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Every week, Star Radio presents to you an artist you are eager to meet.
Please check the FULL Alphabetical List on the main bio/dicography page;
click on the Alphabetical letters to read the bio.
Below is the List so far from Letter "R" to Letter "T":
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FULL Alphabetical List: Click Here
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ARTISTS BIOGRAPHY/DISCOGRAPHY: R, S, T
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Raghav |
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Born in Cananda the young Raghav began his musical training at the
tender age of five, studying Indian classical music with Guru Nishi Kant Bali.
By the time he was six he was performing Live shows in Canada.
He trained at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and with
world-renowned vocal coach Seth Riggs in Los Angeles. Seth's other students
include Michael Jackson and Madonna!
Raghav established himself as a prolific songwriter by winning an award
for top original song in 1998 as voted by the National Songwriters
Association of America.
Raghav came to England to study at Paul McCartney's Liverpool Institute
for Performing Arts (LIPA) and has commuted between Calgary and the UK ever since.
After featuring the song "So Confused" with the group "2 play", Raghav
released another single "Can't get enough".
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Antonis Remos |
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Antonis Remos was born in Dusseldorf Germany in 1970. He relocated to
Greece 10 years later residing in the beautiful city of Thessaloniki.
Antonis took up many odd jobs among them was amateur singing in various
clubs. Over the years the music scene mesmerized the brown-eyed artist,
who decided to give it his all. In 1995, after several years of singing
experience, Antonis decided to try his luck in Athens where he appeared
next to Dimitris Mitropanos, Stefanos Korkolis and Mario Tokas. This
appearance of his led to a contract with Sony Music that very same year.
It was very peculiar, however, that even before he started recording his
first album a lot of hype was created around his name and his talent.
In 1996, his self-titled album was released. In a few months the album
went gold and in less than a year it was certified double platinum
status. His second album entitled "Keros Na Pame Parakato" (It's Time To
Move On) went gold and almost double platinum status.
In December 1999, he worked with various well known song writers such as
Christos Nikolopoulos, Yiannis Parios and Antonis Andrikakis for his
album titled "Pali Ap'tin Arhi" (From The Beginning Again).
May 2000: The soundtrack to the film "I Agapi Ine Elefandas" (Love Is
An Elephant) with music by Minos Matsas is released. Antonis Remos sings
the self-titled track along with exotic label mate Tania Nassibian.
June 2000: His single was released which was certified gold. Antonis
Remos' huge hit "Meine" (Stay) remixed... like no other track before. It
adopted a new title "Fly with me" from Remee Guitar's rap vocals. The
single also includes 2 remixes of the track "Mi zitas signomi" (Don't say
I'm sorry), which have been done by Frank' o Moiraghi.
The success followed on each release: Mia Nihta Mono – double CD
(2001), Olos O Kosmos Eisai Esi – single (2002), Kardia Mou Min Anisischeis –
album (2002), Kardia Mou (remixed by Galleon) – single (2002), Mia
Anapnoi – album (2003) and Mikis Theodorakis "If You Remember My Dream"
with Antonis Remos – single (2004).
www.antonisremos.com
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The Rasmus |
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At the sprouting age of sixteen, they reached their goals quickly and
their dreams of rock stardom become a reality. The four friends made a
conscious conclusion that the music scene in Finland sucked and needed a
change or at least a fresh approach.
In 1996, The Rasmus released their debut album Peep. It did not take
long for the album sell gold. Shortly after this, the band crawled back into the
studio to record their second album Playboys. Yes, it also sold gold very
quickly. By then, The Rasmus had established themselves as a household
name in Finland. Soon after, The Rasmus received their first Finnish
Grammy, (called Emma in Finnish), in the category of Best New Act. The
tempo of success built momentum and The Rasmus supported shows with
Rancid, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Garbage at these artist’s shows in
Finland.
In 1999, The Rasmus, as energetic and productive as they are released
their third album Hellofatester. The Single, Liquid, was voted, by both
critics and fans as The Year’s Best Single.
In 2001, The Rasmus were ready for a major breakthrough with a smash hit
single F-f-f-falling. The single shot like a bullet straight to number
one, selling Platinum and being the biggest hit of the year in Finland.
The album Into followed a couple of months later and charged the charts
like a rocket.
Up to this point, any international releases had been minimal. With the
great story building in Finland, The Rasmus went abroad supporting acts
such as: HIM, Roxette and the Spanish rock band Dover in Germany,
Scandinavia and Latvia.
Following the tour with the Spanish rock band Dover, The Rasmus then flew
quickly to Finland for the Finnish Grammy Awards Show where they performed
a song and swept all the major categories by collecting new Grammies for:
Best band, Best single (F-f-f-falling), Best rock/pop band and Album Of The Year.
http://www.therasmus.com/
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Mustafa Sandal |
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Mustafa accomplished his high school studies in Geneva (Switzerland) and did two years of Marketing studies in New Hampshire College (USA) but he gave up his studies for music and went back to Istanbul (Turkey) his native country. Sandal met at the Gelisim Studios well-known national musicians such as Onno Tunc, Selcuk bazaar, Ugur bazaar and Garo Mafyan with whom he ended up working. The friendship with Bulent Tezcan opened further doors for his musical career.
In 1994, his album "Suc Bende" sold 1,5 million Tapes and 200,000 CDs and became the biggest selling album of the year. With this success Mustafa played 140 concerts in Turkey and 30 in Europe.
Also known as songwriter producer, Mustafa worked that same year with singer Sibel Alas on the album "Adam" that sold 400,000 copies.
In 1997, 27 years old at that time, Sandal decided to move to London, but his second album “Golgede Ayni", sold that summer over 2.5 million Tapes and 600,000 CDs. Sandal gave over 200 concerts and has astonished the population with his video of the single "Bir Anda" in which he has used tie-clip techniques. For Mustafa, it became clear that he couldn’t leave to London as he was also having irresistible offers such as producing the Turkish young rising artist Izel.
In 1998, he recorded and released the album "Detay" of which "Aya Benzer" was the first single. The song was quickly n°1 in the Turkish charts and the album won two Kral Awards (which is in Turkey the equivalent of the Grammy awards). In that same year, he toured in the USA, in Germany, Austria, Denmark, Holland, England, Sweden, Turkmenistan and Aserbeidschan.
In 1999, Sandal signed a contract with Sony in France, which made him worldwide operational. "Araba", one of his largest hits, came out with remix-versions for the European market.
In June 2000 Mustafa Sandal published his album "Akisina Birak", a joint venture work with the composer and musician Iskender Paydas. "Tek Gecerim" and "Hatirla Beni" were two great hits form this album. Besides Sandal established its own label Yada Productions, in order to be able to produce other artists more independently.
In June 2002 Mustafa Sandal finally brought his latest album "Kop” out with the hits "Pazara Kadar" and ”Kop”. This album led him this time to Russia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. That same year, Mustafa won a Kral Award for "Best Pop star".
In 2003, with the remix of his Top hit "Aya Benzer" Mustafa Sandal (featuring Gulcan) was back to Europe. He reached the top 10 in Germany, entered the Austrian Charts and did very well on Star Radio’s top 40.
In 2004, he released a very nice song called "Araba 2004".
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Guy Sebastian |
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Guy Sebastian became the first Australian Idol. Guy was born in
Malaysia but he moved with his family when he was six years old to Melbourne,
Australia because of his father’s job as a geologist. At ten years old,
Guy’s family moved to Adelaide, Australia where he now lives. As a
child, Guy learned the violin. When he was sixteen years old, he sang in
front of his high school for the first time. After high school, he went
to university in hopes to study medical radiation. After two years, he
left. He found the work depressing and he decided to try to change lives
via music. Guy then began to juggle two jobs; he was a high school
vocal coach and a recording engineer.
On Australian Idol, Guy immediately managed to win the hearts of
Australian viewers with his charisma, trademark afro, and ability to play
various musical instruments (piano, guitar, drums). The Australian Idol
finale was the most watched program on Australian television for the year
2003. With 3.65 million people viewing in to see Guy win, the show
became Australia’s most watched non-sporting telecast in Australian
broadcasting history.
Soon after his win, Guy released his first single entitled “Angels
Brought Me Here.” The single debuted at number one on the ARIA charts and
sold 128,000 copies in the first week. This became the fastest selling
single in ARIAnet history.
Guy’s debut album, Just As I Am, was released on December 8, 2003. The
album, which is a mix of funk, pop, and urban, was highly anticipated
by Australian audiences. The album contained a cover of Prince’s “When
the Doves Cry,” and Louis Armstrong’s classic, “What a Wonderful World.”
Guy’s album also contained three original songs penned by him: “All I
Need Is You,” “Something Don’t Feel Right,” “I 4 U.”
On Boxing Day 2003, Guy appeared on the World Idol competition. The
show, which was filmed at Wembley Stadium in London, was broadcasted in 22
countries. Guy sang a rendition of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful
World.”
The second part of World Idol occurred on New Years Day 2004. Audiences
were disappointed in the judges treatment of the competitors. The
creators of the television show admitted that there was a great deal of
editing due to the harshness of judges. Although Guy did not place very
high in the competition, he hopes that the experience will help him become
an international superstar. His latest single (at the time of writing of
this bio) was "All I need is you".
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Shakira |
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After achieving superstardom throughout Latin America, Colombian-Lebanese born Shakira became Latin pop's biggest female crossover
artist since Jennifer Lopez broke down the doors to English-language success. Noted for her aggressive, rock-influenced approach,
Shakira maintained an extraordinary degree of creative control over her music, especially for a female artist; she wrote or co-wrote
nearly all of her own material, and in the process gained a reputation as one of Latin music's most ambitiously poetic lyricists.
When she released her first English material in late 2001, she became an instant pop sensation, thanks to her quirky poetic sense
and a sexy video image built on her hip-shaking belly-dance moves.
Shakira Mebarak (full name: Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll) was born February 2, 1977, in Barranquilla, Colombia, into a poor family.
Her mother was a native Colombian and her father was of Lebanese descent, and so as a child Shakira soaked up music from both cultures;
she also listened heavily to English-language rock & roll, listing her favorite bands in later interviews as Led Zeppelin, the Beatles,
the Police, the Cure, and Nirvana.
Her 1991 debut album, Magia (Magic), was comprised of songs she'd written over the past five or six years, including some of her earliest
efforts. Although it didn't break internationally, the record started to make a name for her in her home country. Dissatisfied with the pop
inclinations of the follow-up, 1993's Peligro (Danger), Shakira changed direction for a time, joining the cast of the Colombian soap opera
El Oasis in 1994.
When Shakira returned to recording in 1995, she asserted more control over the direction of her music, and worked more rock & roll rhythms
-- as well as occasional Arabic tinges -- into her Latin pop material. The first results were Pies Descalzos (Bare Feet), which was initially
released in 1995; a slow seller at first, the album gradually caught on thanks to the rock-tinged single "Estoy Aqui," which became a hit
all over Latin America, as well as Spain. The album hit number one in eight different countries and eventually went platinum in the U.S.
as well; Shakira toured for nearly two years promoting it (she finally left El Oasis in 1997).
Seeking to build on her success, Shakira signed Emilio Estefan -- Gloria's husband and a highly successful music-biz insider -- as her
manager and producer. The move paid off when her follow-up album, 1998's Dónde Están los Ladrones? (Where Are the Thieves?), became an
even bigger worldwide hit than its predecessor. When Gloria Estefan offered to translate "Ojos Así" into English, the prospect of a
crossover suddenly seemed tangible, and Shakira decided that the most effective way to maintain control over her material was to learn
English well enough to write in it herself.
Mainstream pop stardom beckoned. Shakira dyed her long brown hair blonde, romanced Antonio de la Rua (son of the former president of
Argentina), and went to work on her first (mostly) English-language album, Laundry Service. The single/video "Whenever, Wherever" was
released in advance of the album in late 2001, and made her a star in the English-speaking world almost overnight. Laundry Service
entered the American pop charts at number three, and "Whenever, Wherever" climbed into the Top Ten of the singles chart, peaking at
number six. The follow-up "Underneath Your Clothes" also hit the Top Ten, halting at number nine; less than a year after its release,
Laundry Service had gone triple platinum. Reviews of Laundry Service were divided as to the effectiveness of Shakira's English lyrics,
but nearly all agreed on her unique poetic imagery.
Shakira's latest single (at the time of this writing), "La Tortura", taken from her latest album released in 2005, is hitting the charts everywhere.
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Duncan Sheik |
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Born in 1969 in Montclair, N.J., singer-songwriter Duncan Sheik grew up
in New Jersey and South Carolina, where music was an integral part of
his upbringing. He began learning the piano before the age of five and
took up guitar as a teenager, playing in a series of '80s cover bands.
While attending Brown University in the early '90s, Sheik hooked up
with fellow student (and soon-to-be-famous-chanteuse) Lisa Loeb who
invited to him to play in her band. After graduation, Sheik left for Los
Angeles, where he shopped a demo tape around, eventually signing a deal
with Atlantic Records.
Duncan Sheik was produced by Rupert Hine and recorded at his
150-year-old French chateau outside Paris. The album reached gold status within a
year of its release thanks to the Top 20 hit "Barely Breathing."
Sheik's sophomore effort, Humming, also produced by Hine, was recorded
in Spain. The album was released on Atlantic in the fall of '98.
Duncan Sheik's other releases are: Great Expectations: the Album,
1997; Phantom Moon,2001 and Daylight, 2002.
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Gwen Stefani |
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We've all had that moment when we sense that things are about to change. For Gwen Stefani that epiphany occurred as a high school senior in Orange
County. "I remember being this 17 year-old girl, in love and really excited about my future with the boy that I thought was going to be my husband
and we'd have babies and that, "she pauses, "was my passion. Then I learned that I could write songs and that is when my life changed. I went from
being this really passive girl to 'Oh my God. This makes me feel so powerful when I write these words.' It was such a turning point to find that I
had a talent and I had something to contribute, somewhere."
Mission accomplished. As lead singer and songwriter for Grammy-winners No Doubt, and over the course of the group's four platinum-plus albums,
Gwen Stefani has reigned as one of rock's most iconic and cool females.
The name of Gwen's much anticipated debut album is "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." and it is absolute Gwen. It's rhythmic, rebellious, confessional,
sexy, fierce, playful, funky, ballsy, emotional and oh yeah, very f'in cool. Working with an eclectic array of musicians and producers who rep
everything from new wave to hip-hop, Gwen has fashioned an album that shimmers with exuberance, which was the plan from the start. "I definitely
wanted to make a record that would get underneath the skin," Gwen offers. "I wanted to make a very good feeling, classic upbeat dance record that
when you first heard it, it would be your guilty pleasure."
Helping Gwen achieve that goal are artists like Dr Dre, The Neptunes, Andre 3000, Linda Perry, Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook of New Order, Nellee
Hooper, Dallas Austin, Wendy & Lisa, Tony Kanal, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. As you'd expect, that blending of skills and influences makes for a
sonically adventurous album.
A long time ska fan, Gwen was also drawn to other influences and would often flash back to those more innocent days when the rush of going out
dancing or checking out a song on the radio totally fueled you. Depeche Mode. Club Nouveau. Early Madonna. Prince. The Time. Debbie Deb. The Cure.
The sensations of that era were dormant in Gwen's soul. After No Doubt's successful Rock Steady tour, Gwen approached band-mate bassist Tony Kanal
and said, "Dude. Wouldn't it be fun to do like a Club Nouveau record? Do a record just on the side. We're going to take a year off, why don't we do it?
You could produce it, we could write songs like those songs." That's how the process started and it snowballed. "I thought it was going to be easy and
fast because I'd work with a few people, do a few covers and I could just put a side record out, which people do all the time. After 17 years you try
something different."
Fast and easy it wasn't. Gwen procrastinated. She was distracted by life, (she'd just gotten married), and exhausted. "The clock was ticking in my
ears. I knew I had to get started on the album or I'd never get to the next No Doubt record, or the baby or the movie."
Drawing vitality and love from an amazing group of artists, Gwen Stefani was able to not only express herself but also find commonality in the
process of doing so. Asked how she sees "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." and her enthusiasm is contagious. "I can't believe how good it is. It's fun to
be able to brag in that way because it was a lot of different energies and talents coming together. All of these different elements made it so great.
In the beginning of the process I was scared to let other people into my creative world, but doing that fueled some fire in me."
(bio summary taken from Gwen's official website)
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Shania Twain |
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Twain was born on August 28, 1965, in Windsor, Ontario, but grew up in
the mid-sized town of Timmins where she was raised by her mother and
stepfather, two singers, who were killed in an automobile accident when she was 21.
Twain, who had been onstage since childhood, signed with Mercury
Records in the early '90s, but her first album was almost completely ignored
when released in 1993. Between the first and second albums, Twain met
and married producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, a rock producer whose
multi-platinum credits included Bryan Adams, Def Leppard, AC/DC and the Cars.
Backed with Lange's budget and commercial instincts, Twain recorded The
Woman In Me, on which she and Lange wrote everything. With hits like
"Any Man Of Mine," "You Win My Love" and "(If You're Not In It For Love)
I'm Outta Here," The Woman In Me sold more than 8 million copies,
surpassing Patsy Cline's Greatest Hits as the best-selling country album of
all time by a female artist.
The album also won a Grammy in 1996 for Best Country Album.
The wholesome sexuality of Twain's videos made her a hit with men
without alienating women, but it has also allowed detractors to suggest that
because she didn't tour behind the album, she couldn't sing. (A stint
opening for Wynonna fell through when the album took off.) About the
time Twain started thinking about a third album (and tour), she signed
with Bruce Springsteen manager Jon Landau.
(Twain managed herself through most of the initial success of The Woman
In Me.) She and Lange worked together again for the follow-up, Come On
Over, which was also a huge smash; the album even spawned a bona fide
crossover pop hit with "Still The One." A headlining concert tour
supporting Come On Over silenced some of the critics who accused Twain of
being her husband's studio creation, and a handful of 1998 Grammy
nominations further bolstered her respectability.
She also kept busy as a spokesperson for Revlon Cosmetics, for whose
commericals her "Man, I Feel Like A Woman" was featured.
In 2000, Come On Over was certified by the Recording Industry
Association of America as the best-selling solo album by a female artist in
history. It has sold 19 million copies to date and has since been certified
as the biggest-selling album in country music history.
Twain took some time off after touring behind Come On Over, relaxing
with Lange in their mansion on the banks of Lake Geneva in Switzerland.
During her time off, she became pregnant and gave birth to her first
child, son Eja Lange, in August 2001. Her next album, Up!, was released
in late 2002, followed by her Greatest Hits album in 2004.
Her latest single CD 'Party for Two' is to be released in January 2005.
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