PEOPLE KNOWN FOR: singing
American singer, songwriter, and bandleader
Bruce Springsteen is an American singer, songwriter, and bandleader who became the archetypal rock performer of the 1970s and ’80s. With his poetic lyrics describing the lives of everyday Americans, his...
American musician
Bob Dylan is an American folksinger and songwriter who moved from folk to rock music in the 1960s, infusing the lyrics of rock and roll, theretofore concerned mostly with boy-girl romantic innuendo, with...
American singer and actor
Frank Sinatra was an American singer and motion-picture actor who, through a long career and a very public personal life, became one of the most sought-after performers in the entertainment industry; he...
Ugandan politician
Bobi Wine is a Ugandan politician, performer, and activist who first garnered acclaim for his popular hits and socially conscious songs he called “edutainment”—the fusion of education and entertainment....
American singer, songwriter, and dancer
Michael Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, and dancer who was one of the most popular and influential entertainers in the world in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Jackson transformed popular...
American singer-songwriter
Taylor Swift is a multitalented singer-songwriter and global superstar who has captivated audiences with her heartfelt lyrics and catchy melodies, solidifying herself as one of the most influential artists...
American singer and actor
Elvis Presley was an American popular singer widely known as the “King of Rock and Roll” and one of rock music’s dominant performers from the mid-1950s until his death. Presley grew up dirt-poor in Tupelo,...
American musician
Country music singer-songwriter Waylon Jennings lived a life straight out of a classic country song. With a baritone growl for a voice and a musical style that blended folk lyrics, rock rhythms, and honky-tonk-style...
American musician and actress
Dolly Parton is an American country music singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress who pioneered the interface between country and pop music styles and became one of the most iconic entertainment figures...
American producer, rapper, and designer
Kanye West is an American producer, rapper, and fashion designer who parlayed his production success in the late 1990s and early 2000s into a career as a popular, critically acclaimed solo artist. One...
American singer-songwriter
Buffy Sainte-Marie is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, political activist, and visual artist known especially for her use of music to promote awareness of issues affecting Native Americans. Since...
American rapper and actor
Ice-T rose to fame in the late 1980s and early ’90s as a gangsta rapper who developed a reputation for being fearless when it came to courting controversy. “Cop Killer” (1992), a song about police brutality...
Canadian rapper
Drake is a Canadian rap musician who first gained fame as an actor on the acclaimed TV teenage drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation and went on to have a successful and influential music career....
American rapper
Emerging as a rapper, producer, and songwriter in the “party rap” tradition, Mac Miller went on to captivate audiences with a diverse discography of hip-hop music. Originally derided by critics, Miller’s...
American singer-songwriter
Lana Del Rey is an American singer-songwriter known for pairing glamorously morose musical themes with classic Americana and a nostalgic, cinematic visual style. Del Rey’s songs typically focus on relatable,...
British singer and composer
George Michael was a British singer and songwriter who rose from teen idol status with the Britpop band Wham! to global superstardom as a solo pop music artist in the 1980s and ’90s, with such hit songs...
American singer
Beyoncé is an American singer-songwriter and actress who achieved fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the R&B group Destiny’s Child and then launched a hugely successful solo career. In 2023 she...
American singer
In 2013 American singer, songwriter, and musician Sturgill Simpson released his debut album, the fiercely traditionalist High Top Mountain. Simpson was soon hailed by many critics and fans as “the savior...
American singer, songwriter, composer, and actor
Paul Williams is an American singer, songwriter, composer, and actor known for his long and storied career in which he has written numerous award-winning songs, scored films, and acted in films and television....
American composer, musician, singer, and producer
Brian Wilson was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer best known as a co-founder and the lead singer, bassist, and keyboardist for the Beach Boys, a band whose songs defined the sun-drenched...
American musician
Joan Jett is an American singer and musician whose raucous, three-chord guitar-playing and rebellious image made her a trailblazer in the male-dominated genre of rock music. She was a member of the all-female,...
American singer-songwriter and actress
Lady Gaga is an American singer-songwriter and performance artist, known for her flamboyant costumes, provocative lyrics, and strong vocal talents, who achieved enormous popular success in the early 21st...
Jamaican musician
Bob Marley was a Jamaican singer-songwriter whose thoughtful ongoing distillation of early ska, rock steady, and reggae musical forms blossomed in the 1970s into an electrifying rock-influenced hybrid...
American musician
“Weird Al” Yankovic is a musician and songwriter best known for his parodies of songs and music videos by other musicians. He gained national fame in 1984 with the song and music video for “Eat It,” a...
British musician
Ray Davies is an English musician and songwriter best known for his work with the rock band the Kinks. Ray Davies was born into a working-class family in the Fortis Green area of the suburban Muswell Hill...
British musician
Elton John is a British singer, composer, and pianist who became one of the most popular entertainers of the late 20th century with such indelible hit songs as “Rocket Man,” “Crocodile Rock,” and “Candle...
American actress and musician
Jennifer Lopez built a massively successful triple-threat career as an actress, dancer, and musician to become a global superstar known to fans as simply “J.Lo.” She began appearing in films in the late...
American singer
Roberta Flack was an American rhythm and blues (R&B) singer known for the number-one hits “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” (1972) and “Killing Me Softly with His Song” (1973), and for her duets with...
Canadian musician
Bruce Cockburn is a Canadian singer, songwriter, guitarist, and activist best known for music blending folk, rock, pop, and jazz and for lyrics that typically addressed spiritual themes and global issues...
American rapper
Juice WRLD was an American rapper known for his freestyling ability and introspective lyrics. He first gained popularity on the music streaming platform SoundCloud but rapidly entered the pop mainstream...
American actress and singer
Idina Menzel is an American actor and singer whose three-octave mezzo-soprano voice has made her a star of stage and screen in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. She is best known for her roles as...
Canadian musician and filmmaker
Neil Young is a Canadian guitarist, singer, and songwriter best known for his idiosyncratic output and eclectic sweep, from solo folkie to grungy guitar-rocker. Young grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with...
American singer, actor, and political activist
Paul Robeson was a celebrated American singer, actor, and activist who was one of the preeminent figures of American theater in the early 20th century. He also appeared on the London stage and in films...
American singer-songwriter
Tracy Chapman is an American singer-songwriter who quickly rose to fame in the late 1980s as a result of the phenomenal overnight success of her eponymous debut album, which sold some one million copies...
American actor, singer, and dancer
Zendaya is an American actor, singer, and dancer who first gained fame for comedic roles on the Disney Channel and later transitioned to more complex and critically acclaimed parts such as Rue Bennett...
American rapper
Megan Thee Stallion is an American rapper who rose to prominence in the 2010s as part of a growing cohort of women hip-hop artists. She is known for her bodacious lyrics and viral songs, including “Hot...
American singer
Linda Martell is a pioneering American country music singer who was the first Black female artist to perform at the venerable Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. She had a top 25 hit (“Color Him Father”) on Billboard’s...
Lebanese singer and actress
Fairouz is a Lebanese singer and actress widely considered to be one of the most celebrated Arab singers of the 20th century. Fairouz’s husband was Assi Rahbani, who along with his brother Mansour Rahbani—known...
American singer and actress
Madonna is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and entrepreneur whose immense popularity in the 1980s and ’90s allowed her to achieve levels of power and control that were nearly unprecedented for...
American musician
Kendrick Lamar is an American rapper who has achieved critical and commercial success with such albums as good kid, m.A.A.d city (2012) and To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) and singles such as “Not Like Us”...
American singer, songwriter and actress
Solange is an American multidisciplinary artist, perhaps best known as a singer, songwriter, choreographer, and actress but also widely celebrated as a visual and performance artist. She began her career...
American rapper and actor
Ice Cube is an American rapper and actor whose membership in the seminal gangsta rap group N.W.A gained him acclaim and launched his controversial but successful solo career. Ice Cube is known by hip-hop...
Scottish singer and songwriter
Annie Lennox is a Scottish vocalist and half of the popular 1980s British rock duo Eurythmics, known for her vocal versatility, commanding stage presence, androgynous style, and ever-changing appearance....
British musician
Paul McCartney is a British vocalist, songwriter, composer, bass player, poet, and painter whose work with the Beatles in the 1960s helped lift popular music from its origins in the entertainment business...
American singer and songwriter
Neil Sedaka is an American singer, songwriter, composer, and pianist, one of the most prolific songwriters of his era, having written or cowritten more than 500 songs, including the hits “Calendar Girl”...
British actress and singer
Cynthia Erivo is an English actress and singer known for her powerhouse performances in theater, in film, on television, and in music. She gained fame and accolades for her role as Celie in the stage adaptation...
American singer
Tony Bennett was an American popular singer known for his smooth voice and interpretive abilities with songs in a variety of genres. He is considered one of the greatest vocal stylists in jazz and popular...
American singer
Chaka Khan is an American singer whose incredible vocal range and dynamic stage presence helped make her the “Queen of Funk.” She has sold some 70 million records, backed by such hits as “I Feel for You”...
Canadian singer-songwriter
Joni Mitchell is a Canadian experimental singer-songwriter and one of the foremost folk music artists of the late 20th century. Her music reached its greatest popularity in the 1970s but has continued...
American singer, songwriter, and actor
Kris Kristofferson was an American singer-songwriter and actor known for his gravelly voice and rugged good looks and a string of country music hits, notably “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Help Me Make It Through...