My Top Artists

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Ricky Martin is the stage name of Enrique Martín Morales, born on December 24, 1971 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Ricky Martin rose to fame as a member of the Latin American boy band Menudo after which he became a solo artist in 1990. While acting in Mexico, Martin was signed to Sony Discos, the company’s Latin imprint, in 1990. He released his first solo album, the Spanish-language Ricky Martin, in 1991, which included the single "Fuego Contra Fuego." The hit release earned gold records in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Puerto Rico, and the United States, and he performed a string of sold-out concert dates across South America. In 1993, Martin released his second solo album, Me Amarás, which sold more than a million copies worldwide. In 1994, he moved to Los Angeles, California. He received a role as bartender (Miguel Morez) in the American soap opera General Hospital. In 1995, Martin refocused on his music career through his third album, A Medio Vivir. With this album, Martin made a shift from formulaic hit ballads to a more risky fusion of music centered around traditional Latin sounds. Ricky Martin has sold more than 55 million albums worldwide in his career.

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Nine Inch Nails was formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988 by Trent Reznor. After recording a new album, Reznor usually assembles a live band to perform with him. The touring band features a revolving lineup that often rearranges songs to fit a live setting. Written, arranged, and performed by Trent Reznor, Nine Inch Nails’ first album Pretty Hate Machine debuted in 1989. The album spawned three singles, the most successful being "Head Like a Hole". Nine Inch Nails has since released seven more albums, three live albums and twenty three singles. Nine Inch Nails has received four awards from 25 nominations, including two Grammy Awards for the songs "Wish" and "Happiness in Slavery" in 1993 and 1996 respectively. Nine Inch Nails have received two Kerrang! Awards honoring the band’s overall contributions since 1988. The band was ranked as the 94th "Greatest Artist of All Time" by Rolling Stone in 2004 and has sold over twenty million copies of it’s albums. Reznor announced on October 8, 2007 that Nine Inch Nails had fulfilled its contractual commitments to Interscope Records and was now free to proceed as a free agent. On March 20, 2009, two unreleased songs, ‘Not So Pretty Now’ and ‘Non-Entity’ (both left over from the With Teeth sessions) were released as a free download.

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Depeche Mode are an English electronic band formed in 1980, in Basildon, Essex, England. It featured Dave Gahan on lead vocals, Martin Gore on keyboards and guitar, Andrew Fletcher on keyboards and Vince Clarke on keyboards. In 1981 Depeche Mode released it’s debut album, Speak & Spell. The album peaked at #10 in the UK Albums Chart. After the release of the album Vince Clarke left the band and was replaced by Alan Wilder. Depeche Mode has since released ten more studio albums. Depeche Mode are one of the longest-lived, most successful and influential bands to have emerged from the early 80s. They have had forty-five songs in the UK Singles Chart, as well as #1 albums in UK, US and throughout countries in Europe. According to EMI, Depeche Mode have sold over 75 million albums worldwide, as part of total worldwide record sales (including singles) in excess of 100 million. On May 14 2009, Depeche Mode announced they had been forced to cancel six shows on their Tour of the Universe due to further complications from singer Dave Gahan’s severe bout of gastroenteritis. On May 28 2009, Depeche Mode announced that Dave Gahan recovered from gastroenteritis after doctors found a tumor in his bladder during tests and removed it. Also, doctors ordered him to rest until June 8, when they will resume touring starting in Leizpig, Germany.

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Sugarland is an American country music duo composed of singer-songwriters Jennifer Nettles on lead vocals and Kristian Bush on background vocals, lead vocals, mandolin, acoustic guitar, harmonica. The duo was founded in 2003 by Bush and Kristen Hall and became a trio when Jennifer Nettles was brought in as lead singer. On October 26, 2004 Sugarland released their debut album entitled Twice the Speed of Life. it features the singles "Baby Girl", "Something More", "Just Might (Make Me Believe)", and "Down in Mississippi (Up to No Good)". The group received a nomination for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards of 2006. The followed that album up with the release of their second studio album, Enjoy the Ride. The album debuted at #4 on the US Billboard 200 and at #2 on the US Country Album Chart, selling over two hundred thousand copies in its first week. As of September 6, 2008, the album has sold 2,412,139 copies in the US and has been certified double platinum. In 2008, Sugarland released Love on the Inside. The album has produced three chart singles in "All I Want to Do", "Already Gone" and "It Happens", all Number One hits on the Billboard country singles charts.

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Celine Dion was born Celine Marie Claudette Dion on March 30, 1968 in Charlemagne, Quebec, Canada. She is the youngest of fourteen children born to Adhemar Dion and Therčse Tanguay, both of French Canadian descent. At age twelve, Dion collaborated with her mother and her brother Jacques to compose her first song, "Ce n’etait qu’un ręve" ("It Was Only a Dream"). Her brother Michel Dondalinger Dion sent the recording to music manager Rene Angelil, whose name he discovered on the back of a Ginette Reno album. Angelil was moved to tears by Dion’s voice, and decided to make her a star. He mortgaged his home to fund her first record which was entitled La voix du bon Dieu. It was released in Canada in 1981.It became a local number-one record and made Celine Dion an instant star in Quebec. Her popularity spread to other parts of the world when she competed in the 1982 Yamaha World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo, Japan, and won the musician’s award for Top Performer as well as the gold medal for Best Song. She then went on to learn English and two years later released Unison. Worldwide sales of Unison have reached 3.5 million copies. Celine Dion has since sold over 200 million albums worldwide.

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OutKast is an American hip hop duo featuring Antwan "Big Boi" Patton and "Andre 3000" Benjamin
It was formed in 1991 in East Point, Georgia. The duo was originally known as The OKB (The OutKast Brothers) but later changed its name to OutKast. OutKast signed to LaFace Records in 1992, becoming the label’s first hip hop act and making their first appearance on the remix of labelmate TLC’s "What About Your Friends". In 1993, they released their first single, "Player’s Ball". It was later featured on their 1994 debut album, ”Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik". ”Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik" peaked at number twenty eight on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified platinum in on April 5, 1995. They released their second album, ATLiens on August 27th, 1996. OutKast has since released four more albums. OutKast has sold more than twenty five million records and have received numerous awards, which include winning six Grammys. In 2007, Andre 3000 confirmed a new OutKast album would be released, but said that he and Big Boi released solo records first, stating the group album is still possibly two years away. On Nov 14, 2008, the Guardian reported that OutKast will release their follow-up to Idlewild in 2009 after Big Boi and Andre 3000 release their solo albums in the same year.