Madonna
Born in 1958 near Detroit, Madonna Ciccone was the eldest daughter of her engineer father and housewife mother's eight children. (Madonna's mother died of cancer when she was six.) The plucky girl exhibited a showbiz flair at a young age and signed up for such artistic outlets as school shows, the cheerleading squad, piano lessons, and ballet classes. Madonna's dancing skills earned her a scholarship to attend the University of Michigan. learn more

Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears was born December 2, 1981 in Kentwood Louisiana and has grown to become the most popular celebrity on the planet. Little Britney learned to dance as soon as she was steady on her feet, and her love of music helped her learn her steps. She studied at the prestigious Off-Broadway Dance Center and at the Professional Performing Arts School. During this time in her life, Britney's face became familiar to the public, even if her name wasn't. learn more

John Mayer
John Mayer grew up in Connecticut listening to pop radio and picked up the guitar after discovering blues music, specifically the work of Steve Ray Vaughan. Within two years of first learning how to play, he was a notable performer at various local blues bars, and at 19, he enrolled at the Berklee College Of Music. However, Mayer soon realized he would rather perform music than study it, and would rather focus on serious songwriting than on virtuoso guitar playing. learn more

Evanescence
Evanescence was known for emitting a mysterious and dark sound with deep lyrics. That sound helped pave the way to stardom. Their first-ever album, "Origin", (which was only released in Little Rock) had such great response that it sent them to New York to work on a debut album for the entire country. The band released their debut album "Fallen" in February of 2003 which had two of the album's songs in the movie Dare Devil. learn more

Linkin Park
Linkin Park has created a sound all their own, their music has incredibly catchy beats that you can get stuck in your head for days at a time. And then to back up the beat, are the emotionaly driven vocals that seem to come straight from their soul and into yours. The songs have hip hop elements in them, while also throwing in the hard core rock and electronic industrial sounds. Plus the vocals arent the hellraising blood curtling screams that are in so much music nowadays. learn more

Pharrell Williams
The Neptunes reign as today's most successful hip-hop production team. Over the last six years, they have helped propel the talents of a number of artists, their punctuating beats and syncopated rhythms fueling a unique sonic aesthetic. They have worked with current chart toppers, hard-core hip-hoppers, and eclectic performers. Add to that work with longtime superstars, and alternative ska icons, and their artist roster spans nearly every genre of music today. learn more

Incubus
The fusion-generated funk of Incubus finds its release in the combination of five young creative forces. Brought together as youths in Calabasas, Calif., the founding members of the newest free-form funk band began their groove in high school. Lead singer and percussionist Brandon Boyd met drummer Jose Pasillas in elementary school. In middle school, the two friends and future musicians met their guitarist Mike Einziger. learn more

Jet
Everyone talks about rock these days, the problem is, they forget about the roll. How Keith Richards- who made this comment about post 90's rock music- must love Jet. They rock like there's no tomorrow yet they also roll like the greats of yesterday. As their debut album 'Get Born' proves, this Melbourne four piece, Nic Cester (guitar/vocals), Chris Cester (drums/vocals), Cameron Muncey (guitar/vocals), Mark Wilson (bass), stand for everything that is raw, primitive, direct and loose about rock music. learn more

The White Stripes
One of a new breed of back-to-basics rock acts to emerge from Detroit, Michigan, USA, the White Stripes comprises enigmatic bass-free duo Jack White (b. John White, Detroit, Michigan, USA; guitar/vocals) and Meg White (b. Detroit, Michigan, USA; drums). The Whites, variously assumed to be brother and sister or husband and ex-wife, but both denied, formed their new band in 1997. Judging from their facial looks they probably are brother and sister. learn more

Destiny's Child
This urban R&B quartet was formed by Beyonce Knowles (b. 4 September 1981, Houston, Texas, USA), LeToya Luckett (b. 11 March 1981, Houston, Texas, USA), LaTavia Roberson (b. 1 November 1981, Houston, Texas, USA) and Kelendria Rowland (b. 11 February 1981, Houston, Texas, USA). Knowles and Roberson first began singing together when they were only 10 years old. Rowland joined the duo in 1992, with Luckett completing the line-up the following year. learn more