Ke$ha

If there’s one thing Ke$ha knows how to do, it’s tell stories. Here’s a pretty good one: Two years ago, the aspiring pop singer and songwriter decided she wanted Prince to produce her first album. So, she found out his address and drove to his Beverly Hills home, where she paid the gardener five dollars to let her squeeze herself under his front gate. Then she hiked up the driveway (which was lined in purple velvet), let herself in through an unlocked side door, and rode the mirrored elevator up to the third floor where the Purple One himself was jamming with his band. “It was kind of awkward,” she recalls, “but who cares, right? So I sat on one of the purple thrones in the room until he noticed me, which he finally did. He was like, ‘How the hell did you get in here?’” she says with a laugh. Read more

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift became one of country-pop’s brightest (and youngest) faces in 2006, when the 16-year-old vocalist released her first album. Although new to the American public, Swift had been performing since early childhood, taking inspiration and encouragement from her opera-singing grandmother. She sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” before a Philadelphia 76ers game at the age of 11; the following year, she began practicing her guitar skills for several hours each day, only stopping when her fingers began to bleed. Swift’s parents realized their child’s dedication and began making regular visits to Nashville, TN, where Swift would perform casually and meet with songwriters in the area. The family then decided to move from their native Pennsylvania Read more

Kid Rock

“Celebrity can’t dilute Kid Rock’s six-pack bravado”
By Greg Kot (Chicago Tribune, November 7, 2007)

The recent news that Kid Rock got into a dust-up on the road at a Waffle House in Atlanta brings back memories. A few days ago, Rock found himself in a verbal tussle that escalated into a brawl, and now faces misdemeanor battery charges.

Rock was never one to back away from a fight: He warred with his father before he left home at age 15, scrapped and scraped to make a living out of music before he finally found success at age 27, and has had it out with a certain ex-wife and even the ex-husband of his ex-wife as documented in countless gossip rags. Read more

Pussycat Dolls

Pussycat Dolls is an American pop girl group, and dance ensemble founded by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995. The group began as a burlesque troupe based in Los Angeles, before being “re-cast” as a music group in 2003, then diversified into Reality TV programmes, a Las Vegas act and venue, and other ventures overseen by Antin and her partners. The music group released their first single in 2004, and have gone on to international commercial success. They recently released their second studio album Doll Domination on September 23, 2008.
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Carrie Underwood

“God put us here on this carnival ride
We close our eyes never knowing
Where it will take us next”
–Wheel of the World

There is the whirlwind, and then there is the young woman at its center. The key to Carrie Underwood may lie in knowing that, three years down the road, the two remain separate. For all the awards, the record sales, the chart-topping hits, the non-stop schedule and the incessant media attention, Carrie remains firmly in touch with the shy Oklahoma college student she was before becoming a star. Through all of it, she retains a genuine likeability that, coupled with her enormous talent, goes a long way toward explaining the phenomenal nature of her success. Read more

Chris Daughtry

Emboldened by a collection of arena-tempered anthems and hand-crafted gems, Chris formed a band around the foundry of songs that make up DAUGHTRY before any of the accolades rolled in – hitting the road almost on instinct – eager to share his hardscrabble journey – his emotional diary of sorts – with who else but his fans. Secure enough to become a passenger on such a revelatory train ride – You walk through a lot of doors for a moment like this, he says I’m enjoying every minute,- he has personified the heart and soul of this elusive rock allegory without sacrificing one combustible ion of his authenticity. A trait that has always been his calling card whether writing, singing, performing or bonding with his newly minted band with whom he also shares his success. Read more

Jessica Simpson

Jessica Simpson has taken the music, fashion and entertainment industries by storm. A talented artist with universal appeal, she has become an international star and media darling.

Born and raised outside of Dallas, Texas, Jessica began her performing career by sharing the stage with famous gospel acts such as Kirk Franklin, God’s Property and Ce Ce Winans. With her unmistakable voice and unique pop sound, Jessica caught the eye of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola. After joining a tour in support of the boy-band 98 Degrees, she quickly burst onto the music scene in 1999 with her debut release Sweet Kisses. Her RIAA-certified double platinum debut featured Jessica’s massive breakthrough hit, “I Wanna Love You Forever,” which hit #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Read more