avril lavigne

Avril Lavigne was born in Belleville, Ontario, Canada on September 27, 1984. At 16, she moved to Manhattan and began work on her debut album. She dropped out of high school after the 11th grade when she secured a record deal. When Avril was almost 18, she released "Complicated" from her debut album titled: "Let Go," which went 6x platinum. As a petite skater girl from a small town, Avril has shown she is independent, full of confidence and determination, providing a good combination to make "Complicated" and Avril a musical breakthrough. "Complicated" went to number #1 on Billboards Top 100 while also earning her 5 Grammy nominations, MTV music awards, M
Avril Ramona Lavigne (pronunciation: /ˈævrɨl ləˈviːn/; av-ril lə-veen; born 27 September 1984) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more than $2 million. In 2002, when she was 17 years old, Lavigne broke onto the music scene with her debut album Let Go.

Let Go made Lavigne the youngest female soloist to reach No. 1 in the UK, and the album was certified four-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. By 2009, over 18 million copies had been sold worldwide. Her breakthrough single, "Complicated", peaked at No. 1 in many countries around the world, as did the album Let Go. Her second album, Under My Skin, was released in 2004 and was her first album to peak at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200, eventually selling more than 10 million copies worldwide. The Best Damn Thing, Lavigne’s third album, was released in 2007, becoming her third No. 1 album in the UK Albums Chart and featuring her first U.S. Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single, "Girlfriend". Lavigne has scored five number-one singles worldwide, including "Complicated", "Sk8er Boi", "I'm with You", "My Happy Ending" and "Girlfriend". With more than 30 million copies of her albums sold worldwide, Lavigne is one of the top-selling artists releasing albums in the U.S., with over 10.25 million copies certified by the RIAA. Her fourth studio album, Goodbye Lullaby, was released in March 2011. Goodbye Lullaby gave Lavigne her fourth top 10 album on the U.S. Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart and her third No. 1 album in both Japan and Australia. Three months after the release of Goodbye Lullaby, Lavigne began work on her fifth album which will be released on Epic Records following her departure from RCA Records.

Lavigne branched out from recording music, pursuing careers in feature film acting and designing clothes and perfumes. She voiced a character in the animated film, Over the Hedge, in 2006. That same year, she made her on-screen feature film debut in Fast Food Nation. In 2008, Lavigne introduced her clothing line, Abbey Dawn, and in 2009, she released her first perfume, Black Star, which was followed by her second perfume, Forbidden Rose, in 2010 and her third perfume, Wild Rose, in 2011. In July 2006, Lavigne married her boyfriend of two years, Deryck Whibley, lead singer and guitarist for Sum 41. The marriage lasted a little over three years, and in October 2009, Lavigne filed for divorce. Whibley and Lavigne continued to work together, with Whibley producing her fourth album, as well as Lavigne's single, "Alice", written for Tim Burton's film Alice in Wonderland.
TV European music awards and many more.

Avril Ramona Lavigne was born in Belleville, Ontario. Her father, Jean-Claude Lavigne, named her "Avril" after the French word for the month of April. At the age of two, she began singing church songs with her mother,^[1] Judith-Rosanne "Judy" (née Loshaw). Judy recognized her two-year-old daughter's talents after hearing her sing "Jesus Loves Me" in church.^[2] Lavigne has an older brother, Matthew, and a younger sister, Michelle,^[3] both of whom teased her when she sang. "My brother used to knock on the wall because I used to sing myself to sleep and he thought it was really annoying."^[2]

When Lavigne was five years old, the family moved to Napanee, Ontario,^[1] a town with an approximate population of 5,000.^[4][5][6] Although she struggled with paying attention in school, sometimes being kicked out of class for misbehaving, her parents supported her singing. Her father bought her a microphone, a drum kit, a keyboard, several guitars, and converted their basement into a studio. When Lavigne was 14, her parents would take her to karaoke sessions.^[7] Lavigne also performed at country fairs, singing songs by Garth Brooks, The Dixie Chicks, and Shania Twain. She also began writing her own songs. Her first song was called "Can't Stop Thinking About You", about a teenage crush, which she described as "cheesy cute".^[8]

In 1999,^[9] Lavigne won a radio contest to perform with fellow Canadian singer Shania Twain at the Corel Centre (now Scotiabank Place) in Ottawa, before an audience of 20,000 people.^[1][4] Twain and Lavigne sang "What Made You Say That",^[1] and Lavigne told Twain she was going to be "a famous singer".^[4] During a performance with the Lennox Community Theatre, Lavigne was spotted by local folksinger Stephen Medd. He invited her to contribute vocals on his song, "Touch the Sky", for his 1999 album, Quinte Spirit. She later sang on "Temple of Life" and "Two Rivers" for his follow-up album, My Window to You, in 2000. In December 1999, Lavigne was discovered by her first professional manager, Cliff Fabri, while singing country covers at a Chapters bookstore in Kingston, Ontario.^[1][4] Fabri sent out VHS tapes of Lavigne's home performances to several industry prospects, and Lavigne was visited by several executives.^[10] Mark Jowett, co-founder of the Canadian management firm Nettwerk, received a copy of Lavigne's karaoke performances recorded in her parents' basement.^[11] Jowett arranged for Lavigne to work with Peter Zizzo during the summer of 2000 in New York, where she wrote the song "Why?". Lavigne was noticed by Arista Records on a subsequent trip to New York.^[10]

Lavigne would go on to sell more than 30 million copies of her albums worldwide,^[12] becoming one of the top-selling artists releasing albums in the U.S., with over 10.25 million copies certified by the RIAA.^[13] In 2009, Billboard named Lavigne the No. 10 pop artist in the "Best of the 2000s" chart.^[14] She was listed as the 28th overall best act of the decade based on album and single chart performance in the U.S.^[15]

rihanna

In 2005, Rihanna released her debut studio album, Music of the Sun, which peaked in the top ten of the Billboard 200 chart and features the Billboard Hot 100 hit single "Pon de Replay." Less than a year later, she released her second studio album, A Girl Like Me (2006), which peaked within the top five of the Billboard albums chart, and produced her first Hot 100 number one single, "SOS". Rihanna's third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007), spawned four chart-topping singles "Umbrella", "Take a Bow", "Disturbia" and "Don't Stop the Music", and was nominated for nine Grammy Awards, winning Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Umbrella," which features Jay-Z. Her fourth studio album Rated R, released in November 2009, produced the top 10 singles "Russian Roulette", "Hard" and "Rude Boy", which achieved the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100. Loud (2010), her fifth studio album, contains the number-one hits "Only Girl (In the World)", "What's My Name?" and "S&M".^[3][4] "We Found Love" was released in September 2011 as the lead single from her sixth studio album and has topped the charts in over ten countries. Talk That Talk, Rihanna's sixth album, was released in November 2011.
Rihanna has sold more than 20 million albums and 60 million singles^[5] which makes her one of the best selling artists of all time. She is the youngest artist in Billboard charts history to achieve eleven number-one singles on the Hot 100.^[6] As of March 2010, Rihanna has sold approximately 7.3 million album units and over 33.7 million digital singles in the United States.^[7][8] Billb

Rihanna was born Robyn Rihanna Fenty on February 20, 1988, in Saint Michael, Barbados, to Monica Braithwaite, a retired accountant, and Ronald Fenty, a warehouse supervisor for a garment factory.^[13] Her mother, a native of Guyana, is Afro-Guyanese, and her father is of Barbadian and Irish descent.^[14] The eldest of three siblings, she has two brothers, Rorrey and Rajad Fenty.^[15] She also has two half-sisters and a half-brother from her father's side, each born by different mothers before Rihanna's father married her mother.^[16][17] She grew up listening to reggae music,^[18] and began singing at around the age of seven.^[15] Her childhood was deeply affected by her father's addiction to crack cocaine, alcohol, and marijuana,^[19] and her parents' rocky marriage ended when she was 14, although he remained a part of her life.^[13] During her parents' marriage, she suffered from excruciating headaches leading doctors to think she had a brain tumor and underwent several CAT scans from the age of eight until her parents separated.^[20] She grew up in a modest three-bed bungalow in Bridgetown and would sell clothes with her dad on a street stall.^[21] She attended Charles F. Broome Memorial School, a primary school in Barbados, and then the Combermere School, where she formed a musical trio with two of her classmates.^[15] She was an army cadet in a sub-military programme that trained with the military of Barbados and Shontelle was her drill sergeant.^[22] Although she initially wanted to graduate from high school, she chose to pursue her musical career instead.^[23]

In December 2003, Rihanna met American music producer Evan Rogers through a mutual friend who knew Rogers' wife.^[24] When Rogers and his Bajan-born wife were in Barbados for the holidays, Rihanna and her two bandmates auditioned for him in his hotel room,^[25] who said that "the minute Rihanna walked into the room, it was like the other two girls didn't exist." While auditioning for Rogers, she sang Destiny's Child's cover of "Emotion".^[15] Impressed, Rogers set up a second meeting, and, with her mom present, invited her to do some recording and write with him and Carl Sturken at their studio in New York.^[26] Shortly after turning 16, she won the Miss Combermere school beauty pageant, as well as her high school talent show with a performance of Mariah Carey's "Hero".^[27] Over the next year, Rihanna and her mom shuttled back and forth to Rogers' home in Stamford, Connecticut. With the help of Sturken, she recorded a four-song demo,^[28] which included the ballad "Last Time", a cover of Whitney Houston's "For the Love of You",^[15] and what would become her first hit, "Pon de Replay". It took a year to record the demos, as Rihanna was still going to school and therefore would only record during her summer and Christmas school breaks.^[15]
In January 2005, Rogers began shopping Rihanna's four-song demo to various recording companies.^[15] A copy of the demo was sent to Def Jam Recordings, where Jay Brown, an A&R executive, overheard it and played it for the label's then-president, Jay-Z.^[29] When he heard "Pon de Replay", Jay-Z was skeptical about Rihanna at first because he felt that the song was too big for her, stating that "when a song is that big, it's hard [for a new artist] to come back from. I don't sign songs, I sign artists".^[29] Def Jam was the first label to respond and invited her to audition where she sang "For the Love of You" for Jay-Z and L.A. Reid of Island Def Jam Music Group.^[27] She was signed the same day and canceled a set of meetings with other labels.^[28] After signing with Def Jam in February 2005, she relocated to the United States and moved in with Rogers and his wife. Although she still thinks of herself as Robyn, she chose her middle name as her stage name because, to her, the name Rihanna is just a stage that started in a recording studio in 2005.^[30]
A month after the release of her debut album, she began working on her second studio album.^[39] The album contained production from record producers Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken who produced most of her debut album, Stargate, J. R. Rotem and label-mate singer-songwriter Ne-Yo.^[40] While recording the album, Rihanna served as an opening act for Gwen Stefani to promote her debut album.^[41] The lead single, "SOS", peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her first number-one in the United States.^[32] A Girl Like Me was released in April 2006,^[42] less than eight months after her debut. The album reached number five on the Billboard 200^[34] selling 115,000 copies in its first week and has been certified platinum by the RIAA, having shipped over one million units.^[35][43] Internationally, the album peaked at number one on the Top Canadian Albums, five on the UK Albums Chart and number five on the Irish Album Chart. The critical response to the album was mixed; Rolling Stone magazine commented "Like her filler-packed debut album, this similar but superior follow-up doesn't deliver anything else as ingenious as its lead single."^[44] Critics described the album as a record that almost identically alternates between the sunny dancehall/dub-pop, hip-hop-infused club bangers and gushy, adult-oriented ballads.^[45]

The second single, "Unfaithful", became a major worldwide hit, reaching the top ten in dozen countries around the world, including the United States where it reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as topping the charts in Canada, France and Switzerland. The albums third single, "We Ride"^[46] failed to reprise the success of the lead single but the fourth single, "Break It Off" featuring Sean Paul, jumped from number fifty-two to number ten eventually peaking at number nine.^[47][48] After the release of the album, Rihanna embarked on her first headlining tour, the Rihanna: Live in Concert Tour. She then embarked on the Rock The Block Tour and then toured with Pussycat Dolls from November 2006 to February 2007 in the United Kingdom.^[49] Rihanna also made her acting debut in a cameo role in the straight-to-DVD film Bring It On: All or Nothing, which was released on August 8, 2006.^[50]

sean paul ft alexis jordan

Alexis Jordan (born April 7, 1992)^[1] is an American recording artist and actress from Columbia, South Carolina. Jordan rose to fame as a contestant on the first season of America's Got Talent in 2006. After being eliminated from the show, she began to upload cover songs to YouTube, which received millions of views. The exposure led Jordan to the attention of Norwegian production team Stargate and American rapper Jay-Z, who both went on to sign her to their label, StarRoc/Roc Nation.^[2] Her debut single, "Happiness", was released in September 2010, and reac
Jordan was born in Columbia, South Carolina to a mother of African American, Native American and European descent and a Puerto Rican father.^[1] Jordan began writing songs while she was in third grade.^[1] At the age of eleven, she moved with her parents and three younger siblings to Santa Clarita, California to pursue a career in the arts.^[1] At the age of twelve, Jordan served as an opening act for Smokey Robinson at a Stevie Wonder tribute concert.^[1]

In 2006, Jordan auditioned for the first season of America's Got Talent.^[2] She sang Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing" at her audition and made it through to next round, only to be eliminated in the semi-finals. After being eliminated from the show, Jordan and her family moved to Atlanta to be closer to the music industry.^[2] While there, she began to upload cover songs on YouTube while submitting demos. By 2008, Jordan's YouTube page was racking up millions of views. The exposure led Jordan to the attention of production team Stargate who called her to fly over to New York and record a few songs with them.^[7] While in the studio, rapper Jay-Z walked in,^[7] which ultimately resulted in Jordan becoming the first artist signed to the new, Sony Music-affiliated label, StarRoc/Roc Nation – a joint venture between Stargate and Jay-Z's Roc Nation label.^[8]

Main article: Alexis Jordan (album)

Jordan's debut single "Happiness" was released in September 2010. In the United States, the song reached number one on the Hot Dance Club Songs, becoming Jordan's first number-one single on that chart.^[9] It also reached number one in Norway^[3] and the Netherlands,^[10] and peaked at number three in Australia and the United Kingdom.^[4][11] In Australia, "Happiness" was certified triple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), for shipments of 210,000 copies.^[12] "Good Girl" was released as Jordan's second single in February 2011. The song debuted at number six on the UK Singles Chart, giving Jordan her second top-ten hit in the United Kingdom.^[5] It also reached number fifteen in Ireland,^[13] and became her second chart-topper on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart in April.^[14] Her self-titled debut album was released on February 25, 2011.^[6] It debuted on the UK Albums Chart at number nine,^[5] and on the Australian Albums Chart at number eleven.^[4]
"Hush Hush" was released as the album's third single on May 8, 2011.^[15] Jordan served as a support act on English group JLS' tour in the United Kingdom, which commenced in June 2011 and ended in July.^[16] She also appeared at T4 on the Beach in the UK and performed "Hush Hush" and "Good Girl".^[17] Jordan featured on Sean Paul's single "Got 2 Luv U", which reached number one in Switzerland and Bulgaria.^[18]
Jordan made a cameo appearance in the film Honey 2, directed by music video director Billie Woodruff, which starred Katerina Graham, Randy Wayne, Melissa Molinaro, Audrina Patridge, Lonette McKee, Seychelle Gabriel.
hed number one in Norway^[3] and the Netherlands

With all of the stars that fill our sky, there are very few that shine as bright as Star Roc/Roc Nation's newest signee, Alexis Jordan. With flowing red hair, just as vibrant as her personality, 18 year-old Alexis possesses an emotive, awe-inspiring voice that is packed with a power strong enough to brighten our entire world. "I only sing songs that are from my heart," says the singer/songwriter compassionate young woman whose music promotes positivity and self-respect. "Because if I can't feel it, it's not going to come out right" she adds.

"The moment Alexis walked into our studio we just got that special feeling," says Tor of the hit-making production team, Stargate. "It was a Blink-moment, ‘This girl's got it, let's make a record'." We didn't know the depths of Alexis at the time, but as we were making the record it became clear to us that not only is she a world class singer, but she is a smart, confident, all-around entertainer with a big future. Added Mikel of Stargate, "Alexis picks records, goes through lyrics, analyzes her every performance. We feel like we found a diamond in the rough. Only it's not so rough anymore!"

Born in Columbia, South Carolina, Alexis embodies the new spirit of America with her rich cultural background that includes her father's Puerto Rican heritage and her mother's African American, Native American and European ancestry. Singing since she began to speak and songwriting since she was in 3rd grade, at age 11, Alexis moved with her parents and three younger siblings to Santa Clarita, California to pursue a career in the arts. After performing the National Anthem for the United States Air Force Academy, the extremely talented, young singing phenomenon started to attract a ton of attention. Soon, she was asked to sing at the start of various professional baseball games, which quickly gave way to bigger and better opportunities.When I was 12, I opened up for Smokey Robinson at a Stevie Wonder tribute," remembers Alexis. "I sang ‘Ribbon In The Sky' and Stevie was backstage like, ‘You didn't think I heard you singing my song did you?' I didn't know how big of a legend he was but looking back on it now, I can't believe that I did that! It was such a great experience."
While she continued to sing at high profile events around the country, Alexis spent the next few years in school, working as a professional actor, appearing on soap operas and commercials. At age 14, she entered the Simon Cowell produced T.V. competition, America's Got Talent and made it all the way to the semi-finals thanks in part to a thrilling performance of Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing."
"When I got off stage after singing ‘I Have Nothing' Simon said, ‘You are an amazing singer,'" says Alexis. "At the time I was crying, like oh my gosh, Simon Cowell! It's a little girl's dream to be singing for him so I was just so overwhelmed."
With sharpened performance skills and more confidence than ever, the family travelled to Atlanta, Georgia for its burgeoning music scene and hotbed of talented producers. Alexis began making YouTube videos in between professional appearances. Although it would be these same online clips that would eventually land her the recording deal she wanted, Alexis was never crazy about the idea of singing in front of a computer. "I was like, Mom, this is so not cool!" remembers Alexis. "Kids don't sing in front of cameras, it's weird. It didn't feel natural at all! But after I did it for a little while I thought it was fun."
In September of 2008, her Youtube page was racking up millions of views. At that time, the multi-platinum, award-winning production and writing team, Stargate, contacted Alexis. The hit makers responsible for # 1 hits such as Rihanna's "Take A Bow" and Ne-Yo's "Miss Independent," who entered into a partnership with Roc Nation forming Star Roc, made arrangements to fly the multi-talented singer out to New York for a meeting and recording session. "I thought if they didn't love me then they wouldn't fly me all the way out to New York," says Alexis. "I knew I had a good chance. Once I got out there we recorded a few songs and JAY-Z came to the studio. I was so excited! And the next thing I knew I was signed to StarRoc/Roc Nation."
Now that Alexis has had the chance to work with some of the industry's most sought after hit makers, she is getting ready to release her debut album which is a universal collection of songs that not only displays her tremendous voice, but also conveys the constructive message she feels is missing in mainstream music today.

On the LP's first single "Happiness," Alexis belts out a beautiful song about self-joy and empowerment over Stargate's up-tempo track that will have listeners immediately singing along. "Good Girl" showcases Alexis' sassy side as she sings, "I can be a good girl, but I've been bad before," in between the upbeat, bouncing track where she flexes her wide ranging and powerful vocal capability. Then on "How You Like Me Now," Alexis struts her stuff and let's us know that success is always within her reach and that she is better than ever.

"I want to be really positive, no cussing, none of that," says Alexis. "I'm a young artist and I want to be a role model. A lot of songs are upbeat, and some are ballads. There's a little bit of that country vibe in it, and a little bit of that reggae vibe. My album really has everything."

With a debut as diverse as her own background, Alexis Jordan will not only impress each and every person who listens to her album, but she also hopes to inspire them as well.

"I'm bringing something fresh, something new and something positive to the world," she says. "Something that is going to leave a mark on history and music. We are going to make this international. That's my goal, it's going to spread all around the world."