Blake Lewis was born on July 21, 1981 at Redmond, Washington, USA, and he hails from Bothell, Washington, USA. Best known as the beatboxing contestant on season six of American Idol, Blake Lewis hails from Bothell, WA. Lewis comes from a musical family — his mother used to be in a rock band and continues to sing and play guitar — and began singing himself at age five. He impressed Randy Jackson, Simon Cowell, and Paula Abdul at the Seattle auditions with his beatboxing and performance of Seal’s “Crazy,” and further wowed them at Hollywood week, where he performed with fellow contestants Rudy Cardenas and Chris Sligh. Performances of songs like Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know” and Jamiroquai’s “Virtual Insanity” reflected his hip musical tastes; some of Lewis’ other favorite artists include Imogen Heap, 311, and Gnarls Barkley. A spectacular hodgepodge of styles as varied as synth-pop, alterna-funk and old school hip-hop, Audio Day Dream could only be the brainchild of a true visionary … or at least a funk soul brotha with a studio addiction. His distinctive style won him early fan support, including a voting bloc calling themselves “the Blaker Girls,” and Lewis ultimately emerged as the season’s runner-up. While completing the subsequent American Idol tour that summer, he spent most of his evenings focusing on his full-length studio debut, co-writing 12 of the album’s 13 tracks and collaborating with such producers as OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder. Audio Day Dream dropped in December 2007, buoyed by the leadoff single “Break Anotha”. He auditioned for “American Idol” at Seattle, Washington. During his audition, he sang to the beat of Seal’s “Crazy.” All the judges said yes, but Simon reminded him not to be too cocky. On March 8, 2007, Blake Lewis made the Top 12 on “American Idol.” He was eliminated from the competition on May 23, 2007. He garnered 2nd place or runner-up, losing only to winner, Jordin Sparks.
Justin Randall Timberlake was born to Lynn Harless and Randy Timberlake on January 31, 1981, in Memphis, Tennessee. At the age of 11, he appeared on the show “Star Search” (1983), and even though he didn’t win, it didn’t dampen his ambitions. He also appeared on “MMC” (1989), where his costars included Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling, Keri Russell, Christina Aguilera and future band-mate J.C. Chasez. At age 14, Justin became a member of the boy band *NSYNC. *NSYNC got started in Orlando, FL, in 1996, when Timberlake and Chasez teamed up with Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Joey Fatone. Managed by former New Kids on the Block manager Johnny Wright, *NSYNC were eventually formed in 1995. Enlisting hit pop producers Kristian Lundin (Backstreet Boys), and Denniz Pop and Max Martin (Robyn, Ace Of Base ), the team recorded a collection of teen-oriented pop/dance tracks. The band found success in Europe first on the strength of their singles, I Want You Back and Tearin’ Up My Heart. A tour of American roller rinks introduced them to the US audience, as a result of which I Want You Back became a US No.13 hit in May 1998. Their self titled debut album was released in 1998 selling millions of copies in Europe and the US. They became a big hit with fans and made a place for themselves in the music world with a succession of big-selling albums. In the beginning of 2002, Justin spent time working on and writing songs for his debut solo album. During this time, he broke up with his longtime girlfriend, Britney Spears. The release of the solo album, titled “Justified”, came in November of 2002. Songs from his solo album include: “Like I Love You”, “Cry Me A River” and “Rock Your Body”. Timberlake returned to the music world in 2006 with his Prince-inspired FutureSex/LoveSounds, which featured production work from Timbaland and Rick Rubin, and was followed by a brief club tour.
Julio Iglesias (born September 23, 1943) in Madrid is Spain’s best selling singer in history and one of the best selling Hispanic singers of all time. Julio Iglesias has sold 250 million records and released nearly 80 records. He has performed approximately 5,000 concerts during his career. Julio Iglesias was the most popular Latin singer of the ’70s and ’80s, selling over 100 million albums around the world. Iglesias was a smooth, romantic crooner and his appeal translated to many different countries in many different languages.Initially, Iglesias planned to be a lawyer. As he studied, he was a goalkeeper for the Real Madrid football team. His career as an athlete was ended after an automobile accident in the mid-’60s.While he was recovering, Iglesias started playing guitar and writing songs. Before he began a musical career, he finished his law studies at Cambridge University. In 1968, he was a contestant at the 1968 Spanish Song Festival at Benidorm, singing his original song “La Vida Sigue Igual. Iglesias won the first prize at the contest, which led to a record contract with Discos Columbia, an independent record label.
Keith Urban was born 26 October 1967 in Whangarei, New Zealand. Guitarist Keith Urban made his name by mixing Nashville sounds with the scruffy rock-n-roll looks of Kurt Cobain. Urban was born in New Zealand and grew up in Australia; determined to be an entertainer, he quit school as a teenager and began singing and playing guitar professionally. A 1990 record deal with EMI produced his first album, Keith Urban. The album spawned several hit singles in Australia and prompted Urban’s 1992 move to Nashville, Tennessee, the hub of the country music industry. He found work as a session guitarist and had modest success with the band The Ranch, then went solo. His 1999 American debut album (also titled Keith Urban) yielded three top hits and won him the Academy of Country Music Award as Top New Male Vocalist. His 2002 release, Golden Road, was another hit and featured the single “Somebody Like You.” His 2004 album, Be Here, earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album. His album Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing was released in 2006. Keith Urban’s Musical Influences: Glen Campbell, Jimmy Webb, Don Williams, Mark Knopfler, Freddie Mercury, Fleetwood Mac, Jackson Browne, Don Henley, Ronnie Milsap and Dolly Parton. Keith Urban’s Awards: 2001 ACM New Male Vocalist, 2001 CMA Horizon Award, 2004 CMA Male Vocalist, 2005 ACM Male Vocalist, 2005 ACM Album of the Year - Be Here, 2006 ACM Male Vocalist, 2006 CMA Male Vocalist.