All Your Favorite Artists

Beyonce Knowles, arguably the most popular member of late-1990s Contemporary R&B powerhouse Destiny's Child, knew she wanted to be a star from an early age. As a child, she sang with her church choir and took dance lessons; she formed the first incarnation of Destiny's Child in 1990 -- when she was a mere nine years old. By 2001, the highly successful trio began concentrating on solo projects. Her solo debut, Dangeriously In Love, came out in the summer of 2003. The first single, "Crazy In Love," was a duet with Jay-Z, and predictably zoomed to the top of the charts.

Since just about every human on the planet seems to own Legend, it's hardly necessary to describe the King of Reggae's music. Marley's style developed early under the tutelage of Lee Perry, who influenced Marley's phrasing. His voice graced early Ska, Rock Steady and Reggae recordings, but many believe that the time he spent backed by fellow Wailers Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston was the most artistically satisfying of his career.
 

Britney Spears and thousands of others artists.

Already a pop singer of fabled proportions and teen queen of the marketing tie-in, Britney Spears was groomed for pop stardom from a young age. Like many of her contemporaries, she got her start on The Mickey Mouse Show and hasn't looked back since; yet no young Mousehead-cum-pop star has inspired quite the fanatical following Spears enjoys. Slick, highly produced Dance Pop tunes like "Baby One More Time" are classics of the Bubblegum genre, managing to be at once provocative and speciously innocent.

Nickelback are an Alberta-based nu-metal band whose track "Leader of Men" was an alt radio hit. Initially, Nickelback was a cover band in Calgary, Alberta. The late Dimebag Darrell appears on the band's 2005 album, "All the Right Reasons." So does Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. Nickelback was the first Canadian band since the Guess Who to reach No. 1 in both Canada and the States simultaneously. They got their name from the five cents in change that Mike Kroeger gave back to customers at his job at Starbucks. Really.

Champions of East Bay Pop-Punk, Green Day's mid-90s success helped bring Punk briefly to the forefront of the music industry. Before forming Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt were in a band called Sweet Children. The band's name comes from a term referring to a day spent smoking pot, hanging around, and doing absolutely nothing. Green Day were one of the latter-day Punk bands to emerge from the Gilman Street scene in Berkeley, Calif. Billie Joe wrote and recorded his first song, "Why Do You Want Him," when he was 12.

Colombia's prodigal daughter, Shakira has garnered Latin Grammys, critical accolades and popular success for her songs. Shakira started writing songs at the age of eight. She released her first album on Sony at the age of 14. Shakira originally went to Colombia's capital, Bogota, to become a model. Then she got signed and everything changed. Shakira starred in a Colombian soap opera, which contributes to her popularity. Shakira's bold songs and unbridled energy break stereotypes and have made her a teen idol throughout Latin America.

From angry three-chord anthems to more thoughtful riddim explorations, they earned the title, "The Only Band That Matters." Singer/guitarist Joe Strummer's first band, a Pub Rock group known as the 101'ers, broke up after seeing the Sex Pistols. Although their self-titled debut album peaked at #12 in the U.K., the American arm of CBS rejected it for release in the U.S. The band's triple album, "Sandinista!" sold more copies in the U.S. than in the U.K. In 1983, Joe Strummer and bassist Paul Simonon fired lead guitarist Mick Jones. Jones went on to form Big Audio Dynamite.

Jack Johnson's warm, emotive voice and acoustic-based music often gets mistaken for Dave Matthews. Pick a career: Johnson is a highly praised cinematographer. His work can be seen in the documentary, "Thicker Than Water." Jack Johnson also had a burgeoning career as a professional surfer. He put it on the backburner to focus on music. Jack Johnson's slick guitar chops started by learning Metallica's "One" and Cat Stevens' "Father and Son." Jack Johnson co-founded the Kokua Hawaai Foundation in 2004, a non-profit group supporting education in Hawaii.

After leaving N'Sync in 2002, Justin Timberlake became arguably the world's most celebrated pop star. Like many successful pop stars, Justin Timberlake cut his teeth as a Mousketeer on Disney's "Mickey Mouse Club." Timberlake owns several restaurants and has started the William Rast clothing line. He generally works with producer Timbaland in order to craft his futuristic pop sound. Two of Justin Timberlake's hobbies are collecting limited edition sneakers and collecting extraordinarily fast automobiles.

This British quartet's casual dream pop melodies and poetic lyrics have brought it international stardom. The band formed in 1997 at the University College London. Coldplay hit the UK charts in 1999 after famed DJ Steve Lamacq started playing "Brothers & Sisters" on BBC Radio 1. "Parachutes" debuted at number one in the UK and then sold five million copies. The band's second album did even better. Singer Chris Martin is married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow. They have a son named Apple.

Pussycat Dolls are a six-piece, all-female hip-hop/R&B burlesque group. They may sing like Destiny's Child, but they dress like showgirls and perform at the Pussycat Lounge in Las Vegas. The group was founded by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995 and performed at the Los Angeles nightclub the Viper Room. Before their musical debut, the group was led by former "Baywatch" babe Carmen Electra. In 2006, PCD won two Billboard Music awards for their cover of Tori Alamze's single "Don't Cha."

Christina Aguilera's electric dance pop, flashy smile and smooth dance moves have made her a favorite among teens worldwide. At age eight, Aguilera appeared on "Star Search;" at 12, she landed a role on "The New Mickey Mouse Club." Aguilera's explosive career was precipitated by her performance of "Reflection" for Disney's animated film "Mulan." Aguilera's hit-making power is backed by the producers for Brandy, Cher, Dru Hill, Aaliyah, Monica and 'NSYNC. As a child, Aguilera lived in various locations, including Japan, Tokyo and Pittsburgh, because of her dad's military career.