Shakira

Background information
Birth name : Isabel Mebarak Ripoll
Also known as : Shaki, Shak
Born : February 2, 1977 (1977-02-02) (age 31) Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia
Genre(s) : Latin pop, rock
Occupation(s) : Singer-songwriter, record producer
Instrument(s) : Vocals, guitar, harmonica, drums
Years active : 1990 – present
Label(s) : Sony BMG, Epic, Live Nation
Associated acts : Alejandro Sanz, Beyoncé, Gustavo Cerati, Wyclef Jean, Carlos Santana, Miguel Bosé
Website : www.shakira.com

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll (born: February 2, 1977) known simply as Shakira, (pronounced /ʃəˈkiːrə/ in English, /tʃa'kira/ in Spanish ) is a Colombian singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, dancer and philanthropist who has been a major figure in the pop music scene of Latin America since the mid-1990s. She is a native Spanish speaker and also speaks fluent English, Portuguese, Italian, and some Arabic. In 2001, she broke through onto the English-speaking world with the release of Laundry Service, which sold over thirteen million copies worldwide. Shakira is the highest-selling Colombian artist of all time, having sold more than 60 million albums worldwide, according to BMI. She has also won numerous awards worldwide, including two Grammy Awards, eight Latin Grammy Awards, fifteen Billboard Music Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, a People's Choice Award and receiving a Golden Globe nomination. She is also the only artist from South America to reach the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100, the Australian ARIA chart, and the UK Singles Chart.
Shakira will be awarded with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, making her the first Colombian to receive this honor.
Personal life
In 2000, Shakira started dating Antonio de la Rúa, the son of then president of Argentina Fernando de la Rúa, a romance that made headline news throughout Latin America. In March 2001, he proposed to her. De la Rúa and Shakira remain engaged. She currently lives in The Bahamas. Shakira's future mother-in-law Inés Pertiné claimed the wedding would take place in September 2007 in the mansion which Shakira owns in the Dominican Republic (though this didn't happen). She also said that Shakira has already ordered Argentine designer María Pryor to design her wedding dress, All this was denied by Shakira herself in Mexico.
In June 2007, Latin American media speculated that the couple had finally split up and that Shakira was involved romantically with Army Specialist Erik Pepen since both were seen in a Los Angeles disco. This rumor was immediately denied by Shakira's assistants, stating that she was invited by Penélope Cruz, who later introduced Erik Pepen to Shakira. On the previous days, Shakira and Antonio were seen in a restaurant in New York City, facing and denying the rumors one more time.
Shakira is intensely interested in world history. She frequently studies the history and languages of the countries she visits. After her Oral Fixation tour ended in summer 2007, Shakira audited a class in Los Angeles at UCLA, on the History of Western Civilization. She used her middle and last names, Isabel Mebarak, and told the professor she was visiting from Colombia so as to avoid being recognized as a celebrity.
Shakira is a cousin of model and 2005-2006 Miss Colombia, Valerie Dominguez, who is likewise of Lebanese descent
Discography
Studio albums
1995: Pies Descalzos
1998: Dónde Están Los Ladrones?
2001: Laundry Service
2005: Fijación Oral Vol. 1
2005: Oral Fixation Vol. 2
· 2009: Upcoming Studio Album
Live albums
2000: MTV Unplugged
2004: Live n Off the Record
2007: Oral Fixation Tour
Compilation albums
1997: The Remixes
2002: Grandes Éxitos
2002: Colección de Oro
2006: Oral Fixation Volumes 1, 2
Soundtracks
2007: Love in the Time of Cholera (EP)
source : en.wikipedia.org

Jason Mraz

Background information
Birth name : Jason Mraz
Born : June 23, 1977 (1977-06-23) (age 31)
Origin : Mechanicsville, Virginia
Genre(s) : Rock, pop rock Reggae
Occupation(s) : Singer-songwriter, musician
Instrument(s) : Vocals, guitar, mandolin
Years active : 1999–present
Label(s) : Atlantic (2005-present), Elektra (2002–2005)
Website : www.jasonmraz.com
Notable instrument(s) Guitar

Jason Mraz (IPA: /ˈdʒeɪsʌn mɜrˈæz/, born June 23, 1977) is a Jamaican-American Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, born and raised in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Mraz's stylistic influences include reggae, pop, rock, folk, jazz, and hip hop. He has played with various artists, including Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews Band, James Blunt, Gavin DeGraw, Paula Cole, John Popper, Alanis Morissette, The Ohio Players, Rachael Yamagata, James Morrison, Lisa Hannigan, John Mayer, Jewel, Colbie Caillat, and Ingrid Michaelson.

Biography
He attended Longwood University for a short time, studying musical theatre, then he moved to San Diego from Virginia.
In 2002, Jason Mraz signed to Elektra Records, returning to Virginia to work with producer Sean Combs on his major label debut release, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which would be certified platinum by the RIAA in July 2004 and reach #174 on Billboard's Heatseekers Chart. His first single, "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)," was co-written by music production team The Matrix. Mraz's friend and former roommate Billy "Bushwalla" Galewood also collaborated on the album, co-writing "Curbside Prophet", the album's third single, and "I'll Do Anything".
In June and July 2005, Mraz opened for Alanis Morissette during her Jagged Little Pill Acoustic Tour. On July 26, 2005, he released his second major-label album, Mr. A-Z, for Atlantic Records. It entered the Billboard 200 album chart at number 5. In December, the album earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, while its producer, the prolific Steve Lillywhite, received a nomination for Producer of the Year.
Mraz began his long-running tour in support of Mr. A-Z at the San Diego Music Awards on September 12. The tour featured a variety of opening acts, including Bushwalla and Tristan Prettyman, with whom he had co-written the duet "Shy That Way" in 2002. Mraz and Prettyman dated, ending their relationship in 2006. They also co-wrote the song "All I Want For Christmas is Us".
In November 2005, Mraz opened for the Rolling Stones on five dates during their 2005–2006 world tour. Also in 2005, Mraz was one of many singers featured in the fall advertisement campaign for The Gap entitled "Favorites". The music-themed campaign also featured other singers butt including Tristan Prettyman, Michelle Branch, Joss Stone, Keith Urban, Alanis Morissette, Brandon Boyd, and Michelle Williams. In December 2005, Mraz released the first part of his ongoing podcast.
In March 2006, Mraz also performed for the first time at a sold-out (one month before the actual performance date) performance in Singapore with Toca as part of the annual Mosaic Music Festival. In May 2006, Mraz toured mostly small venues and music festivals in the U.S., along with a few shows in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The tour included a May 6, 2006 acoustic show with P.O.D., Better Than Ezra, Live, and The Presidents of the United States of America. Mraz was featured as a headlining guest of St. Louis's annual Fair St. Louis and performed a free concert at the base of the Arch on July 1, 2006.
In December 2006, Selections for Friends, the live, online-only album recorded during the Songs for Friends Tour, was released. Selections for Friends features Jason's favorite songs from the Schubas Tavern and Villa Montalvo shows he played in July 2006.

Jason Mraz began 2007 by debuting his new single "The Beauty in Ugly", an earlier track penned by Mraz entitled "Plain Jane" that he rewrote for the ABC TV show Ugly Betty. The song was featured as a part of ABC's "Be Ugly in '07" campaign. He has since released a song in Spanish entitled "La Nueva Belleza (The New Beauty)".
In 2007, American Idol contestant Chris Richardson performed "Geek in the Pink", which subsequently garnered the song mass recognition and increased downloads at the American iTunes Store. It was also performed later that year by Canadian Idol contestant Greg Neufeld. "Geek in the Pink" peaked at #22 on the U.S. iTunes Store on March 10, 2007, but it was ineligible for the site's Hot 100. The tape-recording of bootlegs during Mraz's shows is explicitly supported by him and his management.
Jason is currently promoting his latest studio album, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. which was released on May 13, 2008. Mraz's single "I'm Yours" has been #1 on AAA radio charts in the US for 3 weeks as of 6/15/08 and was made famous by a live recording from his acoustic show at the Villa Montalvo Winery which received millions of hits on his Myspace. In September 2008, the song became Mraz's first Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking so far at #6. As of October 14, 2008, the album has been certified Gold by the RIAA, selling in excess of 500,000 copies in the US.

Discography
Studio albums
Waiting for My Rocket to Come (2002) #55 U.S. (Platinum)
Mr. A-Z (2005) #5 U.S.
We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. (2008) #3 U.S. (Gold) #110 UK
EPs and other releases
A Jason Mraz Demonstration (1999)
Live at Java Joe's (2001)
From the Cutting Room Floor (2001)(2002)
The E Minor EP in F (2002)
Tonight, Not Again: Jason Mraz Live at the Eagles Ballroom (2004) #49 U.S.
Wordplay - EP (2005)
Extra Credit - EP (2005) - Digital EP
Jimmy Kimmel Live: Jason Mraz - EP (2005) - iTunes
Geekin' Out Across the Galaxy (2006) - Digital Live EP
Selections for Friends (2007) - Digital Live LP #22 Top Digital Albums
iTunes Live: London Sessions - EP (2008) - U.K. iTunes
We Sing. - EP (2008) #101 U.S.
We Dance. - EP (2008) #52 U.S. We Steal Things. - EP (2008)

Source : en.wikipedia.org

Celine Dion

Background information
Birth name : Céline Marie Claudette Dion
Born : March 30, 1968 (1968-03-30) (age 40) Charlemagne, Quebec, Canada
Origin : Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Genre(s) : Pop, Rock
Occupation(s) : Singer
Instrument(s) : Vocals
Voice type(s) : Soprano
Years active : 1980–2000, 2002-present
Label(s) : 550/Epic/Sony (1986–2004), Epic (2004–2007), Sony Music Entertainment/Columbia (2007-present)Website : www.celinedion.com hear this one

Céline Marie Claudette Dion (/seɪlɪn dɪɒn/ (help·info)) OC OQ (born March 30, 1968 in Charlemagne, Quebec) is a Canadian pop singer, occasional songwriter and actress. Born to a large, impoverished family, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record. In 1990, she released the anglophone album Unison, establishing herself as a viable pop artist in North America and other English-speaking areas of the world.
Dion had first gained international recognition in the 1980s by winning both the 1982 Yamaha World Popular Song Festival and the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest. Following a series of French albums in the early 1980s, she signed on to Sony Records in 1986. During the 1990s, with the help of Angélil, she achieved worldwide success with several English and French albums, becoming one of the most successful artists in pop music history. However, in 1999 at the height of her success, Dion announced a temporary retirement from entertainment in order to start a family and spend time with her husband, who had been diagnosed with cancer. She returned to the music scene in 2002 and signed a three-year (later extended to almost five years) contract to perform nightly in a five-star theatrical show at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.
Dion's music has been influenced by genres ranging from rock and RnB to gospel and classical. While her releases have often received mixed critical reception, she is renowned for her technically skilled and powerful vocals. In 2004, after amassing over 175 million albums worldwide, she was presented with the Chopard Diamond Award at the World Music Awards for becoming the best selling female artist of all time. In April 2007 Sony BMG announced that Celine Dion had sold over 200 million albums worldwide.

Selected discography
The following is a selective list of Dion's Anglophone and Francophone releases. To view an exhaustive list of her discography, see Celine Dion albums discography and Celine Dion singles discography.
English-language studio albums
1990: Unison
1992: Celine Dion
1993: The Colour of My Love
1996: Falling into You
1997: Let's Talk About Love
1998: These Are Special Times
2002: A New Day Has Come
2003: One Heart
2004: Miracle
2007: Taking Chances
Source : en.wikipedia.org

Madonna

Background information
Birth name : Madonna Louise Ciccone
Also known as : Madonna Ciccone, Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone, Madonna Penn, Madonna Ritchie
Born : August 16, 1958 (1958-08-16) (age 50) Bay City, Michigan, United States
Origin : New York City, New York, United States
Genre(s) : Pop, rock
Occupation(s) : Singer-songwriter, dancer[1] record producer, film producer, film director, fashion designer, author, actress, entrepreneur
Instrument(s) : Vocals, guitar, percussion
Voice type(s) : Mezzo-soprano
Years active :1982–present
Label(s) : Sire (1982-1995) Maverick (1992-2004) Warner Bros. (1982-2008) Live Nation Artists (2009-)
Associated acts : Breakfast Club, Emmy
Website : madonna.com

Madonna Louise Ciccone Ritchie (born August 16, 1958), known as Madonna, is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in Bay City, Michigan and raised in Rochester Hills, Michigan, Madonna moved to New York City for a career in modern dance. After performing as member of the pop musical groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her self-titled debut album in 1983, and then produced three consecutive number-one studio albums on the Billboard 200 in the 1980s and four more since year 2000.
Madonna is known for her works that explore religious symbolism and sexual themes which also drew criticism from the Vatican in the late 1980s. In 1992, she founded an entertainment company, Maverick, which published a book of photographs (Sex). She also released a studio album (Erotica) and starred in a film (Body of Evidence) with erotic themes. These works generated negative publicity and coincided with a fall in commercial sales in the 1990s. Madonna's career was revived in 1998, when the release of her album Ray of Light garnered critical acclaim.
Madonna has acted in 22 films. Although many failed critically and commercially, she earned a Golden Globe Award for her role in the 1996 film Evita. In 1996 Madonna conceived a daughter, Lourdes Maria (also known as Lola) by personal trainer Carlos Leon before marrying film director Guy Ritchie in 2000. She and Ritchie have two sons, Rocco and David Banda, a Malawian boy they adopted in 2006, which caused media allegations they violated that country's adoption laws.Madonna has been regarded as "one of the greatest pop acts of all time" and dubbed the "Queen of Pop" by various sources. She is ranked by the Recording Industry Association of America as the best-selling female rock artist of the twentieth century and the second top-selling female artist in the United States with 63 million certified albums. Guinness World Records list her as the world's most successful female recording artist of all time and the top-earning female singer in the world with an estimated net worth of US$490 million, having sold over 200 million records worldwide. On March 10, 2008, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Discography
Main articles: Madonna albums discography, Madonna singles discography, and Madonna: Music Video & DVD Videography
1983: Madonna
1984: Like a Virgin
1986: True Blue
1989: Like a Prayer
1992: Erotica
1994: Bedtime Stories
1998: Ray of Light
2000: Music
2003: American Life
2005: Confessions on a Dance Floor
2008: Hard Candy

Tours
Madonna has had eight successful tours in the course of her career, being:
1985: The Virgin Tour
1987: Who's That Girl World Tour
1990: Blond Ambition World Tour
1993: The Girlie Show World Tour
2001: Drowned World Tour
2004: Re-Invention World Tour
2006: Confessions Tour
2008: Sticky & Sweet Tour

Source: en.wikipedia.org