Top Dance Pop Artists on Rhapsody Online

Michael Jackson

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 09:16:50 -0800

It doesn't really matter if Michael Jackson bullied the world's media into calling him the King of Pop in the early 1990s or if they just started using that sobriquet on their own. Either way, he earned it. Whether singing "I Want You Back" as the 11-year-old frontman of the Jackson 5, breaking the MTV color line with the explosive "Billie Jean" or defending the world's downtrodden and misunderstood (himself, that is), Jackson set the standard for pop singing, songwriting, dancing and, let's face it, weirdness for the better part of a quarter century. He came of age in the Jackson 5, then moonwalked out of the family's clutches and into his own universe with three groundbreaking albums made with producer Quincy Jones. Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad blended soul, funk and rock influences into a taut dance-pop that transformed the sound of radio for the rest of the century. Singers and producers from Madonna to Timbaland are still trying to catch up. Prosecutors and paparazzi have been playing catch-up, too, with some of Jackson's questionable life choices, and since the late 1990s, he has seemingly spent more time in the tabloids than on the pop charts. On June 25th, 2009, Michael Jackson passed away at the age of 50. - Matty Karas

Lady Gaga

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 09:16:50 -0800

Raised on a musical diet of Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles, Lady Gaga brings a sense of theatrical fashion and attitude to her dance-inspired, electro-rock performances. Named after Queen's "Radio Gaga," the pop fashionista took the fast lane to success, starting at age four when she learned to play piano by ear. At 14, she began performing at open-mic nights in and around New York City's Lower East Side. After graduating from Convent of the Sacred Heart school (the elite private institution Paris Hilton attended), Gaga earned a coveted spot at the famed Tisch School of the Arts. Soon after, she started writing songs for the Pussycat Dolls, and at age 20, she was signed to Interscope Records. In 2009, she became one of pop culture's most ubiquitous figures, with the songs "Just Dance" and "Pokerface" dominating the pop charts and her public antics (Kermit dresses! A possible penis?) dominating discussions from TMZ to the blogosphere. Though Gaga's 2009 tour with Kanye West was cancelled, the fact that she was the one to call it off only confirmed her status as one of pop's reigning divas. - Jamie Sanchez

Madonna

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 09:16:48 -0800

One of the few megastars only needing a single name, Madonna's brand of dance pop began as the purest of bubblegum but has become increasingly sophisticated during the course of a career now in its third decade. Her influence has lessened a bit since the multimedia dynasty she lorded over in the 1980s and early '90s, partly because she's been busy raising children and partly because the focus of dance-oriented music has radically shifted in the years between Bedtime Stories (1994) and Confessions On A Dance Floor (2005). However her clubbing antennae remain finely tuned, and each subsequent release serves less as an indication of her musical development and more her ability to latch onto producer/writers of the moment. This, and her constant image-massaging to remain relevant to the dance community, allows a mother in her early forties to get away with acting like a club kitten without too much dissent, even less so with her triumphant 2005 return to form. A ruthless careerist and tougher than most of us, she does tend to show weakness with her lyrics, which at their best are simple ditties and at their worst just plain embarrassing. A catchy tune is usually there to save the day, however, and perhaps this is why she has failed to make it in the acting world -- she needs the music to shield her inability to deliver a really good line. And what music -- hit after hit, some still working a dancefloor just as effectively 20 years after initial release. Few other artists in the dance pop and electronica world show such staying power, and few receive such goodwill from their fan base, no matter which upheavals she drags them through as she hops and skips from fad to fad, laughing all the way to the bank. - Nicholas Baker

Mariah Carey

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 09:16:52 -0800

Say what you may about her fashion sense or "diva-tude," but there is no doubt that Mariah Carey defined 1990s urban pop music. Carey ruled the charts during the Clinton decade -- her 1990 self-titled debut album alone spawned four No. 1 hit singles, and she would have 11 more before the new millennium. Over the years, artists from Christina Aguilera to Ciara would name her as an influence. Her albums are always expertly crafted and performed, making her MTV Unplugged EP a surprisingly warm change of pace. Her dominance of the charts in the 1990s earned her the title of Billboard's Artist of the Decade. Despite heavily publicized personal trials in the early part of the new century, Carey returned to the forefront of modern music with The Emancipation of Mimi, which spawned her 16th and 17th No. 1 hits. In 2008, Mariah returned with the hit single "Touch My Body" and the subsequent album, E=MC2. The single pushed her past Elvis into second place (behind the Beatles) for the most No. 1 singles for an artist in the modern era. - Rachel Landy

Britney Spears

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 09:16:52 -0800

Britney. Over the past decade the name has dominated pop charts and tabloids. Uttered with a mix of adoration and repulsion, the first name of Britney Spears exists as shorthand for the magnificent mess of contemporary pop culture. It's been quite a ride for the former Mouseketeer, who first appeared in pearly smile and short skirt on the cover of 1999's ...Baby One More Time, with a glut of sugary singles. By 2000's Oops! I Did It Again, she was a household name and a pop-music icon, and not yet 20 years old. Two more LPs -- Britney and In the Zone -- were increasingly inflected with RnB and hip-hop, though flagging chart performances and record sales soon made her as much media sensation as music maker. Fueled by a messy breakup with Justin Timberlake, two sensational marriages (one commenced in Vegas and ended only 55 hours later; the other was to former backup dancer Kevin Federline) and rumors of drug and alcohol abuse, Britney's public image was in nonstop tailspin through much of the mid '00s. By 2007, the 'tween audience that squealed about her debut was engorged by tales of panty-less partying, drug-treatment programs and a custody battle over her two children with Federline. - Nate Cavalieri

Prince

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 09:16:44 -0800

In this age of musical genre ghetto-ization, Prince stands alone. The Artist can get funky, he can rock up a storm, he can croon a soulful ballad, he can spin out webs of jazz piano, he can hip and he can hop. He can do it all, often brilliantly. Prince takes chances and often fails -- especially on the (hopefully abandoned) film front -- but every one of his albums is chock full of gems. Prince hasn't sustained the massive popularity he earned in the Purple Rain-crazed '80s, but that seems due more to bad publicity surrounding his tabloid lifestyle than his musical output. He can't hide the fact that he is an odd, fuzzy little man, but genius doesn't come in perfect packages. While legions of Prince's contemporaries crash and burn, he sits in his Minneapolis tower and continues to expand the boundaries of popular music. - Nick Dedina

Ashley Tisdale

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:19:33 -0800

Since being discovered by her manager at a mall near her hometown in New Jersey at age three, Ashley Tisdale has gone on to wrap the Disney Channel around her little finger. The actor-singer-model's regular gig is The Suite Life of Zach and Cody, where she plays the boys' babysitter. But Tisdale also has a recurring role on Kim Possible, is set to voice a lead character on the forthcoming Phineas and Ferb, and starred in Disney's made-for-TV-movie High School Musical, which garnered the network the highest ratings in its history.

Having conquered the small screen, Tisdale is now working towards an additional career in music--Disney-style, of course. She sings on two tracks from the triple-platinum High School Musical soundtrack and recorded a new version of The Little Mermaid's "Kiss the Girl." Finally, in 2007, she released Headstrong, her not-so-Disney debut solo album, followed in 2009 by Guilty Pleasure. - Rachel Devitt

Whitney Houston

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 09:16:53 -0800

Although she mostly makes news these days for the drama in her private life, Whitney Houston was the first of the modern R&B divas, one of the most successful singers in the history of popular music. Houston got her start singing gospel with her mother, Cissy, while her pop chops were influenced by cousin Dionne Warwick. Whitney began her professional music career with the experimental jazz ensemble Material. When Clive Davis offered her a contract in 1983, the woman who would become the first artist to have seven consecutive No. 1 singles finally launched her pop career. By 1987's Whitney, Houston was a full-fledged star. After 1990's I'm Your Baby Tonight, she virtually abandoned an album career in favor of phenomenally successful singles, some (like the Dolly Parton cover "I Will Always Love You") attached to films in which Houston starred and some the kind of stuff only she could pull off (who else could make "The Star-Spangled Banner" a hit single?). By the end of the '90s, Houston had gotten together with (and split from) husband Bobby Brown several times, stopped showing up for gigs and spent time in rehab. But fans still hold out hope for a comeback. - Rachel Devitt

Janet Jackson

Sun, 6 Dec 2009 09:55:40 -0800

While the rest of her illustrious family was making music history, Janet Jackson spent her childhood on sitcoms. Under her father Joe's supervision, she released two unsuccessful albums in the early '80s. At 18, she eloped with James DeDarge, but annulled the marriage the next year. She called on producer/writer team Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to record her true debut, the phenomenally successful Control. By the time she followed that up with Rhythm Nation 1814 in 1989, Michael's little sister had recreated herself as a sexy (but sweet), self-sufficient pop success in her own right. A bracing combination of dance pop, modern R&B and hip-hop that buoyed Jackson's thin voice, it set the stage for the rest of her career. With her 1993 self-titled album, she properly introduced the world to Janet the romantic sex kitten, a persona she's brought back with each subsequent album. Since then, other facets of Janet's life (her physique, breakdowns and, yes, wardrobe malfunctions) have often earned more notice than her music, but a steady flow of successful, diverse singles shows Janet continuing to explore her musical identity while her siblings continue to get more eccentric. - Rachel Devitt

Kristinia DeBarge

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:50:13 -0800

Everything is in place for Kristinia Debarge to be a huge pop star. She's got the pedigree: her dad (James DeBarge) and his siblings made up hit '80s R&B outfit DeBarge. She's got the right formula for a sizzling debut: Babyface (who discovered the young singer and helped her win a Def Jam contract) wrote and produced much of it. And most of all, if her debut single is any indication, she's got the talent: "Goodbye" is a burning hot, dance-pop kiss-off that borrows from Steam's 1969 classic "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye." - Rachel Devitt

George Michael

Sun, 6 Dec 2009 09:55:35 -0800

George Michael's brand of over-sexed, white boy soul defined the fantasy life of an entire generation of teenage girls. From the poppy, bubblegum lyricism of Wham! to later, more ambient fare, Michael has always had a finger on the pulse of pop (despite some lengthy hiatuses), sliding his silken vocals into a series of arousing, danceable albums. - Mike McGuirk

M.I.A.

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 09:16:47 -0800

When she was little, Maya Arulpragasam, aka M.I.A., probably had no idea she'd grow up to become an underground dancehall sensation. Her father was a resistance figure in the Sri Lankan independence struggle, and Arulpragasam's family was forced to leave Sri Lanka -- for their safety -- when she was nine years old. But after growing up in a London housing estate and studying film, Arulpragasam's life changed when she picked up a Roland MC-505 for the first time and started composing songs. Skillfully weaving street slang with geo-politics, nonsense rhymes with low-tech dancehall riddims, Arulpragasam's angular, low-tech sound has struck a chord. Her debut, Arular, was released in 2005. - Sarah Bardeen

Basshunter

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 09:16:50 -0800

Malmo, Sweden's Jonas Altberg was born in 1984, and you can hear his youthful exuberance leaping out of the music he records as Basshunter. In his teens, he began experimenting with Fruity Loops music software, and by 2006 he'd scored a deal with Warner Music -- not a bad learning curve. In his official bio, he sounds a bit baffled himself by the rate at which he went from being a video-game expert to a musician "that performed almost every day all over Scandinavia." (Some things haven't changed: He still lives at home with his parents.)

Basshunter's first release was 2006's Anna Boten single, a glammy trance stomper notable in part for its Swedish vocals. Later that year he followed up with his debut album, a collection of stab-happy trance ("Strand Tylosand," named after the beach by his family home) and harder, more acidic fare ("I'm Your Bass Creator"). In 2008, with his international profile bolstered by Ultra's re-release of his album, he came out with the singles "Please Don't Go" and "Now You're Gone," both of them lighters-in-the-air trance ballads.

- Philip Sherburne

Natasha Bedingfield

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:25:04 -0800

Natasha Bedingfield is straight out of the U.K. school of "pop" pop star: antipodean, Anglophile and enviably attractive. Lay that alongside the fact that her career took off after brother Daniel's "Gotta Get Thru This" had shot its way to legendary status in the U.K.'s burgeoning 2-step scene (not to mention the top of the charts), and it's easy to see how the London-bred New Zealander struggled to be taken seriously at the outset, despite her debut release "Single" making it to No. 3 in the U.K. in May 2004. But then "These Words" hit the airwaves and any residual doubts about Natasha's staying power evaporated as she stormed to the top of the British charts. Her debut album Unwritten embraced a diverse number of genres and is held together by Bedingfield's evident interest in pop songwriting (and much vaunted studies of psychology). 2008's Pocketful of Sunshine features a radio-friendly duet with the lovable Sean Kingston, and is Bedingfield's reentry back onto the American pop music radar. - Jamie Dolling

Nelly Furtado

Mon, 7 Dec 2009 10:13:45 -0800

Although she grew up in Canada, Nelly Furtado's parents were Portuguese immigrants, and she was raised surrounded by the rhythms of traditional Portuguese music. Still drawn to the beat years later, Furtado gravitated toward the popular rap and contemporary R&B groups of the day. Like many teenagers, she used music not only as a means of escape, but also as a way to fan the flames of her dreams. After graduating from high school, Furtado headed to Toronto, where she formed the hip-hop duo Nelster. Still working a day job, Furtado haunted clubs at night, until being spotted by Brian West and Gerald Eaton of the Philosopher Kings. The pair produced a demo that landed the chanteuse her deal with Dreamworks, and continued to turn the knobs on Furtado's 2000 debut, Whoa, Nelly!. Three years later, she issued the more reflective album, Folklore. Three years after that (and after giving birth to her daughter), Furtado took off in a completely different direction with Loose, a collection of sleek, sexy, hip-hop-infused dance pop (much of it, including the huge hit "Promiscuous," produced by Timbaland) aimed at conquering the top 40 -- which she certainly did. Another three years went by and it was time for -- you guessed it -- another new direction, this time with Mi Plan, a collection of Spanish-language pop. - Linda Ryan

Gwen Stefani

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 09:16:39 -0800

Gwen Stefani first came into the public conscious as the lead singer of overnight sensation No Doubt; with the advent of the band's first single, "Just a Girl," her blonde hair and belly piercing became immediate fixtures on MTV. No Doubt continued to sell records into the '00s, but in 2004 Stefani broke out on her own, releasing smash hit solo album Love Angel Music Baby and debuting a well-received fashion line called L.A.M.B.

The album found Stefani continuing to forge the friendship with hip-hop she began with her cameo on Eve's "Let Me Blow Ya Mind": many of the tracks featured fly hip-hop beats, provided by the likes of Dr. Dre, the Neptunes and Andre 3000. But the album also encompassed some of Stefani's other predilections, including Japanese culture and couture, embodied on both the tour and videos for Love Angel Music Baby by the Harajuku Girls. Stefani referred to the girls as her "imaginary" Japanese back-up dancers and named them (what else?) Love, Angel, Music and Baby, prompting comedienne Margaret Cho, who called the singer's performances a "minstrel show," and other critics to denounce Stefani as a racist.

Stefani's second album has yet to meet with the same explosive ire. The Sweet Escape, released in late 2006, once again pays hit-making, trend-setting tribute to Stefani's myriad passions, including dance pop, hip-hop, J-pop, Broadway musicals and her infant son (with Bush's Gavin Rossdale). - Rachel Devitt

Cyndi Lauper

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 09:16:44 -0800

Cyndi Lauper is forever linked to the early 1980s, but her talent is such that her career has weathered the subsequent decades well. Bright, sassy and brimming over with goofball charisma, Lauper never hid her Brooklyn-accented street smarts, and she's smiled publicly through career ups and downs. Lauper's 1984 debut, She's So Unusual, became one of the defining albums of the "leg warmer and shoulder pads" era with such hits as "Time After Time," "She Bop" and the irrepressible "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." If anyone else had sung "She Bop"'s "proud to practice self-abuse" lyrics during the early-'80s it would have caused major controversy, but Lauper's emphasis on good cheer instead of overt sexuality defused any potential public outcry. Her cartoon pop take on new wave may have hurt her career as times changed, but most of her subsequent recordings sound better and have sold more than most people would guess. Lauper also has a parallel acting career, and she's starred in movies with two of cinema's greatest eccentric talents, Christopher Walken and Jeff Goldblum. She's also won an Emmy for her recurring role on the '90s sitcom, Mad About You. - Nick Dedina

Anjulie

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 09:16:47 -0800

Anjulie is one of those precocious types who was probably born with the word "success" stamped on her forehead. The youngest child of Guyanese parents who immigrated to Toronto, Anjulie Persaud began playing and composing her own music while she was still a teenager. When she was 17, she scored herself an internship at Toronto's Metalworks recording studio. There, she befriended Jon Levine, keyboardist for Canadian R&B outfit the Philosopher Kings. Levine was so impressed with the young singer-songwriter that they began writing together -- for his band, for other artists and eventually on Anjulie's debut album, which dropped in July of 2009. The album's lead single was the vintage soul cut "Boom." - Rachel Devitt

Cascada

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:38:11 -0800

Cascada were formed in Germany when Natalie Horler joined forces with DJ Manian and Yanou. Natalie's love of music came from her jazz musician father -- she used to practice singing Disney numbers and copying jazz classics in the home studio before rounding out her performance skills with dance lessons and acting. This portfolio no doubt helped in the crafting of Cascada's famously high-energy live performances. They are best known for their hits "Miracle" and "Everytime We Touch." - Nicholas Baker

Gloria Estefan

Sun, 6 Dec 2009 09:55:41 -0800

Initially considered a Latin version of Madonna, Gloria Estefan developed from a dance diva into a respected songstress. With her husband on keyboards and in the producer's seat, Estefan's band Miami Sound Machine evolved from a wedding band to a veritable hit machine in the 1980s, composing accessible dance tunes that fused Disco with Salsa. "Conga" and "Rhythm is Gonna Get You" were chart-topping dance anthems rooted in Afro-Cuban rhythms that foreshadowed the tropical music explosion. In 1993 she released a Spanish language record, "Mi Tierra (My Land)," which was a mix of nostalgic ballads and contemporary Salsa. Singing in her mother tongue, Estefan's voice reached a new level of sophistication and highlighted her formidable range. Featuring a guest appearance by Celia Cruz on "Alma Caribena (Latin Soul)" (2000), Estefan wholeheartedly embraces her Cuban heritage with superb arrangements. Gloria and her husband Emilio can be credited with putting Miami on the musical map and reconnecting across a great divide back to their motherland -- Cuba. - Robert Leaver

Jennifer Lopez

Mon, 7 Dec 2009 10:13:42 -0800

She's been called a lot of things: J-Lo, Jenny from the Block, Mrs. Anthony. Just don't call La Lopez a diva, although she deserves it -- and not just for her alleged outlandish demands-making, entourage-rocking, fur-wearing behavior. Love her or hate her, you have to respect a woman who went from being a "Fly Girl" on In Living Color to a captain of the movie, music and fashion industries.

Born in the Bronx to Puerto Rican parents, Jennifer Lopez dabbled in musical theater as a child before moving on to small roles in film and television and backup dancing gigs for artists like New Kids on the Block and Janet Jackson. Several small movie roles followed, but it was her portrayal of beloved Tejano singer Selena in the 1997 film of the same name that catapulted Lopez to true stardom. After co-starring with George Clooney in 1998's well-received Out of Sight, Lopez recorded her first album, 1999's On the Six. All of which left people asking: sure, she can dance, act and sing, but can she design a fashion line? Yes, yes, she can. In 2001, Lopez founded Sweetface Fashion Club, home to her J.Lo and Sweetface lines.

Four more studio albums and a series of high-profile relationships (one word: Bennifer) later, Lopez settled down with hubby No. 3, Marc Anthony. The two of them produced and starred in 2007's El Cantante, a biopic about Puerto Rican salsa singer Hector Lavoe. That same year, Lopez put out two albums: Como Ama Mujer and Brave. - Rachel Devitt

Kylie Minogue

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 09:16:50 -0800

Armed with an appealing pop style that mesmerizes the masses release after release, Kylie Minogue is a dancefloor icon in the tradition of Madonna. This Australian-born actress turned pop performer has had a series of international hits since she first scored with an unforgettable 1987 cover of Little Eva's "The Loco-Motion." Currently sporting a slick, fresh take on disco trimmed with self-assured and seductively delivered lyrics, Minogue made a triumphant stateside comeback in 2002 with Fever. Songs like "Can't Get You Out of My Head" and "Love At First Site" sailed to the top of the charts, providing strong testimony to this kittenish pixie's staying power. In 2005, Minogue was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent the usual treatment of surgery and chemo, but that was punctuated by a few emotional stage performances amended to preserve the diminutive singer's strength. After a few years' hiatus, Minogue returned to recording in 2007. - Melissa Piazza

T.A.T.U.

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 09:16:47 -0800

T.A.T.U. exploded onto the international pop world in 2002, featuring the female Russian teen duo making out on stage and professing lesbian love for one another at every opportunity. Despite the fact that a year later the pair admitted they were not in fact a gay couple, that stunt remains probably the greatest marketing ploy of all time. Performing live in their underwear and making a point to tongue-kiss each other onstage, T.A.T.U. also found time to release not one, but two albums, the first of which 200KM/H In the Wrong Lane, was an international bestseller on the strength of the hit "All The Things She Said." - Mike McGuirk

Wham!

Tue, 1 Dec 2009 09:47:56 -0800

The British pop duo Wham! formed in 1981 as a collaboration between George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. Their 1984 effort Make It Big yielded four huge American hits including "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," "Everything She Wants," "Freedom," and "Careless Whisper." The fact that Michael took on a majority of the duties by functioning as the duo's primary composer, singer, and producer laid the groundwork for a successful solo career that followed after the pair split in 1986. Ridgeley's post-Wham! ambitions produced an ill-fated, short-lived solo career before he retired from music to work as an environmental activist. - Nate Cavalieri

Paula Abdul

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:38:15 -0800

While Paula Abdul's pert physique and choreographic skills fit in perfectly with the MTV age, this cheery -- and privately troubled -- personality had a tough time weathering the second half of the '90s. With Madonna moving on, the new century is aching for the charismatic Abdul to make a comeback and reclaim the elegant Dance Pop crown she wore while flawlessly tapping around MC Skat Kat. - Nick Dedina

Vanessa Hudgens

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:19:33 -0800

Vanessa Hudgens is probably best known for one of three things: her star-making turn as Gabrielle Montez in the Disney Channel's phenomenally successful made-for-TV-movie series High School Musical; her relationship with her HSM costar, teen heartthrob Zac Efron; or the scandal involving provocative photos of Hudgens that surfaced on the internet in 2007. But there's more to the young singer/actress's story than just the usual Disney-princess-turned-tabloid-fodder fare. Take these less-circulated facts: The Salinas-born, San Diego-raised starlet has been performing since age eight (she got her start in musicals) and moved to England to study music and acting for a brief period. After the first HSM came out, the Teen Choice award-winner was offered a record deal with Hollywood, which produced two dance-pop albums sleek and slick enough to appeal to audiences beyond Disney's target demographic: 2006's V and 2008's Identified. Finally, the child of a white and Native American father and a Philippines-born mother, Hudgens is also one of the most prominent (and perhaps only) artists of Filipino or Native American descent on the charts -- or the screen -- today. - Rachel Devitt

Faith Evans

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 09:16:49 -0800

Faith Evans was an up-and-coming R&B songwriter and behind-the-scenes player before she got her shot at solo stardom. The fact that she's Notorious B.I.G.'s widow has somewhat obscured her own mainstream R&B music, but she was her own musical navigator before her marriage, and she remains one of the shining lights of hip-hop-infused R&B. - Nick Dedina

Thompson Twins

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:27:18 -0800

- Chad Driscoll

Crazy Frog

Sun, 6 Dec 2009 09:55:43 -0800

The Crazy Frog was spawned in 17-year-old Swede Daniel Malmedahl's bedroom in 1997 as an impression of the sounds made by his friends' souped-up two-stroke scooters as they raced around local streets. His efforts were posted up on the Internet, at which point he was invited to perform live on national TV. Several websites then picked up on the phenomenon, with fellow Swede Erik Wernquist setting it to the now-famous amphibian animations. The pair were then approached by the real player in all of this, ringtone company Jamster, who swept Crazy Frog to prominence worldwide, shifting $15 million's worth of tones in the U.K. alone and propelling it into the charts to the strains of Harold Faltermeyer's "Axel F."

Roxette

Sun, 6 Dec 2009 09:55:35 -0800

Swedish pop duo Roxette picked up where Abba left off, providing charmingly accented and instantly forgettable dance tunes for rafts of pre-teens in the late '80s. They had a catchy hook up each sleeve, and their boy/girl vocals warmed the mix considerably. - Nick Dedina

ATB

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 09:16:39 -0800

European club favorite ATB, born Andre Tannenberger, is best known for scoring high on the charts with his 1999 Sound of Ministry release "9pm (Til I Come)." Fashioned from soul-lifting synths, seductive vocal snippets and physically-fit beats, this trend-setting Teutonic Trancemaster's anthems have proven to be some of the most memorable moments in dance music's developing history. - Melissa Piazza

Paul Hardcastle

Tue, 1 Dec 2009 09:48:00 -0800

Perhaps he is forever to be best known as the man who brought electro-funk and Vietnam together in 1985's "19" but Paul Hardcastle has proven to be a studio innovator and an enduring contributor to the world of lite funk. His earlier '80s work showed an interest in R&B and the emerging sounds of hip-hop. His unlikely hit "19" brought massive amounts of attention to this English studio wizard, resulting in the equally unlikely combination of funk and the voices of English stalwarts Bob Hoskins and Lawrence Olivier. More at home behind the scenes, Paul Hardcastle has kept busy composing television themes for the BBC as well as releasing several albums under the pseudonyms Jazzmasters and Kiss the Sky, among others. - Jon Pruett

Aqua

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:19:42 -0800

DeBarge

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:27:16 -0800

Rick Astley

Mon, 7 Dec 2009 10:13:48 -0800

Pop crooner Rick Astley saw a few moments of fame in the late '80s when his rounded bubble of a voice chanted Hallmark sentiments such as "Never Gonna Give You Up" and "Together Forever" over untiring dance beats. He certainly deserved the fame; his voice was deep and relatively powerful. But all things fade, and Astley reportedly grew tired of the singer-puppet image foisted on him by his production team. Astley hasn't released much material in the years since. - Sarah Bardeen

The White Tie Affair

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 11:45:30 -0700

Following in Fall Out Boy's platinum-clad footsteps, fellow Chicagoans the White Tie Affair blend peppy emo and party-hard club jams into guitar pop that's sassy, glamorous and above all else, decadent. They are like the aural equivalent of a Friday-night cruise through the big city in a Hummer limo rocking with half-naked Maxim babes. The White Tie Affair started gigging around the Windy City with the specific intention of developing '80s-inspired dance music. After signing to Slightly Dangerous (a subsidiary of Epic Records) in 2007, the quintet hit the tour circuit with the likes of Metro Station, Secondhand Serenade, Kill Hannah and Making April. In support of its debut album, 2008's Walk This Way, the band teamed up with Playboy. Further cementing their party-boy image, the White Tie Affair appeared in a glitzy photo spread, played Hef's annual Pajama Party and participated in the Girls of the Big 10 Tour. At the same time, steamy, babe-a-licious videos for their first two singles, "Allow Me to Introduce Myself...Mr. Right" and "Candle (Sick and Tired)," became YouTube sensations. Edited versions quickly made their way to MTV. - Justin Farrar

Chante Moore

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:21:19 -0800

A talented vocalist, Chante Moore got into the entertainment business as a child, writing and singing her own songs, acting in plays, and competing in beauty pageants. Her first big break in the music industry came in the early 1990s, when she sang back up for El Debarge on his solo LP In The Storm. She released her debut album Precious in 1992, flexing a pop-flavored R&B style akin to artists like Vanessa Williams and Toni Braxton. Her second LP A Love Supreme produced the single "Old School Lovin'." She closed out the decade with two more solo albums and a greatest hits collection appeared in 2004. - Brolin Winning

Deee-Lite

Wed, 5 Aug 2009 11:18:01 -0700

These Dance Pop legends mastered the art of mainstream accessibility with their chart-topping sound that fused House, Techno, hip-hop and Funk. Noted for their platform-shoe-requiring, boundary-dissolving hit "Groove Is In the Heart," Deee-Lite epitomized New York club culture in the early 1990s. Kept alive on frat-house speakers and at retro-themed parties worldwide. - Melissa Piazza

Yaz

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:57:10 -0700

This synth-pop duo, fronted by the throaty Alison Moyet, had four British hit singles in their two years together. (In the States they're known as Yaz, but in their native UK it's Yazoo.) Co-founder Vince Clarke left Depeche Mode in 1981 to form Yaz. Clarke wrote one of Yaz' biggest hits, "Only You," for Depeche Mode, but they didn't want it. After Yaz, Moyet went solo and Clarke went on to form Erasure with Andy Bell.

Taylor Dayne

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 09:16:56 -0800

Taylor Dayne hit the charts running in 1987 with "Tell it to My Heart." While her crossover fire has dimmed since then, she still remains a dance diva. She has more natural talent than many of her younger heirs apparent.

Schiller

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:32:22 -0700

Schiller, the project of Grammy-nominated DJ/producer Christopher von Deylen, create soothing New Age dance music with a hint of trance and ambient elements. German electronic pioneer von Deylen named the group for the famous 18th-century German poet and philosopher Friedrich Schiller. In 1998, Schiller released the hugely popular "Glockenspiel," a straight-up trance song that featured the bell-like glockenspiel sampled over a bouncy dance beat. The international success of the song pushed them to create a full-length album, and the following year, they released Zeitgeist. The album featured more trance singles aimed directly at the club scene, but Schiller also began venturing into ambient, New Age and breakbeat genres on future albums like Voyage, Life and Prologue. Schiller's musical influences include Tangerine Dream, Jean-Michel Jarre and Kraftwerk, and they count artists such as Sarah Brightman, Sinead O'Connor and Mike Oldfield as fans. In late 2008, Schiller were nominated for four Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year for the chart-topping trance single "Tired of Being Alone." - Jamie Sanchez

Sheena Easton

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:00:05 -0700

DJ Sammy

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:25:03 -0800

DJ Sammy's penchant for Trance and 1980s rock is finally paying off. In 2002, his adaptations of Bryan Adams' "Heaven" and Don Henley's "Boys of Summer" appeared on dance charts and mainstream mix compilations such as DJ Encore's Ultra Dance Vol. 2. Much like Puff Daddy and Will Smith, Sammy reworks familiar songs into more dance-friendly formats, but instead of using hip-hop flavored beats and rhymes, his style relies on such dramatic electronica techniques as arpeggio synth builds and diva-led vocals. Prior to the release of his career-changing Heaven LP, the Spanish producer spent over a decade behind the 1's and 2's as an underground club DJ performing throughout Europe. - Peter Gavin

September

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 09:16:47 -0800

Hailing from Stockholm, Sweden, September (real name Petra Marklund) is the dance-pop singer behind hits like "Cry for You" and "Until I Die." A precocious talent, Marklund got her start in the industry early. At only 12 years old she was already recording in studios; at 18 she released her first single, "La La La (Never Give It Up)," which made it to No. 8 in Sweden's pop charts. Working alongside the songwriting and production trio of Jonas von der Burg, Niclas von der Burg and Anoo Bhagavan, September went on to release multiple singles and three albums between 2004 and 2007. A frequent visitor to various European pop charts, she represented her home country in 2007's Sopot International Song Festival, against artists like Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Thierry Amiel. - Philip Sherburne

Westlife

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 11:45:23 -0700

One of the more recent entries into the boy band sweepstakes, this quintet of Irish lads has already begun to hit it big in the quest to woo the hearts of teenage girls everywhere. Fans devote website after website to posting photos of these sweater-clad heartthrobs. They hold debates as to which member -- Shane, Nick, Bryan, Mark or Kyan -- is the most gorgeous and occasionally throw in a word or two about their music. Gushing with mall-friendly harmonies and sticky-sweet love lyrics, Westlife's music faithfully follows a time-proven formula, and would probably be right at home on a thirteen-year-old's CD shelf, sitting to the right of 'N-Sync and to the left of the Backstreet Boys. - Will York

El DeBarge

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:20:26 -0800

C + C Music Factory

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:50:52 -0800

Dance-Pop purists Robert Clivilles and David Cole formed the C + C Music Factory in the early 1990s with rapper Freedom Williams and vocalists Zelma Davis and Martha Walsh. They quickly made dance music history with three hit singles that combined elements of House, rock and hip-hop: "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)," "Things That Make You Go Hmmmm..." and "Here We Go" (all from debut album, Gonna Make You Sweat). 1994's follow-up album, Anything Goes! garnered only lukewarm praise. The production team dissolved when David Cole succumbed to spinal meningitis in 1995. - Melissa Piazza

Mary Jane Girls

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:20:05 -0800

The Mary Jane Girls may have started out as Rick "Superfreak" James' backup singers, but the foursome became a bona fide group (under his tutelage, of course) just a couple of years later. James essentially invented the girls' personas as characters for his own live act, and wrote all the songs on their debut and sophomore efforts. In fact, the two camps were so intertwined that when James started to have legal troubles with Motown Records in the mid-'80s, the Mary Jane Girls also suffered. The group was dropped, and never recorded a third album for that, or any other, label. - Linda Ryan

Utada Hikaru

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 08:08:47 -0700

Utada Hikaru is one of Japanese pop's guiding lights. She was writing songs before she hit puberty, and when an EMI executive caught wind of her skills, he asked her to write her songs in Japanese. She did, and became an overnight sensation in Japan. Utada jumped labels in 2004 and released her first English language album, the evocatively named Exodus, the same year. - Sarah Bardeen

Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam

Sun, 6 Dec 2009 09:55:40 -0800

An early Dance Pop powerhouse from the early 1980s, Lisa Lisa & the Cult Jam produced catchy cuts that made an indelible mark on the masses -- especially the teenage set. Responsible for such chart-hitting tracks as "I Wonder if I Take You Home," "All Cried Out," "Head to Toe" and "Can You Feel the Beat," Lisa Lisa & the Cult Jam were a trio that performed radio-ready songs written and produced by Brooklyn's six-person musical team, Full Force. Emphasizing an undeniably danceable, electro-influenced instrumental mix over cute lyrics that are neither memorable nor remarkable, Lisa Lisa & the Cult Jam's sing-along tunes are decidedly easy to imitate. - Melissa Piazza