During the group's hiatus, Timberlake released his solo studio albums Justified (2002) and FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006); the former spawned hits "Cry Me a River" and "Rock Your Body", while the latter debuted atop the U.S. Billboard 200 and produced the Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "SexyBack", "My Love", and "What Goes Around... Comes Around". With each album exceeding sales of seven million copies worldwide, he was established as one of the most commercially successful singers. From 2007 through 2012, Timberlake focused on his acting career, effectively putting his music career on hiatus; he held starring roles in the films The Social Network, Bad Teacher, In Time and Friends with Benefits. In 2013, he resumed his music career with his third album The 20/20 Experience (2013), which was preceded by lead single "Suit & Tie". The 20/20 Experience (2 of 2) is scheduled for release in September. Timberlake's work has earned him six Grammy Awards and four Emmy Awards. His other ventures include record label Tennman Records, fashion label William Rast, and the restaurants Destino and Southern Hospitality.Timberlake was born on January 31, 1981 in Memphis, Tennessee, to parents Lynn Harless (née Bomar) and Randall Timberlake. He grew up in Shelby Forest, a small community between Memphis and Millington.His paternal grandfather, Charles L. Timberlake, was a Baptist minister, and Timberlake was raised Baptist, though now considers himself more "spiritual than religious". Timberlake's parents divorced when he was three; his mother remarried when he was five.[5Timberlake's father has two children from his second marriage to Lisa Perry, Jonathan (born 1993) and Steven Robert (born August 14, 1998). His half-sister Laura Katherine died shortly after birth on May 14, 1997, and is mentioned in his acknowledgments in the album *NSYNC as "My Angel in Heaven."At the age of 11, Timberlake appeared on the television show Star Search, performing country music songs as "Justin Randall." In 1993 and 1994, he was a cast member in The Mickey Mouse Club, where his castmates included future girlfriend and pop superstar Britney Spears, future tourmate Christina Aguilera, future bandmate JC Chasez, and future movie actor Ryan Gosling. In 1995, Timberlake recruited Chasez to be in an all-male singing group, organized by boy band manager Lou Pearlman, that eventually became 'N Sync.Timberlake began work on his third studio album The 20/20 Experience in June 2012, with "no rules and/or end goal in mind". He publicly announced his return to the music industry in January 2013,releasing the album's lead single "Suit & Tie" featuring Jay-Z later that month. After four years not performing in concert, Timberlake appeared the night before the 2013 Super Bowl and performed during the "DirecTV Super Saturday Night", on February 2 in New Orleans.On February 10, he performed "Suit & Tie" with sepia-toned lighting at the 55th Grammy Awards, with Jay-Z joining him from the audience. The 20/20 Experience was released on March 19 through RCA Records due to the disbandment of Jive Records. The album debuted at number one on the charts by moving just over 980,000 copies,
On May 5, 2013, Timberlake announced that The 20/20 Experience (2 of 2) will be released on September 30, 2013.
Justin Drew Bieber (pron.: /ˈbiːbər/ bee-bər; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian pop musician, actor, and singer-songwriter.Bieber was discovered in 2008 by American talent manager Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager. Braun arranged for him to meet with entertainer Usher Raymond in Atlanta, Georgia, and Bieber was signed to Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG),and then to an Island Records recording contract offered by record executive L.A. Reid.
His debut extended play, the seven-track My World, was released in November 2009, and was certified platinum in the United States. He became the first artist to have seven songs from a debut record to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Bieber's first full-length studio album, My World 2.0, was released in March 2010. It debuted at or near number-one in several countries and was certified platinum in the United States. It was preceded by the worldwide top-ten single "Baby". He followed up the release of his debut album with his first headlining tour, the My World Tour, the remix albums My Worlds Acoustic and Never Say Never – The Remixes, and the 3D biopic-concert film Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. Bieber released his second studio album Under the Mistletoe in November 2011, when it debuted at number-one on the Billboard 200. Bieber released his third studio album Believe on June 19, 2012, and it became his fourth chart topper in the United States, debuting at number-one on the Billboard 200.
Bieber has received numerous awards, including both Artist of the Year Awards at the 2010 American Music Awards and the 2012 American Music Awards, and was nominated for Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album at the 53rd Grammy Awards. With a global fan base, termed as "Beliebers", and over 33 million followers on Twitter, he was named by Forbes magazine in 2012 as the third-most powerful celebrity in the world. He had earned an estimated US$55 million in the previous 12 months. As of May 2012, Bieber has sold 15 million albums.Justin Drew Bieber was born on March 1, 1994, in London, Ontario, at St Joseph's Hospital, and was raised in Stratford, Ontario. He is the son of Jeremy Jack Bieber and Patricia "Pattie" Mallette. Bieber's mother was 17 years old when she became pregnant. His parents were never married, but maintain a close friendship and common goals regarding their son's personal and professional life. Mallette raised her son with the help of her mother, Diane, and stepfather, Bruce.
In September 2012, Mallette's memoirs, titled Nowhere but Up, were published. The book tells of her early life and her work with her son to pursue a career in the music industry. In her book, as well as in an interview with the Today show, Mallette talked about how everyone around her tried to push her toward abortion, and how she refused to abort her baby.Mallette worked a series of low-paying office jobs, raising Bieber as a single mother in low-income housing. Bieber has maintained contact with his father, who married another woman and had two children.
Bieber's paternal great-grandfather was German. Bieber's mother's ancestry is French Canadian. He has stated that he believes that he has some undetermined Aboriginal Canadian ancestry. He attended a French-language immersion elementary school in Stratford, the Jeanne Sauvé Catholic School.
Interested in hockey, soccer, and chess, he kept his musical aspirations to himself. As he grew up, Bieber taught himself to play the piano, drums, guitar, and trumpet. In early 2007, aged 12, Bieber sang Ne-Yo's "So Sick" for a local singing competition in Stratford and was placed second. Mallette posted a video of the performance on YouTube for their family and friends to see. She continued to upload videos of Bieber singing covers of various R&B songs, and Bieber's popularity on the site grew.According to Jan Hoffman of The New York Times, part of Bieber's appeal stems from his YouTube channel. Long before he released his EP, My World, in mid-November, the YouTube videos attracted millions of views. Braun recognized the appeal. Before flying him to Atlanta, Braun wanted to "build him up more on YouTube first" and had Bieber record more home videos for the channel. "I said: 'Justin, sing like there’s no one in the room. But let's not use expensive cameras.' We'll give it to kids, let them do the work, so that they feel like it's theirs", recalled Braun.Bieber continues to upload videos to the same channel and has opened a Twitter account, from which he interacts with fans regularly; his account was reported in November 2010 to have more than six million followers.Since then he has been consistently gaining followers at an average of 24,000 per day. The accounts also serve marketing purposes; for example, Bieber's music video for "One Time" only began selling quickly after it was uploaded to YouTube.
Bieber performing "Favorite Girl" in Zurich, Switzerland April 2011.
Usher comments that while he and Bieber were both signed at the same age, "I had the chance to ramp up my success, where this has happened to Bieber abruptly." As a result, Usher, Braun, Bieber's bodyguard Kenny, and other adults surrounding Bieber constantly coach him on handling fame and his public image.After signing Bieber, Usher appointed one of his former assistants, Ryan Good, to be Bieber's road manager and stylist. Good, once nicknamed Bieber's "swagger coach", created a "streetwise look" for the singer which consisted of baseball caps, hoodies, dog chains and flashy sneakers. Amy Kaufman of The Los Angeles Times comments, "Though a product of a middle-class suburban upbringing in Stratford, Ontario, Bieber's manner of dress and speech ("Wassup man, how you doin'?" or "It's like, you know, whateva' ") suggest he's mimicking his favorite rappers."
Bieber is often featured in teen magazines such as Tiger Beat,and has been labeled as a "teen heartthrob".[99] Wax statues of Bieber are on display at Madame Tussauds wax museums in New York, Amsterdam and London. His change of hairstyle in 2010, and the consequent alterations to Bieber products, led to it being called 'the most expensive musical haircut of all time;one company spent $100,000 to fix its dolls for the 2011 Christmas season.
Bieber has also been criticized for looking and sounding younger than his age, his teen-pop music, image, and frequent media attention. He has been a frequent target of Internet bloggers and message board posters, notably by users of Internet message board 4chan and users of YouTube. Nick Collins of The Daily Telegraph speculated that "Bieber's character also appears to strike a particularly sour note with his Internet critics, with many remarks commenting on his youthful appearance, his teen-pop songs, his image as a heart-throb to young teenage girls and his manner of speech".
Bieber's androgynous appearance has also been frequently noted in the media, including when he appeared on the cover of LOVE magazine's androgyny issue in 2011.
LMFAO released Party Rock EP on the iTunes music store on July 1, 2008 and released their full album on July 7, 2009. The album charted at number 33 on the Billboard 200 and number two on the U.S Dance Chart. Los Angeles Times described Party Rock as "14 virtually interchangeable odes to night life." Their first single was "I'm In Miami Bitch", which was released in December 2008, and peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 37 in Canada. In early 2009, a little known DJ/producer 'DJ Inphinity' created a bootleg using the Silvio Ecomo remix of DJ Chuckie's 2008 hit "Let the Bass Kick" and the a cappella of LMFAO, creating "Bass Kick in Miami". The bootleg was spread across the internet and became a massive success at the Miami Winter Music Conference 2009. Weeks later the song became the theme song for the E! television show Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami and "Get Crazy" was used for the television show Jersey Shore in 2009. LMFAO were a featured storyline on MTV's The Real World: Cancun in August 2009, which covered the group's appearance in Cancun during 2009 Spring break. That same year, LMFAO was featured in The Crystal Method's song "Sine Language".
2010–2012: InternationIn 2010, they were featured in David Guetta's song "Gettin' Over You", which was an international hit, peaking in the top ten in eleven countries and at number one in three of them, including in the United Kingdom. It also peaked at number 31 on the U.S. Hot 100 and at number 12 in Canada. The duo then recorded their second album, Sorry for Party Rocking late in 2010 and released it on June 17, 2011, in the U.S. The first single taken from the album, "Party Rock Anthem", was released on January 1, 2011 and features British singer Lauren Bennett formerly of the girl pop group, "Paradiso Girls" and producer GoonRock, and showcases the Melbourne Shuffle dance style in its popular video. The song is so far the most successful of their career, peaking at number-one in the United States, Canada, the UK, and over ten other countries, as well as the top ten in many others. The second single from Sorry for Party Rocking was released on May 27, 2011, and is titled, "Champagne Showers," and it features English singer-songwriter Natalia Kills.The third single, "Sexy and I Know It", was released on October 3, 2011 and reached #1 on the iTunes charts worldwide and #1 on the Australian and Canadian Hot 100. Also in 2011, LMFAO embarked on their first Asian tour. They performed in Singapore; Manila, Philippines; Taipei, Taiwan, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, among other cities. Also, on June 30, 2011, LMFAO performed a set on the Isle of MTV 2011 Malta Special on the Fosos (Granaries) in Floriana, Malta, in front of a crowd of 50,000, together with Far East Movement and Snoop Dogg.
LMFAO performing with Madonna at Super Bowl XLVI's halftime show.
Furthermore, the group LMFAO was focused on growing their Party Rock clothing line and was also one of the opening acts for American singer Kesha's "Get Sleazy Tour", along with Spank Rock and Natalia Kills, for the third and fifth legs of the tour in 2011. On August 13, 2011, they opened for Kesha at the St-Jean-sur-Richelieu hot air balloon festival in Quebec, Canada, attracting close to 100,000 fans. On August 29, 2011, LMFAO filmed a video for their new single “Sexy and I Know it” in Venice Beach, California. Pornographic actor Ron Jeremy is featured in the video, which focuses thematically on male genitalia. Actors Simon Rex and Wilmer Valderrama, playwright Daniel Kanengieter (as Shufflebot) and mixed martial artist Alistair Overeem also make cameo appearances. The song achieved success similar to that of "Party Rock Anthem", topping charts all over the world. “Sexy and I Know it” became the duo's second number one in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The group guested on the first elimination show of the 13th series of Dancing with the Stars on September 20, 2011, which was broadcast live.
In October 2011, LMFAO's song "Party Rock Anthem" was used in a Halloween house light show when a Southern California man timed lights to the popular song. After the YouTube video of the house went viral, even receiving news coverage, the duo visited the house and recorded a Kia commercial featuring the house. In December 2011, the group played "Party Rock Anthem" on live national television broadcast of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve
Enrique Iglesias (born Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler; May 8, 1975) is a Spanish singer-songwriter, model, actor, and record producer. Iglesias started his career in the mid-1990s on an American Spanish Language record label Fonovisa which helped turn him into one of the biggest stars in Latin America and the Hispanic Market in the United States becoming the biggest seller of Spanish-language albums of that decade. He made a successful crossover into the mainstream market and signed a multi-album deal with Universal Music Group for an unprecedented US $48,000,000 with Universal Music Latino to release his Spanish albums and Interscope to release English albums. In 2010, he parted with Interscope and signed with another Universal Music Group label, Universal Republic.
Iglesias has sold over 100 million units worldwide, making him one of the best selling Spanish language artists of all time. He has had five Billboard Hot 100 top five singles, including two number-ones, and holds the record for producing 23 number-one Spanish-language singles on the Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks. He has also had 12 number-one songs on Billboard's Dance charts, more than any other single male artist Altogether, Iglesias has amassed 70 number-one rankings on the various Billboard charts. Billboard has called him The King of Latin Pop and The King of Dance. Billboard also named Enrique the number two Latin artist of the years 1986–2011 (Luis Miguel taking the first spot)Miguel taking the first spot).Iglesias was born in Spain,[citation needed] and is the third and youngest child of singer Julio Iglesias and socialite and magazine journalist Isabel Preysler. He was raised with two older siblings: Chabeli Iglesias and Julio Iglesias, Jr.. His mother is a Filipina and his father is of Spanish ancestry from Galicia and Andalusia, his father also claims to have Jewish ancestry on his mother's side. His parents were divorced in 1979.
In 1986, Iglesias' grandfather, Dr. Julio Iglesias Puga, was kidnapped by the armed Basque terrorist group ETA. For their safety, Enrique and his brother, Julio Iglesias, Jr., were sent to live with their father in Miami. He also lived in Belgrade, Serbia, for one year with his mother. As his father's career kept him on the road, the young Iglesias was raised by the family nanny. He attended the prestigious Gulliver Preparatory School, where he made his singing debut in a production of Hello, Dolly!.Although his mother is ethnically Filipino, Enrique does not speak Tagalog. Iglesias is fluent in Spanish and English, the latter influencing and making a regular appearance in his songs. Iglesias later went on to study business at the University of Miami.
Iglesias did not want his father to know about his plans for a musical career and did not want his famous surname to help advance his career. He borrowed money from his family nanny and he recorded a demo cassette tape which consisted of a Spanish song and two English songs. Approaching his father's former publicist, Fernán Martínez, the two promoted the songs under the stage name 'Enrique Martínez' with the backstory of being an unknown singer from Guatemala. Iglesias was signed the Mexican label Fonovisa. After dropping out of college, he traveled to Toronto to record his first album.On August 25, 2012, Iglesias unveiled his brand new single, "Finally Found You", a collaboration with American rapper Sammy Adams.[29] It was released to the US iTunes Store on September 25, 2012. The song was released in UK on December 9, 2012. He had also feature in Pitbull's song "Tchu Tchu Tcha" from his new album Global Warming. Its snippet version was released on November 11, 2012. The duo are set to create a music video of this song. On 8 December 2012, Enrique performed at Y100 Jingle Ball in Miami. As for his interview session before the show, Enrique recently told his Twitter fans he’s working on some new music and - when asked about his time in the studio - Iglesias said, “It’s kind of like going fishing, you never know when you’re going to catch a big one.” Continuing on to tell what fans can expect to hear, the 37-year-old revealed he’s ready to try something new saying, “I come out with so many albums and I want to make sure that if I come out with an album it sounds new. At least to me.” In an Interview at the backstage of Power 96.1 Jingle Ball, it was revealed that Iglesias' new song is titled to be "I'm a Freak".In 2013 Enrique began to record new songs for his 10th studio album. It is confirmed that Iglesias is already working with Mark Taylor (producer), The Cataracs, Rome Ramirez and Marty James for his new album.
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter, known mononymously as Beyoncé (pron.: /biˈjɒnseɪ/ bee-yon-say; born September 4, 1981), is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in performing arts schools and performed in singing and dancing competitions as a child before becoming the lead singer of Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time, in the 1990s.During the group's hiatus, Knowles released her debut solo album Dangerously in Love (2003), which earned her five Grammy Awards and has sold a total of 4.9 million copies in the US. It spawned Billboard number one singles "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy". Following the disbandment of Destiny's Child in 2005, Knowles's second solo album B'Day (2006) contained the top five singles "Déjà Vu", "Irreplaceable", and "Beautiful Liar". Her third album I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008) spawned hits "If I Were a Boy", "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", "Halo", and "Sweet Dreams". This album helped Knowles earn six Grammys in 2010, breaking the record for most Grammy Awards won by a female artist in one night. Her fourth album 4 (2011) became her fourth consecutive number one album on the Billboard 200.
Knowles' work has received numerous awards and accolades, including 17 Grammy Awards, 12 MTV Video Music Awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (as part of Destiny's Child). As a solo artist, Knowles has sold over 13 million albums in the United States and 118 million records worldwide (as well as a further 50 million records with Destiny's Child), making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) recognized Knowles as the Top Certified Artist of the 2000s. In 2009, Billboard named her the Top Female Artist and Top Radio Songs Artist of the 2000s decade,and ranked her as the fourth Artist of the Decade.Knowles was also ranked first on Forbes' list of the "100 Most Powerful and Influential Musicians in the World",appeared on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time", and placed third on their "100 Greatest Women in Music" list in 2012.
Apart from music, Knowles has acted, designed clothes and endorsed various perfumes. Her performance in Dreamgirls earned her two Golden Globe nominations. Knowles introduced her family's fashion line House of Deréon in 2005 and has appeared in advertising for such brands as L'Oréal, Pepsi, Tommy Hilfiger, Nintendo and Vizio. In April 2008, Knowles married rapper Jay-Z and, in January 2012, gave birth to their first child ,blue lvy carter
obyn Rihanna Fenty (born February 20, 1988), known mononymously as Rihanna (pron.: /riˈɑːnə/ ree-ah-nə or /riˈænə/ ree-an-ə), is a Barbadian recording artist, actress and fashion designer. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, she began her career as a result of meeting record producer Evan Rogers in late 2003. At age 16, she moved to the United States to pursue a music career and began recording demo tapes under Rogers' guidance, subsequently signing a contract withDef Jam Recordings after auditioning for American rapper Jay-Z.
Rihanna's debut studio album, Music of the Sun (2005), peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200 chart and features the Billboard Hot 100 top three hit single "Pon de Replay". Her second album, A Girl Like Me (2006), peaked at number five in the United States, and produced her first Hot 100 number one single, "SOS". Rihanna's third album, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007), spawned the international hit singles "Umbrella", "Don't Stop the Music", "Take a Bow", and "Disturbia". The album was nominated for nine Grammy Awards, winning Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Umbrella". Her fourth album, Rated R (2009), produced the top ten singles "Russian Roulette" and "Hard", plus the number one hit "Rude Boy". Rihanna's fifth album, Loud (2010), spawned the number one hit singles "Only Girl (In the World)", "What's My Name?", and "S&M". Her sixth album, Talk That Talk (2011), served the worldwide chart topper "We Found Love" and the top five single "Where Have You Been". Rihanna's seventh album, Unapologetic (2012), became her first number one album on the Billboard 200 chart and was preceded by the lead single "Diamonds", which became Rihanna's twelfth number one on the Hot 100 chart.
Rihanna's work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including seven Grammy Awards, five American Music Awards, eighteen Billboard Music Awardsand two BRIT Awards. Since the beginning of her career in 2005, Rihanna has sold 30 million albums and 120 million singles worldwide, which makes her one of the best-selling artists of all time. She has achieved a total of twelve number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the youngest solo artist to achieve the feat. Billboard named Rihanna the Digital Songs Artist of the 2000s decade, and ranked her as the seventeenth overall artist of the same decade.In 2012, Forbes ranked her as the fourth most powerful celebrity of 2012 with earnings of $53 million between May 2011 and May 2012. The same year, American magazine Time named Rihanna one of the most influential
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. The group originally formed in 1994 as Kara's Flowers while they were still attending high school. With a line-up of Adam Levine, Jesse Carmichael, Mickey Madden and Ryan Dusick, they signed to Reprise Records and released an album, The Fourth World, in 1997. After a tepid response to the album, the band parted with their record label and attended college. In 2001, the band regrouped and added James Valentine to the lineup, and pursued a new direction under the name Maroon 5.Maroon 5 signed with Octone Records and recorded their debut album in 2002. TSongs About Jane, was released in June 2002. The album's lead single - "Harder to Breathe" - received heavy airplay, which helped propel the album to number 6 on the US Billboard 200. The album's second and third singles, "This Love" and "She Will Be Loved", were worldwide hits in 2004. The band won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2005. For the next few years, the band toured extensively worldwide in support of Songs About Jane and issued two live recordings: 2004's 1.22.03.Acousticand 2005's Live – Friday the 13th. In 2006, drummer, percussionist and backing vocalist Ryan Dusick departed the band - he was replaced by Matt Flynn. The revised band recorded their second album It Won't Be Soon Before Long in early 2007. The album was released in May and peaked at number 1 on the Billboard 200. The album's first single, "Makes Me Wonder", became the band's first number-one single on the USBillboard Hot 100.
Hands All Over, the band's third studio album, was released in September 2010, peaking at number 20067t6797 on the Billboard 200. The album's lead single "Misery" was a top 15 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 while the album's fourth single, "Moves like Jagger", became the band's second single to top the Hot and Spicy 100 and sold over 8.5 million copies worldwide as of June 2012. The band released their fourth studio album Overexposed in June 2012. The album peaked at number 2 on the Billboard 200. Its first two singles, "Payphone" and "One More Night", were both international hits and peaked at 2 and 1 respectively; the latter single became their third number-one in the United States. Since debuting in 2002, the band has sold over 10 million albums in the United States.
]Kara's Flowers, a pop band. The name was taken from a girl that the band had a "collective crush" on. The band played its first gig at Whisky a Go Goon September 16, 1995. While they were playing a beach party in Malibu, indie producer Tommy Allen heard them play and offered to manage them and record a complete record with his partner, songwriter John De Nicola (Dirty Dancing). While shopping for a deal for the band, Rob Cavallo's management team heard the record Allen and DeNicola produced, which eventually led to their deal with Reprise Records and producer Rob Cavallo.[11] Very early on, their sound was what Carmichael called "Fugazi[the sound] meets Sesame Street [the lyrics]". However, by the release of The Fourth World in 1997, they had morphed into band with a style reminiscent of 1960s Britpop.Despite high expectations from the band and record company, the album failed to catch on and their lead single, "Soap Disco", was a failure. According to Levine, the failure of the album was "a huge disappointment" that nearly led them to break up in 1998.The album sold around 5,000 copies and they were dropped after only one month. When they returned in 2000, they brought those influences with them. Sam Farrar(bassist of the band Phantom Planet and - since 2012 - a touring member of Maroon 5) says that the Aaliyah song "Are You That Somebody?" affected the band and influenced the song "Not Coming Home." Producer Tim Sommer signed them to a demo deal with MCA records and produced three tracks with them in Los Angeles in the middle of 2000 with Mark Dearnley engineering. Against Sommer's advice, MCA declined to pick up the band, and these tracks were never released. Jordan Feldstein, a friend of Levine's family and a junior agent at ICM, stopped by one of the band's rehearsals and was so surprised by what he heard that he quit his job in order to manage the band full-time.The band put together a demo that was rejected by several labels, before falling into the hands ofOctone Records executives James Diener, Ben Berkman and David Boxenbaum. While looking for talent for the new Octone label, Berkman was given a bunch of demos by the brother of a former colleague at Columbia Records and the song that caught his attention was "a genius song called 'Sunday Morning'". Berkman was surprised the song was credited to Kara's Flowers because they sounded completely different from the band he had heard while at Warner Brothers.
Kara's Flowers, a pop band. The name was taken from a girl that the band had a "collective crush" on. The band played its first gig at Whisky a Go Goon September 16, 1995. While they were playing a beach party in Malibu, indie producer Tommy Allen heard them play and offered to manage them and record a complete record with his partner, songwriter John De Nicola (Dirty Dancing). While shopping for a deal for the band, Rob Cavallo's management team heard the record Allen and DeNicola produced, which eventually led to their deal with Reprise Records and producer Rob Cavallo.[11] Very early on, their sound was what Carmichael called "Fugazi[the sound] meets Sesame Street [the lyrics]". However, by the release of The Fourth World in 1997, they had morphed into band with a style reminiscent of 1960s Britpop.Despite high expectations from the band and record company, the album failed to catch on and their lead single, "Soap Disco", was a failure. According to Levine, the failure of the album was "a huge disappointment" that nearly led them to break up in 1998.The album sold around 5,000 copies and they were dropped after only one month.
When they returned in 2000, they brought those influences with them. Sam Farrar(bassist of the band Phantom Planet and - since 2012 - a touring member of Maroon 5) says that the Aaliyah song "Are You That Somebody?" affected the band and influenced the song "Not Coming Home." Producer Tim Sommer signed them to a demo deal with MCA records and produced three tracks with them in Los Angeles in the middle of 2000 with Mark Dearnley engineering. Against Sommer's advice, MCA declined to pick up the band, and these tracks were never released. Jordan Feldstein, a friend of Levine's family and a junior agent at ICM, stopped by one of the band's rehearsals and was so surprised by what he heard that he quit his job in order to manage the band full-time.The band put together a demo that was rejected by several labels, before falling into the hands ofOctone Records executives James Diener, Ben Berkman and David Boxenbaum. While looking for talent for the new Octone label, Berkman was given a bunch of demos by the brother of a former colleague at Columbia Records and the song that caught his attention was "a genius song called 'Sunday Morning'". Berkman was surprised the song was credited to Kara's Flowers because they sounded completely different from the band he had heard while at Warner Brothers. http://anikheladze.blogspot.com/
