The undisputed king of the parody song, accordionist/singer/comedian "Weird Al" Yankovic has recorded send-ups of songs by popular artists as wide-ranging as the Knack, the Kinks, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Nirvana, and Eminem. His seemingly simple jo…

Out of the backwaters of Oklahoma rose the power-pop clatter of the All-American Rejects, whose 2002 self-titled debut album, released on the indie Doghouse Records, yielded a huge fan base and the attention of several major labels. In a field crowde…

Originally known as the Annoying Thing the helium-voiced bluish-gray anatomically correct CGI lump Crazy Frog became a pop culture epidemic in Europe and especially the UK with ringtones TV commercials pop songs and other forms of overexposure Though…

The Los Angeles-based hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas has made a name for itself by taking an eclectic and organic approach to rap, R&B, and funk. Led by vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Will.I.Am., the band also includes two other MCs, Apl.de.Ap. and Ta…

This Turin, Italy-based trio, comprising singer Jeffrey Jey (b. 1970, Sicily, Italy), keyboard player Maurizio Lobina, and DJ Gabriele Ponte, is closely associated with Massimo Gabutti's hugely successful BlissCorporation label. The trio rose to prom…

Vancouver pop-rocker Daniel Powter's song "Bad Day" achieved notable longevity, first becoming a European hit in 2005 after being featured in a Coca-Cola campaign, and then topping the American charts a year later after its inclusion as a valedictory…

A fluctuating Dutch-based project involving prominent DJ/producers Pronti And Kalmani, Johan Gielen, Danski And Delmundo and vocalist Judy (b. 8 December 1975, Amsterdam, Netherlands). Judy was discovered while playing at a party, as she danced to th…

As the lead singer of California neo-ska pop-punks No Doubt, Gwen Stefani gained notoriety for her spunky, riot grrrl-lite approach to fronting a rock band. On her 2004 solo debut, LOVE. ANGEL. MUSIC. BABY., Stefani pulled a musical about-face and fu…

Britney Spears proved that the same goldmine that Madonna and Cyndi Lauper mined in the 1980s was again ripe for the picking, and she was immediately followed up the charts by another female teenybop sensation, Christina Aguilera. Closely aligned wit…

b. Sean Paul Henriques, 8 January 1973, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. Paul was educated at Wolmers High School near the National Heroes Stadium, and the exclusive Bel Air High School in uptown Mandeville. His principal vocational research was at th…

Fergie fits in between a diminishing trance scene and the radical advent of UK garage with an uncomplicated take on hard house ethics Beginning his DJ career at the age of 14 and taken through the clubland ranks with the help of Tony De Vit Fergie ma…

Denver-based band the Fray was formed in 2002 by Isaac Slade vocals piano and Joe King guitar vocals when the two former school friends met up again in a local music store They soon began regular two-man jam sessions that led to writing songs and dev…

Though he first came to fame as a member of the definitive boy band N Sync, Justin Timberlake gained superstar status after stepping out on his own with his first solo album in 2002. JUSTIFIED showed that there was more to the then-21-year-old Timber…

The mysterious dance outfit Zombie Nation is comprised of a pair of DJs who go by the aliases of Splank and Mooner both of whom hail from Munich The duo first signed to DJ Hells label International Deejay Gigolo before moving on to Ministry of Sounds…