Ataru Nakamura

Ataru Nakamura (中村 中 Nakamura Ataru?, born 28 June 1985) is a Japanese J-Pop singer and songwriter.

at17

at17是香港歌唱創作組合，成員為盧凱彤(Ellen)及林二汶(Eman)，二人各自組隊參加「原音2000」歌唱比賽，私底下認識了並經常一起表演。後來林二汶的聲音獲黃耀明賞識，並帶同好友盧凱彤一同前往試音，於2002年1月1日正式簽約獨立音樂廠牌「人山人海」，組成at17。at17首支單曲《始終一天》旋即成為當時商業電台903專業推介冠軍歌曲。她們的音樂風格主要為電子民謠，主要樂迷為年青人。at17起初被歸類為獨立音樂，後漸獲得廣大樂迷認同，更於2006年的叱吒樂壇流行榜頒獎典禮中被票選成為2005年度叱吒樂壇我最喜愛的組合。

Asuka Hinoi 樋井明日香

Asuka Hinoi (樋井明日香 Hinoi Asuka, born January 8, 1991) is a Japanese singer and leader of the J-Pop group Hinoi Team (HINOIチーム hinoi chīmu?).

Asuka's musical career began in 2002 when she was chosen with two other girls, Hikaru Koyama and Miho Hiroshige to form the group LOVE & PEACE. Their song, Drifter became the theme for the movie 'Dodge Go! Go! and the three girls even had minor roles in the movie. LOVE & PEACE, however, only released that one single.

In 2003, Asuka and Hikaru, along with Yuho Fujiwara, attempted to create a group again under Vison Factory's management. The girls were models for mezzopiano and nicola, but their debut never occurred. Later in 2003, Tomoko Kawase, better known as Tommy february6, had seen potential in Asuka and had produced her first solo single, ♥Wanna be your girlfriend♥, under the Sonic Groove label, a sub-label of avex trax. The song was used as the ending theme for the drama Ashita Tenki ni Naare. The single only had made it to position 60 on the Oricon charts, but did give Asuka much needed exposure. Five months later, her second single Tatta Hitori no Kimi (たったひとりの君 You as Only One Person?), was written by the famous songwriter behind SPEED, Hiromasa Ijichi. Her second single had given her much more exposure as she performed on musical shows like Music Station, Pop Jam, and HEY!HEY!HEY!. This single did not do as well as her first on the charts, as it only reached position number 79 on the Oricon charts.

On December 4th, 2004 it was announced that Asuka would be leader of a group called Hinoi Team. Auditions had been held at the dance and vocal school, Caless, where Asuka and Hikaru had previously studied singing and dance. Originally the other members consisted of Hikaru, Keika Matsuoka, and Mizuki Inoue, but it was decided that Rina Takenaka would be in the group instead of Mizuki.

Hinoi Team's debut was set for February 5, 2005, but ended up being pushed back until May 18. Their first single, IKE IKE, was the start of Hinoi Team's rising popularity. The group continued to release singles through 2007, two of which, NIGHT OF FIRE and STICKY TRICKY & BANG, featured comedian/wrestler Koriki Choshu. After the release of the Hinoi Team's sixth single, Dancin' & Dreamin', it appears that the group is no longer together, as there has been no group work for almost a year.

In the spring of 2007, Asuka released a new solo single, Asu e no Hikari (明日への光 Light toward Tomorrow?). The title track was the ending theme for the anime Seto no Hanayome (瀬戸の花嫁 A Bride in Seto?). She has not released any singles since then, but has continued to model for some fashion magazines. However, she contributed a song, Suiren (睡蓮 Water Lily?), to the compilation album Flower Festival: Vision Factory Presents, released in March 2008.

Ashley Tisdale

Ashley Michelle Tisdale (born July 2, 1985) is an American actress, singer and television producer who rose to prominence portraying the candy-counter girl Maddie Fitzpatrick in Disney Channel's The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and the female antagonist Sharpay Evans in the High School Musical film series. Her role as Evans required her to perform several songs in the film series' soundtracks. Tisdale became the first female artist to debut with two songs simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100,[2] in the week of February 12, 2006,[3] with "What I've Been Looking For" and "Bop to the Top", both songs from the first High School Musical soundtrack - the top-selling album in the United States for 2006.

After her first High School Musical appearance, she signed with Warner Bros. Records and launched a solo music career. Her debut album Headstrong, was released in February 2007, debuted at number five in the U.S. chart, selling 64,000 copies[5] and was later certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.[6] A second studio album, Guilty Pleasure, was released in 2009.[7] Tisdale has also a prominent voice role as Candace Flynn in Disney Channel's Phineas and Ferb and also starred in the 2008 television film Picture This and in the 2009 feature film Aliens in the Attic.

Arashi 嵐

Arashi (嵐, literally Storm) is a Japanese boy band formed under the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates, which announced the formation of the group on September 15, 1999 in Honolulu, Hawaii. After releasing one studio album, one greatest hits album and six singles under the Pony Canyon record label, the group moved to the Johnny's subsidiary label J Storm in 2001, which was initially set up for their succeeding releases.[1] In 2008, nine years after their debut, their singles "Truth/Kaze no Mukō e" and "One Love" took the top two placings on the annual Oricon sales ranking, attesting to the group's longevity in the Japanese music scene in spite of their idol group image.

In 2009, Arashi became the first artist to top the singles, album and music DVD charts and to emerge as the best-selling artist of the year within the same year in the forty-two years of Oricon's history.[3][4] They also became the third artist in Oricon history to monopolize the top three best-selling singles and the first to dominate the top two placings on the singles chart for two consecutive years.

Andrea Bocelli

Andrea Bocelli, Grande Ufficiale OMRI (born 22 September 1958) is a five-time Classical Brit winner[1] and three-time Grammy-nominated Italian tenor. Since his debut album Il mare calmo della sera, released in 1994, he has recorded over 22 pop and classical albums, including seven complete operas, five of which have made it to the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart, and a record-setting 7 have made it to No. 1, on the US Classical albums charts.[2] He has sold over 70 million albums worldwide[3][4][5], and is widely regarded as the most popular Italian singer in the world.[6]

In a 2008 opinion poll, Classic FM (UK) listeners and Radio Times readers voted Bocelli the UK's third favourite male singer, higher than any other non-British artist, including opera legends, Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo and José Carreras.

Amy Grant

Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, media personality and occasional actress, best known for her Gospel and Contemporary Christian music. Grant made her debut as a teenager, and gained fame in Contemporary Christian music during the 1980s with such hits as "Father's Eyes," "El Shaddai," and "Angels." During the late 1980s and 1990s she become one of the first gospel artists to cross over into mainstream pop, on the heels of her successful albums Unguarded and Heart in Motion, the latter of which included the number-one single "Baby Baby."

As of 2009, Grant remains the best-selling Contemporary Christian music singer, having sold over 30 million units worldwide. Grant has won six Grammy Awards, 25 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, and had the first Christian album ever to go, "Platinum."[1] Heart in Motion is her highest selling album, with over five million copies sold. She was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005.

Amerie

Amerie Mi Marie Rogers (born January 12, 1980 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts), known professionally as Amerie, is a two time Grammy nominated American singer, songwriter, producer and actress. She debuted in 2002 with the album All I Have, primarily co-written and produced by Rich Harrison. "1 Thing", the lead single from her second album, Touch released in 2005, introduced elements of D.C.'s go-go, and became her biggest hit to date. Her third album Because I Love It, had an international only release in 2007. Amerie released her fourth studio album titled In Love & War on November 3, 2009. The lead single is "Why R U" [1]. The dual second singles are "Heard 'Em All"[2] and the radio-only single "Pretty Brown" featuring Trey Songz.[3]

In late 2007, Entertainment Weekly reported that Amerie had left her label Columbia Records. In April 2008, Amerie's name was removed from the label's roster. She signed a label/production deal with her imprint Feenix Rising Entertainment, through the Island Def Jam Music Group, and is currently working on her next studio album with L.A. Reid. On her Twitter account, Amerie revealed that she has been secretly recording new music in Atlanta, Georgia, and that a late summer July/August release date is confirmed, with a possible first single in late May or early June. It has also been revealved that the album will be in fact a concept album. The final tracklisting, album art and release date will be confirmed after Def Jam launches the albums promotional campaign later after the first single is sent for radio adds.

It will be executively produced by LA Reid, Len Nicholson and Amerie herself. The album will also be expecting contributions from Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Jim Jonsin, Bryan Michael Cox, Dre & Vidal, Teddy Riley, Warryn Campbell, M Phazes, TrackNova, Sean Garrett, Eric Hudson, Rico Love, Jonas Jeburg, and Karma; among others. It has been confirmed by Amerie in multiple interviews, Rich Harrison will not be contributing to this album because he has been busy with his new group Richgirl; but Amerie wishes to work with him on her fifth album. On her Twitter account itsmeamerie, Amerie revealed the album title to be changed from Breakups To Makeups to In Love & War. Amerie also announced that her first single off the album was "Why R U", produced by Amerie & The Buchanans. The single premiered on radio in NYC on Funkmaster Flex 's radio show where he played the record for 15 minutes straight stating "He never thought this record would ever be flipped so well You got one Amerie!" [14]. The song appeared online the week of May 4,2009 and received rave reviews[citation needed]. The second single was "Heard Em All" and "Pretty Brown" was also released as a radio-only single. ""More Than Love" featuring Fabolous is the third single from the album. The video for the song premiered on Christmas Eve 2009.

Alicia Keys

Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American recording artist, musician and actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began to play classical music on the piano. She attended Professional Performing Arts School and graduated at 16 as valedictorian. She later attended Columbia University before dropping out to pursue her music career. Keys released her debut album with J Records, having had previous record deals first with Columbia and then Arista Records.

Keys' debut album, Songs in A Minor, was a commercial success, selling over 12 million copies worldwide. She became the best-selling new artist and best-selling R&B artist of 2001. The album earned Keys five Grammy Awards in 2002, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for "Fallin'". Her second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, was released in 2003 and was also another success worldwide, selling eight million copies. The album garnered her an additional four Grammy Awards in 2005. Later that year, she released her first live album, Unplugged, which debuted at number one in the United States. She became the first female to have an MTV Unplugged album to debut at number one and the highest since Nirvana in 1994.

Keys made guest appearances in several television series in the following years. She made her film debut in Smokin' Aces and went on to appear in The Nanny Diaries in 2007. Her third studio album, As I Am, was released in the same year and sold six million copies worldwide, earning Keys an additional three Grammy Awards. The following year, she appeared in The Secret Life of Bees, which earned her a nomination at the NAACP Image Awards. She released her fourth album, The Element of Freedom, on December 15, 2009. Throughout her career, Keys has won numerous awards and has sold over 30 million albums worldwide, establishing herself as one of the best-selling artists of her time.

ALI PROJECT

Ali Project (typeset as ALI PROJECT) is a Japanese band with a strong Japanese Aristocrat-style image, consisting of Arika Takarano (宝野アリカ Takarano Arika?, vocals & lyrics) and Mikiya Katakura (片倉三起也 Katakura Mikiya?, music & arrangement). In the band's earlier days, their musical style tended towards light, cheerful and/or refreshing songs. However, the sound has changed in recent times to take on a darker and more mysterious tone. Takarano Arika, lead singer/lyricist, has termed this change as a transition from White Alice (白アリ Shiro Ari?) to Black Alice (黒アリ Kuro Ari?)[citation needed]. Though there has been a general shift towards performing songs in the "Black Alice" phase, Ali Project has occasionally sung in the White Alice style as well. They made their indie debut in the charts in 1988 as Ari (Ant) Project (蟻プロジェクト Ari Purojekuto?) with their album "Fantastic Garden" (幻想庭園 Gensō Teien?). The album was later included in Tatsumi Takayuki's book Philosophy of Progressive Rock (プログレッシヴ・ロックの哲学 Puroguresshivu Rokku no Tetsugaku?), which led to the band being classified under the progressive rock genre.

Four years later in 1992 they changed their name and made their major debut with their single "Fall in love, maiden" (恋せよ乙女 Koi-seyo otome?). Most of their records are released by Toshiba-EMI, Victor Entertainment and Tokuma Japan. The band is notable in the anime community for having their songs featured in several anime opening and ending sequences, most notably in the series Noir, Rozen Maiden, Linebarrels of Iron, and Code Geass. Additionally, Katakura Mikiya has also provided the soundtrack to several anime series, such as Kaibutsu Oujo and Avenger.

Alan Tam 譚詠麟

Alan Tam Wing-Lun, MH is a famous Hong Kong cantopop singer and film actor. During the early 1980s he played a major role in developing the cantopop scene as he was famous for singing romantic ballads with modern arrangements. As of 2008, he is still active in the music industry, releasing new albums on a regular basis. Since the late 1980s, he has served as a mentor for the cantopop music industry, earning the nickname the "Principal" or "Principal Tam".[3] Today he is regularly seen across the media in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, and various parts of East Asia participating in all types of entertainment related events and charity activities.

AKB48

AKB48 is an all-female Japanese theater/idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto, who is also the husband of Mamiko Takai, a former member of the 1980s all-female idol group Onyanko Club. Unlike other idol groups in Japan, AKB48 is theatre-based and have their own theatre in Akihabara (a district in Tokyo) where they perform once every weekday, and more than once on both Saturday and Sunday. The theatre is set up on the 8th floor of Don Quijote. Some of the title songs released as a single have been made a tie-in song for a television show or a television advertisement.

AKB48 is divided into three teams: Team A, Team K and Team B. Currently, there are 13 members in Team A, 15 members in Team K, and 14 members in Team B, getting to the total of 42 members in AKB48. Minami Takahashi is the captain of Team A while Atsuko Maeda is AKB's most popular member.

Air Supply

Air Supply are a soft rock duo who had a succession of hits worldwide through the late 1970s and early 1980s. It consists of British guitarist and vocalist Graham Russell (born Graham Cyril Russell, 11 June 1950, Sherwood, Nottingham, England, UK)[1] and Australian lead vocalist Russell Hitchcock (born Russell Charles Hitchcock, 15 June 1949, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), plus various accompanying musicians and singers as they hire from time-to-time to augment their sounds.

Aiko kayo 嘉陽愛子

Aiko Kayō (嘉陽愛子 Kayō Aiko?) is a popular idol singer. She has released 12 singles and 2 albums on the Avex Trax label in Japan. She has also performed with the musical units Kingyo (金魚?) and a☆girls.