Madonna

Madonna Louise Ciccone, popularly known as Madonna was born on August 1958 in Bay City, Michigan and moved to New York in the late 1970’s in the pursuit of a career in modern dance. Nothing seems to be stopping her and her performance, even now at her late 50’s. The 1980’s was the decade Madonna’s career bloomed. She was first in pop/dance music groups called the Breakfast Club and Emmy. She had her demo tapes passed to Sire Records (a Warner Bros. Records Affiliate) in1982, and was later on signed by the label, releasing a self-titled album in the next year. Her next albums then became commercially successful, with both the albums “Ray of Light” in 1998 and “Confessions on a Dance Floor” in 2005 earning Grammy Awards. She has sold more than 300 million records worldwide.

Both a singer-songwriter and entrepreneur, her songs “Like a Virgin”, “Into the Groove”, “Papa Don’t Preach”, “Like a Prayer”, “Vogue” and “Frozen”, among many others, she wrote and produced herself. She found the entertainment company Maverick, including the label Maverick Records in 1992 with Time Warner as a joint venture. She also signed a $120 US million dollar 360 deal with Live Nation in 2007.

Sometimes referred to as the Queen of Pop, she was regarded as one of the most prominent cultural icons in the pop culture industry for decades. She has gained popularity for always changing her music and image, almost always pushing the boundaries on both, gaining praise on her diversity and innovation with her productions even bagging the “Best-selling Female Recording Artist of All time” title by the Guinness World Records. She was also dubbed the “Best-selling Female Rock Artist of the 20th Century” and she second “Best-Selling Female Artist in the United States” by the Recording Association of America. Only falling behind The Beatles, Billboard put her in the 2nd top spot on the “Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists” and also declared her the “Top-Touring Female Artist of All Time”. She is one of the founding members of the UK Music Hall of Fame and was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during her first year. She has also ventured into the movie industry, starting off with 2 low-budget films, “A Certain Sacrifice” and “Vision Quest” in 1985, but her acting career was bombarded with criticisms and low box-office worth. Her most notable screen roles would be in “Desperately Seeking Susan” in 1985 and “Evita” in 1996, for which she won a Golden Globe Award for “Best Actress in Motion Picture Musical or Comedy”. Because of all this, she was also chosen as one of the “25 Most Powerful Women of the Past Century” by Time.

Elvis Presley

Elvis, born as Elvis Aaron Presley on January 8, 1935. He began his singing career in 1954 in when he worked with Sam Phillips of Sun Records. His music, which was heavily influenced by and a combination of the pop and country music of his time, gospel music and all-night gospel sings from his church, even the black R&B from Beale street he lived in as a Memphis teenager, became an international sensation another couple of years later. He was the one who popularized the uptempo rockabilly, along with guitarist, Scotty Moore and Bassist Bill Black. Popularized highly also by his blatantly sexual gyrations got him the nickname “Elvis the Pelvis”. RCA Victor then bought his contract in 1955 from Sun Records in a deal by his more than 20-years manager, Colonel Tom Parker. In 1956, he released his first single “Heartbreak Hotel” which then became a number-one hit in the US.

He has the talent, the humor and good looks, and the right charismatic sensuality to jump from being a nobody to a loved household name all-over the world. He became one of the big faces of rock and roll and started appearing in television programs after performing more chart-topping records. Also since his music was a controversial mix of influences across social and color lines.

Globally, he has sold an estimated 600 million album units, been in 33 successful films, starting with “Love me Tender” in 1956 and has done many record-breaking tours and live concert performances. He has gotten 14 Grammy nominations, winning 3 of them, the Grammy lifetime Achievement Award at age 36, and was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation for 1970 by the United States Jaycees. Just in the United States alone, he was given gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards for his sales making him the best-selling solo artist in the history of recorded music.

Even though he had the patriotism to enlist in the military service for two years in 1958, he quickly picked up the pace and resumed recording for his most successful work, both with movies and music, even appearing in the first globally broadcasted concert via satellite, Aloha from Hawaii. Up till now, he is regarded as one of the most celebrated musicians and figures in the 20th century pop culture and has been inducted into multiple music halls of fame.

Elvis died in his Memphis home in Graceland on August 16, 1977 at age 42 due to deterioration of health.

Haeran Hong

“Among the fresh voices heard, the most finished were those of Haeran Hong, a soprano who sang with gleaming tone and deftly negotiated ornate lines as Dalinda, Ginevra’s confidante; Anthony Roth Costanzo, an intense, engaging countertenor, who played the treacherous Polinesso; and Shenyang.” Steve Smith, an American musician, said.

The2011 International Queen Elizabeth Grand Prize winner Haeran Hong has been noted as “charming of form, manner, and voice.” As a soprano singer, Hong has already performed various leading roles including Adina in L’Elisird’Amore, Gilda in Rigoletto, Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte. Her voice is widely described as purest nectar.

In 2010, she became a finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and won the Career Bridges Competition in New York. Hong finished her Bachelor of Music degree at the Korean National University of Arts and a Master’s degree in Opera Studies at The Juilliard School.

At the Metropolitan opera, Ms. Hong covered the roles of Nannetta in Falstaff and Sophie in Werther, and also participated in the production of Die Frau ohneSchatten.

She also joined the Vien Strauss Festival Orchestra in Korea and had guest appearances in concerts in New York, Los Angeles, and at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.

Among her concerts, the most remarkable were Bach’s WassGott tut, das ist wohl getan and Brahms’ Neue LiebesliederWaltzes with the La Jolla Summer Fest, as well as Villa Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 with the Aspen Music Festival.

Miriam Makeba

A Grammy Award-winning South African singer, Miriam Makeba, known as Mama Africa is an inspiration to musicians all over the world. She spent a half-century in fighting racism and upholding justice and peace.

Born in South Africa in 1932, Miriam began her musical career by joining a school choir. She then performed on local gigs by the mid-1950s. After a decade, she finally made her name throughout South Africa.

Her involvement in the documentary film Come Back, Africa, gave her a break. Harry Belafonte was attracted to the film that he supported Miriam to gain entry to the United States of America. Her appearance at John F. Kennedy’s birthday embarked the beginning of a successful singing and recording career.

Her first recorded song was “PataPata”, which was released in 1957 in South Africa and in the U.S. in 1967.  She is also popular for the songs “The Click Song” and “Malaika,” and for presenting to the West a number of Xhosa, Zulu and Swahil songs.

Her marriage to Stokely Carmichael in 1968 caused controversy in the United States, so she decided to settle in Guinea. There, she continued to fight the white Apartheid regime in her native land.

Miriam was very true to her South African musical roots while fighting for what she believed for even until her last breath due to a heart attack on November 9, 2008in Castel Volturno, Italy, at the age of 76.

Watch video of interesting Facts about Miriam Makeba.

Sophie Bevan

Soprano Sophie Bevan was awarded as young singer of the year at the 2013 International Opera Awards.

A graduate of the Benjamin Britten International Opera School, she studied as a Karaviotis Scholar with Lillian Watson and was awarded the Queen Mother Rose Bowl Award.

Her grandfather is the late Roger Bevan, head of music at Downside School and the subject of a memorable television documentary in 1980 called Harmony at Parsonage Farm. His 14 children all inherited the musical gene in various degrees, as in turn have their issue. One of them is the Sophie’s father, David.

Sophie is the eldest of eight, all of whom are musically gifted. Through this outsized family runs an astonishing vein of talent that is already bearing professional dividends for Sophie and two sisters, Mary and Daisy.

She enrolled at the Royal College of Music. Doing well at music college is one thing, but making the transition from talented student to successful professional is quite another. This, says Bevan, is where the Classical Opera Company (COC) comes into the picture.

Among her best performances, Yum-Yum in The Mikado, Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro and Pamina in The Magic Flute at the Royal Opera House has been the most remarkable.

Sophie received the 2010 Critics’ Circle award for Exceptional Young Talent. She was nominated for the 2012 Royal Philharmonic Society Awards and was the recipient of The Times Breakthrough Award at the 2012 South Bank Sky Arts Awards.

Currently, she is taking her way to performing more concert and operatic engagements.