Ever since her breakthrough, Loreen has spellbound audiences with her incredible vocals, moving lyrics and unique artistic expressions. As she now enters a new chapter musically, she’s doing it with a clearer vision than before: to continue building bridges between different cultures, beliefs and traditions. 

For this new chapter Loreen’s allowed herself to play with her own artistry more than ever. The contrasts that have characterised her as an artist, where male meets female, and where her Moroccan Berber influences meet modern electronic production. 

“My approach to music might differ a bit compared to many others. I’m a nomad with my roots in the Atlas Mountains, where music and sound are used for the purpose of healing - which I consider is my purpose too. I always ask myself, what can I offer that will move – and engage more people to conversations?”

In May 2022, the world got its first taste of Loreen’s new musical direction, when Loreen released her new single, Neon Lights, a bombastic electropop track with swirling synth loops. Loreen’s new music that will be released successively throughout the year, has a harder electronic sound, inspired by how she has structured her live shows in recent years.

“When I play live, I have a dirtier, more experimental sound. There’s something beautiful about playing with contrasts. Singing aggressively over calm chords or singing delicately over a hard beat. Experimenting with the energies of a song.”

Villa Belparc

Loreen

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David Guetta is a globally renowned DJ, music producer, and songwriter who has achieved immense success in the electronic dance music (EDM) genre. Born on November 7, 1967, in Paris, France, David Guetta has become one of the most recognizable and influential figures in the music industry.

With a career spanning over three decades, David Guetta has released numerous chart-topping hits and albums, becoming a trailblazer in the EDM genre. He has collaborated with renowned artists such as Sia, Akon, Nicki Minaj, and Usher, among others, and his music has dominated dance floors and radio airwaves around the world.

David Guetta's achievements in the music industry are extensive, including multiple Grammy Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and DJ Awards. In 2011, his album "Nothing but the Beat" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album. He has also been recognized with numerous accolades for his contributions to the dance music scene, including being named the Best DJ in the World by DJ Mag multiple times.

Apart from his music career, David Guetta has also been known for his philanthropic efforts. He has been involved in charitable initiatives, including the "One Voice" campaign, which raised funds for children's hospitals, and the "Fuck Me I'm Famous" foundation, which supported various charitable causes.

As a pioneer in the EDM genre, David Guetta has played a significant role in shaping the electronic music landscape and has been recognized for his contributions to the industry. With his innovative production skills, energetic performances, and chart-topping hits, he has become one of the most successful and influential music artists of his time, leaving an indelible mark on the global music scene.

David Guetta

Championed by fellow rapper Drake and The Fader magazine before he released his first full-length project, self-proclaimed hood outcast A$AP Rocky became one of the biggest breakout stars of the 2010s. When the decade was over, the rapper had a pair of number one albums with Long.Live.A$AP (2013) and At.Long.Last.A$AP (2015), and a Top Ten entry with third LP Testing (2018). These full-lengths were promoted with some of the most popular songs of the era, most notably the Grammy-nominated Top Ten pop hit "Fuckin' Problems," plus seven additional singles that went either platinum or multi-platinum. Supported by A$AP Mob and eager collaborators ranging from Kendrick Lamar and 2 Chainz to Skepta and Skrillex, Rocky himself has assisted with hits headlined by Selena Gomez ("Good for You"), G-Eazy ("No Limit"), and Famous Dex ("Pick It Up").

A$AP Rocky, born Rakim Athelaston Mayers and also known as Lord Flacko, gave up slinging drugs in his native Harlem and started rapping after he moved to Elmwood Park, New Jersey. By the time he completed his GED, he had attained underground clout for tracks such as "Peso and Trilla," promising cuts bearing the boisterous spirit of Harlem's Diplomats and the casual swagger of Houston's UGK as influences. In 2011, Rocky released his first full-length project, the street album Live.Love.A$AP. After he signed a reportedly large RCA deal -- one that also enabled him to establish the A$AP Worldwide label with fellow A$AP Mob member A$AP Yams -- the album was re-released in February 2012. Still without an official debut album, the rapper rounded out the year with a nomination for the BBC Sound of 2012 poll, played Lana Del Rey's husband in the singer's "National Anthem" video, and landed a spot in a television commercial for the popular video game FIFA Soccer 13. He was also featured on a remix of Rihanna's "Cockiness (I Love It)," and appeared on a slew of other tracks, including ScHoolboy Q's gold-certified "Hands on the Wheel."

This all primed Rocky for true takeoff with his official debut album, Long.Live.A$AP. Released in January 2013, it topped the Billboard 200. Its biggest single, "Fuckin' Problems" (featuring Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and 2 Chainz), peaked at number eight on the Hot 100, went multi-platinum, and was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Rap Song. The second single, "Wild for the Night" (with Skrillex and Birdy Nam Nam), likewise went multi-platinum. It was followed in May 2015 by At.Long.Last.A$AP. Executive-produced by Danger Mouse and Juicy J, it became Rocky's second number one LP, supported with a trio of platinum hits: "Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2 (LPFJ2)," "Everyday" (featuring Rod Stewart, Miguel, and Mark Ronson), and "LSD" (its video was up for a Grammy). 

Over the next two years, Rocky was very much in demand as a featured collaborator. Among the singles on which he appeared were Selena Gomez's "Good for You" and G-Eazy's "No Limit" -- both Top Ten pop hits -- as well as the Black Eyed Peas' "Where Is the Love?," Mura Masa's "Love Sick," and Famous Dex's "Pick It Up." In May 2018, following an appearance on the Uncle Drew soundtrack, Rocky returned with his third solo album, Testing, which hit the Billboard 200 at number four. "A$AP Forever" and "Praise the Lord (Da Shine)," respectively featuring Moby and Skepta, became Rocky's seventh and eighth platinum-certified singles as a headliner. He finished out the decade with a handful of featured appearances and singles, including the charting "Babushka Boi." Rocky was largely quiet during 2020 but kicked off the following year with the slowthai collaboration "MAZZA" and solo contribution to the Judas and the Black Messiah soundtrack called "Rich Nigga Problems." More collaborations followed in 2022, including "Doja" with $not, and "Lost and Found Freestyle 2019" with Tyler, The Creator and Nigo, and the solo "Shittin' Me." ~ Jason Lymangrover & Andy Kellman

A$AP Rocky

Ed Sheeran may be the quintessential pop star of the 2010s: a singer/songwriter who seems to acknowledge no boundaries between styles or eras, creating a sound that's idiosyncratic and personal. Sheeran borrows from any style that crosses his path -- elements of folk, hip-hop, pop, dance, soul, and rock can be heard in his big hits "The A Team," "Sing," "Thinking Out Loud," and "Shape of You" -- which gives him a broad appeal among different demographics. It also helped elevate him to international acclaim not long after the release of his 2011 debut, +. Sheeran maintained his stardom with savvy collaborations -- his 2019 album No. 6 Collaborations Project featured an eclectic roster including Khalid, Camila Cabello, Cardi B, Justin Bieber, Chris Stapleton, and Bruno Mars -- and by continuing to write candidly about his life: his 2021 album = was filled with songs about being a new father. 

When Ed Sheeran released +, he had just turned 20. He had been playing music since he was a child in Framlingham, Suffolk -- he was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire but his family moved when he was young -- enthralled by the classic rock he heard around the house. Sheeran started writing music in his early teens, recording a self-made album called Spinning Man when he was 13 in 2004. In addition to making music at home -- he put out an EP titled The Orange Room in 2005 -- he'd busk on the streets and play whatever stage he could find. When he was 16, he dropped out of school and moved to London so he could make a go of a professional career, landing work as a guitar tech for Nizlopi, gigging whenever he could, and auditioning unsuccessfully for the ITV series Britannia High. The self-released EP You Need Me arrived in 2009 -- it followed 2006's eponymous EP and 2007's Want Some? -- but his momentum started to build in 2010 thanks to the EPs Loose Change and Songs I Wrote with Amy and, especially, performance videos he posted to YouTube. Sheeran started to generate considerable buzz -- Jamie Foxx invited him to appear on his Sirius/XM radio show -- and he landed a deal with Asylum Records in late 2010. After a final independent EP, No. 5 Collaborations, arrived in January 2011, he signed a contract with Elton John's management team.

All of this laid the groundwork for a busy 2011. Sheeran entered the studio with Jake Gosling to record his major-label debut. Its first single, "The A Team," arrived in June 2011, entering the charts at number three. August brought "You Need Me, I Don't Need You," setting the stage for the September release of +. Assisted by the success of November's single "Lego House," the record became a huge hit in the U.K., a fact underscored by his win of British Breakthrough in the 2012 Brit Awards. Sheeran's success soon spread to Australia, Europe, Canada, and then the United States. He received a boost in the U.S. by opening for Snow Patrol in 2012, but that paled in comparison to the exposure he received opening for Taylor Swift on her Red tour in 2013. His endorsement from Swift, combined with his landing of the closing credits song "I See Fire" for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, set Sheeran up for an eventful 2014.

Along with reuniting with Jake Gosling, Sheeran worked with Rick Rubin and Pharrell for X, the sophomore set that arrived in June 2014. X debuted at number one on both sides of the Atlantic and generated the huge hits "Thinking Out Loud" and "Sing," success that helped Sheeran secure a win for Album of the Year in the 2015 Brit Awards, along with the trophy for Best Male Solo Artist. His success wasn't limited to Britain. X was the second biggest-selling album in the world in 2015, coming in behind Adele's 25, and "Thinking Out Loud" took home the Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance in 2016.

Sheeran spent the majority of 2016 recuperating and recording his third album with executive producer Benny Blanco. Early in 2017, he released two singles, "Castle on the Hill" and "Shape of You," with the latter reaching number one on the charts throughout the world. Their parent album, ÷, appeared in March. ÷ topped the pop charts in over 20 territories, including the U.K. and U.S., and it generated another international hit in "Galway Girl." Ed Sheeran's massive popularity was confirmed in June 2017, when he was awarded an MBE on the occasion of the Queen's Birthday Honours. Over the next year, Sheeran stayed busy touring. He also picked up several more accolades including winning the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album for ÷ and Best Pop Solo Performance for "Shape of You." 

In 2019, he paired with Justin Bieber for the single "I Don't Care." It was the first of a series of duets which Sheeran collected on No. 6 Collaborations Project. The album appeared on July 12, 2019 and topped numerous charts just a few weeks after the release of Yesterday, a Danny Boyle film set in an alternate world where the Beatles never existed that featured Sheeran in a pivotal role. No. 6 Collaborations Project went on to be nominated for a Grammy in the Best Pop Vocal Album category. In December 2020, Sheeran offered up the acoustic non-album single, "Afterglow" as a Christmas gift to his fans. 

Sheeran returned with "Bad Habits" in June 2021; the single topped the charts in nearly every country, save the U.S. where it peaked at two. "Bad Habits" was the first single from his fifth album =. Arriving in October 2021, = found Sheeran grappling with fatherhood and featured songwriting collaborations from Foy Vance, Ben Kweller, and Natalie Hemby, among others. It continued Sheeran's streak of number one albums in the U.K., and was equally successful internationally. That December, he joined Elton John for the holiday song "Merry Christmas," which topped the U.K. singles chart and Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. The single was also included on a Christmas edition of =, as well as John's The Lockdown Sessions. Sheeran then collaborated with Colombian singer J Balvin on 2021's "Sigue" and 2022's "Forever My Love."

Ed Sheeran

Robbie Williams is a British singer-songwriter and entertainer born on February 13, 1974, in Stoke-on-Trent, England. He rose to fame in the early 1990s as a member of the boy band Take That, but later embarked on a successful solo career.

Robbie's solo career began in 1996 with the release of his debut album "Life Thru a Lens", which spawned hits such as "Angels" and "Let Me Entertain You". He followed this up with several more successful albums, including "I've Been Expecting You" and "Sing When You're Winning", which cemented his status as one of the biggest pop stars in the world.

Known for his flamboyant personality and energetic live performances, Williams has won numerous awards throughout his career, including several Brit Awards and an Ivor Novello Award. He has also sold over 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

In addition to his music career, Robbie has also dabbled in acting, appearing in films such as "Bridget Jones's Diary" and "The Double". He has also been a judge on the UK version of "The X Factor" and has hosted his own radio show on BBC Radio 2.

Robbie Williams has been married to actress Ayda Field since 2010, and the couple have four children together. He continues to record and perform music, and his most recent album, "The Christmas Present", was released in 2019.


Robbie Williams

Ella Eyre is a British singer-songwriter known for her powerhouse vocals and eclectic mix of genres. She first gained attention as the featured vocalist on Rudimental's hit single "Waiting All Night" in 2013, and has since released her own successful solo music.

Eyre's music is a blend of pop, R&B, and soul, with a strong emphasis on her dynamic voice. She has been recognized for her talent with multiple awards, including a Brit Award for British Single of the Year for "Waiting All Night." In addition to her solo work, Eyre has collaborated with a variety of artists, from DJ Fresh to Sigala.

One of the most exciting aspects of Eyre's career is her live performances. She has a reputation for delivering high-energy, passionate shows that leave audiences wanting more. Tickets to her concerts are highly coveted, and fans are often treated to surprise guests and special moments that make each show unique.

Eyre's commitment to her artistry and her fans has helped her build a loyal following that eagerly anticipates each new release and tour announcement. As she continues to explore new sounds and push the boundaries of what's possible in music, there's no doubt that Eyre will continue to be a force to be reckoned with in the industry. Whether she's performing on a big stage or in a small club, she always brings her A-game and leaves everything on the stage, making her one of the most exciting performers of her generation.

With a double platinum number one single under her belt, a BRIT Award, two MOBO Awards, two further platinum selling singles and a top 5 album, perhaps you’d expect Ella Eyre to rest on her laurels. You couldn’t be more wrong. The four years since her debut album, Feline, have taken Ella around the world on a mission to find herself both as a solo artist and as a person. In the wake of her father’s sudden passing in 2017 she experimented with sounds in the US, found healing and limitless inspiration in her fatherland, Jamaica, and returned to London full of confidence and a hard drive bursting with hits. 

As she’s grown and matured as an artist, so too have her ambitions. Hits are great but she’s now more interested in a long, stable career than she is about hitting the number one spot.

Ella Eyre

She was born in Iraq to an Iraqi father and an Iraqi mother to a Muslim family. Her father is the artist Abdel Reda Mezher, technically nicknamed Riyad Ahmed, and her sister is the presenter of the programs, Nima Riad. She joined her studies when she was young in the city of Salalah in the Sultanate of Oman, then she moved to live between Lebanon and Qatar. Rahma loved singing since she was young, and she studied the basics of singing to be able to develop her voice and talent. Her father, artist Riad Ahmed, encouraged her to sing, and after his death, her mother continued to encourage her to continue developing her artistic personality.

Arabic Pop

Rahma Riad

Bad Bunny is a young urban music singer, rapper and producer originally from Puerto Rico. This talented artist has demonstrated his already overwhelming power, influence and demand with completely sold-out concerts all over Europe, Latin America and the U.S.
 
Some of his most recognized singles include “Soy Peor," "Diles," "Tu No Metes Cabra," "Chambea" and Mia thats out with Drake. Bad Bunny has had a short but stunning career with colossal amounts of success

Bad Bunny

Ariana Grande is perhaps the quintessential pop star of the last half of the 2010s, capturing the era's spirit and style. Emerging in 2013 with the hit single "The Way," Grande initially appeared to be the heir to the throne of Mariah Carey, due in part to her powerhouse vocals. With its Babyface production, her debut Yours Truly underscored her debt to '90s R&B, but Grande quickly incorporated hip-hop and EDM into her music. "Problem," a 2014 smash duet with Iggy Azalea, was the first indication of her development, an evolution reinforced by the hits "Bang Bang" and "Love Me Harder," which featured Jessie J & Nicki Minaj and the Weeknd, respectively. Grande maintained her popularity with 2016's Dangerous Woman, then really hit her stride with 2018's Sweetener and its swift sequel Thank U, Next, whose title track became her first number one pop hit. That achievement was quickly equaled by "7 Rings," a glitzy anthem for the Instagram age that consolidated her stardom and artistry, as well as "Positions," the lead single from 2020's R&B-heavy album of the same name.

A native of Boca Raton, Florida, where she was born in 1993 to graphic designer Edward Butera and Joan Grande (the CEO of Hose-McCann Communications), Grande began singing and acting at an early age, appearing in local theater productions. In 2008, when she was 15, she landed the role of Charlotte in the Broadway production of 13; her performance was well-received, and she won a National Youth Theatre Association Award. Following an appearance in the 2010 Desmond Child-written musical Cuba Libre, Grande was cast as Cat Valentine in the Nickelodeon television program Victorious. The show ran until 2012, at which time Grande's Cat Valentine was spun off into a show called Sam & Cat, which also starred Jennette McCurdy of iCarly.

As she kept herself busy with television, Grande began to pursue a musical career. She frequently made appearances at sporting events and with symphonies, and she made her first appearances on record with the soundtrack to Victorious. In 2011, she released the single "Put Your Hearts Up," which was cut during sessions for a teen-oriented pop album; she later disowned the single due to its kiddie feel. Grande felt much more comfortable with "The Way," her 2013 single featuring Mac Miller. This signaled a mature direction and audiences responded, taking it to the Top Ten in the U.S., where it was eventually certified triple platinum. It was the first single from her 2013 debut, Yours Truly, which also featured hits in "Baby I" and "Right There."

At the end of the year she released a seasonal EP called Christmas Kisses, but her real efforts went into the recording of her second album, My Everything. Preceded by the single "Problem" -- a song that featured a guest spot from Iggy Azalea, the "It girl" of the summer of 2014; it peaked at two on the U.S. charts and was certified double platinum -- the album featured a host of different producers, including Max Martin, Shellback, Ryan Tedder, and Benny Blanco. It was released at the end of August 2014, hitting number one on charts across the globe. Subsequent singles featured assists by Zedd ("Break Free"), Jessie J & Nicki Minaj ("Bang Bang"), and the Weeknd ("Love Me Harder"). At one point in 2014, three of her songs were in the Billboard Top Ten at the same time, a feat matched only be Adele. By the time fifth single "One Last Time" charted in early 2015, My Everything had sold nearly 600,000 copies. 

As that album's cycle wound down, Grande guest-starred on Ryan Murphy's campy slasher series Scream Queens and she also recorded another holiday EP, Christmas & Chill. In October 2015, Grande released the single "Focus," which debuted at number seven on the Hot 100 and was certified platinum the following January. That February, she announced her third album, Dangerous Woman, and released the album's title track as a single in March. The song hit number eight on the Hot 100, making Grande the first artist to have the lead single from each of her first three albums debut in the Top Ten. Featuring collaborations with Macy Gray, Future, and Nicki Minaj, the album appeared in May 2016 and debuted at number two. It eventually went platinum, helped by a trio of Top Ten hits and a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album. Grande began 2017 by duetting with John Legend on "Beauty and the Beast," the title track for Disney's live-action remake of the 1991 animated classic. She then mounted her Dangerous Woman Tour, performing across North America and Europe during the first half of 2017. 

Tragedy struck on May 22, 2017, when a suicide bomber attacked Grande's concert at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. Grande returned to performing on June 4, when she held a star-studded charity concert called One Love Manchester to aid the victims of the bombing. Following the show, she resumed the Dangerous Woman Tour, which concluded in Hong Kong that September.

In April 2018, Grande kicked off promotion for her fourth album, Sweetener, by issuing the single "No Tears Left to Cry," which debuted at number three on the Hot 100. It was followed by "God Is a Woman" later that year. Upon its release in August 2018, Sweetener debuted at number one in both the U.S. and U.K. 

Three months after the release of Sweetener, Grande returned with the non-LP single "Thank U, Next." Quickly becoming an internet sensation, "Thank U, Next" shot to number one throughout the world, as did Grande's next single, "7 Rings." Both songs were featured on the full-length album Thank U, Next, which appeared in February 2019. Her fourth U.S. number one, the set also topped the charts in over a dozen countries, further buoyed by third single "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored." Mere months after the release of Thank U, Next, Grande moved on with a series of collaborations, including "Monopoly" with Victoria Monet, "Boyfriend" with Social House, and the Charlie's Angels reboot theme "Don't Call Me Angel" with Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey. Capping off the year, Grande was nominated for five Grammy Awards: Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for Thank U, Next, Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for "7 Rings," and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Boyfriend." She capped this prolific period with k bye for now, a live album recorded at various stops throughout her 2019 Sweetener World Tour.

Grande had duets reach the top of the Billboard charts in early 2020 -- first it was "Stuck with U" with Justin Bieber, then it was "Rain on Me" with Lady Gaga -- before she launched her next album, Positions, with the release of its title track. The single reached number one just before the October 30 release of the album, which crowned the Billboard 200. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

Ariana Grande

Foreign Beggars were an English hip hop and dubstep group. Since their formation in 2002, the group's trajectory had seen them evolve from an underground hip hop group to an electronic crossover act.&nbsp;The group consisted of four artists individually known as Orifice Vulgatron (Pavan Mukhi, vocals), Metropolis Graham (Ebow Enyan Graham, vocals), DJ Nonames (James Miller, turntables), and Dag Nabbit (Dag Torgersbraten, producer). Vulgatron and Metropolis combined with Noisia to make the side project and supergroup 'I Am Legion'.They released their collaborative album I Am Legion on 2 September 2013. Foreign Beggars made their start producing several singles and albums on their own Dented Records imprint. In 2011 they teamed up with the Never Say Die label on The Harder They Fall EP.Following a diverse series of singles for mau5trap released in 2012, the group released its new album The Uprising on the deadmau5-helmed label. In celebration of the release of the album, Foreign Beggars went on UK and North American tours to showcase their new material in the live arena.

Hip-Hop/Rap

Foreign Beggars

With 5x platinum UK records, 5x BRIT nominations and over a decade of club shows all over the world under his belt, Joel Corry is one of the most revered names in contemporary dance music. 

He made his breakthrough with 2019’s UK Top 10 single, ‘Sorry’, which also broke the all-time 24-hour Shazam record in the UK with over 41,000 recorded tags, paving the way for collaborations with the likes of David Guetta, Jax Jones, Charli XCX, Tom Grennan and Mabel, as well as a further four Top 10 records – including 2020’s anthemic UK #1 single and global smash, ‘Head & Heart’ ft. MNEK. 

Over the last three years, Joel also played sold-out headline tours in the UK, US and Australia, performed at both the MTV EMAs and The Pride Of Britain Awards and secured coveted DJ residences in both Las Vegas and New York, as well as holding down two consecutive flagship weekly residencies at Ibiza Rocks.

Joel Corry

Taylor Swift is that rarest of pop phenomena: a superstar who managed to completely cross over from country to the mainstream. Others have performed similar moves -- notably, Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson both became enduring pop culture icons based on their 1970s work -- but Swift shed her country roots like they were a second skin; it was a necessary molting to reveal she was perhaps the sharpest, savviest populist singer/songwriter of her generation, one who could harness the zeitgeist, make it personal and, just as impressively, perform the reverse. These skills were evident on her earliest hits, especially the neo-tribute "Tim McGraw," but her second album, 2008's Fearless, showcased a songwriter discovering who she was and, in the process, finding a mass audience. Fearless wound up having considerable legs not only in the U.S., where it racked up six platinum singles on the strength of the Top Ten hits "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me," but throughout the world, performing particularly well in the U.K., Canada, and Australia. Speak Now, delivered almost two years later, consolidated that success and moved Swift into the stratosphere of superstardom. Her popularity only increased over her next three albums -- Red (2012), 1989 (2014), Reputation (2017) -- and found her moving assuredly into a pop realm where she already belonged. Even when she scaled back her approach with 2020's stripped-down sibling releases folklore and Evermore, she remained atop the pop world, a position she maintained with re-recordings of her back catalog along with Midnights, a moody album released in 2022.

This sense of confidence had been apparent in Taylor Swift since the beginning. The daughter of two bankers -- her father, Scott Kingsley Swift, worked at Merrill Lynch; her mother, Andrea, spent time as a mutual fund marketing executive -- Swift was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, and raised in suburban Wyomissing. She began to show interest in music at the age of nine, and Shania Twain wound up as her biggest formative influence. Swift started to work regularly at local talent contests, eventually winning a chance to open for Charlie Daniels. Soon, she learned how to play guitar and began writing songs, signing a music management deal with Dan Dymtrow; her family relocated to Nashville with the intent of furthering her music career. She was just 14 years old but on the radar of the music industry, signing a development deal with RCA Records in 2004. Swift sharpened her skills with a variety of professional songwriters, forming the strongest connections with Liz Rose. Taylor's original songs earned her a deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing, but not long after that 2004 deal she parted ways with Dymtrow and RCA, all with the intent of launching her recording career now, not later. 

Things started moving swiftly once Swift came to the attention of Scott Borchetta, a former DreamWorks Records exec about to launch Big Machine Records. Borchetta saw Swift perform at a songwriters showcase at the Bluebird Cafe and he signed her to Big Machine in 2005; shortly afterward, she started work on her debut with producer Nathan Chapman, who'd previously helmed demos for Taylor. Boasting original song credits on every one of the record's 11 songs (she penned three on her own), Taylor Swift appeared in October 2006 to strong reviews and Swift made sure to work the album hard, appearing at every radio or television event offered and marshaling a burgeoning fan base through the use of MySpace. "Tim McGraw," the first song from the album, did well, but "Teardrops on My Guitar" and "Our Song" did better on both the pop and country charts, where she racked up five consecutive Top Ten singles. Other successes followed in the wake of the debut -- a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist (she lost to Amy Winehouse), stopgap EPs of Christmas songs -- but Swift concentrated on delivering her sophomore set, Fearless.

Appearing in November 2008, Fearless was certified gold by the RIAA in its first week of release, and the record gained momentum throughout 2009, earning several platinum certifications as "Love Story," "White Horse," "You Belong with Me," "Fifteen," and "Fearless" all scaled the upper reaches of the country charts while "You Belong with Me" nearly topped Billboard's Hot 100. Along with the success came some headlines, first in the form of an infamous appearance at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards where her acceptance speech was interrupted by Kanye West, who burst on-stage to declare that Swift's rival Beyoncé deserved the award more, but her romances also started gaining attention, notably a liaison with Twilight star Taylor Lautner, who appeared with the singer in the 2009 film Valentine's Day. 

Her flirtation with the silver screen proved brief, as she then poured herself into her third album, Speak Now. Released in October 2010, Speak Now was another massive first-week smash that refused to lose momentum. Hit singles like "Mine" and "Mean," which won two Grammy Awards, played a big factor in its success not just on the country charts but on pop radio as well. Following a 2011 live album called World Tour Live: Speak Now, Swift turned toward following a pop path on her fourth album, hiring such mainstream musicians as Dan Wilson, Butch Walker, and Britney Spears producer Max Martin. This mainstream pulse was evident on "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," the first single from Red. Upon its October 2012 release, Red shattered expectations by selling over a million copies in its first week, a notable achievement that was doubly impressive in an era of declining sales. Once again, Swift's album had legs: it was certified platinum four times in the U.S. and its international sales outstripped those of Speak Now. She supported Red with an international tour in 2013 and more hits came, including "I Knew You Were Trouble" and "22."

As Swift geared up for the release of her fifth album in 2014, she made it clear that 1989 was designed as her first "documented, official" pop album and that there would be no country marketing push for the record. "Shake It Off," an ebullient dance-pop throwback, hit number one upon its August 2014 release. When 1989 appeared in late October 2014, it once again shot to number one and became her third straight album to sell one million copies in its first week (a new record for any artist).

Swift gathered many awards during the subsequent year, including Billboard's Woman of the Year, the Award for Excellence at the American Music Awards, and a special 50th Anniversary Milestone Award from the CMAs. Her 1989 World Tour crossed Asia, North America, and Europe during the last half of 2015, and she won three Grammy Awards at the 2016 ceremonies, including Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Music Video for "Bad Blood." At the end of 2016, she released "I Don't Wanna Live Forever," a duet with ZAYN from the soundtrack for Fifty Shades Darker. The single reached the Top Five across the world. Swift returned with her sixth album, Reputation, in November 2017. Preceded by the number one hit single "Look What You Made Me Do," Reputation debuted at number one, and while it didn't replicate the success of 1989, the album did help underscore her popularity while also pushing her toward mature musicality.

Reputation was Swift's final record for Big Machine. In November 2018, she signed with Universal Music Group, which distributed her new albums under its Republic Records banner. The first album in this contract was Lover. Released in August 2019, Lover was preceded by two singles, "Me!" and "You Need to Calm Down," which both reached number two on the Hot 100 and helped push the album to number one. The acclaimed LP and two of its singles received a total of three nominations at the 62nd Grammy Awards.

Swift's plans to support Lover with a tour in 2020 were scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With some unexpected time on her hands, she wrote and recorded a new set of songs, many in collaboration with Aaron Dessner of the National; Bon Iver and longtime Swift associate Jack Antonoff also contributed. The resulting album, folklore, was released on July 24, 2020, and went straight to the top of the Billboard 200. Less than five months later, Swift released a companion album to folklore called Evermore. Featuring many of the same collaborators as its predecessor, the Grammy-nominated Evermore debuted at number one upon its December 11, 2020 release. Altogether, the sibling LPs planted Swift atop the U.S. charts for a combined 11 weeks, and folklore became the best-selling album of 2020.

In 2021, she began the process of re-recording her back catalog after her Big Machine masters were sold off in 2019, starting with 2008's Fearless. The first of these tracks -- "Love Story (Taylor's Version)" -- arrived that February, with Fearless [Taylor's Version] arriving in April. The new version of Fearless contained cameos from Colbie Caillat, Keith Urban, and Maren Morris, along with several previously unheard tunes originally written during the same time period; it debuted at number one on Billboard upon its release. Swift next revisited Red, releasing Red [Taylor's Version] in November 2021. This revamp of the 2012 album featured new duets with Phoebe Bridgers, Chris Stapleton, and Ed Sheeran, along with a ten-minute version of the ballad "All Too Well." Another re-recording, "This Love (Taylor's Version)" (originally off 1989), arrived in May 2022 and was included in the soundtrack to the coming-of-age drama The Summer I Turned Pretty. 

Swift opened up another chapter in her career with the October 2022 release of Midnights, an album co-produced by Jack Antonoff and featuring a duet with Lana Del Rey on "Snow on the Beach." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Taylor Swift

Born and raised in L.A., Doja Cat made her first upload to Soundcloud in 2013 at just 16-years-old. She developed a knack for music by studying piano and dance as a kid and listening to the likes of Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu, Nicki Minaj, Drake, and more. Soon, she went from obsessing over Catwoman (the Halle Berry version) to “crate digging” on YouTube. 
 
Signed to Kemosabe/RCA during 2014, she unveiled her acclaimed Purrr! EP. Its lead single “So High” impressively racked up over 30 million cumulative streams and garnered praise from tastemakers such as Fader, Vibe, Paper, Pigeons & Planes, and more. 

Cooking up vibrantly, candy-coated beats, dropping bars doubled-up on double entendre, and singing with claws out, Amala unlocks a sweetly sexy world soundtracked by wild hip-hop, twisted pop, and smoked-out R&B. Asserting a feline-esque dominance and a style that can only be described as every color in a box of crayons, Doja Cat’s unapologetic charisma, charm, and confidence immediately take center stage. 
 
In August 2018, she released what would become her viral hit “Mooo!” which enjoyed over 10 million views on YouTube and Twitter in just a couple of days and was met with critical acclaim. In March 2019, she released the Amala Deluxe album which included her brand new song “Juicy.” 
 
With the release of Hot Pink, Doja’s ability to create hit records that are uniquely her own are what will continue to make her a standout act in 2019.