Lil Wayne

Charismatic Southern rapper Lil Wayne began his industry ascendance as one of the Hot Boys, a short-lived Cash Money Records all-star group.

Kings of Leon

The southern rock outfit Kings of Leon is comprised of the brothers Caleb (guitar), Nathan (drums), and Jared Followill (bass).

Carrie Underwood

The first country American Idol, Carrie Underwood grew up in the small town of Checotah, OK, and began singing with her church at the tender age of three.

Alicia Keys

Her official website says she possesses an "old soul," and the hard facts seem to back up the implied claim of wisdom and experience that transcend Alicia Keys' youth.

Usher

After being spotted by a La Face record executive at a talent show in his hometown of Atlanta, it took no time for Usher Raymond's career to take off.

Shakira

After achieving superstardom throughout Latin America, Colombian-born Shakira became Latin pop's biggest female crossover artist since Jennifer Lopez broke down the doors to English-language success.

Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam rose from the ashes of Mother Love Bone to become the most popular American rock & roll band of the '90s.

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift has been singing all her life, motivated by her grandmother, who was a professional opera singer.

Kanye West

In a short span of time, Kanye West went from hitmaking producer to just plain hitmaker.

Green Day

Out of all the post-Nirvana American alternative bands to break into the pop mainstream, Green Day was second only to Pearl Jam in terms of influence.

Pink

Although she was initially viewed as yet another face in the late-'90s crowd of teen pop acts, Pink quickly showed signs of becoming one of the rare artists to transcend and outgrow the label.

Big Day Out 2011: Family Cactus

Looking forward to BDO 2011, Astral interviews Matthew Armitage, bass player and multi-instrumentalist for Family Cactus, New Zealand's hottest alt-country-rock-bluegrass-folk implosion!