 | | Timbaland ascended to the top of the pop industry in the late '90s, impressively balancing his in-demand hitmaking abilities with his outlandish production style. |
 | | The work of rapper and producer will.i.am helped make Black Eyed Peas one of the most intriguing acts in hip-hop, and later made them one of the most popular acts on the charts when the albums Elephunk (2003) and Monkey Business (2005) started ascending the charts. |
 | | Founded by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995, the Pussycat Dolls began as a burlesque dance revue based in Los Angeles, spawned a second revue in Las Vegas, grew into an A-list phenomena with a revolving cast of guest celebrities, and eventually became a recording act with a number one dance hit. |
 | | Actress/singer Jennifer Lopez was born in the Bronx, New York, on July 24, 1969; after starting out in musical theater as a child, she made her film debut at age 16 in the little-seen My Little Girl, but her career then stalled until she was tapped to become one of the dancing "Fly Girls" on the television sketch comedy series In Living Color. |
 | | The Black Eyed Peas transcended hip-hop to become one of the most commercially successful pop groups of the 2000s. |
 | | More than any other single artist, Britney Spears was the driving force behind the return of teen pop in the late '90s. |
 | | Like Martika, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Rahsaan Patterson, Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson got her first major break as a youngster on the television program Kids Incorporated. |
 | | Born Travis Lazarus McCoy in Geneva, NY, rapper Travie McCoy first made a name for himself as the lead vocalist of the alternative rap group Gym Class Heroes. |
 | | Before she discovered she could write songs, Gwen Stefani was looking forward to a life of marriage, children, and white picket fences. |
 | | Pop singer Justin Bieber was barely into his teens when he released his platinum-selling debut, My World, and became one of 2009's youngest success stories. |
 | | R&B vocalist Jason Derülo launched his career while still in his teens, first as a songwriter for other artists and later as a solo performer. |
 | | Taio Cruz is a British pop singer/songwriter whose second album, Rokstarr, catapulted him to international chart-topping success in 2010 with its smash hit singles "Break Your Heart" and "Dynamite. |
 | | Growing up on the outskirts of Boston, MA, JoJo listened and learned as her mother practiced hymns. She started singing by imitating her mother, but quickly put her own spin on everything from nursery rhymes to pop tunes. |
 | | A self-proclaimed product of his past, rapper Sean Kingston's history helps describe his sound. Born in Miami, FL, then raised in Kingston, Jamaica, from the age of six, he mixed more than a little dancehall and reggae into his hip-hop. |
 | | British R&B singer/songwriter Jay Sean is notable for being one of the first British-Asian crossover stars and also for his international popularity, including five consecutive Top 40 singles in America. |
 | | Flo Rida, unsurprisingly a native Floridian, is an MC who toured as a teenager with 2 Live Crew's Fresh Kid Ice and began popping up on high-profile mixtapes by 2006, most notably DJ Khaled's We the Best -- on "Bitch I'm from Dade County," he appeared with the likes of Rick Ross, Trick Daddy, Trina, and Dre (of Cool & Dre). |
 | | A DJ, producer, and sometimes singer, Australia's Havana Brown began her career in a band called Fishbowl. |
 | | Along with the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears, *NSYNC dominated the teen pop explosion of the late '90s with a blend of group harmonies, gauzy ballads, and well-produced dance textures. |
 | | Multi-talented and flamboyant, Cee Lo Green initially made a name for himself and his trademark crooning as part of pioneering Dirty South rappers Goodie Mob before he broke away in the early 2000s for a colorful solo route. |
 | | A leader in the parade of Mickey Mouse Club veterans who stormed pop at the turn of the millennium, Christina Aguilera was the sexy, brassy diva of the bunch -- the Rolling Stones to Britney Spears’ Beatles, as it were. |
 | | The third group to be put together through the reality television series Making the Band -- O-Town being the first, Da Band being the second -- Danity Kane's membership includes five women who beat out hundreds of hopefuls. |
 | | With a "cheeky chappy" persona to match Robbie Williams and vocals reminiscent of original Pop Idol Will Young, former call-center worker Olly Murs was one of the success stories of the 2009 season of The X Factor, finishing runner-up to Joe McElderry in the hotly contested final. |
 | | Pop singer and dancer Nicole Scherzinger was born Nicole Elikolani Prescovia Scherzinger on June 29, 1978, in Honolulu, HI, but was raised mostly in Louisville, KY, moving there at age six with her mom after her parents separated. |
 | | A brash and driven pop singer/songwriter, Ke$ha (Kesha Rose Sebert) was born in Los Angeles but moved at the age of four to Nashville, where her mother -- a longtime songwriter -- had inked a publishing deal. |
 | | |
 | | Pop singer and actor Jesse McCartney was a child performer dynamo, singing on Broadway and landing an acting gig on All My Children before even joining his first boy band, a feat that came at the age of 12. |
 | | Glamorously gaudy, a self-made post-modern diva stitched together from elements of Madonna, David Bowie, and Freddie Mercury, Lady Gaga was the first true millennial superstar. |
 | | When the Southern-flavored party rap called crunk took over urban radio in 2004, Miami rapper Pitbull decided it was time to seek stardom. |
 | | Electronic pop-rap group Far East Movement made their major-label debut in 2010. Founded in 2003, the group was originally a trio comprised of high-school companions Kev Nish (born Kevin Nishimura), Prohgress (James Roh), and J-Splif, all of whom had grown up in downtown Los Angeles. |
 | | Ne-Yo was one of the most successful songwriters and artists of the 2000s. His breakthrough didn't come until late 2004, as the co-songwriter of Mario's "Let Me Love You," a number one Hot 100 hit that Billboard later determined to be the eighth most successful single of the decade. |
 | | When Nelly Furtado appeared with her neo-hippie, multiculti debut, Whoa, Nelly!, in 2001, a dance-diva makeover seemed like an impossibility, but the singer/songwriter revived and sustained her career with the sexually charged Loose in 2006, in the process consolidating her position as one of the most unpredictable artists of her decade. |
 | | Jordin Sparks may have been the youngest American Idol when she won the title on the reality show's sixth season, but the Glendale, AZ, resident had already packed plenty of accomplishments into 17 years. |
 | | |
 | | Rihanna established her dance-pop credentials in summer 2005 with her debut smash hit, "Pon de Replay," and continued to demonstrate hit potential in subsequent years (e. |
 | | Beginning his career during the mid-'80s under the name the Fresh Prince, by the following decade rapper Will Smith was one of the biggest superstars of his time -- not only a pop music sensation, he also conquered television and eventually feature films, starring in a string of box-office megahits. |
 | | After working a string of behind-the-scenes jobs -- including writing songs for Brandy, singing backup for the Sugababes, and impersonating Elvis -- songwriter/producer Bruno Mars put his name on top of the charts in 2009 by co-writing Flo Rida's hit song "Right Round. |
 | | With an eye toward reinventing the boy band sound, the Wanted formed in 2009, nearly 10 years after groups like N ‘Sync and the Backstreet Boys hit their commercial peak. |
 | | New Zealand-born singer/musician/producer Willy Moon boasted a distinctive sound and look, mixing elements of '50s rock and contemporary hip-hop in his music and a retro, dressed-to-the-nines wardrobe. |
 | | Boy bands such as Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync fought hard to be perceived as musicians rather than manufactured product assembled by record executives. |
 | | Although Jessica Simpson dabbled in film, reality TV, and eventually contemporary country music during the 2000s, she is best known as a dance-pop vocalist who rose to fame in the late '90s alongside such teenaged acts as 98°. |
 | | Identical twins Natalie and Nicole Albino came up with the name Nina Sky by combining the first two letters of their first names for "Nina" and tacked "Sky" on the end to represent their shared aspirations. |
 | | With inventive re-imaginings of the reggae-splashed hook-heavy soul popularized by acts like Sean Paul and Sean Kingston in the early half of the 21st century's first decade, Virgin Island-born singer Iyaz swiftly built up a hearty cult following on MySpace. |
 | | Destiny's Child rose to become one of the most popular female R&B groups of the late '90s, eventually rivaling even TLC in terms of blockbuster commercial success. |
 | | Singer Mike Posner launched his career at Duke University, where he balanced his undergraduate studies in sociology and business with his musical habits. |
 | | David Archuleta became one of the most recognizable figures on television in 2008, when his tenor vocals and boyish charm helped earn him a second-place finish on American Idol. |
 | | Outasight is the alias of Richard Andrew, a rapper and singer who hails from Yonkers, New York and combines rap, R&B, and rock with occasional crossover appeal. |
 | | Splitting the difference between Shania Twain's twangy pop and Christina Aguilera's R&B acrobatics, vocalist Jessie James made her debut with "Wanted," a song that featured prominently in the film Confessions of a Shopaholic. |
 | | Melding elements of rap, rock, R&B, and funk into one cohesive and melodic sound, upstate New York's Gym Class Heroes have diverse appeal based on their impressive musical dexterity. |
 | | Dancehall superstar Sean Paul began scoring hit singles in Jamaica in 1996 and steadily attracted international attention thereafter, eventually breaking into the pop mainstream in 2002 with Dutty Rock. |
 | | LFO (an acronym for "Lyte Funky Ones") formed in 1996 in the boy band mecca of Orlando, FL. There, singer Rich Cronin befriended aspiring model Brad Fischetti, and the duo spent the next two years honing their vocal, dancing, and songwriting skills. |
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