Showing posts with label fashion designer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fashion designer. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Gwen Stefani

Birth name : Gwen Renée Stefani
Born : October 3, 1969(1969-10-03), Fullerton, California, United States
Origin : Anaheim, California, United States
Genre(s) : Rock, ska punk, pop
Occupation(s) : Singer, songwriter, fashion designer, actress
Instrument(s) : Vocals, guitar
Years active : 1986–present
Label(s) : Interscope
Associated acts : No Doubt
Website :
www.gwenstefani.com
Gwen Renée Stefani (pronounced /ˈgwɛn stɛˈfɑːni/;born October 3, 1969) is an American recording artist and fashion designer. Stefani fronts the rock band No Doubt, whose 1995 album Tragic Kingdom propelled them to stardom, selling 16 million copies worldwide. It spawned the singles "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs", and "Don't Speak". The band's popularity went into decline with its fourth album, Return of Saturn (2000), but Rock Steady (2001) focused on dancehall production traits, and generally received positive reviews.
Stefani recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The album was primarily inspired by music of the 1980s, and emerged an international success with sales of over seven million. The album's third single "Hollaback Girl" became the first U.S. digital download to sell one million copies. Stefani's second solo album The Sweet Escape (2006) yielded "Wind It Up", a moderate worldwide success, and "The Sweet Escape".Including her work with No Doubt, Stefani has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide.
She won the World's Best-Selling New Female Artist at the World Music Awards 2005.
Stefani is known as a fashion trendsetter. 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 and fashion. Stefani performs and makes public appearances with four back-up dancers known as the Harajuku Girls. She married British grunge musician Gavin Rossdale in 2002; they have two sons, Kingston James McGregor Rossdale, who was born May 26 2006 and Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale, who was born August 21 2008.
Early life
Stefani was born and raised in Fullerton, California, and grew up in a Roman Catholic household. Her mother named her after a stewardess in the 1968 novel Airport, and her middle name, Renée, comes from The Four Tops' 1968 cover of The Left Banke's 1966 hit song "Walk Away Renée".Her father, Dennis Stefani, is Italian and works as a Yamaha marketing executive. Her mother, Patti (née Flynn), is of Irish and Scottish descent and worked as an accountant before becoming a homemaker. Her parents were fans of folk music and presented music by Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris to their daughter. She is the second oldest of four children; she has a younger sister, Jill Stefani, a younger brother, Todd, and an older brother, Eric. Eric was the keyboardist for No Doubt but left the band to pursue a career in animation on The Simpsons.
Many of the women in Stefani's family were seamstresses, and much of her clothing was made by her or her mother. As a child, Stefani's musical interests consisted of musicals such as The Sound of Music and Evita. After making a demo tape for her father, she was encouraged to take music lessons to train her "loopy, unpredictable" voice. Stefani is a distant cousin of
Madonna. Her great-aunt's mother-in-law shares the last name with Madonna.
Stefani made her onstage debut during a talent show at Loara High School, where she sang "I Have Confidence," from The Sound of Music, in a self-made tweed dress inspired by one from the film. Stefani was on the Loara swim team in an attempt to lose weight. She first worked at a Dairy Queen and later manning the MAC makeup counter of a department store. After graduating from high school in 1987, she began attending California State University, Fullerton.
Personal life
Soon after Stefani joined No Doubt, she and bandmate Tony Kanal began dating. Stefani stated that she was heavily invested in the relationship, commenting that "...all I ever did was look at Tony and pray that God would let me have a baby with him." Kanal ended the relationship.
During her time with No Doubt, the band toured with fellow ska punk band Reel Big Fish, whose frontman, Aaron Barrett, later wrote the song "She's Famous Now" for their 1998 album Why Do They Rock So Hard?. The song is commonly interpreted to be about a relationship between the two and Stefani's subsequent success with No Doubt. Barrett later stated that he "was just trying to start a rumor".
In December 1995, No Doubt and rock band Goo Goo Dolls went on tour opening for alternative rock band Bush. Stefani met Bush guitarist and lead singer Gavin RossdaleThey married on September 14, 2002, with a wedding in St Paul's Church in Covent Garden, London. A second wedding was held in Los Angeles two weeks later. According to Stefani, it was held so that she could wear a custom-designed wedding dress by British-Gibraltarian fashion designer John Galliano twice.
The couple discovered in 2004 that Rossdale had a daughter, Daisy Lowe (b. 1989) from a previous fling with model and designer Pearl Lowe when Rossdale took a paternity test. Stefani was "devastated and infuriated" at the discovery, leading to a rocky patch in her relationship with Rossdale. Though Rossdale remains Daisy's godfather, he has severed all ties with the Lowes. Stefani's song "Danger Zone" was widely believed to be about the discovery and its aftermath. However, the song was written prior to the incident.
In December 2005, Stefani and Rossdale announced that they were expecting their first child together. The pregnancy was first reported by Us Weekly, and Stefani confirmed the pregnancy by shouting "I want you to sing so loud that the baby hears it" during a concert in Fort Lauderdale, Florida after her press agent stated that it was untrue. On May 26, 2006, their son, Kingston James McGregor Rossdale, was born via caesarean section at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Kingston weighed 3.4 kilograms (7 pounds, 5 ounces). In January 2008, it was confirmed by her father-in-law that Stefani would be expecting her second child. As of the date of announcement, she was 13 weeks along. Reports from In Touch magazine came in on August 21, 2008, reporting that Stefani had checked in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and was scheduled to give birth via C-section around 10:00 a.m. People confirmed that Stefani gave birth to a baby boy, Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale, who was born at 12:46 PST on August 21, 2008 weighing 8.5 lbs. A representative for Stefani said "Mother, baby and family are all happy and healthy."
Source
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Rihanna

Birth name : Robyn Rihanna Fenty
Born : February 20, 1988 (1988-02-20) (age 20)
Origin :Saint Michael, Barbados
Genre(s) : Pop, R&B, dance, reggae
Occupation(s) : Singer, songwriter, model, fashion designer
Years active : 2005–present
Label(s) : Def Jam Recordings
Website :
www.rihannanow.com
Robyn Rihanna Fenty (born February 20, 1988), known as Rihanna (pronounced /riːˈɑːnə/), is a Barbadian singer, model and fashion designer. She also serves as the cultural ambassador for the island of Barbados. She is the first Barbadian artist to officially win a Grammy Award Rihanna is currently signed to the Def Jam Recordings label. She has attained five Billboard Hot 100 number ones thus far ("Umbrella", "SOS", "Take a Bow","Disturbia" and Live Your Life), four as a solo artist and one as featured artist, and is currently tied with Beyonce as the female solo artist with the most number ones in this decade.
Rihanna broke into the industry in 2005 with the release of her debut album Music of the Sun, which features her hit single "Pon de Replay". Less than a year later, Rihanna released A Girl Like Me and earned her first number-one single, "SOS". In 2007, Rihanna released her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad. The album has yielded seven hit singles, including three worldwide number one singles: "Umbrella", "Don't Stop the Music", "Take a Bow". Since the release of her debut album, Rihanna has amassed twelve top 40 hit singles in the U.S.
Life and early career
Rihanna was born in Saint Michael, Barbados to parents Ronald Fenty and Monica Fenty. She has two younger brothers, Rorrey and Rajad Fenty.
Rihanna went to Charles F. Broome Memorial School, a primary school in Barbados, and then on to the Combermere School, where she formed a musical trio with two of her classmates. In 2004, she won the Miss Combermere Beauty Pageant and performed in the Colours of Combermere School Show.
In 2003, after forming a girl group with two classmates at the age of 15, Rihanna along with her two bandmates, received their big break when her friends introduced her to record producer Evan Rogers, who was vacationing in Barbados with his wife. The group auditioned for producer Evan Rogers and said that the minute Rihanna walked into the room, it was like the other two girls didn't exist. She eventually moved to Connecticut to live with Rogers and his wife. Rogers, along with his partner, Carl Sturken, helped Rihanna record material in the U.S. which was sent to various recording companies. Rihanna's demo made its way to Def Jam who invited her to audition for rapper turned Def Jam president Jay-Z, who eventually signed her to Def Jam Recordings.
Rihanna cites
Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Brandy, Gwen Stefani, Madonna, Alicia Keys, Whitney Houston, Shaggy, Sean Paul, Luther Vandross, Diana Ross, Bob Marley, Fefe Dobson and her Caribbean background as major musical influences.
Music career
Rihanna's debut album, Music of the Sun, was released on August 30, 2005 in the United States, yielding two singles, the first being "Pon de Replay" which was released on August 22, 2005. This single became a huge success upon its release peaking at number 2 in the US on Billboard Hot 100 charts. It also became a global hit where it peaked within the top 10 across 15 countries as well as achieving top 20 chartings on 20 charts around the world. The single written by Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers was described by Rolling Stone magazine as a "poppy piece of dancehall reggae with slapping, syncopated beats recalling big-band jazz."
Rihanna second album, A Girl Like Me, was released in April 2006; less than eight months after the release of her first album. The lead single, "SOS", was used in an endorsement deal with Nike. The song became Rihanna's first number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; it also debuted at number one on the Hot Digital Songs chart. "SOS" peaked at number one in Australia and number two in the UK. The second single, entitled "Unfaithful", was written by R&B singer Ne-Yo. The song became her third top ten hit in the U.S. and in the UK. The third single, "We Ride", was not as successful as her previous releases, failing to chart on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, however, it became her fifth UK top 20 single, where it peaked at number 17 on that chart and peaked at number one on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart. Rihanna's fourth single from the album, "Break It Off" featuring Sean Paul, had already climbed to number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 based solely on airplay. It was released as a digital download on February 19, 2007, which made the song jump from number fifty-two to number ten and then eventually peak at number nine. A Girl like Me's sales were significantly stronger, selling over 1 million in the U.S.
Rihanna went into the studio in early 2007 with Ne-Yo, Stargate, and Timbaland among others to record her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad. The album was released on June 5, 2007, features Jay-Z and Ne-Yo. Rihanna worked with Timbaland on three songs in the album: "Lemme Get That", "Rehab" and the Japanese bonus track "Haunted".
Justin Timberlake co-wrote and provides background vocals on "Rehab".
The album so far has yielded eight hit singles, including the world-wide number one hit "Umbrella", featuring Jay-Z. In addition to reaching number one in various countries, "Umbrella" was the number one single in the UK for 10 consecutive weeks, making it the longest running UK number one single since Wet Wet Wet's single "Love Is All Around", back in 1994, and the longest running number one by a female artist since Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You", which also topped the chart for 10 weeks in 1992. By the end of the year, "Umbrella" was ranked second on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart in the United States.
Her other singles, "Shut Up and Drive" and "Don't Stop The Music" were able to mirror the success of "Umbrella", with "Don't Stop the Music" reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Rihanna's seventh top ten single and her fourth top five hit, while peaking at number one in various countries. The fourth single (third single in the US and UK) "Hate That I Love You", featuring Ne-Yo, was able to peak at number seven in the U.S.
2008-present
On November 23, 2008 Rihanna was nominated for two American Music Award (Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist). Rihanna won in in both categories making it her third AMA. Rihanna also performed "Rehab" on stage at the AMA.
Rihanna was also selected as the spokesmodel for Gucci’s first UNICEF ad campaign. She will appear in the fashion house’s Tattoo Heart campaign, premiering in December. Rihanna will be photographed in series of special edition print ads with UNICEF items, twenty-five percent of sales will benefit the children’s charity.
In New York, Rihanna was then enlisted by Gucci's Frida Giannini along with Madonna to light the UNICEF Christmas snowflake. Rihanna, dressed head to toe in Gucci, is now the face of the fourth annual Gucci Campaign to Benefit UNICEF, which aims to raise funds for children in Africa through the sale of its Tattoo Heart collection of bags.
On December 24, 2008 Rihanna stated that she would be back in the recording studio in early 2009 to resume working on her fourth studio album. She expects the album to be released in 2009.
Source
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Saturday, January 24, 2009

Jennifer Lopez

Birth name : Jennifer Lynn Lopez
Also known as : J.Lo, Jenny
Born : July 24, 1969 (1969-07-24)
Origin : The Bronx, New York City, New York, United States
Genre(s) : Pop, dance-pop, Latin pop
Years active : 1987–present
Label(s) : Epic, Work
Website :
JenniferLopez.com
Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), popularly nicknamed J.Lo, is an American Golden Globe-nominated actress, Grammy Award-nominated singer, record producer, dancer, fashion designer and television producer. She is the richest person of Latin American descent in Hollywood according to Forbes, and the most influential Hispanic entertainer in America according to People en Español's list of "100 Most Influential Hispanics".
Starting in 1999, Lopez released seven albums, including two #1 albums on the Billboard 200 charts and four Billboard Hot 100 #1 singles. She won the 2003 American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist and the 2007 American Music Award for Favorite Latin Artist. She has appeared in numerous films, and has won ALMA Awards for outstanding actress for her work in Selena, Out of Sight, and Angel Eyes. She parlayed her media fame into a fashion line and various perfumes with her celebrity endorsement.
Media attention has also focused on her personal life. She has had high-profile relationships with Ojani Noa, Cris Judd, Sean Combs, Ben Affleck, and Marc Anthony. Her first children, fraternal twins named Max and Emme, were born on February 22, 2008.
Early life
Jennifer Lopez was born and grew up in the South Bronx, New York to Puerto Rican parents Guadalupe Rodríguez, a kindergarten teacher, and David Lopez, a computer specialist. She has two siblings, Lynda and Leslie. Lopez spent her entire academic career in Catholic schools, finishing at the all-girls Preston High School, in the Bronx. She financed singing and dancing lessons for herself from the age of 19. After attending Baruch College for one semester, Lopez divided her time between working in a legal office, dance classes, and dance performances in Manhattan night clubs. After months of auditioning for dance roles, Lopez was selected as a dancer for various rap music videos, a 1990 episode of Yo! MTV Raps, and as a backup dancer for the New Kids on the Block and their performance of their song "Games" for the American Music Awards in 1991. After being rejected twice, Lopez gained her first regular high-profile job as a "Fly Girl" dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color in 1990. Soon after, Lopez became a backup dancer for Janet Jackson and made an appearance in her 1993 video "That's the Way Love Goes".
Film and television
Lopez appeared on the short-lived television programs South Central, Second Chances, and Hotel Malibu, and the made-for-television film Nurses on the Line: The Crash of Flight 7. Lopez broke into the big screen in the 1995 drama My Family and then appeared opposite Wesley Snipes in the action film Money Train. Lopez has played roles in Francis Ford Coppola's 1996 comedy Jack starring Robin Williams, and the 1997 thriller Blood and Wine with Jack Nicholson. Lopez played the lead role in the 1997 film Selena for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for "Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy" in 1998. She became the first Hispanic actress to get paid $1 million or more for a film role. Some of her other critically-acclaimed films include Out of Sight, The Cell, An Unfinished Life, and Shall We Dance?. Two independent films produced by Lopez were well-received at film festivals: El Cantante at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Bordertown at the Brussels film festival. Other modestly successful films include The Wedding Planner, Maid in Manhattan, Monster-in-Law, and Enough. Gigli, however, would be a critical and commercial disappointment. In August 2007, Lopez collaborated on the feature film, El Cantante, with her husband singer-actor Marc Anthony. The film is in English, with a creative use of subtitles for songs with Spanish lyrics.
Lopez made an appearance as a mentor on American Idol on April 10, 2007
In May 2006, Lopez was the executive producer of the eight-episode reality show, DanceLife, which ran on MTV beginning January 15, 2007. Lopez helped select the show's participants and made cameo appearances. She then served as executive producer of a miniseries broadcast on Univisión. Titled after her CD Como Ama Una Mujer, it ran in five episodes from October 30 to November 27, 2007, and starred Christian Borrero and Adriana Cruz.
Lopez signed a contract as star and executive producer of an unscripted reality series for TLC, a division of Discovery Communications Inc. The series will show the launching of her new fragrance, and will not focus on her family.
source
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