21st Century Music

MUSIC

As we write this page, it is practically impossible to turn on the tv or radio, surf the internet, or visit stores that sell music without hearing the songs of the two artists pictured in our page header. Adele had one of the biggest selling albums of the past two years, and One Direction is the flavor of the last few months especially with those who buy records and go to concerts. Boy Bands are not a new thing, they have been popular since the 1950's. Their kind of popularity just keeps coming back, again and again. That is just the tip of the iceberg so to speak. Many artists have captured a share of the coin in the first 12 years of this century, thus far. Some of those folks may surprise you. Some go back to the 90's and before; some have best sellers in the 21st century, even though they have not performed since 1970 (Beatles). In the mini-bios below, click on the artist's names to hear a sample of their music.

EMINEM, One of the Biggest Sellers of 2000's on all lists

Eminem, who was born 2-1/2 years after the Beatles broke up, is the only artist who has sold more albums in this decade than the fabled foursome.The rap superstar has sold 31,127,000 albums since the first week of January 2000. At one time, "rap" was easily dismissed; today, it is one of the biggest sellers in all phases of the music world. Other rap artists taking their share of the coin include: Lil' Wayne, Nas, Jay Z , Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. (click on the artist's names for a sample of their kind of music. And be warned: it is not censored.) More often than not, this is the music anyone can hear as it blares from car radio speakers on the highways and in any places where the drivers of the cars go. (note: because it is featured on these pages does not mean that the adminstrators of the webiste team either condone or appreciate it even though we cannot deny its popularity.)

COUNTRY AND POP SUPERSTAR, SWIFT HAS A #1 ALBUM TO END 2012

Taylor Swift won the 2009 MTV Award for Best Female Video for "You Belong with Me", the first country music artist to win an MTV Video Music Award.

On November 11, 2009, Swift became the youngest artist ever to win the Country Music Association Award for Entertainer of the year, and is one of only six women to ever win the prestigious Country Music Association's highest honor.

Taylor Swift's lyrics are highly autobiographical; she has said that "If you listen to my albums, it’s like reading my diary." She has also indicated that she tries to write so her fans can relate to the lyrics, As of March 2011, she has sold over 20 million albums and 33 million singles worldwide.

ONE DIRECTION HAS BECOME A WORLDWIDE PHENOMENON

One Direction, who topped the Billboard 200 album chart twice in 2012 with their debut, "Up All Night" in March and their sophomore album "Take Me Home" in November, were named as Billboard's top new artist/group, rounding off a stellar year of U.S. success for the UK band.

If you need evidence of One Direction's massive 2012, look no further than the previously empty space on Seventh Avenue vacated by bellied-up booksellers Borders. Nestled into the side of New York's largest concert venue, Madison Square Garden, and sitting above Penn Station's massive transit hub, the retail space was a real-estate goldmine and could have easily gone with another Starbucks, McDonald's or place to sell "I Love NY" T-shirts. Instead, realtors opted for the hottest commodity possible: 1D. New York City felt the effects of the boy band's worldwide phenomenon with the addition of a new store, solely dedicated to Harry, Liam, Louis, Zayn and Niall. Packed with band bling, cozy onesies, posters, cardboard cutouts and T-shirts with customizable "Future Mrs. Payne" sayings, the pop-up store took 1D fandom and gave it a place to live — in the homes of each and every Directioner (1D World has locations in Canada and Australia too!).

In a year where the five teenagers topped the charts, invaded "Saturday Night Live," met the queen and helped close out the Olympics, One Direction played the biggest concert of their life at Madison Square Garden. It was their first arena-level show, and tickets sold out in 10 minutes. And a week later, they played there again, the crowd of Directioners never waning as they waited for the band under 15-feet tall banners of Niall, Harry and company — all right next door to that little pop-up shop in New York City.

ADELE IS ONE OF FEW CURRENT ARTISTS WHO MAKE IT ON A FIRST NAME

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (born 5 May 1988), better known simply as Adele, is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Adele was offered a recording contract from XL Recordings after a friend posted her demo on Myspace in 2006. The next year she received the Brit Awards "Critics' Choice" award and won the BBC Sound of 2008. Her debut album, 19, was released in 2008 to much commercial and critical success. It certified four times platinum in the UK, and double platinum in the US. Her career in the US was boosted by a Saturday Night Live appearance in late 2008. At the 2009 Grammy Awards, Adele received the awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Adele released her second album, 21, in early 2011. The album was well received critically and surpassed the success of her debut,earning the singer six Grammy Awards in 2012 including Album of the Year, equalling the record for most Grammy Awards won by a female artist in one night. The album has also helped her receive numerous other awards, including two Brit Awards and three American Music Awards. The album has been certified 16 times platinum in the UK; in the US the album has held the top position longer than any other album since 1985, and is certified as diamond. It has sold 25 million copies worldwide.

The success of 21 earned Adele numerous mentions in the Guinness World Records. She is the first artist to sell more than 3 million copies of an album in a year in the UK. With her two albums and the first two singles from 21, "Rolling in the Deep" and "Someone Like You", she became the first living artist to achieve the feat of having two top-five hits in both the UK Official Singles Chart and also on the Official Albums Chart simultaneously since the Beatles in 1964. With her third release from the album, "Set Fire to the Rain", which became her third number one single in the US, Adele became the first artist in history to lead the Billboard 200 concurrently with three Billboard Hot 100 number-ones.

In 2012, Adele was listed at number five on VH1′s 100 Greatest Women In Music, and the American magazine Time named Adele one of the most influential people in the world.

Consistently Popular Worldwide

Kenny Chesney was born March 26, 1968 in Knoxville, Tennessee. He went gold with
Me and You in 1996, platinum with I Will Stand in 1997 and then it was double platinum with
Everywhere We Go in 1999. By 2000, Chesney was a bona fide star who was adored by legions of country music fans. In 2001 he released his first Greatest Hits album. In 2008 he toured, and was nominated for seven CMA Awards.

Billboard reports that Chesney’s latest album Life on a Rock is expected to debut at number one on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart:

On The Billboard 200 chart, watch country superstar Kenny Chesney claim his seventh No. 1 as his new Life On a Rock should debut atop the list. Industry sources suggested the set could move around 140,000 or so by the end of the tracking week on Sunday, May 5. It follows Welcome to the Fishbowl, released in June 2012, which debuted and peaked at No. 2 with 193,000 according to Nielsen SoundScan. Chesney has been on an incredible chart roll for nearly 10 years. Since 2004, all nine of his
regular full-length albums have debuted in the top four on the Billboard
200. It is not just a lark that his concerts are constantly sold out, and he is the most requested country music star in the world.