Biography of Pink

With her colorful nickname predating her matching shade of hair, the young R&B/pop diva Pink grew up in a musical household and began singing in Philadelphia clubs by the time she reached her early teens. Her involvement in the city's dance and hip-hop scene led to a singing opportunity with the rap group Schools of Thought, for which she wrote her own material. At 14, she recorded her first original song and in 1998 released her first single, Don't Stop, on the Colors label. Meanwhile, she also sang with R&B groups, including LaFace signees Choice; unfortunately though, the group dissolved before they recorded anything. The label was still interested in Pink, who collaborated with writers and producers such as Daryl Simmons, L.A. Reid, She' kspere, Babyface and 112 on singles such as "Just to Be Loving You" and "There U Go," which was a Top Ten hit in early 2000. Likewise, her debut album Can't Take Me Home reached the Top 40 of the US's album charts. ~ Heather Phares

Biography of Christina Aguilera

Teen pop diva Christina Aguilera was born December 18, 1980, in Staten Island, NY; the careers of her military father and musician mother ensured that the family traveled the globe before finally settling in Wexford, PA, where the youngster first began performing in area talent shows. At age eight, Aguilera appeared on the syndicated television series Star Search; four years later, she landed a regular role on Disney's The New Mickey Mouse Club, co-starring with future luminaries including Britney Spears, 'N Sync's JC Chasez and Justin Timberlake, and Felicity's Keri Russell. Aguilera's first pop music success came in Japan thanks to "All I Wanna Do," a smash duet with Keizo Nakanishi; she returned to the U.S. in 1998 to record the song "Reflection" for the soundtrack of the animated film Mulan, that same week signing to RCA. Releasing her self-titled debut album the following year, Aguilera topped the pop charts with the single "Genie in a Bottle." Christina Aguilera sold over ten million copies worldwide in just under a year and turned its namesake into a superstar. She followed this success with performances at the Super Bowl XXXIII Halftime Show and for President Clinton and won a Best New Artist Grammy. Just over a year after she released her debut album, Aguilera released Mi Reflejo, a collection of Spanish-language songs, as well as My Kind of Christmas, a holiday album. ~ Jason Ankeny

Biography of Mya

Mya is a dancer turned smooth urban R&B vocalist who released her eponymous debut in the spring of 1998, when she was just 18 years old.Mya was born in Washington, D.C., where she took dance classes as a child. After briefly losing interest in the art, she returned to dancing in her pre-teens, eventually joining the dance troupe T.W.A. (Tappers With Attitude). She left the group after a short while, heading to New York to study at the Dance Theater of Harlem with Savion Glover, best known as the choreographer/mastermind behind the Broadway spectacular Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk. Her passion for improvisation made her a favorite of Glover, who had her perform solo at the Kennedy Center. Although Mya was best known as a dancer, she was also musically inclined, learning how to sing and play the violin as a child. When her father -- a professional musician -- learned that his daughter could sing and was serious about a musical career, he shopped around the demo tapes, eventually earning the attention of Haqq Islam, president of University Music. Impressed with Mya's audition, Islam signed her to Interscope Records. Mya and Interscope spent the next two years working on her debut record, hiring an impressive list of collaborators, including Darryl Pearson, Babyface, Diane Warren, Raphael Brown, Wyclef Jean, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, and Sisqo and Moko from Dru Hill. The resulting album was a smooth urban song cycle about love and growing up; it was released in April 1998. Two years later, her more mature second album, Fear of Flying, which featured collaborations with Lisa "Left Eye" Lopez, Jadakiss, Wyclef Jean, and Swizz Beatz, arrived. Moodring (2003) and the oft-delayed Liberation (2007) followed. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Biography of Lil' Kim

After making her presence known on Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s debut album, Conspiracy, Lil' Kim launched a solo career in 1996 with the release of her first record, Hard Core. As the album's title implies, Kim was a rarity among female rappers -- one who not only concentrated on edgy hardcore rap but also explicit sexuality, two territories that had long been the province of male rappers. Of course, Kim's near-pornographic sexuality and hard-edged rhythms made her an anomaly within hip-hop, but Hard Core proved that she was no novelty, as it garnered positive reviews and strong sales.A native of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Lil' Kim was raised by her parents until they split up when she was nine years old. Following their separation, she lived with her father, yet he threw her out of the house when she was a teenager. As a teen, she lived with her friends and, occasionally, on the streets. Eventually, she and her rhyming skills came to the attention of Biggie Smalls, who helped her cultivate her career. Smalls helped her become a member of Junior M.A.F.I.A., and Kim was a key part of the group's hit debut single, "Player's Anthem." Kim also made a big impression on the remainder of Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s 1995 debut album, Conspiracy.Following the release of Conspiracy, Kim appeared on records by Mona Lisa, the Isley Brothers, Total, and Skin Deep. For her debut album, she worked with a variety of producers, including Sean "Puffy" Combs, High Class, Jermaine Dupri, and Ski. The result, entitled Hard Core, was released in late 1996. Kim's marketing campaign for the album was quite provocative -- she was dressed in a skimpy bikini and furs in the advertisements, as well as the album covers -- but instead of resulting in a backlash, the album became a hit, debuting at number 11 on the pop charts. The first single from the album, "No Time," a duet with Sean "Puffy" Combs, became a number one rap single. The long-awaited Notorious K.I.M. followed in 2000, and then came La Bella Mafia in 2003. Two years later Kim was in court defending herself against a perjury charge. She was eventually convicted of lying to a federal grand jury about her knowledge of a 2001 shooting outside of New York's influential radio station Hot 97 FM. Kim had claimed she wasn't aware that her manager and a friend were present, but surveillance cameras proved the two were there. In September of that year, the new album The Naked Truth appeared while its "Lighters Up" single was dominating urban radio. Documenting the rapper's preparations for incarceration, the BET reality show Lil' Kim: Countdown to Lockdown first aired in March 2006 and became the most watched series debut in the network's history. On July 3, 2006, she was released on good behavior after serving ten months of her 12-month sentence. Kim exited the prison in a silver Rolls Royce. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine