop scene. West attended art school for one semester before dropping out to pursue music entirely in the late 1990s. Although his real desire was to become a rapper, record executives did not take West seriously, viewing him as a producer first and foremost. After being signed to Roc-A-Fella in 2002, West released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004 to commercial and critical acclaim. The baroque-inspired Late Registration followed in 2005, and Graduation in 2007. West switched rapping for singing on his emotive 2008 effort 808's & Heartbreak, and embraced maximalism on 2010's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Following several collaborations, West released his sixth album, Yeezus, in 2013.
West is one of the world's best-selling artists of all time, having sold more than 21 million albums and 66 million digital downloads. He has won a total of 21 Grammy Awards, making him one of the most awarded artists of all-time and the most Grammy-awarded artist of his age Time has named West one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He has also been included in a number of Forbes annual lists. Three of his albums rank on Rolling Stone's 2012 "the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list; two of West's albums feature at #8 and #1 respectively in Pitchfork Media's The 100 Best Albums of 2010-2014.
West's background and style, from his debut album, deviated from the then-dominant "gangsta" persona in hip hop, and he would later alter the genre stylistically as rappers adopted his alternative aesthetic. An outspoken and controversial celebrity, West has often been the source of incidents at award shows. His interest in fashion has also attracted media attention and differentiates West from other artists. West runs his own record label GOOD Music and has directed several short films.
Sessions for West's sixth solo effort begin to take shape in early 2013 in his own personal loft's living room at a Paris hotel. Determined to "undermine the commercial,"he once again brought together close collaborators and attempted to incorporate Chicago drill, dancehall, acid house, and industrial music.Primarily inspired by architecture, West's perfectionist tendencies led him to contact producer Rick Rubin fifteen days shy of its due date to strip down the record's sound in favor of a more minimalist approach.Initial promotion of his sixth album included worldwide video projections of the album's music and live television performances.
Yeezus, West's sixth album, was released June 18, 2013 to rave reviews from critics. It became the rapper's sixth consecutive number one debut. Def Jam issued "Black Skinhead" to radio in July 2013 as the album's lead single. On September 6, 2013, Kanye West announced he would be headlining his first solo tour in five years, to support Yeezus, with fellow American rapper Kendrick Lamar, accompanying him along the way
On November 24, 2013, West stated that he was working on and recording his next studio album, hoping to release it by mid-2014. The album is being produced by Rick Rubin and Q-Tip. In April 2014, he appeared in Future's single titled "I Won". West released a single, "Only One", featuring Paul McCartney, on December 31, 2014.
"FourFiveSeconds", a single jointly produced with Rihanna and McCartney, was released on January 23, 2015. West had played the song before radio programmers at the iHeartMedia Music Summit, but, at the time of release, an indication was not given about whether it will appear on the next albums of either West or Rihanna.
"I am God's vessel. But my greatest pain in life is that I will never be able to see myself perform live."
-Kanye West
Armando Christian Pérez better known by his stage name Pitbull, is an American rapper from Miami, Florida. His first recorded mainstream performance was on a solo track from Lil Jon's 2002 album Kings of Crunk, which featured Pitbull rapping over Jon's production. In 2004, Pitbull released his debut album titled M.I.A.M.I. (short for Money Is A Major Issue), under TVT Records; the album included production from high-profile producers Lil Jon and Jim Jonsin. Pitbull later released his second album El Mariel, in 2006 and his third, The Boatlift, in 2007. His fourth album, Rebelution (2009), included the hit single "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)".
Pitbull's 2011 album Planet Pit, featured the single "Give Me Everything", which was his first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100. The song reached #1 worldwide and featured fellow artists Ne-Yo, Nayer, and Afrojack. Pitbull also released "Timber" in October 2013 from his EP album Meltdown and was a global hit, reaching #1 in many countries and making it to #1 in Billboard Hot 100 and #1 in UK for a total of twenty #1 positions worldwide. The song has charted worldwide making it his second one to do so. He performed the song in different award show including the 2013 American Music Awards, in which he was the host. Pitbull has performed as a featured artist on the remixes of other hit singles. He was chosen by FIFA and Sony Music to write and record "We Are One (Ole Ola)" along with Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte, which served as the official song of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
On February 25, 2014, Pitbull released a new single titled "Wild Wild Love" featuring American recording artist group G.R.L.. It has since peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100
In May 2014, it was announced that Pitbull would host and co-produce a live New Year's Eve concert special from Miami for Fox, Pitbull's New Year's Revolution, on December 31, 2014.
In June 2014, it was announced that Pitbull would be receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
On July 23, 2014, Pitbull released another single titled "Fireball", which features singer John Ryan. Around the same time, he announced his eighth studio album Globalization, which was released on November 24, 2014.
"With all the negativity going on in the world right now, people need an escape. When you give them a hit record or a great record, it allows them to escape for at least three to four minutes. They're not thinking bills or economy or immigration or war when you create that kind of ambiance."
-Pitbull
