Top Teen Beat Artists on Rhapsody Online

Miley Cyrus

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:25:01 -0800

Are you, do you have, or have you recently been around an eight-year-old girl? Then you know who Miley Cyrus is. In fact, we'd bet the young star of the Disney Channel's Hannah Montana has been an omnipresent part of your life since 2006, when her series about a regular girl who leads a secret double life as a pop star named Hannah Montana premiered, and Cyrus became tween America's biggest star. She has talent in spades: she sings, she dances, she wears couture. On top of all that, she's apparently the most well-adjusted celebrity in the world, thanks in part to her mom and her famous dad (one Mr. Billy Ray Cyrus of "Achy Breaky Heart" fame, who is also her Hannah Montana costar), who've helped her become an icon for how to do child stardom (and, for that matter, being a teenager) right simply by not spoiling their famous spawn rotten. So don't think Miley Cyrus is just going to be another young flame that burns out early. With several successful Hannah soundtracks, a tour opening for the Cheetah Girls and a Top 20 hit on the grownup pop charts (2007's "See You Again") under her belt at just 15, this girl's future looks bright. - Rachel Devitt

Demi Lovato

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:42:58 -0700

So you've seen Camp Rock, right? No? OK, then you've at least watched Barney once or twice. You haven't? What are you, some kind of grown-up? Well, then, chances are you've yet to come in contact with young Ms. Demi Lovato, who got her start showing her gums on the purple dino's cute-fest at age six and her big break as a star of Disney's 2008 rock-camp-themed movie-musical. But you're going to be seeing a lot more of her: The Dallas, Tex., native stars in the Disney Channel series Sonny with a Chance and makes headlines for her BFF-ship with fellow Disney starlet Selena Gomez. And her buddies the Jonas Brothers (who also star in Camp Rock) worked with Lovato, a longtime singer-songwriter, to put together her debut album in 2008. For album two, 2009's Here I Go Again, she enlisted John Mayer as inspiration and collaborator. - Rachel Devitt

Britney Spears

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:24:59 -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

Kelly Clarkson

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

The first-ever American Idol, Kelly Clarkson won over America with her soulful voice, bubbly personality and "small-town girl makes it big" story. Before Idol, the native Texan had made a dismal run at Hollywood, and after she hightailed it back to Burleson, her friends convinced her to audition for the competition. The show launched Clarkson, and her debut album proved that America had voted correctly. "A Moment Like This" was a colossal hit, and the album went multiplatinum, winning Clarkson her first Grammy (for "Miss Independent"). On second album Breakaway, Clarkson distanced herself from Idol's ickier aspects (From Justin to Kelly, anyone?) and went off in a new direction: adult contemporary-approved rocker chick. She then released My December in 2007. Co-written by Clarkson, the album is a more honest reflection of the A.I. heroine. In fact, RCA tycoon Clive Davis deemed it too negative and offered her $10 million to scratch some of the songs. Clarkson refused the offer and held her ground. Her next album, 2009's All I Ever Wanted, lightened My December's darkness with the pop touch that made fans fall in love with her in the first place. - Rachel Devitt

Ashley Tisdale

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:50:13 -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

Jonas Brothers

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:25:08 -0800

Call them precocious, call them adorable, just don't call them the second coming of Hanson. Because this brother trio is here to rock. And they don't do three-part harmony. New Jersey brothers Kevin, Joseph and Nicholas Jonas were 17, 16 and 13, respectively, when they released their debut album in 2006. They got their start when littlest bro Nicholas, in possession of a soulful prepubescent voice, finagled a solo record deal with Daylight/Columbia. When Columbia got wind that there were two other Jonas brothers who were just as cute and musically inclined, Nick's solo act quickly became a trio, with Kevin on guitar and Joe and Nick switching off on vocals, keyboards and percussion. Their first album was a collection of hyper, hook-driven pop-punk that got the attention of tweens across America. And that got the attention of Disney, which stuck them on a bazillion soundtracks and then released their sophomore effort in 2007, all before Nick was a sophomore. OK, sorry about that one. And sorry about the Hanson crack, too -- the brothers Jonas don't mind, anyway. They're so cool, they even made a joke comparing themselves to Hanson on their second album. - Rachel Devitt

Justin Timberlake

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:38:14 -0800

From his adolescence on Disney's The Mickey Mouse Club through his coming of age in the hugely popular boy band *NSYNC, Justin Timberlake became one of the 1990s' biggest heartthrobs, and everything from his romance with Britney Spears to his love of fast cars turned into headline fodder. Unlike so many ex-boy band boys before (and after) him, *NSYNC's most popular member managed to parlay his teen-idol status into credible adult stardom. And how: Two phenomenally successful albums and four Grammys into his solo career, Justin Timberlake is arguably the world's most celebrated pop star; his frequent collaborations with super-producers like the Neptunes and Timbaland and his undeniable knack for white-hot blue-eyed soul-pop have earned the respect of the hip-hop community, while his dreamy looks and wounded-puppy falsetto still make the little girls ... and their sisters ... and their mothers swoon. Wardrobe malfunctions? Messy breakups? JT skates past them all, a designer fedora cocked to one side. Not too shabby for a former child star from Millington, Tennessee, who got his start singing country (and losing) on Star Search. - Rachel Devitt

Avril Lavigne

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:23:03 -0800

The logical next step after the late-'90s/early-'00s teen-pop explosion was a more rock-oriented but every bit as market-tested version of the same basic template. Enter Avril Ramona Lavigne, a saucy Canadian teen whose ability to smash punky angst into a poppy package brought her great success in 2002, when she released her debut on the strength of single "Complicated." Her first album, Let Go (Number Two, 2002), released when the Ontario singer was 17 years old, sold more than 6 million copies and earned the singer-songwriter eight Grammy nominations. Alongside "Complicated"(Number Two, 2002), the album included singles "Sk8r Boi"(Number 10, 2002) and "I'm With You"(Number Four, 2003), as well as the Number 64 "Losing Grip"(2003). Lavigne has affixed her on-cue snarl and Valley-girl-inspired vocal to pop culture's center ever since.

Lavigne was raised in Napanee, Ontario, and sang locally as a child and early teen while growing up in a Christian home. She signed with Arista Records at 16, leaving school and moving to New York to begin work on her debut. The hit-making songwriting/production trio the Matrix worked on "Complicated," which led Let Go to multiplatinum status, while the song's video helped turn the singer's tank-top-and-necktie look into a brief craze.

For her follow-up, Under My Skin (Number One, 2004), Lavigne worked with Evanescence member Ben Moody, Butch Walker, singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk and her own touring guitarist Evan Taubenfeld on the songwriting. (One song Lavigne co-wrote, but was later cut from the album was "Breakaway," which became the title track of Kelly Clarkson's multiplatinum album of the same name.) The hits weren't as big, but Lavigne still charted solidly with "Don't Tell Me" (Number 22, 2004), "Nobody's Home" (Number 41, 2004), and relationship rant "My Happy Ending" (Number Nine, 2005). Ironically, Lavigne, who's been known to clash with the paparazzi, did find a happy ending, marrying fellow Canuck rocker Deryck Whibley of Sum 41 in July 2006.

The following year's The Best Damn Thing (Number One, 2007) was a return to the peppier Let Go style after the more somber Skin, yielding the chanty hit "Girlfriend" (Number One, 2007), which stayed in the Top 10 for about half a year and prompted a lawsuit from James Gangwer and Tommy Dunbar of power poppers the Rubinoos, who heard a more-than-superficial resemblance to their own 1979 song "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend”; the suit was settled in January 2008. Other singles from the album — which featured production by Whibley, Walker, Levine, Rob Cavallo and Dr. Luke — included "Keep Holding On"(Number 17, 2007), "When You're Gone" (Number 24, 2007), and "Hot" (Number 95, 2007).

Christina Aguilera

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

A former star of The New Mickey Mouse Club who hit it big with an innuendo-laden single, then traded in her implicitly not-so-good-girl image for an explicitly not-so-good-girl image. Where have we heard this one before? The child of an Ecuadorian-American father and a Caucasian mother, Christina Aguilera started her career as a professional performer at age ten with a 1990 appearance on Star Search. Her subsequent Mickey Mouse Club stint led to Disney using her "Reflection" on the 1998 Mulan soundtrack, and RCA released her self-titled debut in 1999. Dance-pop smashes like "Genie in a Bottle" and "What a Girl Wants" showcased her big voice, which, along with her Spanish-language version of the album (Mi Reflejo), set her apart from the late-'90s crowd of pop-star ingenues.

Yet Aguilera was still coming in second to Britney. Her appearance on the sexy 2001 remake of "Lady Marmalade" suggested a way into the spotlight. She radically altered her image for 2002's Stripped and became Xtina, widely mocked for her look even as her voice proved soulful and mature. But in 2006 she released the acclaimed Back to Basics, a tribute to the jazz and soul she says inspires her, and cemented her status as a grown-up diva. - Rachel Devitt

Selena Gomez

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:07:25 -0800

Thus far in her young career, Selena Gomez has mostly been known as an actress and as half of a much-ballyhooed BFF-ship with fellow tween star Demi Lovato (plus the target of Miley Cyrus's ire in a battled waged in YouTube videos, possibly over Nick Jonas). Raised in Texas, Gomez, like Lovato, got her start on Barney and Friends before getting discovered by Disney and making the rounds on the Channel. After guest shots on several shows and TV movies (including Princess Protection Program with her BFF), she eventually got a starring gig on Wizards of Waverly Place. Like everyone in the Disney stable, however, Gomez is a double threat who also sings: She's recorded tracks for several of her acting projects and signed a deal with Disney's Hollywood Records in 2008. - Rachel Devitt

Kellie Pickler

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:49:46 -0800

The story of Kellie Pickler couldn't be more perfectly suited for a 21st century country singer had it been made up: A fast-food drive-in waitress from a tiny town in North Carolina, raised by her grandparents after her mother gave her up and her drug-addict father went to jail, catapulted into the pop spotlight via new-millennium TV sensation American Idol. Pickler was eliminated from the competition early on during the show's fifth season, but she persevered, hitting post-Idol pay dirt with "Red High Heels" (Number 15 Country; Number 64 Pop, 2006) and the autobiographical "I Wonder" (Number 14 Country; Number 75 Pop, 2006).

She was born on June 28th, 1986, in Albemarle, North Carolina, to her then-18-year-old mother Cynthia Morton and father Clyde "Bo" Pickler, Jr. When the singer was two, her mother gave up her custodial rights, and Kellie was raised by her paternal grandparents in the nearby village of Palestine. (Pickler's hit song "I Wonder" ponders what her life would have been like had her mother not abandoned her.) In 2004, she graduated from North Stanly High School and sang LeeAnn Rimes' "On the Side of Angels" at her commencement ceremony. After school, she continued living with her grandfather while working at the Sonic Drive-In. That year, she also won the Miss Stanly County beauty pageant and competed in the Miss North Carolina contest.

In 2005, with the urging of her grandfather, she auditioned for American Idol in Greensboro, and made the cut. Inspired by Dolly Parton, Pickler lasted several rounds into the contest and was a favorite of Idol's curmudgeon judge, Simon Cowell. Although she was eliminated from before reaching the top, her country-bumpkin personality and Jessica Simpson-like ditzy humor charmed the show's fans and judges alike, and she signed a record deal with BNA Records, the label of country superstar Kenny Chesney. A week after her elimination from the contest, her father was released from prison, where he had served three years for aggravated assault.

Pickler's first album, Small Town Girl (Number One Country; Number Nine Pop, 2006), came out in October 2006 and sold 79,000 copies in its first week. Pickler's down-home and unpretentious personality has landed her on an array of TV shows, from prominent spots on The View and The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. In late 2007, she won a songwriter's award at the ASCAP Awards for "Red High Heels" and later, at the Country Music Awards show, received a standing ovation for her tearful performance of "I Wonder." Pickler's second album — which she says will include songs of a very personal nature about her rocky upbringing — is due out in 2008.

Enrique Iglesias

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:52:18 -0800

As the son of Julio Iglesias -- perhaps the most famous singer in the Spanish-speaking world -- Enrique was born to stardom. He recorded his demo tape under a false name, not wanting to be seen as the son of Julio, but the relationship was ultimately a factor in the blockbuster success of his first record in 1995. Possessing a strong natural voice that is well suited to both romantic and dance material, he sings confidently in Spanish and English. His first monster hit, the power ballad "Experiencia Religiosa," topped the charts in every Spanish-speaking country. Teaming up with top writers and producers, he continued with eleven No. 1 hits in a row on the Billboard Latin charts. His song "Bailamos" began his crossover career, and soon after he was performing at the Superbowl. The ultimate marker of success is that three Spanish soap operas are named after his songs. Although his father is still revered, Enrique's popularity has now eclipsed his father's, as any Latina teenager can testify. - Robert Leaver

The Veronicas

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:37:26 -0800

The Veronicas are an Australian pop rock duo geared to appeal to either teen age girls, middle-aged men or both. Identical twins Lisa and Jess Origliasso dress like bad girls and play guitar-centric songs about love and rebellion while wearing tons and tons of eye makeup. This may be a very savvy marketing move, but to the girls' credit, they come off as intelligent kids rather than T.A.T.U.-like self-exploiters and the songs themselves are well-written and catchy. - Mike McGuirk

Jesse McCartney

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:06:18 -0700

Jesse McCartney has made a name for himself through TV appearances, movie soundtracks, stints on Radio Disney, as a character on the TV soap All My Children, as a member of a boy band called Dream Street and, as of late 2003, a solo artist in the mold of Nick Carter or Justin Timberlake, albeit a bit lighter. McCartney's debut album, Beautiful Soul, will appeal to pretty much every single preteen girl in the United States unless they are one of those weird kids who like Marilyn Manson. His second record, Right Where You Want Me, appeared in 2006, and in 2008 the not-so-young-anymore McCartney put out Departure. - Mike McGuirk

Backstreet Boys

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:23:50 -0700

The Backstreet Boys originally built up their massive fan base in Canada and Europe; it wasn't until the 1997 release of second studio album Backstreet's Back that they grabbed the ears of millions of teenage girls in the U.S with their intensely sweet, danceable pop. Just when the band's popularity seemed to be peaking, things began to unravel. In July 2001, a tour was put on hold when A.J. McLean checked into rehab. McLean had barely rejoined the tour when tragedy struck: a close associate of the band died on one of the hijacked planes on September 11. The group soon regained its strength when Greatest Hits Chapter 1 was released. The album featured the single "Drowning," which once again put the Backstreet Boys back on the pop charts. But the next year saw Nick Carter getting arrested and the band filing a multimillion-dollar breach of contract lawsuit against their record label. It didn't come as much of a surprise, then, when the Backstreet Boys announced in early 2003 that each member would focus on their own projects. But it wasn't long before they returned as a group to the spotlight with 2005's Never Gone. Two years later, they came out with Unbreakable. - Linda Ryan

Aly & AJ

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:13:22 -0800

They went pop before they went to middle school: Teenage sister act Aly & Amanda Joy Michalka started playing piano by age six and were taking acting lessons soon after. Noting the seriousness of their aspirations and the level of their talent, their parents moved the clan from Seattle back to their native L.A. to get them deeper into the industry. Aly and AJ took diverse roles acting on television, and their first recordings were covers of "Do You Believe in Magic" and "Walking on Sunshine," both of which were included in the soundtrack to Disney's Herbie: Fully Loaded. Their debut album, Into the Rush, was released on the Disney-owned Hollywood Records label in August 2005 and was a minor hit with the TRL set. An album of Christmas music, Acoustic Hearts of Winter, appeared in 2006, with Insomniatic following in the summer of 2007. - Jonathan Zwickel

'NSYNC

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:25:12 -0800

With members forged in the same Mickey Mouse Club crucible that produced Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, 'NSYNC are every preteen's dream: a hunky ensemble of soulful boys harmonizing on the hazards of puppy love and other pressing adolescent concerns. 'NSYNC rose to fame in the music biz's emerging teen market, armed with more "babys" per stanza than the Ronettes, a string of hit videos, and hair gel by the fistful. These song and dance prodigies -- backed by an ace production team -- surpassed everyone's wildest expectations, setting kittenish hearts aflutter the world over. - Chad Driscoll

Hilary Duff

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:21:45 -0700

After landing a handful of small movie parts, Hilary Duff got her big break when she was cast as Lizzie McGuire, the title character of a show created by the Disney Channel. Pre-teens and teens were drawn to Duff's affable charm and the show's realistic subject matter, making Lizzie McGuire a smash hit. Following several successful seasons, Duff parlayed her popularity into better movie roles, landing choice parts in box office hits such as Agent Cody Banks and the inevitable The Lizzie McGuire Movie. At the same time, Duff tested the waters of a music career; in 2002 she put out a Christmas album. The multi-talented youngster released Metamorphosis the following year. It topped both the singles and album charts, making Duff the "it" girl of the new millennium. Starring roles in movies such as A Cinderella Story kept Duff's name in the limelight while she worked on her follow-up album, the self-titled Hilary Duff, released on her 17th birthday in September 2004. - Linda Ryan

Cast - High School Musical

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 12:14:32 -0800

If you don't know who the cast of High School Musical is, we're gonna go out on a limb and assume you don't know any children. And yes, you could turn to the nearest tween for the answer and get an earful of names rattled off: Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale; Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay. But what it really comes down to is that the cast of the Disney Channel's original-movie-turned-runaway-licensing-phenomenon are just a bunch of regular kids who came together over an afternoon spent in detention (and yes, there is a prom queen, a jock, and a brain -- but no freak or delinquent; come on, it's a Disney musical). After overcoming a few obstacles, they not only win the scholastic decathlon and the big game, they also discover a shared love (and talent) for, well, high school musicals and go on to stage two more of them in HSMs 2 and 3 (so far). - Rachel Devitt

Mandy Moore

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:05:13 -0700

Along with fellow blonde Jessica Simpson, singer and actress Mandy Moore was among the second tier of teen queens to follow the massive late-Nineties success of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. But Moore had a more serious streak and by 2003 had gone from blonde to brunette and was trying to change her teenybopper image into that of a real actress and interpretive adult-contemporary pop/rock singer in the vein of Linda Ronstadt. By 2007, Moore was writing her own songs.

She was born Amanda Leigh Moore on April 10th, 1984, in Nashua, New Hampshire, and raised in Altamonte Springs, Florida. Her journalist mother and pilot father are a combined mix of Irish, English, Jewish and Cherokee, and though Moore was raised Catholic she doesn't practice any particular religion today. Moore attended the Catholic Bishop Moore High School in nearby Orlando and Lake Brantley High School in her hometown. After she saw the musical Oklahoma!, Moore's grandmother encouraged her to pursue her own dreams of music and theater. As a child, she frequently sang the national anthem at sporting events in the Orlando area. When a FedEx man heard her singing at a recording session, he told his friend, an Epic Records A&R man, about Moore and she soon signed with the label.

Epic at first cast her as another Britney Spears, sending her on tour with the Backstreet Boys in support of her first album, So Real (Number 31, 1999). By the following year, the album had sold more than a million copies and yielded the hit "Candy" (Number 41, 1999). Inexplicably, the label released a reconfigured version of the album the following year titled I Wanna Be with You (Number 21, 2000); the title song reached Number 24 on the Billboard 200. The true follow-up, Mandy Moore (Number 35, 2001), was a more mature dance-pop album, utilizing the sitar in the Indian-flavored single "In My Pocket." Though it failed to chart on the Billboard 200, the single reached Number 21 on the trade magazine's Top 40 Mainstream chart. Its follow-up single "Crush" also failed to chart, although MTV aired its video frequently.

Between 2001 and 2003, Moore matured and decided she wanted to pursue more serious music. With its Seventies-style soft-focus cover, her next album, Coverage (Number 14, 2003), found Moore interpreting classic tracks by respected songwriters such as Carole King ("I Feel the Earth Move"), Joni Mitchell ("Help Me"), Elton John and Bernie Taupin ("Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters"), Andy Partridge of XTC ("Senses Working Overtime") and Joan Armatrading ("Drop the Pilot"). The album received generally positive reviews, and the King cover wound up appearing on a gay rights tribute disc, Love Rocks. However, none of the singles charted and Epic dropped Moore. To fulfill her contract, the label issued a greatest-hits collection that tanked. The following year, parent company Sony released another compilation, the budget-priced Candy, via its Special Products division. It was a commerical failure, too.

Warner Bros. picked up Moore but also dropped her when she expressed interest in writing and recording her own songs. Meanwhile, the singer had posted her version of the Lori McKenna song "Beautiful Man" on her MySpace page. In interviews, Moore began distancing herself from the teen-pop of her past, going so far as to call it "crappy" in a ROLLING STONE interview. It was a hint of what was to come. In 2006, she inked a deal with the new EMI Records imprint the Firm and released Wild Hope (Number 30, 2007), which she recorded at a studio in Woodstock, New York. She co-wrote all of the songs — two with previous collaborator James Renald, three with McKenna and the rest with indie-folk duo the Weepies. Wild Hope was similar, instrumentally and melodically, to the songs Moore interpreted on her covers album, and her voice had grown into a much stronger and deeper instrument. With Wild Hope, Moore telescoped her fanbase to listeners of more serious singer-songwriter music, and the album was generally well received and produced a Number 25 Hot Adult Top Forty song, "Extraordinary," with an accompanying video that features the singer in 120 different roles. Moore went on tour to support the album in late 2007.

Moore has had simultaneous careers in the film and fashion industries. In addition to her early 2000s MTV talk show Mandy, she appeared in the 2001 movie The Princess Diaries and starred in the popular but critically panned 2002 movie A Walk to Remember. Moore's role as a nice Christian girl won her three awards that year including Breakthrough Female Performance at the MTV Movie Awards and two Teen Choice Awards. She also provided the voice for a character in the video game Kingdom Hearts and acted in an Elton John video. Those appearances landed Moore roles in the romantic comedies How to Deal (2003) and Chasing Liberty (2004), and the critically lauded religious satire Saved! (2004). The following year she had a short-lived role in the popular HBO series Entourage. In 2006 she guest-starred in Scrubs (she also dated the show's star, Zach Braff, for nearly two years), voiced a character on the Simpsons and appeared in the film American Dreamz, a parody of both American politics and American Idol. In 2007 she starred alongside Diane Keaton in Because I Said So as well as License to Wed. Additionally, Moore has modeled, appearing on the cover of Cosmopolitan, started her own fashion line, Mblem, as well as the women's social network Upumpitup.com.

New Edition

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

After the Osmonds, but before Backstreet Boys, New Edition were the cute boy band who made Bubblegum pop for adolescent girls in the '80s. Ralph Tresvant's prepubescent vocals were as cotton-candy sweet as a young Michael Jackson's, and similar enough to make early listeners think they were hearing a recently unearthed Jackson 5 demo. By the '90s, they had grown tired of their image as teenybopper pinups, and acquired a more mature New Jack Swing style. The group finally dedicated themselves to solo projects, resulting in successful careers for Bell Biv Devoe, Bobby Brown, Johnny Gill and Ralph Tresvant. - Rosemary Pepper

Vanessa Hudgens

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:50:13 -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

Ricky Martin

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:09:53 -0800

When Ricky Martin crossed over to English language audiences in 1999, he seemed to come out of nowhere. But this former member of Menudo had been a Latin Pop star for most of the 1990s. The charismatic Martin is a throwback to a time when musicians were also entertainers. He can sing up a storm, dance, and smile, all at the same time -- a refreshing change of pace in an era when most modern pop and hip-hop stars have little to offer but seriousness. Martin may not have the substance of Marc Anthony, but he is one of the hardest-working people in show business, seemingly able to work in any musical style -- neo Salsa, romantic ballads and Jangle Pop, to name a few. - Nick Dedina

Jessica Simpson

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:05:15 -0700

It seems that the Mickey Mouse Club finally failed in its uncanny ability to find and hire future pop stars when it passed over Jessica Simpson's audition tape. No matter. Without having to don the ears or participate in a roll call of names including Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and roughly a third of all popular boy bands, Simpson managed to tug the ear of preteens before winning over the rest of America with her endearingly airheaded "performance" on Newlyweds, the reality TV hit that chronicled her marriage to former 98 Degrees member Nick Lachey. Life in the limelight apparently didn't suit America's sweethearts, however, and the marriage ended in 2005. Simpson went on to be linked romantically to both John Mayer and Tony Romo, and she has enjoyed modest success in film. Along the way, she also put out 2006's bubblegum-riffic A Public Affair and then made the rather surprising switch to country for 2008's Do You Know. - Rachel Devitt

New Kids on the Block

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:09:52 -0800

Donnie! Jordan! Jon! Danny! Joey! Now, read that again, but pretend like each name is being screamed by thousands of adolescent girls, and you'll start to recall the N.K.O.T.B. phenomenon during its heyday in the late 1980s. Just call them Elvis in boy-band form: impresario Maurice Starr had so much success with New Edition that he decided to replicate the model with suburban white boys. Boston auditions for the group produced 15-year-old Donnie Wahlberg, who brought in his younger brother Mark (who eventually quit), best friend Danny Wood, classmate Jordan Knight and Jordan's older brother Jon. Starr recruited the baby-faced 12-year-old Joey McIntyre, and the completed group set out converting a preteen flock via gigs in malls and at school dances. Hangin' Tough cemented their international stardom in 1988, paving the way for boy bands like the Backstreet Boys. A few years later, however, the group's audience was maturing and their popularity was waning, and in 1994, they broke up and began pursuing solo careers. Two subsequent reunion attempts failed, but 2008 found the boys back together, recording new material and once again climbing the charts with new single "Summertime." - Rachel Devitt

Ashlee Simpson

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:03:39 -0800

Although Ashlee Simpson is the sister of major league hot commodity Jessica Simpson, the younger Simpson has done her best to carve out her own personal identity. Ashlee performs hard-edged pop rock that has more in common with the sharply crafted teen angst of Avril Lavigne than the sugary pop of sister Jessica. Her first single, "Pieces of Me," appeared on the Freaky Friday soundtrack in 2004. Her 2004 debut album, released at the height of the Jessica Simpson popularity curve, was surprisingly good but any merits of the album were tarnished when, during a live appearance on Saturday Night Live, Simpson's vocal track system screwed up and it became clear she was lip-syncing, prompting Simpson to respond by dancing a now infamous little jig and then stalking off stage. She never owned up to having been caught in the act, and her story ran along the lines of "Acid reflux has swollen my vocal chords and I used a backing track for the very first time to prevent damaging my voice any further." Maybe this public relations disaster was not such a bad thing after all since her 2005 album, I Am Me, was leaps and bounds better than her debut. Things got even better with 2008's Bittersweet World, featuring production and songwriting credits from heavy-hitters (Timbaland, Chad Hugo, Santogold) and a brand new Ashlee (thanks in part to her 2006 nose job and boyfriend Pete Wentz, whom she married in 2008, but especially to a newfound confidence and maturity). - Mike McGuirk

Robbie Williams

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 12:47:39 -0800

A success story of purely British proportions, Robbie Williams went from being a teen pinup in the U.K's version of New Kids on the Block (Take That) to being a teen pinup for the post-Brit Pop generation. After the demise of Take That, Robbie "The Tough One" Williams took to hardening his image by surrounding himself with drugs, solo records, and Oasis. His singles have been the perfect blend of teen-pop all dressed up in lad-rock clothing. His smirking confidence, roguish good looks and genuine stage presence have seen him do surprisingly well with the American market. - Jon Pruett

Elliott Yamin

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:50:54 -0800

Spice Girls

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:57:44 -0700

The world-conquering spate of late-1990s boy and girl groups are in many ways the doing of the Spice Girls, England's biggest-ever all-woman pop group. Put together by a management team, the Spice Girls were nicknamed according to their type: Geri Halliwell is Ginger Spice (for her red hair); Victoria Adams (later Beckham), Posh Spice (owing to her upper-crust background); Emma Bunton, Baby Spice (blonde, cute); Melanie Brown, Scary Spice (temperamental); and Melanie Chisholm, Sporty Spice (athletic).

The quintet came together after a February 1994 ad by Heart Management was answered by, among hundreds of others, Adams, Brown, and Halliwell. Along with two others they became part of a group called Touch; Chisholm and Bunton eventually completed the group by that July. In March 1995, the five young women parted company with Heart Management and began searching for new representation; they found Simon Fuller of 19 Management, who got them signed to Virgin. In July 1996, "Wannabe" was released; it immediately went to Number Three, then Number One in the U.K. and did the same in more than two-dozen countries; it debuted in America at Number 11, hitting Number One a month later. Spice, the album housing "Wannabe," zoomed to Number One in England and became Europe's best-selling album of 1997, eventually selling some 23 million copies worldwide. In November 1997, Spiceworld followed, selling over 10 million itself. There was also a film titled Spiceworld: The Movie, a takeoff on 1960s pop films featuring cameos by everyone from Jennifer Saunders to Elton John to Meat Loaf to Elvis Costello. In May 1998, Geri Halliwell left the group after months of management troubles (Simon Fuller had been let go as representative the prior November) and in mid-tour. In November 2000, the Spice Girls issued Forever, a more R&B-inflected album (among their collaborators were Rodney Jerkins, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis), that failed to re-ignite the flame. The following year, the group announced a hiatus and that its members would be working solo.

After doing just that to various ends, the Spice Girls reunited officially in June 2007. Following Greatest Hits (Number 93) and a comeback single, "Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)," (Number 90), they began touring in December 2007, selling out arenas in the U.S., U.K., and Europe through February 2008.

The Cheetah Girls

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:29:28 -0700

Disney's other phenomenally successful movie-musical/cross-marketing cash cow, the Cheetah Girls have evolved from their humble -- OK, totally auspicious -- beginnings as the protagonists of a best-selling series of young-adult books about an all-girl pop band. In 2003, the Disney Channel made the very wise decision to turn the stories of Galleria, Chanel, Aquanetta and Dorinda into a made-for-TV movie starring tween princesses Raven-Symone, Adrienne Bailon, Kiely Williams and Sabrina Bryan. Two more films (with a fourth promised in 2010), their incredibly lucrative soundtracks and a Christmas album followed. In 2006, the Cheetah Girls (sans Raven-Symone) went live, for real this time, becoming an actual touring act (opening for Vanessa Hudgens). In 2007, the trio released TCG, their first non-soundtrack, non-holiday studio album. - Rachel Devitt

Lindsay Lohan

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:55:10 -0700

When 15-year-old Lindsay Lohan starred as a punk-pop singer in the 2003 remake of the Disney movie Freaky Friday, she was only one step away from actually becoming a teen pop star. Positive reviews of her performance of the film's closing song, "Ultimate," led to a deal with Casablanca Records. Lohan's debut album, Speak, reached Number Four in 2004 and produced the Top 40 Mainstream hits "Rumors" (Number 23, 2004) and "Over" (Number 39, 2005). In subsequent years, Lohan became known more for her hard partying and run-ins with the law than for her acting or singing.

She was born Lindsay Dee Lohan in the Bronx, New York, on July 2nd, 1986, and raised in the Long Island town of Cold Spring Harbor. Her parents — Donata "Dina" Lohan and troubled Wall Street trader Michael Douglas Lohan, Sr. — signed their eldest daughter to the Ford modeling agency when she was three years old. She eventually appeared in print ads for Toys R Us and also modeled for Calvin Klein Kids along with her siblings. As a child model, she appeared in magazines including Vogue and Elle, and later acted in commercials for companies including Duncan Hines and Jell-O. Her TV appearances led to her role, at 10, as Alexandra "Alli" Fowler on the soap opera Another World. When she was 12, Lohan landed the duel role of twin sisters in the successful and well-received 1998 comedy The Parent Trap, which earned $92 million in worldwide box office sales. Disney signed the young actress to a three-film contract, and she starred two TV movies, Life-Size (2000) and Get a Clue (2002). After landing a brief role as Bette Midler's daughter in the unsuccessful sitcom Bette, Lohan's family relocated to Los Angeles, where in 2001 she hosted an ABC special to commemorate Walt Disney's 100th birthday. In 2003, she appeared as Jamie Lee Curtis' punk-rock daughter in Disney's Freaky Friday, which earned $160 million in worldwide box office sales.

The success of Freaky Friday raised Lohan's profile significantly, and she appeared in a string of subsequent films including Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen and Mean Girls in 2004, and Herbie: Fully Loaded and Just My Luck in 2005. Mean Girls earned two MTV Movie Awards, for Best Female Performance and Best On Screen Team. She followed her debut album with A Little More Personal (Raw), which reached Number 20 in 2005 and produced the single "Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father)." The song was a musical open letter to her father, who had experienced legal problems throughout Lohan's childhood. Lohan self-produced the video, which also featured her sister Ali and showed a family's domestic problems being played out in front of an audience outside the windows of their home. Lohan's personal and professional lives had begun to collide in 2005.

That year, her father, who in the Nineties had been investigated for insider trading and served prison time for criminal contempt of court, was sentenced to prison again on assault and DUI charges. In December 2005, he and Dina signed a separation agreement. The divorce became final in 2007. By then, Lohan's own legal problems were making headlines. Though she had landed supporting roles in big films such as Bobby and A Prairie Home Companion, in 2006, and starred in another 2006 film, Chapter 27, her inconsistent work habits, weight loss and frequent accidents were the source of much speculation in the Hollywood gossip columns. In July 2006, filming of the movie Georgia Rule, in which she appeared alongside Jane Fonda, was delayed when Lohan entered a hospital for dehydration. The film's producer suggested in a public letter that the actress' health problems might be due to her partying. In the midst of all that, Lohan hosted Saturday Night Live twice, once on May 21st, 2005 and again on April 15th, 2006.

Lohan's problems escalated in 2007. In January, she checked herself into a West Hollywood rehab clinic. In May, she crashed her Mercedes-Benz and was charged with DUI. She returned to rehab, this time going to Promises Treatment Center in Malibu for a 45-day stay. In July, shortly after a court appearance in which she was let go on her own recognizance, she was arrested again, this time on charges of DUI and driving with a suspended license as well as possession of cocaine and transportation of a narcotic. Shortly thereafter she checked into another rehab, Cirque Lodge, in Sundance, Utah, and in August was sentenced to one day in jail and 10 days community service for the DUIs. She also was ordered to complete an alcohol education program. Meanwhile, she also starred in two successful but critically panned movies that year: the comedy drama Georgia Rule and thriller I Know Who Killed Me.

As of 2008, two Lohan movies — Dare to Love Me and Poor Things — were scheduled for release. She also announced she was working on a third album, tentatively titled Spirit in the Dark, featuring production by Pharrell, Stargate, Bloodshy & Avant and Akon. The album's first single, "Playground," featuring Pharrell, is slated for September release; the album is due in November. (Lohan also appeared in the video for NERD's "Everyone Nose," a song about recreational drug use at parties). In mid-2008, gossip columnists tracking Lohan's personal life began reporting that the singer-actress, who was previously linked to Aaron Carter, actor Wilmer Valderrama, restauranteur Harry Morton and fellow rehab attendee Riley Giles, was seeing her friend, the DJ Samantha Ronson.

98 Degrees

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:24:58 -0800

This sweet-faced urban soul quartet got their start in L.A., and have been charming the country since becoming stars in the late '90s. Kind-hearted harmonies and soulful arrangements make for good, groovy listening -- particularly on seasonal Christmas efforts. - Sarah Bardeen

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

Hanson

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:21:33 -0700

In an era dominated by unwashed rock gods with goatees and affected temperaments, Hanson seemed unlikely candidates for recognition. For starters, they cared less about purging their tortured souls than creating songs that were the aural equivalent of sugar cubes. Secondly, they had the cherubic exteriors to go with the angelic harmonies (bright, beaming faces and boy-next-door smiles), and seemed wholly uninterested in donning a stitch of flannel. Hanson were less than innovative -- their music recalled Bubblegum so sweet it made the New Kids on the Block sound like Alice Cooper -- but their ability to craft a catchy pop tune was so on-the-head that even uninterested parties found themselves singing "MMMBop" under their breaths and trying to no avail to remove the song from where it stuck like glue between their ears. Fact is, Hanson's brand of sticky pop tastes so good going down that it's nearly impossible not to like. And while they aren't pioneers in their field, their success opened a flood gate that allowed a deluge of sugar-obsessed acts to wash away the dingy remains of Grunge. - Kali Holloway

Mandisa

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:09:52 -0800

Miranda Cosgrove

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:55:09 -0700

Used to be, every kid wanted to be a pop star when she or he grew up. Now every kid just wants to have his or her own Webcast, apparently. Or at least that's the concept behind iCarly, new 'tween sensation-in-the-making Miranda Cosgrove's Nickelodeon vehicle. Cosgrove stars as Carly, just a normal eighth grader who happens to live with her wacky older brother, a sculptor, in his super-cool artist's loft while her parents are overseas. Oh yeah, and she broadcasts her own Web show. So where does the music come in? Well, 14-year-old Cosgrove sings "Leave It All to Me," the theme song to iCarly, but she also got her start in music at age three, when she started singing and dancing the Taste of L.A. restaurant and impressed an agent who was dining there. From there, she went on to commercials, a part in School of Rock (she played bossy boots Summer Hathaway), guest-starring gigs on several Nickelodeon shows and a starring role as the bratty kid sister on Nick's Drake and Josh, which led to iCarly. - Rachel Devitt

Alana Grace

Fri, 1 May 2009 14:01:29 -0700

Katharine McPhee

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:04:44 -0700

When you listen to their respective solo debuts, it's astonishing that Katerine McPhee was the runner up to Taylor Hicks on American Idol's fifth season -- McPhee's soulful alto makes her one of the most commanding singers to emerge from the talent show. Born in Los Angeles in 1984, she began singing at a young age and quickly became a frontrunner in the fifth season of American Idol, in which she eventually placed second. Her self-titled debut appeared in 2006 and eventually charted in the Top 10. - Nate Cavalieri

Nick Lachey

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 12:14:30 -0800

As the lead singer for millennial boy band 98 Degrees, Nick Lachey melted hearts with his smooth voice and even smoother good looks. He married Jessica Simpson in 2002, and the pair's union was the focal point for the MTV reality show Newlyweds. Lachey went solo in 2003, releasing SoulO, and although neither he nor his former band enjoy the popularity of Justin Timberlake or even Nick Carter (or their former groups, for that matter), Lachey has a solid fanbase. His grown-up, R&B-tinged balladry is helping to bring his former teenage fans out of adolescence and into their twenties. - Mike McGuirk

Tiffany

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:39:17 -0800

In a time before Britney's new breasts and Christina's beadazzled bellbottoms, Teen Beat ruled the county fairs and shopping malls in a magical kingdom called the 1980s. While Madonna was the reigning queen of this mainstream landscape, her lace gloves and boy-toy attitude were a little aggressive for some girls still discovering how to apply their pink and blue eye shadow. Enter dueling pop princesses Debbie Gibson and Tiffany, who made innocent music for sweet young things. Fifteen-year-old Tiffany's self-titled debut (1987), featuring the hit single "I Think We're Alone Now," went quadruple platinum; her follow-up Hold an Old Friend's Hand went platinum. After that, Tiffany practically disappeared without a trace in either Bop, YM or Seventeen. The singer reemerged recently for the new millennium, driving her music straight down the middle of the road with Color of Silence. - Jennifer Maerz

Meaghan Martin

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:55:07 -0700

- Rachel Devitt

McFly

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:35:14 -0700

Debbie Gibson

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:27:48 -0800

It's hard to believe there's a whole generation of teen pop fans that don't even know who Debbie Gibson is. In the late '80s, just as she was graduating from high school, it seemed as if Gibson would be around forever. Her bright Dance Pop songs kept her at the top of the charts, scoring five Top-5 singles, and her debut album Out of the Blue went triple platinum. By 1990, when she released her third album Anything Is Possible, Gibson's chart-topping longevity faded. After her reign as the queen of pop, Gibson flexed other talents, including producing and composing. She also went on to collaborate with artists, including Punk band the Circle Jerks. Regardless of where she is or what she's doing now, Gibson's "Electric Youth" will forever be associated with the late '80s. - Mark Murrmann

Daniel Bedingfield

Tue, 9 Jun 2009 15:02:14 -0700

Like many bedroom producers, England's Daniel Bedingfield spends hours working on music in his room, hoping that one day, it will reach the outside world. Unlike many bedroom producers, Daniel Bedingfield's music actually did! Bedingfield's grab at the brass ring came in the form of his debut single, "Gotta Get Thru This," a No. 1 chart hit in the U.K. at the end of 2001. His R&B and garage-influenced Dance Pop is an ultra groovy mix that provides the perfect backdrop for his malleable, falsetto-happy vocals. But this twenty-two year old truly shines on gorgeous ballads filled with heartache and longing. With a sound that sits on the fringe of the Boy Band/Teen-Beat phenomenon, Bedington's music is far from unique. However, younger audiences are likely to respond to Bedington's considerable vocal talents as well as his good looks. - Linda Ryan

Bucky Covington

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:03:42 -0800

When you think about how television has replaced terrestrial radio, it's a bit disconcerting to realize that the old idiot box doesn't just tell seas of impressionable people who to vote for any more -- it also tells them what music to listen to. Bucky Covington is a bit of an anomaly then. He rose to fame via American Idol but was voted off the show while only standing in eighth place. But his low ranking may be why Covington's debut album was produced to sound more earthy and crisp and natural compared to the polished production of Idol champion Carrie Underwood's recordings. Fittingly, Covington first realized that he wanted to sing for audiences when he was a young boy influenced not by the radio or record player, but by the television. It was Jeff Healey's country rocking parts in the movie Roadhouse that awoke Covington's passion for performance and need for a six-string guitar. Years later he and his drumming brother Rocky would play for various North Carolina country rock bands before auditioning for American Idol at the suggestion of Rocky's wife. And though Bucky was the luckier of the two, landing a deal with Lyric Street/Hollywood Records and getting to record a full length album with Mark Miller from Sawyer Brown, Bucky's brother Rocky still plays drums in his brother's touring band. - Eric Shea

Troop

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:41:56 -0700

Kris Allen

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:38:51 -0800

Christina Milian

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 12:39:25 -0800

Christina Milian got her start at an early age, working as a reporter for Disney and appearing on several TV shows. She launched a singing career after appearing on a Ja Rule song and co-writing "Play" for Jennifer Lopez. Her self-titled full-length debut came out in 2001, but it wasn't until her 2004 single, "Dip It Low," came crashing in that Milian's many talents began to get the recognition they deserve. - Mike McGuirk

Fefe Dobson

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:55:34 -0700

This Canadian youngster got her big break after the demo tape she circulated got the A&R world buzzing. Impressed with her spunky style, label reps flocked to her showcases. Eventually, the folks at Island won out, and Dobson headed into the studio to record her eponymous debut in 2003, featuring songs inspired by such diverse muses as Nirvana, the Chili Peppers and, erm, Judy Garland. - Linda Ryan

Paris Hilton

Sun, 7 Jun 2009 07:59:09 -0700

If we were to keep this bio strictly music-related, it would already be over. Besides showing up in the VIP section of various nightclubs and concert venues around the world and ornamenting a slew of b-list rock stars over the years, Paris Hilton hasn't made much of an impression with her music career. That changed -ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ- for about an Internet minute -ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ- in late May 2006 with the appearance of "Stars Are Blind," Paris' sultry, reggae-pop single, and its racy, "Wicked Game"-inspired video, which got more attention than the song itself. While "Stars Are Blind" isn't half-bad, it's not exactly half-good: gauzy overproduction keeps the focus away from her voice and on the track's vaguely provocative, summery vibe instead. Paris' eponymous full-length, featuring production by beau-of-the-moment Scott Storch, as well as Jane Wiedlin from the Go-Gos, saw release in August of '06. - Jonathan Zwickel