Victoria F(x) Biography

Song Qian (Chinese: 宋茜; pinyin: Sòng Qiàn, born February 2, 1987), better known as Victoria Song or mononymously as Victoria, is a Chinese singer, dancer, actress, model, and the leader of the five-member South Korean girl group f(x).
Victoria is one of the three members of f(x) not born in Korea, the others being Amber and Krystal.

Early life 

Victoria Song was born in Qingdao, Shandong. She left her hometown at a very young age to study Chinese traditional dance at the Beijing Dance Academy.[1] After her high school graduation, she was accepted to the Beijing Dance Academy and majored in Chinese ethnic dance.[2] In September 2007, Song was spotted by a SM agent at a Beijing dance competition and later joined the company.[1]

Biography

Song was scouted at a dance competition in Beijing on September 2007. She passed her audition for SM Entertainment and began preparing for her modeling career in South Korea.[1] She possesses native fluency in Mandarin and is also fluent in Korean.

Song's first media appearance was for a Spris commercial in early 2008 with South Korean singer-actor Lee Jun-ki. In April 2008, Song modeled for Samsung in a music video with Korean actor-singer Rain. In May 2008, she appeared in Shinee's music video Replay.

In August 2009, Song was introduced as the leader of quintet dance group, f(x).

On June 2010, it was announced Song was to be a cast member to We Got Married, pairing up with Nichkhun of 2PM (Thailand).[3] Khuntoria was the couple's name in We Got Married.

Song was a new member of G7 in Invincible Youth Season 1 replacing Sunny, Yuri from Girls' Generation and 4Minute's Hyuna.

Song has guest-starred on the Korean comedy show Running Man on episode 8 at the Seoul Museum of History, Gyeonghui Palace.[4]

In January 2012, Victoria began playing a principal role in When Love Walked In, a Taiwanese drama.[5]

In 2010, Song won the 'Popularity Award' at the MBC Entertainment Awards.[6]

On December 31, Victoria together with her We Got Married partner Nichkhun MC-ed the 2011 MBC Gayo Daejun Festival.[7]

On December 4, 2012, Victoria released a book titled ‘Victoria’s Hong-Ma‘ that will include the experiences she had while traveling in Hong Kong and Macao.[8]

source: Wikipedia

CL 2ne1 Biography

CL (Korean: 이채린; Lee Chae-rin; born February 26, 1991) is a South Korean idol singer, rapper, dancer and song-writer.[1] She was born in Seoul, South Korea, and spent much of her early life in Japan and France where she learned English, French, and Japanese.[2] In 2009, she debuted along with YG Entertainment label mates Sandara Park, Minzy, and Park Bom as 2NE1.[3]
CL has worked with Big Bang, Uhm Jung Hwa, YMGA, and Teddy Park. With 2NE1, she has released two extended plays, 2NE1 and 2NE1 2nd Mini Album, and one full length album, To Anyone, along with their Japanese releases. Her duet song with fellow member Minzy, "Please Don't Go," peaked at number 6 on the monthly Gaon Chart on November 2009.


Early life

CL, also known as Lee Chaerin or Faith Lee [English name] was born in Seoul, South Korea. Due to her father's occupation as a physics professor, she moved around as a child. She has lived in France and Japan. There, she learned English, French and Japanese.[4]
CL was once a trainee under JYP Entertainment, where she befriended Wonder Girls' Sohee and Yeeun, 2pm's Jun. K and solo artist Jay Park, Secret's Zinger and Miss A's Min.
As a teenager, her family took permanent residence again in South Korea.

Solo Activities


In August 2009, CL also collaborated with label-mates G-Dragon of Big Bang and Teddy Park of 1TYM for "The Leaders", which was featured on G-Dragon's first solo album Heartbreaker. It was revealed that CL wrote her own lyrics to the song.
In August, after finishing "I Don't Care" promotions, 2NE1 took a temporary hiatus with each member releasing their own solo singles. First, Dara released "Kiss" which featured CL. The song peaked at number five on the Gaon monthly charts.[16] CL then collaborated with fellow member Minzy for "Please Don't Go," the lowest performing of the three singles. However, it still charted at number six by the end of November.[17]
On January 27, 2011, it was reported that CL's vacation to Paris may have been to discuss her solo career. A YG Entertainment contact is said to have stated that she is to launch her solo career alongside 2NE1's comeback.[18]
On March 2012, CL featured in a new rap campaign "all Originals Make Moves" by Adidas Originals. It was reported that CL personally penned the lyrics to the rap.[19]

source: Wikipedia

Ke$ha Biography

Background


Kesha Rose Sebert (born March 1, 1987),[2] known mononymously as Kesha (pronunciation: /ˈkɛʃə/ kesh-ə, stylized as Ke$ha), is an American singer-songwriter and rapper. In 2005, at age 18, Kesha was signed to producer Dr. Luke's record label, Kemosabe Entertainment, and publishing company. Although an active musician since then, singing background vocals and writing songs for other artists, her breakthrough came in early 2009 after appearing on rapper Flo Rida's number-one single, "Right Round". Her debut album, Animal and her first extended play, Cannibal, were released in 2010. Kesha's irreverent music and image propelled her to immediate commercial success, with Animal debuting as the number-one album in the US. She also achieved two number-one singles, "Tik Tok" and "We R Who We R", and a string of top ten hits from the album and its re-release. At the same time, she continued to write songs for other artists, including "Till the World Ends" for pop singer Britney Spears. Warrior, her second studio album was released in December 2012, spawning Kesha's eighth top-ten hit with "Die Young".
Influenced by various genres and artists, Kesha primarily draws inspiration from music of the 1980s; Madonna, Queen, and Beck have been cited as instrumental to her artistry. After experimenting with country, pop rock, and electronic music, Kesha stuck with the latter. Her "talky" rap technique, yodeling, and excessive auto-tune have become her trademark, and all three have led to scrutiny regarding her vocal talent. Thematically, her music generally revolves around party antics and binge drinking, although some tracks have been noted as odes to individuality. Philanthropically, Kesha has been involved with animal rights and LGBT activism. Since her debut, Kesha has been nominated for over 40 awards, winning upwards of 10. Among these awards, she won the MTV Europe Music Award for Best New Act in 2010 and several Billboard Awards.

Early Life


Kesha was born in Los Angeles, California on March 1, 1987. Her mother, Patricia Rose "Pebe" Sebert, is a singer-songwriter who co-wrote the 1978 single "Old Flames Can't Hold a Candle to You" with Hugh Moffatt for Joe Sun. Pebe, a single mother, struggled financially while supporting herself, Kesha, and her older brother Lagan; they relied on welfare payments and food stamps to get by.[3] When Kesha was an infant, Pebe would often have to look after her onstage while performing.[4] Kesha says she has no knowledge of her father's identity.[3] However, a man who called himself her father approached Star Magazine in 2011 with pictures and letters, claiming them as proof that they had been in regular contact as father and daughter before she turned 19.[5] Two of her maternal great-grandparents were immigrants from Szentes, Hungary while her other maternal great-grandmother was originally from Poland.[6] Pebe moved the family to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1991 after securing a new publishing deal for her songwriting. Kesha's younger brother Louis was born shortly after. Pebe frequently brought Kesha and her brothers along to recording studios and encouraged Kesha to sing when she noticed Kesha's vocal talent.[3] Kesha claimed that she did not fit in at school in the Brentwood suburb of Nashville, which she has called the "Bible Belt", explaining that her unconventional dress sense including homemade purple velvet pants and purple hair did not endear her to other students.[7] She played the trumpet and later the saxophone in the marching band in school, and described herself in an interview with NPR as being a diligent student.[8][9]
Kesha attended Franklin High School and Brentwood High School.[10] In addition to taking songwriting classes,[11] Kesha was also taught how to write songs by Pebe, and they would often write together when she returned home from high school.[3][9] Kesha began recording demos which Pebe would give to people she knew.[11] Kesha was also in a band with Lagan.[12][13] Kesha and Pebe co-wrote the song "Stephen" together when Kesha was 16, Kesha then tracked down David Gamson, a producer that she admired, from Scritti Politti who agreed to produce the song.[13] She dropped out of school at 17, after being convinced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin to return to Los Angeles to pursue a music career, and earned her GED after.[14] Around this time, Pebe answered an ad by reality series, The Simple Life, looking for an "eccentric" family to host Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie.[15] The episode aired in 2005.[16] Luke and Martin had received one of Kesha's demo from Samantha Cox, senior director of writer/publisher relations at Broadcast Music Incorporated, and were impressed. Two of the demos were described in a cover story for Billboard, the first "a gorgeously sung, self-penned country ballad" and the second "a gobsmackingly awful trip-hop track" where Kesha raps ad lib for a minute when she runs out of lyrics near the end. Dr. Luke stated in an interview for the story that it was the latter track that caught his attention, saying "[w]hen you're listening to 100 CDs, that kind of bravado and chutzpah stand out."[17]


Career

2005–09: Career beginnings
I was so happy being broke. And I’m happy not being broke. It doesn’t really affect me either way. I care about taking care of people that have taken care of me – that’s important to me. But to be honest, I’m kind of repulsed by the gluttony and excesses of a lot of people in the limelight.[18]
Kesha explaining the dollar sign in her stage name.
In 2005, at 18, Kesha was signed to Dr. Luke's label, Kemosabe Entertainment, and his music publishing company, Prescription Songs.[17] Kesha later sang background vocals for Paris Hilton's single, "Nothing in This World".[15] Dr. Luke became preoccupied with other incoming projects, having enjoyed success writing and producing for pop star Kelly Clarkson's album, Breakaway. Kesha then signed with David Sonenberg's management company, DAS Communications Inc., in 2006, hardly interacting with Dr. Luke after that. DAS was tasked with obtaining a major label record deal for Kesha in a year’s time in exchange for 20 percent of her music income, with her having the option of ending the relationship if they failed.[19] She worked with several writers and producers while at the company and ended up co-writing Australian pop group The Veronicas' single, "This Love" with producer Toby Gad.[17][20] While furthering her career in studio, Kesha earned her living as a waitress.[3] She adopted the dollar sign in her name while struggling to get by as an ironic gesture.[18]
Kesha appeared in the video for her friend, pop singer Katy Perry's single "I Kissed a Girl", and sang background vocals for the Dr. Luke-produced song, "Lace and Leather" by pop singer Britney Spears in 2008.[21] DAS soon attracted the attention of songwriter and A&R Kara DioGuardi, who wanted to sign Kesha to Warner Bros. Records. The deal fell through due to her existing contract with Dr. Luke's label. In September, she terminated her contract with DAS, reuniting with Dr. Luke.[17][19] Kesha gained exposure in the mainstream media in early 2009 after appearing on rapper Flo Rida's number one single, "Right Round".[22] The collaboration happened by accident; she had walked into a recording session for the song with Flo Rida and Dr. Luke.[23] Flo Rida wanted a female voice for the song; Dr. Luke then suggested Kesha for the part. Flo Rida liked the end result so much that they did two more tracks.[24] However, she is not credited for her feature on the US release of "Right Round" and did not collect any money for the part.[17][22] She also refused to appear in the video, explaining to men's magazine Esquire that she wanted to make a name for herself on her own terms.[21]
2009–11: Animal and Cannibal


Kesha performing live on tour (2010).
After failing to negotiate with Lava Records and Atlantic Records in 2009, Kesha signed a multi-album deal with RCA Records through Dr. Luke's imprint.[17] Having spent the previous six years working on material for her debut album,[25] she began putting finishing touches to the album with Luke and Max Martin. For the album, she wrote 200 songs.[25] The album was executive produced by Luke, who produced the majority of the songs with Martin, and producers Benny Blanco and Ammo. The album is primarily of the electropop genre with beats and synths, marking a shift in sound for Luke from then on from his signature pop-rock productions.[26] Animal debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 when it was released in January 2010.[27] It was certified platinum in the US and had sold two million albums worldwide by September.[28] The lead single of the album, "Tik Tok", broke the record in the United States for the highest single week sales, selling 610,000 digital downloads, the highest ever by a female artist since tracking began in 2003.[29] It spent nine weeks at number one and became the longest running number one by a female artist on her debut single since Debby Boone and "You Light Up My Life" in 1977.[30] Subsequent singles from the album, "Blah Blah Blah", "Your Love Is My Drug" and "Take It Off" achieved similar commercial success each reaching the top ten in Australia, Canada, and the U.S.[31] Kesha was also featured on two top ten singles by musician Taio Cruz and electro-pop duo 3OH!3.[32]
Kesha's deliberately unpolished aesthetic and juvenile stage persona,[12][33] which she described as her own personality "times ten", quickly made her a deeply polarizing figure.[12][33] Some of her critics found her output to be unsophisticated,[12] while others felt that she was manufactured and lacked credibility.[34][35][36] Kesha's former managers from DAS Communications Inc. filed a lawsuit later that month, seeking $14 million from Kesha and $12 million from Luke for commissions on her RCA Records deal, alleging that she had extended the deadline for them to get her a major record label contract and squeezed them out of her career under pressure from Dr. Luke.[19] Kesha launched her own lawsuit in October, citing the California-exclusive Talent Agencies Act and asking the California Labor Commissioner to declare her contract with DAS void because it had acted as an unlicensed talent agent while procuring work for her in California, where only licensed agents can do so.[37] The case was settled in 2012 before the release of her second album.[38] Kesha held a benefit concert on June 16, 2010 where all proceeds went to aid victims of the May 2010 Tennessee floods from her hometown Nashville.[39] She raised close to $70,000 from the event.[8] She was a supporting act on the summer North American leg of pop star Rihanna's Last Girl on Earth Tour and was awarded Best New Act at the 2010 MTV Europe Music Awards.[40][41]


Kesha performing on her first headlining tour (2011).
In November 2010, Animal was re-released with a companion extended play, Cannibal.[42] The lead single taken from Cannibal, "We R Who We R" debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.[43] With two number ones and four top ten hits, Kesha was named Hot 100 Artist of 2010 by Billboard, with "Tik Tok" topping the year-end chart.[44] The follow-up single from Cannibal, "Blow" charted in the top ten on the Hot 100. As of June 2011, she has accumulated almost 21 million digital single downloads in the US alone.[45] In February 2011, Kesha embarked on her first headlining world tour, Get Sleazy.[46] The tour was expanded with a summer leg due to the first leg selling out and spanned three continents.[47] Kesha also co-wrote the song "Till the World Ends" for American popstar Britney Spears and she was featured on the remix of the song along with rapper Nicki Minaj. After meeting Kesha at the 2010 Grammy Awards and guesting at a number of her concerts, rock singer Alice Cooper asked her to write lyrics for and vocally perform as a devil character for their duet track, "What Baby Wants", on Cooper's album, Welcome 2 My Nightmare.[48]
Kesha was named rights group Humane Society of the United States's first global ambassador for animal rights, for which she is expected to bring attention to such practices as cosmetics testing on animals and shark finning.[49] She also appeared alongside rock singer Iggy Pop in a campaign for PETA, protesting the clubbing of baby seals in Canada and later wrote on behalf of the organization to fast food chain McDonald's over the conditions of their slaughterhouses.[50][51]
2012–present: Warrior

Kesha's second full length album, Warrior was released on November 30, 2012. She began writing for the album while on her own headlining tour in 2011. The album featured productions from her main collaborators Dr. Luke and Max Martin,[52] as well as a song by Wayne Coyne, the lead singer of the alternative band Flaming Lips.[53] Coyne had reached out to Kesha for a collaboration after hearing that she was a fan of the band.[54] Besides working on Kesha's albu, they recorded the song "2012 (You Must Be Upgraded)" for the band's album, The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends. The first single taken from Warrior was "Die Young".[55] The song debuted at number thirteen on Billboard Hot 100 and eventually peaked at number 2.[56][57] The song also charted across Europe and the Anglosphere and reached the top ten in Australia, Canada, and Belgium.[58] To coincide with the release of the album, Kesha released an illustrated autobiography, My Crazy Beautiful Life through Touchstone Books in November. Additionally, a TV series documentary, Ke$ha: My Crazy Beautiful Life will begin airing in April 2013 on MTV.[59]

Artistry

Kesha co-wrote every song on her first two albums and considers herself a songwriter primarily,[60] writing for artists including Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus.[52] She possesses a "strong, sneering vibrato",[33] with a distinct yodel-like quality to her voice;[61] she employs actual yodeling on the songs, "Tik Tok" and "Cannibal".[62][63] Having previously done country, pop rock, and hard electro,[64] she had a clear idea of the electropop sound that she wanted for her debut album.[26] The genre was popular at the time, with many of her peers releasing similar output as well.[34] Both of her albums are of the genre with catchy hooks and synthesized productions recalling Nintendo-era video game music,[33][65][66] also incorporating elements from other genres.[65] "Party at a Rich Dude's House" and "C U Next Tuesday" have 1980s derived backing,[65][67] while "Stephen" begins with "Kansas-style vocal harmonies".[68] While her vocals on the albums were heavily processed with auto-tune, often to produce rapid stuttering or over-pitch corrected vocal effects, leading to questions on vocal talent,[69] she expressed confidence in her abilities.[70] Kesha also uses a trademark talky "white-girl" rapping style with exaggerated discordant phrasing and enunciation.[33][64] Her vocal technique has led her to be credited as a rapper, a topic she disagreed with until fellow rappers Andre 3000, Wiz Khalifa, and Snoop Dogg endorsed her. On the subject, she said: "The first time someone called me a rapper, I started laughing. I was shocked, and thought it was hilarious. It's crazy and funny to me."[71] The New York Times said Kesha: "threatens to become the most influential female rapper of the day, or at least the most popular. Pretending Kesha isn't a rapper is no longer feasible."[72] Most of her lyrics chronicle her relationships and partying; the lighthearted subject matter of the latter and her unfiltered language saw many critics criticizing her for releasing frivolous and crass music.[35] Jonah Weiner of Slate, however, stated that her jarring lyrics allowed her songs to become more memorable.[33] In "Blah Blah Blah" and "Boots and Boys", she objectifies men to poke fun at how male fronted rock bands and rappers can get away with objectifying women and not vice versa.[3][18] The title track to her debut, "Animal", is more aspirational and is intended to inspire people to embrace their individuality.[73] Much more experimental than Animal, her second album, Warrior, contains dubstep elements and explores erotic experiences Kesha encountered with ghosts on the song, "Supernatural".[74][75][76] Overall, Kesha said the theme of Warrior is magic.[77]

source: Wikipedia

Eleanor Calder biography

Background

Eleanor is an only child.[2][3] She recently completed her second year at the University of Manchester where she's studying politics and sociology. She has worked as a floor model for the clothing store Hollister, but it's unknown if she's still working for them.
Her personality has been described by people close to both as a "female version of Louis".

Personal Life

Eleanor and Louis were introduced to each other by a friend of Harry's around September 2011.[4] They dated for a period of time before becoming exclusive.

Eleanor joined One Direction on their Up All Night Tour during their New Jersey, New York, Ontario (Canada), Michigan, and Illinois tour dates (May 25 - June 3).\

source: One direction Wikia

Louis Tomlinson biography

Louis William Tomlinson (born December 24, 1991) is a member of One Direction along with Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, and Zayn Malik. He is the oldest member of the group.

Early Life


Louis was born in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England to Troy and Johanna. His parents split up when Louis was young. When his mother remarried, Louis took on his stepdad Mark Tomlinson's name.[1] He has four younger half-sisters by his mom; Charlotte, Félicité, and twins Daisy and Phoebe. He has one younger half-sister by his father, Georgia. Mark and Jay divorced in 2011.
He was a sixth form student at Hall Cross School, a state comprehensive school and previously a pupil at The Hayfield School. While he was a student at Hall Cross, Louis starred in several musical productions such as Grease.

Musical Career


Louis auditioned for The X Factor with "Hey There Delilah" by Plain White T's. He received three votes out of the three judges present, and was sent to Bootcamp. At Bootcamp, he sang Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love" before being rejected, and put into One Direction.
Following The X Factor, One Direction signed a record contract with Sony Music subsidiary Syco Music. They released their studio album, Up All Night.


Personal Life

Relationships
Louis and HannahHannah Walker
Louis dated Hannah Walker throughout his time on The X Factor. She attended Hall Cross Academy with Louis, and they met through the school's production of Grease. Hannah played Frenchy and Louis played Danny (view image). They started dating on March 18, 2010.
It's rumored that Hannah encouraged Louis to audition for X-Factor[citation needed]. They dated for about a year before breaking up in July 2011. Louis was busy with One Direction recording their debut album, and it became increasingly hard for him and Hannah to see each other. He reportedly decided to break it off with Hannah because he wanted to focus on the release of the band's debut single, and their upcoming album. After the break up, both said on Twitter that they were still friends.[2]


Louis with EleanorEleanor Calder
Louis and Eleanor were introduced to each other around summer 2011 by Harry.[3] Harry and Eleanor knew each other because Harry was friends/co-worker with one of Eleanor's friends. They met one day when Louis tagged along with Harry to meet up with the friend, and Eleanor came with her friend as well. On September 14, 2011, Eleanor accompanied Louis to celebrate Niall's birthday. They dated for a period of time before becoming exclusive in November 2011. Eleanor has flown out to join Louis while he is on tour with One Direction various times. They celebrated their one year anniversary on November 17, 2012.[4]

source: One direction Wikia

Selena Gomez Biography

Selena Marie Gomez (born July 22, 1992)[2] is an American actress, singer, and fashion designer. She is known for portraying Alex Russo, the protagonist in the Emmy Award-winning television series Wizards of Waverly Place. She subsequently ventured into feature films and has starred in the television movies Another Cinderella Story, Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie, and Princess Protection Program. She made her starring theatrical film debut in Ramona and Beezus.

Her career has expanded into the music industry; Gomez is the lead singer and founder of the pop band Selena Gomez & the Scene, which has released three RIAA Gold certified studio albums, Kiss & Tell, A Year Without Rain, and When the Sun Goes Down, spawned three RIAA Platinum certified singles, "Naturally", "Who Says" and "Love You Like a Love Song" and charted four No. 1 Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs.[3] Gomez has also contributed to the soundtracks of Tinker Bell, Another Cinderella Story, Wizards of Waverly Place, and Shake It Up after signing a record deal with Hollywood Records.

In 2008, Gomez was designated as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.[4]

Life and Career

1992–2004: Early life and career beginnings

Gomez was born in Grand Prairie, Texas.[2] She is the daughter of former stage actress Amanda Dawn "Mandy" Teefey (née Cornett) and Ricardo Joel Gomez.[5][6][7] Her father is of Mexican ancestry; her mother, who was adopted, is of Italian descent.[8][9][10] Regarding her Hispanic heritage, Gomez has stated: "My family does have Quinceañeras, and we go to the communion church. We do everything that's Catholic, but we don't really have anything traditional except [that we] go to the park and have barbecues on Sundays after church."[11] Her birth parents divorced when she was five years old, and she was raised as an only child by her working mother.[5][12] In 2006, Mandy remarried Brian Teefey.[13] She was named after Tejano singer Selena, who died almost three years after Gomez was born.[14] In a 2009 interview with People, Gomez mentioned that she developed an early interest in acting from watching her mother prepare for and act in theater productions.[12] She earned a high school diploma through homeschooling in May 2010.[15] Gomez began her acting career at age seven, playing Gianna on Barney & Friends.[16] She later had minor roles in Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over and the TV film Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial By Fire. Gomez also starred in the television movie Brain Zapped.

Gomez on the studio set of Wizards of Waverly Place, 2007

In 2004, Gomez was discovered by the Disney Channel in a USA-wide scouting.[17] Gomez appeared as a guest star on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and had a guest appearance – that later turned into a recurring role – on Hannah Montana from seasons two to three. Gomez previously taped two different pilots that were spin-offs to two previous Disney series.[18] The first one, What's Stevie Thinking?, was the spin-off to Lizzie McGuire. Gomez played Stevie Sanchez, Miranda Sanchez's little sister. The other show was titled Arwin!, the spin-off to The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, in which she played Alexa. Neither series was picked up.

2007–08: Wizards of Waverly Place and breakthrough

In early 2007, Gomez was cast in the Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place as one of the three main characters, Alex Russo. The show premiered to an audience of 5.9 million, becoming a hit. Many news outlets began dubbing Gomez the next 'Miley Cyrus' causing some controversy and a reported 'feud'. Gomez clarified that there was no feud and that she was flattered by the comparison, saying: "It's a little overwhelming, but I think really, it's a compliment. She's obviously extremely successful, and I think she's a wonderful performer ... So being compared to her, I was very, very flattered."[19] Gomez recorded four songs, one of which was a cover, for the Wizards of Waverly Place soundtrack, only one single ("Magic") from the album was released. In 2008, Gomez recorded a cover of "Cruella de Vil"—which included a music video—for the compilation album DisneyMania 6. Gomez also recorded "Fly to Your Heart" for the 2008 animated film Tinker Bell. In July 2008, before Gomez' sixteenth birthday, she signed a recording deal with Hollywood Records, a music label owned by Disney.[20] In May, of the same year, Gomez was featured, with Forever the Sickest Kids, on a duet version of the non-album song "Whoa Oh!".[21] The same year Gomez appeared in Another Cinderella Story, the direct-to-DVD sequel to the 2004 Hilary Duff film, opposite Drew Seeley. She also had a minor voiceover role as one the Mayor's ninety-six daughters in Horton Hears a Who! which released in March of that year. In April, Lacey Rose, of Forbes ranked Gomez as being fifth on their "Eight Hot Kid Stars To Watch" list; and Rose described Gomez as having been "a multi-talented teen".[22]

2009–11: Film debut and Selena Gomez & the Scene

In 2009, Gomez formed the teen pop band Selena Gomez & the Scene. Kiss & Tell, the band's debut studio album was released on September 29, 2009 by Hollywood Records. On March 5, 2010, the album was certified Gold by RIAA.[3] The album's single, "Naturally", was certified Platinum by the RIAA on July 15, 2010.[3] In February 2009, Gomez signed on to star as one of the two female leads in Ramona and Beezus, a film adaption of the children's novel series by Beverly Cleary.[23][24] Gomez stated that she felt no pressure in taking more adult roles: "I think I'm fully aware of my audience and I'm still just a kid myself. I wouldn't do a role I don't feel comfortable doing or that my audience wouldn't feel comfortable seeing."[25] She also began dating actor Taylor Lautner, whom she met in Vancouver, while filming Ramona and Beezus and while he was shooting New Moon,[26] and the two dated for a few months. However, the pressure of the media became too much for them and caused the two to break-up.[27]

In June 2009, Gomez did a guest appearance as herself in one episode of best friend Demi Lovato's Disney Channel television show, Sonny with a Chance, entitled "Battle of The Network Stars". That same month, Gomez appeared alongside Lovato in the made-for-television Disney Channel movie, Princess Protection Program.[28] The telecast garnered 8.5 million viewers becoming, at the time, the third most watched Disney Channel Original Movie.[29] One month later, Gomez, along with two cast members of Wizards of Waverly Place appeared in a television three-way cross-over episode with Hannah Montana and The Suite Life on Deck, entitled Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana.

Gomez on location in Paris filming Monte Carlo, 2010

On August 28, 2009, two months after appearing in Princess Protection Program, Gomez starred in Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie, a made-for-television film based on the show.[30] The film premiered to an audience of 11.4 million viewers becoming cable's No. 1 scripted telecast of 2009 and Disney Channel's second most-viewed film premiere after High School Musical 2.[31] In September 2009, Wizards of Waverly Place won "Outstanding Children's Program" at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards.,[32] and in 2010, the film adaptation won the series its second consecutive Emmy for "Outstanding Children's Program" at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards.[32]

Gomez's first theatrical film Ramona & Beezus premiered on July 23, 2010 and met with generally positive reviews.[33] In March 2010, Variety reported that Gomez was set to star as one of the three lead roles in Monte Carlo, a film produced by Nicole Kidman, alongside Leighton Meester and Katie Cassidy.[34] In the film, Gomez plays Grace, a girl who's “mistaken for a socialite while on a trip to Paris.”[35] To prepare for the role, Gomez learned how to play polo and also took two weeks of vocal training to learn two different British accents.[36][37] The same year Gomez confirmed that the fourth season of her hit Disney Channel show, Wizards of Waverly Place, would be its last.

Gomez performs at the KISS 108 Jingle Ball in December 2010

On September 17, 2010, Selena Gomez & The Scene released their second studio album, A Year Without Rain The record debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 4, selling 66,000 copies. On January 19, 2011, the album was certified Gold by RIAA.[3] As of April 2011, the band has sold 1,354,000 albums in the United States.[38] To support the album, the band embarked on the mini-tour A Year Without Rain Tour. In February 2011, TV Guide reported that Gomez would make a cameo in the Muppets film.

On March 23, 2011, Hollywood Records announced through a press release that Selena Gomez & The Scene would be embarking on their third concert tour in the United States, the We Own the Night Tour ran during the summer of 2011 and was ranked 18th in Pollstar's Top 20 concert tours.[39][40] Production for the final season of Wizards of Waverly Place came to a wrap on May 14, 2011.[41] Gomez co-hosted the 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards on June 19.[42] She also hosted the 2011 MTV EMAs on November 6, 2011, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where she performed her band's single "Hit the Lights". On June 28, 2011, Selena Gomez & The Scene released their third studio album, When the Sun Goes Down, previously titled Otherside.[43] The album debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200, selling 78,000 copies its first week and the following week, the album rose to number 3 on the Billboard chart, becoming the band's highest charting album to date.[44][45] On November 17, 2011, the album was certified platinum.[3] The album's lead single, "Who Says" was certified Platinum by RIAA on June 23, 2011 and has become the band's highest charting song on the Billboard Hot 100 to date, peaking at number 21.[3][46] The second single, "Love You Like a Love Song", was certified Platinum by RIAA on December 2, 2011, and became the act's first to sell over two-million copies.[3][47]

2012–present: Focus on film

In January 2012, Gomez announced that she would put her music career on hold in order to focus on her acting career, and that the band would be taking a hiatus:[48] "my band and I are going our separate ways for a while. This year is all about films and acting and I want my band to play music wherever with whoever. We will be back but, it will be a good while."[49]

As of August 2012, Gomez has been cast in a number of films. She first appeared in Hotel Transylvania, an animated film, voicing the character of Mavis, alongside Adam Sandler and Steve Buscemi. The film premiered at the 37th annual Toronto International Film Festival and was released on September 21, 2012.[50] Next, Gomez will appear in the Harmony Korine film Spring Breakers alongside James Franco.[51] The film is premiering at the 69th Venice International Film Festival and is scheduled to be released sometime in spring 2013. In addition, Gomez filmed a cameo for Aftershock, an upcoming thriller starring Eli Roth which premiered at the 37th Annual Toronto International Film Festival. On April 7, 2012, Gomez posted a video for fans in which she revealed that she would be filming a new movie called Getaway in Bulgaria with Ethan Hawke and Jon Voight.[52] The film wrapped up in May and is scheduled to be released in 2013. Gomez was considered for the role of Carrie in the remake of the 1976 horror film Carrie, although she never auditioned. The role eventually went to Chloë Grace Moretz.[53] Next, Gomez will star in the film adaptation of the Ric Browde novel While I'm Dead... Feed the Dog opposite Dylan McDermott and Nat Wolff.[54] The film, entitled Behaving Bad, will be directed by Tim Garrick. Gomez will also reprise her role as Alex Russo in a one-hour special entitled The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex, which began production on October 22, 2012, and finished filming on November 10, 2012. It will air on Disney Channel on March 13, 2013 at 8/7pm Central.[55][56]

MTV News reported, via Twitter, that Gomez is releasing a single, "Better Without You", on March 18, 2013. Gomez and Taylor Swift wrote the song together.[57]

Other ventures

Selena Gomez attending "The 6th Annual Hollywood Style Awards" Beverly Hills, 2009

Gomez was part of Sears back-to-school fashion ad campaign.[58] As part of the campaign Gomez was featured in the television commercials. In August 2009, Gomez also hosted the "Sears Arrive Air Band Casting Call" – to select five people for the first-ever "Sears Air Band", which performed at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.[59]

In October 2008, Gomez launched her own production company, July Moon Productions, and partnered with XYZ Films to create star vehicles for Gomez. As part of the agreement Gomez will have the opportunity to option articles, hire writers and create talent packages to shop to studios.[60][61] Also, as part of the deal, "XYZ Films will allow Gomez to star in and produce at least two films.[62] Variety reported that: "In August, XYZ [Films] inked a similar deal with Time Inc. and management-production company the Collective to finance the development of the print media giant's content for the bigscreen [...] As part of the July Moon-XYZ deal, [Selena] Gomez will have the ability to cherry-pick projects from the vast Time Inc. library, which includes Time, Sports Illustrated, Fortune and Life."[61]

Gomez is a spokesperson for Borden Milk; she is featured in the campaign's print and television ads.[63] She is also a spokesperson for State Farm Insurance and is featured in their TV commercials, which air on the Disney Channel, to raise awareness of being a safe driver.[64]

In October 2009, Gomez announced her plan to launch her own fashion line, called "Dream Out Loud by Selena Gomez". The clothing line launched in the fall of 2010.[65][66] The collection consists of and features bohemian dresses, floral tops, jeans, skirts, jackets, scarves and hats, all made from recycled or eco-friendly materials.[67][68] Gomez said that the line will reflect her own personal style and described the clothing as being "pretty, feminine, and bohemian," and: "With my line, I really want to give the customer options on how they can put their own looks together [...] I want the pieces that can be easy to dress up or down, and the fabrics being eco-friendly and organic is super important [...] Also, the tags will all have some of my inspirational quotes on them. I'm just looking to send a good message."[65][68] Gomez, who has no background in fashion, teamed up with designers Tony Melillo and Sandra Campos, both who have worked with big-name fashion houses.[66] Gomez said of the partnering: "When I met Tony and Sandra, I was instantly comfortable with them and now they are just like family to me ... They are so creative and I love how I can just call them up whenever and talk to them about everything, even if it's just about changing a button ... They've been so cool about everything."[65][66][67][68] The brand will be manufactured by, Melillo and Campos teamed with New York-based Adjmi Apparel and formed by Adjmi CH Brands LLC; which is the holding company for the brand.[69]

It was announced on July 14, 2011, that Gomez had signed a license agreement with Adrenalina, an extreme sports and adventure-themed lifestyle brand, to develop, manufacture, and distribute the actress' fragrance. It is expected to debut in May 2012. Chairman and C.E.O. of Adrenalina, Ilia Lekach, said, "We are incredibly enthused to be working with Ms. Gomez and will reveal more details pertaining to the fragrance as we get closer to the launch date."[70]

It was announced on July 30, 2012, that Gomez would partner with Case-Mate as part of its upcoming "Right Case, Right Occasion" marketing campaign.[71] She will be teaming up with Fergie and Common to create fashionable custom phone cases for a good cause.

Personal life

On February 27, 2011, Gomez attended the 2011 Vanity Fair Oscar party with Canadian singer Justin Bieber,[95] confirming several months of media speculation about a romantic relationship between the pair.[96] The relationship was Gomez's most high-profile and the two became a teen power couple.[97][98] In early November 2012, it was widely reported that the couple had ended their relationship after approximately two years together.[99][100] They reconciled later that month.[101][102][103] However, in January 2013, it was reported that Gomez and Bieber had broken up again.[104]

Gomez is the owner of six rescue dogs and describes herself as a "huge animal-lover".[105]

Her net worth is estimated between $4 million[106] and 5.5 million.[107]

source: Wikipedia

Carly Rae Jepsen Biography

Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian recording artist and singer-songwriter from Mission, British Columbia.[1] In 2007, she placed third in Canadian Idol season five's competition, and was a part of the Canadian Idol Top 3 concert tour.[2] Shortly after competing on Canadian Idol, she independently released her debut album Tug of War through MapleMusic Recordings on September 30, 2008. Three years later, she released a new single, titled "Call Me Maybe", on Canadian label 604 Records, which was followed by the release an extended play titled Curiosity on February 14, 2012. In February 2012, pop singer Justin Bieber referred her to his manager, Scooter Braun, who subsequently signed Jepsen to his Schoolboy Records label while obtaining an American deal with global distribution on affiliate Interscope Records, after "Call Me Maybe" gained popularity on YouTube by reaching 400 million views. The single reached the number one spot on both the US Billboard and Canadian Hot 100, while also topping the charts in 19 other countries. Jepsen's musical influences include James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen and Van Halen.[3]
Jepsen has received multiple awards and nominations; she has been nominated for two Grammy Awards and was named by Billboard as 2012's Rising Star.[4]

Life and Career

     Jepsen was born in Mission, British Columbia. She attended Heritage Park Secondary School in Mission, and has since performed there post-graduation. She later attended the Canadian College of Performing Arts in Victoria, British Columbia before auditioning for Canadian Idol. After completing the Canadian Idol tour, Jepsen went back to British Columbia to focus on writing, recording and completing her band. Her demos attracted attention and she was eventually signed a joint management deal with Simkin Artist Management and Dexter Entertainment, which led Jepsen into the studio with producer Ryan Stewart. Founder Jonathan Simkin of Simkin Artist Management, who is also co-founder of the Vancouver-based record label 604 Records, was initially reluctant to also sign her to the 604 label right away, instead opting to jointly take on her management as a first step. Jepsen struck an independent signing with MapleMusic Recordings and distribution via Fontana North.[5]


2008–10: Tug of War

     Jepsen performing on Canada Day in 2010

On June 16, 2008, Jepsen released her debut single and another single, a cover of John Denver's song "Sunshine on My Shoulders".[6] On July 21, 2008, Jepsen added two new songs from the album to her MySpace page: "Bucket" and "Heavy Lifting". In August 2008, Jepsen's MySpace page announced that the album's title would be Tug of War, and it was interdependently released on September 30, 2008 through MapleCore/Fontana North. The page also mentioned two more songs that were included on the album: "Tug of War" and "Sweet Talker". The former was released as a single on iTunes on September 16, 2008, and has been receiving radio airplay on various stations across Canada. She performed the latter as her Canadian Idol audition.[7] A music video for "Tug of War" was released in January 2009. "Bucket", her second single, was released in May 2009. A video for "Sour Candy", a duet with Josh Ramsay of Marianas Trench, who would also go on to produce "Call Me Maybe", was also released. All of Jepsen's music videos have been directed by Ben Knechtel. In spring 2009, she toured western Canada with Marianas Trench and Shiloh.[8] She then went on a cross-Canada tour with Marianas Trench, The New Cities and Mission District.

2011–present: Curiosity and Kiss

     Following the steady appeal since her debut album, Canadian label 604 Records, co-founded by Jepsen's ongoing manager Jonathan Simkin, signed Jepsen to the label. Jepsen also began recording material for her sophomore album in 2011 with previous collaborators Josh Ramsay and Ryan Stewart. One of those songs, "Call Me Maybe", was chosen as the first single and released in Canada on September 21, 2011. In January 2012, dating pop singers Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez were in Canada for the holidays and heard the track on the mainstream radio. After they tweeted about it on their personal profiles, Jepsen instantly gained international attention. Soon after in February, Jepsen visited Bieber and his manager Scooter Braun in Los Angeles where she subsequently obtained an American deal with Braun's label School Boy Records and Interscope Records, enabling her access to global distribution.[9] At the same time, 604 Records was gearing up for the release of her second studio album. Having obtained a new deal of global calibre, it was mutually decided to postpone plans for a release of a second studio album, as her new deal called for Jepsen to work with a host of in demand producers in recording additional all new material. Therefore, at the last minute, 604 Records decided to only release six of her completed tracks with producers Ramsay and Stewart as an EP, including the hit single "Call Me Maybe". The EP, titled Curiosity, was released on February 14, 2012 in Canada, coinciding with her rising popularity on YouTube and social media sites.

"Call Me Maybe" became the first song by a Canadian artist to reach the top of the digital chart since Justin Bieber's "Baby" in January 2010. It is also only the eleventh song by a Canadian artist to reach number one on the Digital Songs chart since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking digital download sales in 2005. The song has also peaked at number one on the Canadian Hot 100, being the fourth Canadian artist to do so.[10] Jepsen was also the first Canadian Idol contestant to enter the UK charts, when "Call Me Maybe" debuted at number one. On June 26, 2012 Jepsen's duet with Owl City, "Good Time", was released as a digital download and appears on both artists' albums.[11] The song debuted at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and later peaked at number 8. In early August 2012, Jepsen announced that her second album, Kiss, would be released on September 18, 2012.[12] She premiered her song Kiss on Tuesday, September 18, 2012, on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Additionally, Jepsen appeared on the fifth season premiere episode of The CW primetime soap opera, 90210.[13][14] The episode premiered on October 8, 2012.[14][15] On October 25, 2012, Jepsen was named Billboard's Rising Star of 2012.[16]

Jepsen in Cannes, France, at the NRJ Music Awards ceremony, January 2013.

In October 2012, Jepsen was sued in Federal Court in Los Angeles for copyright infringement. Jepsen and Owl City's Adam Young were named in a lawsuit for the song "Good Time."[17] Allyson Nichole Burnett, a singer-songwriter from Huntsville, Ala., is suing Carly Rae Jepsen and Owl City, along with Universal Music Group, Songs Music Publishing and Schoolboy Records, ACAP and SESAC. Burnett claims "Good Time" features many similarities to her 2010 song "AH, It's a Love Song." Matt Thiessen and Brian Lee, the songwriters of "Good Time", were also mentioned in the suit.[18] In a second lawsuit filed on November 8, 2012, Ukrainian pop star Aza filed a lawsuit against Jepsen in US District Court in Los Angeles in which Aza accuses Carly Rae Jepsen of sampling lyrics from Aza's song "Hunky Santa" without approval or consent.[19] Aza claims her tune "Hunky Santa" also features a "call me" call out, which Aza claims was used to create Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe."[20] Scooter Braun — Justin Bieber's manager — is also named in the suit. A representative for Jepsen has denied the allegations.[21]

As part of ABC’s 2012 Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, Jepsen performed her songs "This Kiss" and "Call Me Maybe" in Times Square.[22]

Candie's announced in 2013 that Carly will be the new spokesperson for their clothing/footwear brand.[23]

Jepsen was scheduled to perform at the Boy Scouts of America upcoming 2013 National Scout Jamboree, along with the band Train.[24] In March 2013, both cited the controversy over the BSA policy on gays as barrier to their performance. Train released a statement saying they "strongly opposes any kind of policy that questions the equality of any American citizen ... We look forward to participating in the Jamboree this summer, as long as they make the right decision before then." [25] Similarly, Jepsen released a statement saying "As an artist who believes in equality for all people, I will not be participating in the Boy Scouts of America Jamboree this summer".[26]

source: Wikipedia