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 | | Although a Broadway actor since the age of 19, Matthew Morrison made a bigger splash on TV, where he began playing the role of Mr. |
 | | When Glee aired its first episode in May 2009, the TV show only attracted a fraction of the viewers who tuned in for American Idol, which was shown on the same channel just one hour prior. |
 | | Actor/musician Darren Criss joined the cast of Glee in November 2010. Originally hired as a guest star, he became a series regular several weeks after his first episode, when the Glee version of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” -- featuring Criss on lead vocals, with backup harmonies from collegiate a cappella group the Beelzebubs -- because the show’s first single to top the digital charts. |
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 | | Born and raised in Dallas, TX, Mark Salling began his entertainment career as a child actor, landing a role in Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering in 1996 and guest starring in Walker, Texas Ranger three years later. |
 | | Best known for her Tony-nominated performance in the Broadway smash Rent, singer/actress Idina Menzel made her solo debut in 1998 with the pop-soul effort Still I Can't Be Still. |
 | | Kristin Chenoweth went from strength to strength around the turn of the 21st century, beginning with an award-winning stage career on Broadway that later expanded into television roles and a recording contract. |
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 | | A former Christian artist, Katy Perry rebranded herself as a larger-than-life pop star and rose to prominence during the summer of 2008. |
 | | Michael Bublé's introduction to the music of the swing era came to him through his grandfather, who filled his grandson's ears with the sounds of the Mills Brothers, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and others. |
 | | Although she never reached the commercial heights of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, Mandy Moore proved to be one of the more resilient members of the late-'90s teen pop explosion. |
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 | | When the U.K. press began dubbing Adele "the next Amy Winehouse" in late 2007, the hype didn't touch upon the heavy singer/songwriter influence found in the Londoner's music. |
 | | Musical theater songwriter and librettist Jonathan Larson was born on February 4, 1960, in Mount Vernon, NY, and grew up in White Plains, NY, where he studied piano and music theory. |
 | | Although initially known for her acting roles (most notably her portrayal of Blaire Waldorf, the semi-villainous heroine of Gossip Girl), Leighton Meester branched into music during the show's second season. |
 | | One of Disney's most successful endeavors of the 2000s, the High School Musical franchise wasn't just one of the most-watched projects on the Disney Channel; it also launched nearly as many teen pop stars as The Mickey Mouse Club did in the '90s, when Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, and Justin Timberlake were among the cast members. |
 | | At the time of her first album release in 2007, 21-year-old Emmy Rossum had already carved out an impressive career as a singer and actor. |
 | | Born in the Bronx, but raised in Syosset on New York's Long Island, Adam Pascal always wanted to be a musician. |
 | | Before releasing her debut album in 2009, Selena Gomez began her career as a child actress. Born in 1992, she grew up in Texas and got her first break as a cast member on the kids TV show Barney and Friends. |
 | | Pop and classical singer Josh Groban made his debut in the seventh grade, but then put music aside for a few years until he enrolled at the Interlochen Arts Program. |
 | | More than any other single artist, Britney Spears was the driving force behind the return of teen pop in the late '90s. |
 | | Actress/vocalist Demi Lovato began making a name for herself after starring alongside the Jonas Brothers in the 2008 Disney Channel movie Camp Rock. |
 | | Best known as Troy Bolton, the captain of the basketball team who discovers a passion for singing in the Disney Channel movie High School Musical, Zac Efron has been an actor and singer since childhood. |
 | | Before becoming a front-runner in the eighth season of American Idol, Adam Lambert made his name in the theater world, where he performed alongside Val Kilmer in the debut production of Ten Commandments: The Musical and landed an understudy role in a touring production of Wicked. |
 | | 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. |
 | | Before launching her dual careers as pop-minded songwriter and television actress, Kate Voegele grew up outside Cleveland in the suburban locale of Bay Village, OH, where she began singing in her church choir at age ten. |
 | | 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. |
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 | | 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. |
 | | The Backstreet Boys were, in many ways, a contradictory band. Comprised entirely of white middle-class Americans, the group sang a hybrid of new jack balladry, hip-hop, R&B, and dance club pop that originally found its greatest success in Canada and Europe, with their 1996 debut album charting in the Top Ten in nearly every country on the Continent. |
 | | During their initial 14 years of existence (1973-1987), Journey altered their musical approach and their personnel extensively while becoming a top touring and recording band. |
 | | Barbra Streisand's status as one of the most successful singers of her generation was remarkable not only because her popularity was achieved in the face of a dominant musical trend -- rock & roll -- which she did not follow, but also because she used her vocal skills as a mere stepping stone to other careers, as a stage and film actress and as a film director. |
 | | Before winning the ninth season of American Idol, Lee DeWyze released two independent albums that introduced his mix of husky vocals and acoustic singer/songwriter fare. |
 | | Miley Cyrus became an overnight sensation in 2006 as the star of Hannah Montana, a popular Disney Channel television series whose success allowed Cyrus to launch her own recording career several years later. |
 | | Victorious premiered in 2010 as Nickelodeon’s answer to Hannah Montana and High School Musical, two Disney Channel franchises that amassed a large audience thanks to their combination of teen-oriented plot lines and music performances. |
 | | Taylor Swift became one of country's brightest (and youngest) faces in 2006, when the 16-year-old released her first album. |
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 | | The winner of Fox TV's first American Idol competition during the summer of 2002, Kelly Clarkson went from an anonymous talent to a nationally known singer in a matter of months, performing for an audience of millions. |
 | | Famed for his enormously successful collaboration with composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyricist Tim Rice was born November 10, 1944, in Buckinghamshire, England. |
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 | | After stars reach a certain point, it's easy to forget what they became famous for and concentrate solely on their personas. |
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 | | Hilary Duff first made a name for herself on the enormously successful Disney Channel/ABC Kids show Lizzie McGuire, which she parlayed into dual careers as a pop singer and film actress. |
 | | Taking cues from her favorite songwriters -- including Melissa Etheridge, Janis Joplin, and Sista Otis -- Crystal Bowersox brought a relaxed, folksy vibe to the ninth season of American Idol. |
 | | Although initially viewed as another face in the late-'90s crowd of teen pop acts, Pink (professionally known as P!nk) quickly transcended and outgrew that label with her combination of pop songcraft and powerhouse, rock-influenced vocals. |
 | | 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. |
