Born on 1996, March 13, 37 years ago. Nobody would've expected, not even his loving parents that the son they named Haddad Alwi Assegaf will be known and loved by the hundreds of millions, even beyond national boundaries.

The expression of love and longing for his Lord and His Prophet, Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala and Rasulullah Shollollohu 'Alaihi wa Alihi Wa sallam, sung in ten different albums between 1997-2003 has sown an intricate bond of love among the people.

Different people call him different names, from those that call him Kak ("brother") Haddad, Habib Haddad, referring to his blood line that goes all the way back to the Holy Prophet. Others refer to him as Mas Haddad, according to his native land in Central Java, Bang Haddad in Eastern Indonesia and Ustadz Haddad to those that regard him as a teacher of love and longing for the Messenger. Every day of the year, letters poured in
from all corners of the world. Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Egypt, Turkey, Iran, Lebanon, other countries in the Gulf and even a visit from the United States. The conflict ridden world, it seems, begins to realize its thirst for Love after being sidelined for much too long. Love of God, Love of the Prophet and Love for others has been a culture in the family's strong tradition of Islam. Even before he was born, ummiy - that's how he call for his beloved mother - was known to recite sholawat (songs of poetry, praise of the Lord and the Prophet). It seems that the experience was then permanently inscribed in the heart of the youngest son. leading him to the path of his life as he is these days... a romantic path of passionate love and longing, reflected in the tone of his voice.

Yet, nothing too special was apparent in his life. Dropped out of school and several attempts at being a local merchant. It begins with whatever capital he managed to put together, and ends with running out of them. To begin with no starting capital, put him in debt. Wrong turn, apparently. Then he discovered and pursued the calling of his heart. You might as well try and listen to how Haddad would recite the lines of Love, see if you feel the same thing in your heart. If only you have one.

READ MORE - HADDAD ALWI BIOGRAPHY

Slank is an Indonesian rock band. It was founded in 1983 by some teenagers in a small street in Jakarta called Gang Potlot. They had played rock music everywhere until they got an opportunity to make an album.

Early years

Formed in Jakarta in 1983, Slank -- the group's initial lineup was Kaka (vocals), Pay (guitars), Bongky Marcel (bass), Indra Qadarish (keyboards), and Bimbim (drums) -- would play their trade for a number of years before finally landing a deal and releasing their first album, Suit suit...hehehe, in 1990. From there, more albums, most of them commercially successful, followed, but Slank was plagued by a number of defections, some involving personal issues, others having to do with internal tensions based around creative decisions. The negativity was overcome, and over the next 20 years, Slank was able to increase their profile, touring the world and maintaining a high commercial value. In 2007, Slank released album number 20, Slow But Sure.

Suit suit...hehehe (1991) was an enormous hit. Their subsequent success inspired the formation of other bands, such as Dewa.

Their first three albums, awarded by BASF Indonesia as The Best Selling Albums on BASF tapes and the fourth album Generasi Biru went multi-platinum, with several songs making in into Indonesia's top charts.

Slank became the first MTV Indonesia icon in 2005.

Various Changes

Since its inception, Slank's band members have changed frequently. Reasons have ranged from drugs uses, woman, money and differences in musical styles. The most popular line up of the band has been Kaka (vocals), Bimbim (Drum), Abdee (Guitars), Ivanka (Basses), Ridho (Guitars). In 2007, Slank released the new album, "Slow But Sure"; the album's first single "Slalu Begitu" is currently receiving heavy rotation on Indonesian radio stations.

In 2008 Slank has been touring the U.S. and Europe. They have also played in various Asian countries, such as Thailand, the Philippines, Japan and South Korea.

Having more than fifteen albums sold and occasionally causing political controversy in Indonesia, Slank decided to travel to the USA to record their first English-speaking album, Anthem for the Broken-Hearted. Blues Saraceno is chosen to be their producer of this album. They record and mixed the album in only twenty-two days.

?If you want the world to see what you want to say, you better go to the highest mountain. And for music, the highest mountain now is in the U.S.A.?, says Abdee Negara

Java Jazz Festival 2009

This is one of the big headlines. For the first time, the Indonesian phenomenon with millions of fans, Slank, rocked this year?s Java Jazz Festival 2009! Who could predicted that Slank would have their moment at the biggest jazz event in the world.

Their performance was meant to be a task from Peter F.Gontha to see how they deserved being in a jazz festival, the whole show that attends by thousands successfully transformed their songs into jazz. In the spirit of reaching greater jazz audience by combining genres, this show which featured Michael Paulo, Ron King and Tony Monaco was really a feels like a lifetime experience.

Slankers

For more than two decades, Slank has managed a healthy attitude towards their music career, which in turn has helped them throughout the years. Slank has also gained somewhat of a cult status in Indonesia, Slank fans are known as 'Slankers', and they have a reputation for devotion. They waved their Slank flags, which consist of the word 'Slank' shaped into a graffiti-style butterfly. They sang along with several punk-rock songs and performed a stadium-worthy call-and-response routine. According to one of the guitarists Ridho, "Slankers" span all ages from children to adult.

Trivia

In "Pisah Saja Dulu", vocals were taken at night outside at the house's terrace. The sound of passing cars and zippo clang incidentally recorded to the song and left as is to become an atmospheric ambient.

"Juwita Malam", from the P.L.U.R album, featured in the 2005 film Banyu Biru starring Tora Sudiro. Cast members from the film are seen performing in the song's music video.

Act in The Film

On 2009 Slank was joined in a film that tell about Slank's journey in their music carrer called "Generasi Biru". This film was directed by a famous Indonesian director, Garin Nugroho. For this film Slank have make a single, that is "Slank Dance". This song is contain a unique dance style which created by Slankers.

READ MORE - Slank Biography

Formed in 1998 by frontman Jared Leto and his older brother, 30 Seconds to Mars found success in the 2000s with a mix of post-grunge, screamo, and hard rock. The band gained a modest audience with its debut album, but it was the platinum-selling sophomore effort A Beautiful Lie that officially opened the flood gates in 2005, securing the band a frequent presence on MTV while paving the way for a number of successful tours. By placing all-access passes into 12 copies of the album, the bandmates also showed a savvy appreciation for marketing, which they revisited several years later by putting fans' photographs on the cover of their third album, This Is War.

Initially known for his work as an actor (most notably on the '90s TV drama My So-Called Life, as well as movies like Requiem for a Dream and Fight Club), Jared Leto decided to flex his musical muscles as he approached his 30s. He enlisted the help of his brother, drummer Shannon Leto, and co-founded 30 Seconds to Mars in 1998. The group made its studio debut four years later, releasing a self-titled album whose post-grunge sound showed an affinity for groups like Chevelle and Incubus. Although only modestly successful, the album convinced the bandmates to continue making music in spite of Jared Leto's busy acting schedule, which had filled up with roles in Panic Room, Highway, American Pyscho, and Requiem for a Dream.

It took three years to record A Beautiful Lie, with the bandmates traveling to four different continents to work with Leto on his movie sets. Released in 2005, A Beautiful Lie widened the band's sound by sampling from metal, neo-prog, and screamo. It also expanded the group's audience by going platinum in America, reaching gold status in several foreign countries, and spawning two Top 10 modern rock hits. 30 Seconds to Mars toured heavily as a result, sporting a new lineup that included lead guitarist Tomo Milicevic and bassist Matt Wachter (both of whom had also contributed to the album) in addition to the two Letos. Although Wachter threw in the towel in 2007, the band continued to tour around the world for the rest of that year, making stops at several major festivals (Roskilde, Pinkpop, Download) and opening shows for bands like the Used and Linkin Park.

Despite their growing momentum, 30 Seconds to Mars soon found themselves at war with their label, EMI/Virgin Records. The band had attempted to sign with a new label after the Beautiful Lie tour, prompting EMI to file a lawsuit for 30 million, claiming that 30 Seconds to Mars was contractually obligated to produce three more albums before signing with another company. The legal dust settled as the band relented and returned to EMI's roster, and This Is War -- the band's third album, not to mention a stylistic return to the sound of their self-titled debut -- arrived in December 2009. To encourage audience participation, the band solicited photographs from their fans, the first 2,000 of which were used to create the album's 2,000 different covers.

READ MORE - 30 Seconds to Mars Biography

Lady Gaga came to prominence following the release of her debut studio album The Fame (2008), which included the hits "Just Dance," "Poker Face," "Bad Romance" and sold over 15 million copies worldwide. The album earned her six Grammy nominations and two wins as well as a slew of other awards recognition, including a record setting thirteen MTV Video Music Award nominations. Gaga is the first artist in history to claim four #1 hits from a debut album ("Just Dance," "Poker Face," "LoveGame" and "Paparazzi").

She is also the only artist in the digital era to top the 5 million sales mark with her first two hits. Gaga broke the record when her single "Poker Face" reached 5 million in sales after her debut single "Just Dance" accomplished the same feat the year before. She has over 1.3 billion combined views of all her videos online. She is also a staple in the social networking world SRCH WAS HERE. She's one of the biggest living people on Facebook with over 33 million 'likes' and is #1 on Twitter with over 9.5 million followers.
Her third studio album, Born This Way, is scheduled for release on May 23, 2011. The first single from the album, title track "Born This Way", set a music industry record by becoming the fastest single in history to reach sales of 1,000,000 copies (five days after its February 11th release). Only the 19th single to ever debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (issue date February 26,2011), the recording was Lady Gaga's third #1 on the chart. On iTunes, the song debuted at the top spot in 14 countries, including the U.S., and hit #1 in all 23 iTunes stores worldwide its first week out. "Born This Way" was Gaga's 7th single to hit #1 at Top 40. The second single from the album, "Judas" has eclipsed 500,000 in sales and Lady Gaga's latest single, "The Edge of Glory," went straight to #1 on iTunes in its first day of release and stayed there for 3 days.
Gaga is well-recognized for her outré sense of style as a recording artist, in fashion, in performance and in her music videos. Her contributions to the music industry have garnered her numerous achievements including five Grammy Awards amongst twelve nominations, two Guinness World Records and the estimated sale of 15 million albums and 51 million singles worldwide. Billboard named her both the "2010 Artist of the Year" and the top selling artist of 2010 ranking her as the 73rd Artist of the 2000s decade. Gaga has been included in Time's annual "The 2010 Time 100" list of the most influential people in the world as well as Forbes' list of the "The World's Most Powerful Celebrities" in the world. Forbes also placed her at number seven on their annual list of the world's "100 Most Powerful Women."

READ MORE - LADY GAGA BIOGRAPHY

Maher Zain (Arabic: ماهر زين‎; born March 16, 1981) is a Swedish R&B singer, songwriter and music producer of Lebanese origin. He also resided for a while in the United States. He was born Muslim.^{[citation needed]} His debut album Thank You Allah, with 13 songs and two bonus tracks was released on 1 November 2009, with an exclusive Percussion Version and a French Version released shortly afterwards. He sings mainly in English.

Fascinated by the music and instruments, Maher got his first keyboard when he was only ten and ever since music officially became part of Maher’s world.

The family moved to Sweden when Maher was only 8, where he continued his schooling, and later entered university and got a Bachelors degree in Aeronautical Engineering. With things changing around him, one thing remained the same – his strong passion for music. He would spend late nights at school with his friends where they would sing, rap, compose and experiment with music in every way. It didn’t take him long to realize that music became an integral part of who he is.

After being involved for a while in the music scene as a music producer, Maher was introduced to RedOne, a gifted music producer who was fast rising in the music scene in Sweden. Maher started working with RedOne and later moved to New York. For a few years he was in the middle of the hot rush of the NY music industry, working with chart topping artists such as Kat Deluna on her debut album including smash hits ‘Whine up’ and ‘Run the Show’. Maher had what many would describe as a dream job for someone so young in such a glamorous business, but for Maher it felt like this was far from what he would call ‘the dream’, “I loved the music but I hated everything that surrounded it, it always felt like something wasn’t right”.

In January 2009, Maher Zain decided to work on an album that reflects his identity – Arab, Western and Muslim – and signed with Awakening Records. Maher’s debut album Thank Youa Allah reached the number 1 spot on Amazon’s World Music charts and number 9 on the R&B charts.

In January 2010, in a music competition organized by Nujoom FM (Egypt’s biggest music radion station) Maher’s track ‘Ya Nabi Salam Alayka’ was voted as the best song for 2009. Runners up included big names like Hussein Aljismi, Mohammed Mounir and Sami Yusuf. Maher has already performed at sold out concerts in Algeria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Egypt, England, France, Holland, Sweden, and the US amongst others and is fast becoming the ‘next superstar of Islamic music’.

» RELATED SONG

1. Maher Zain - Thank You Allah - Full Album 2011

2. Maher Zain - Insha Allah (Feat. Fadly Padi)

3. Maher Zain - Thank You Allah

4. Maher Zain - Sepanjang Hidup

5. Maher Zain - The Chosen One

6. Maher Zain - Always Be There

7. Maher Zain - Allahi Allah kiya karoi (Feat. Irfan Makk)

8. Maher Zain - Awaken

9. Maher Zain - Baraka Allahu Lakuma

10. Maher Zain - For the Rest of My Life

11. Maher Zain - Hold My Hand

12. Maher Zain - Open Your Eyes

13. Maher Zain - Palestine Will Be Free

14. Maher Zain - Salam Alayka

15. Maher Zain - Insya Allah (Feat. Fadly Padi)

READ MORE - Maher Zain Biography

California-based Saosin burst onto the post-hardcore scene in March 2003 with their explosive screamo-tinged debut EP, Translating the Name, on Death Do Us Part. For the recording, the band was comprised of vocalist Anthony Green, drummer Pat McGrath, guitarist/vocalist Justin Shekoski (ex-As Hope Dies), and former Open Hand members bassist Zach Kennedy and guitarist/vocalist Beau Burchell. The band's name comes from a Chinese proverb that means "small heart," as in love cautiously. Shortly after the EP's completion, Kennedy exited (going on to join Ashlee Simpson's band) to be replaced by Chris Sorenson, and since McGrath had been enlisted solely to play drums on the album, Saosin weren't solidified until that July with the addition of permanent drummer Alex Rodriguez (also formerly of Open Hand).

Even though Translating had been out since March, the band didn't make its on-stage debut until June. Their powerful live performance and heavy Internet presence were coupled with high praise for their EP (comparing them to the emotional catharsis of Glassjaw), cultivating an impressive underground following. The guys hit the road nationwide that summer with Boys Night Out and Anatomy of a Ghost. Green parted ways with the band in February 2004 for personal reasons, later going on to front the emo/post-hardcore outfit Circa Survive. The other bandmembers pressed on without him, however, and though they had yet to find a permanent replacement, stayed true to their Warped Tour obligation with Story of the Year's Phil Sneed taking the mike. By the summer's end, Cove Reber had become the band's new singer. Saosin spent time on winter's Taste of Chaos tour before hooking up with Capitol Records in March 2005. After numerous compilation appearances, a self-titled EP of demos and live cuts appeared that August; summer was spent on co-headlining dates with Anberlin. Saosin continued work on their eponymous full-length debut with Howard Benson, finally releasing the long-awaited disc in September 2006. Plenty of touring followed well into the next year, including dates with bands like Senses Fail, Bleeding Through, A Static Lullaby, and Poison the Well. In March 2008, Saosin released Come Close, a live CD/DVD. The band toured relenetlessly playing festivals and headline gigs throughout 2007 and 2008. Despite their touring schedule, they managed to record and complete In Search of Solid Ground, their proper sophomore full-length effort, and release it in September of 2009. Corey Apar, Rovi.

» RELATED SONG

1. Saosin - I Keep My Secrets Safe

2. Saosin - Deep Down

3. Saosin - Why Can't You See

4. Saosin - Changing

5. Saosin - On My Own

6. Saosin - The Alarming Sound Of A Still Small Voice

7. Saosin - Say Goodbye

8. Saosin - The Worst Of Me

9. Saosin - It's All Over Now

10. Saosin - What Were We Made For

11. Saosin - Is This Real

12. Saosin - Nothing Is What It Seems (Without You)

13. Saosin - Fireflies (Light Messengers)

14. Saosin - You Never Noticed Me (Bonus Track For Japan)

15. Saosin - In Search Of Solid Ground - Full Album

16. Saosin - I Never Wanted To

17. Saosin - Some Sense Of Security

READ MORE - Saosin Biography

Justin cam out of his mommy's belly on March 1,1994 at 12:56am. He lived in Stratford,Ontario,Canada(where he spent most of his childhood).He attended Avon Public School,BedFord Public School,and Downie Central Public School,but ended up dropping out to be home schooled.Justin grew up as an only child and without his birth father Jeremy.His mom,Pattie,Used to help him out on his youtube account,Kidrauhl.But now his manadment is in charge for the channel.He's not a normal singer seeking for money n fame he has a lot of other talents in musical,sportive and others.He taught his self to play the guitar[which was the same size as him),He also taught his self to play the trumpet keyboard/piano.He started drumming at age 2 but didn't really learn till he was 4.Other then being a great musician he also has made videos demonstrating his soccer,hockey,basketball,and golf skills.And he also likes skateboarding.Justin got Discovered on Youtube by Scooter Braun,who contacted his family.He flew Justin to Atlanta,where he performed "U got it bad" by Usher.Usher wanted to sign him right then and there,but Justin also had a meeting with Justin Timberlake.But in the end Justin got signed with Def Jam."It turned out Usher's Deal was way better,"he says.On July 8,at age 14 Justin Moved to Brookhaven,Atlanta,Georgia,USA that way he could start his singing career.
Other Facts about Justin
-Justin is a dedicated Christian
-according to Pattie, music and sports are Justin's great passions. He dedicates most of his time to these.
-Justin is single
-Justin is left-handed
-the first instrument Justin learned to play was a drum kit. This is also the only instrument he has (had) lessons in.
-Justin was an only child and he grew up without his biological father.
-his best friend from Stratford, Ryan Butler, stars in Justin's "One Time" video
-Justin has a dog called Sam  
-he started singing at age 12, entered a competition and made it to second place.
-he is fluent in French
-he used to play hockey for the Atlanta Knights (before going on tour). He was #18
-he is homeschooled
-according to Pattie, Justin works very hard to keep up with his full-time job and school work.
-he has stated that he misses his friends in Stratford, but likes the big city as well
-Usher introduced him to LA tastemakers in April 2009 and called him Def Jam's priority
-he is said to suffer from migraine at times due to all his hard work
-he initially posted videos on YouTube for friends and family but when people started to subscribe to them, he posted more
-on his original MySpace, Justin stated that he wants to go to the school of ministry someday and travel the world to spread the word of God.
-movies Justin enjoys: the Rocky series, August Rush, Drumline, Saving Private Ryan, Cars, Step Up, You Got Served, Guardian
-artists he likes: Usher, Michael Jackson,Ne-Yo, Chris Brown, some 2Pac, Rascall Flatts, Elliott Yamin, Billy Talent, Lifehouse, T-bone
-television series he enjoys watching: American Idol, Greys Anatomy, Smallville
-supports the Cleveland Cavaliers
-says his mom's got horrible driving skills
-says he doesn't like school despite having a 4.0 grade point average
-he has a little sister,Jazmine and baby brother, Jaxon 
-can solve a completely scrambled Rubic's Cube in less than 2 minutes
-stated that he originally wanted to become a hockey player, incorporating his number (#6) in his signature.   -When he got into the singing business he kept his old signature with the #6 in it.
-wore huge black glasses on KissFM, but they were only used as a prop: he does not need them to see
-his tutor travels with him.
-says algebra is his best subject
-he's really into videogames. He owns a PS3 and an Xbox360
-his favorite drink is vitamin water
-his favorite food is spaghetti
-his favorite color is baby blue
-his favorite number is 6
-he likes cherry cheese cake
-his favourite hockey team are the Maple Leafs
-his favorite candy is sour patch kids
-his favorite cereal is captain crunch

» RELATED SONG

1. Justin Bieber - Swag So Mean (Feat. Yung Rekz)

2. Justin Bieber - Never Say Never (Feat. Jaden Smith)

3. Justin Bieber - Runaway Love (Feat. Kanye West, Raekwon)

4. Justin Bieber - Up (Remix) (Feat. Chris Brown)

5. Justin Bieber - This Dream Is Too Good

6. Justin Bieber - Pray

7. Justin Bieber - Speaking In Tongues

8. Justin Bieber - Favorite Girl

9. Justin Bieber - Down To Earth

10. Justin Bieber - Bigger

11. Justin Bieber - First Dance (Feat. Usher)

12. Justin Bieber - Love Me

13. Justin Bieber - Common Denominator

14. Justin Bieber - My World - Full Album

15. Justin Bieber - My World 2.0 - Full Album

16. Justin Bieber - Baby (Feat Ludacris)

17. Justin Bieber - That Should Be Me

READ MORE - Justin Bieber Biography

Kurt Donald Cobain was the leader of Nirvana, the multi-platinum grunge band that redefined the sound of the nineties.

Cobain was born on the 20th of February 1967 in Hoquaim, a small town 140 kilometres south-west of Seattle. His mother was a cocktail waitress and his father was an auto mechanic. Cobain soon moved to nearby Aberdeen, a depressed and dying logging town.

Cobain was for most his childhood a sickly bronchitic child. Matters were made worse when Cobain's parent's divorced when he was seven and by his own account Cobain said he never felt loved or secure again. He became increasingly difficult, anti-social and withdrawn after his parent's divorce. Cobain also said that his parent's traumatic split fueled a lot of the anguish in Nirvana's music.

After his parent's divorce Cobain found himself shuttled back and forth between various relatives and at one stage homeless living under a bridge.

When Cobain was eleven he heard and was captivated by the Britain's Sex Pistols and after their self-destruction Cobain and friend Krist Novoselic continued to listen to the wave of British bands including Joy Division the nihilistic post-punk band that some say Nirvana are directly descended from in form of mood, melody and lyrical quality.

Cobain's artistry and iconoclastic attitude didn't win many friends in high school and sometimes earned him beatings from "jocks" Cobain got even by spray painting "QUEER" on their pick-up trucks. By 1985 Aberdeen was dead and Cobain's next stop was Olympia. Cobain formed and reformed a series of bands before Nirvana came to be in 1986. Nirvana was an uneasy alliance between Cobain, bassist Krist Novoselic and eventually drummer and multi-instrumentalist Dave Grohl

By 1988 Nirvana were doing shows and had demo tapes going around. In 1989 Nirvana recorded their rough-edged first album Bleach for local Seattle independent label Sub-Pop

In Britain Nirvana received a lot of recognition and in 1991 their contract was bought out by Geffen, they signed to the mega-label, the first non-mainstream band to do so. Two and a half years after Nirvana's first C.D. Bleach was released they released Nevermind, a series of different, crunching, screaming songs that along with it's first single Smells Like Teen Spirit would propel Nirvana to mainstream stardom.

Smells Like Teen Spirit became Nirvana's most highly acclaimed and instantly recognizable song. Not many people can decipher it's exact lyrics but Cobain used a seductive hookline to hook the listener. Nevermind went on to sell ten million copies and make a reported $550 million (US) leaving Nirvana overnight millionaires. Cobain was shocked at the reception of his highly personal and passionate music repeatedly telling reporters that none of the band ever, ever expected anything like this. It quickly became obvious that the obsessively sickly and sensitive 24yr old was not going to cope well with the rock'n roll lifestyle. "If there was a rock star 101 course, I'd really have like to take it," Cobain once observed. Cobain fell into heroin in the early 90's, he said he used it as a shield against the rigorous demands of touring and to stop the pain of stomach ulcers or an irritated bowel. Through the touring and pressure Cobain continued to write his very personal acutely focused lyrics.

Cobain was distressed to find out that what he wrote and how it was interpreted could quite often be miles apart. He was appalled when he found out that Polly a heavily ironic anti-rape song had been used as background music in a real gang-rape. He later appealed to fans on the Incesticide liner notes "If any of you don't like gays or women or blacks, please leave us the fuck alone." It was to no avail, Cobain found that as an overnight millionaire musician control was something he had very little of. Cobain also worried that his band had sold-out, that it was attracting the wrong kind of fans (i.e the type that used to beat him up.)

In February 1992 Cobain skipped off to Hawaii to marry the already pregnant Courtney Love. Later in the year Nirvana released Incesticide and in August Cobain had hospital treatment for heroin abuse. Shortly after Frances Bean Cobain was born. In early 1993 In Utero was released into the top spot on the music charts. In Utero was widely acclaimed by the music press and it contains some of Cobain's most passionate work. In Utero was a lot more open than Nirvana's previous albums. Songs like All Apologies and Heart Shaped Box detailed aspects of Cobain's sometimes shaky marriage, other songs like Scentless Apprentice detailed the agonies and struggles of Cobain's experiences.

Nirvana embarked on a support tour and recorded and filmed an "unplugged" (acoustic) performance for MTV in November of 1993. Nirvana's choice to honour bands and people that had influenced them and Cobain's passionate and intense vocals especially on "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?"silenced many of their who had labeled Cobain talentless. Rumors circulated that the MTV Unplugged compilation would be Nirvana's last album and the band were splitting up.

Cobain was a gun fanatic and always had several in his possession or in various forms of confiscation. In the northern winter of 1993-94 Nirvana embarked on an extensive European tour. Twenty concerts into the tour Cobain developed throat problems and their schedule was interrupted while he recovered. While recovering Cobain flew to Rome to join his wife who was also preparing to tour with her own band.

On March the 4th Cobain was rushed to hospital in a coma after an unsuccessful suicide bid in which he washed down about fifty prescription painkillers with champagne. The suicide bid was officially called an accident and was not even made known to close friends and associates. Several days later he returned to Seattle. Cobain's wife, friends and managers convinced Cobain, who was still in deep distress to enter a detox program in L.A. According to a missing person's report filed by his mother Cobain fled after only a few days of the program.

Cobain was cited in the Seattle area with a shotgun. Days later on the 5th of April he barricaded himself into the granny flat behind his mansion, put a shotgun in his mouth and pulled the trigger. On Thursday April the 7th ~ two days after a medical examiner says Cobain shot himself and the day before his body was found police say Courtney Love herself was taken to hospital in L.A. for a drug overdose. Released on bail, Love checked herself into a rehab center but left soon after a friend called her the next day with news of Cobain's death.

Cobain's body was found when an electrician visiting the house to install a security system went round the back of the house when no one answered the front door and peered through windows. He thought he saw a mannequin sprawled on the floor until he noticed a splotch of blood by Cobain's ear. When police broke down the door they found Cobain dead on the floor, a shotgun still pointed at his chin and on a nearby counter a suicide note written in red ink addressed to Love and the couples then 19 month old daughter Frances Bean.

The suicide note ended with the words "I love you, I love you." Two days after Kurt Cobain's body was found about 5,000 people gathered in Seattle for a candlelight vigil. the distraught crowd filled the air with profane chants, burnt their flannel shirts and fought with police. They also listened to a tape made by Cobain's wife in which she read from his suicide note. Several distressed teenagers in the U.S. and Australia killed themselves. The mainstream media was lambasted for it's lack of respect and understanding of youth culture.

Nirvana : Smell Like Ten Spirit

READ MORE - Kurt Cobain Biography

Super Junior (Korean: 슈퍼주니어), also known as simply SJ or SuJu (Korean: 슈주), is a thirteen-member South Korean boy band formed by SM Entertainment in 2005, masterminded by Lee Soo Man.

The group initially debuted with twelve members on November 6, 2005 with the single, “TWINS (Knock Out)”. The original twelve members are 이특 (Leeteuk - the leader), 희철 (Heechul), 韓庚 (Han Geng), 예성 (Yesung), 강인 (Kangin), 신동 (Shindong), 성민 (Sungmin), 은혁 (Eunhyuk), 시원 (Siwon), 동해 (Donghae), 려욱 (Ryeowook), 기범 (Kibum). The youngest member, 조규현 (Cho Kyuhyun), became a part of Super Junior on May 23, 2006. The Chinese member, Han Geng, was chosen among the 3,000 applicants through auditions held in China by SM Entertainment in 2001. Moreover, before the addition of their 13th member, they were simply a project group named SuperJunior05. With his addition, the “05” was dropped and Super Junior became an official band.

Super Junior also has four sub-units with three different concentrations. The first one, Super Junior K.R.Y, consists of Kyuhyun, Ryeowook, and Yesung, and focuses on singing ballad songs. The second, Super Junior T, consists of Heechul, Kangin, Shindong, Eunhyuk, Leeteuk, and Sungmin. Super Junior T focuses on singing trot songs, an old style of Korean pop music. The third, Super Junior M, is made up of Han Geng, Siwon, Donghae, plus two SM Trainees, Henry and Zhou Mi. Kyuhyun and Ryeowook were added later. They focus on singing Mandarin Chinese songs. The fourth, Super Junior Happy, is comprised of every member of Super Junior T except for Heechul, who is replaced by Yesung.
Super Junior’s third album, Sorry, Sorry, was released on March 12, 2009. The title single off the album, “Sorry, Sorry” was digitally released on March 9, 2009. In less than a week after preorders were announced, over 150,000 copies were pre-ordered. Sorry, Sorry was their first album to debut at #1 on the Hanteo Charts, and it sold over 29,000 copies the first day, defeating Seo Taiji’s record of 25,000. Promotions for the album started March 13 with the performance of “Sorry, Sorry” and “Why I Like You” on Music Bank. Two weeks later, “Sorry, Sorry” became the number one song of the week on the same program. During the group’s performance on music program Popular Songs on March 15, ratings went up to as high as 14%, the highest in recent years. From March to May, “Sorry, Sorry” collected a total of ten #1 awards with consecutive wins. On May 12, Super Junior released their new album “It’s You”. The music video for the song “It’s You” was released two days before schedule because it was leaked onto the internet with only 3 seconds missing so without any editing they released it. Three days later they released what they called “It’s You (Drama Version)”. A month later, on June 15, they released “It’s You (Dance Version)”. In the unedited and edited version Kibum only showed up in the beginning and a minute part in the middle of the videos. In the dance version Kibum again did not appear. Promotions for “It’s You” ended in early June so SM could promote SNSD’s new song. Super Junior is currently preparing for their Super Show tour. They will hold two concerts in Japan in August 2009.

Super Junior was also featured as one of the dance contestant groups on Randy Jackson’s ABDC(America’s Best Dance Crew

Suju : Sorry, sorry...

READ MORE - Super Junior "SuJu" Biography

Posted By : Arie Putra Lahatta

L'Arc-En-Ciel In February 1991, tetsu and hyde, along with Hiro (guitar) and pero (drums), formed the band and named it after a film that tetsu had seen. After a year of gaining notoriety in their hometown of Osaka, Hiro left the band on June 12, 1992. pero soon followed on December 30 of that same year, supposedly to join up with his friend Hiro again. tetsu convinced his friend ken to quit his studies in architectural design and join the band. A new drummer, sakura, was recruited after tetsu saw him play. In 1993, the band released their debut album, Dune under the indies label Danger Crue, which was met with plenty of success and rose to number one on the Oricon indies charts.

This caught the attention of some major labels, so in 1994, they signed for Sony's Ki/oon division, releasing their second album, Tierra (Spanish for "Earth") that same year. Heavenly followed in 1995, and True, their first million seller, in 1996.

In 1997, sakura was arrested for heroin possession and quit the band. This became lowest point in the band's history. When news of sakura's arrest became public every ounce of Laruku's popularity was stripped. Just as they had reached a peak in their career, CDs were being pulled off the shelves, and any songs that were used as theme songs were quickly replaced. There was no evidence of the band's existence, and their next single "The Fourth Avenue Cafe" was indefinitely postponed and has never been released. Many believe that the whole incident was blown tremendously out of proportion.

L'Arc-en-Ciel was quiet for a little while, but they were not ready to give up. They continued to be featured on magazines, but as a three-man band L'Arc-en-Ciel. They then created a "L'Arc-en-Ciel cover band", "The Zombies", which was the three-man band L'Arc-en-Ciel themselves covering and making fun of their own songs. They also covered artists such as Marilyn Manson.

In 1998, they released their first single since sakura left 「虹」 (Niji — Rainbow). yukihiro was the drummer for this release, but was only listed as a support member. However, the band members were quickly impressed with his drumming skills and made him the official drummer not long after niji's release. L'Arc-en-Ciel was back, and what better way to prove themselves then by organizing a concert, aptly titled "Reincarnation"; this was the reincarnation of L'Arc-en-Ciel.

The first concert date of the new tour in Tokyo Dome had an attendance of 56,000 and sold out in four minutes, a Tokyo Dome record as well as a testament to their popularity. Their next album was Heart, in 1998, which, like their second major album "Heavenly" is seen as a transitional album: trying to forget the past, but also trying to maintain their originality and success.

L'Arc-en-Ciel released three more albums of new material during the next few years. Ark and Ray which were released simultaneously in 1999, and were the first Japanese albums to be released the same day in many different Asian countries. The release of Ark and Ray marked the high point of their career, with each selling over two million copies (no other release from the band managed to reach two million). Real followed in 2000, which was the last CD of new material for some time, although many more compilation and remix albums would follow. L'Arc-en-Ciel also composed several theme songs for various anime series, including DNA², Rurouni Kenshin, Great Teacher Onizuka, and Fullmetal Alchemist. They also created the ending theme song to the movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

After a while, however, the various members began working on various solo projects. hyde released several solo albums (as HYDE), ken founded Sons of All Pussys, tetsu started Tetsu69 and yukihiro played with Acid Android. The band seemed close to calling it quits.

In June 2003, Laruku came back to play a series of seven concerts in Tokyo called the "Shibuya Seven Days", and announced a new album for release in the following year. So, in February 2004, their first single in more than three years came out, followed by another one in early March. Finally, their long-awaited new album, Smile, was released on March 31.

Shortly afterwards, on June 2, 2004, the single 自由への招待　 ("Jiyuu e no Shoutai") introduced "P'unk-en-Ciel", a partial change, for the first time on CD with "Milky Way". In the past, the band also played a P'unk version of "Round and Round" live.

On July 31, 2004, L'Arc-en-Ciel made their U.S. concert debut at Otakon 2004. Approximately 12,000 people attended the concert, which was held at a outside venue for the first time in Otakon's musical guests history, the 1st Mariner Arena located near the Baltimore Convention Center.

In 2005, the band released various singles, including "Killing Me" , "New World", and "Jojoushi", which appeared in their last album, Awake, released on June 22 with twelve tracks, including "Lost Heaven", the end theme for the Fullmetal Alchemist film.

In addition, the band will go on their "Asialive 2005" tour, and as the name suggests, the band will be performing in Korea and China as well as Japan. Japan's two concerts will take place at the Tokyo Dome. More information about "Asialive 2005" can be found at their official website at the bottom of this page.

On May 31, 2005, Tofu Records, Sony Music Japan's U.S. label, released the DVD of the Otakon 2004 concert.

On July 20, 2005 "Link" was released; also known as the opening theme of the film Fullmetal Alchemist, it was the first Laruku single after "Awake". This single also includes a new version of "Promised Land".

READ MORE - L'Arc-En-Ciel Biography

It’s not always recognized in today’s “I want it all now” world, but patience is a virtue. And Huntington Beach, California rockers Avenged Sevenfold are being rewarded for remembering that golden rule. After releasing two highly successful albums on an indie label (Sounding The Seventh Trumpet and Waking The Fallen), the quintet is set to unleash its major label debut, City Of Evil, on Warner Bros. Records. City Of Evil, co-produced by Avenged Sevenfold, reunites the group with producer Mudrock (Waking The Fall).

“We’re at the point now where we’ve come into our own,” vocalist M. Shadows says of the ambitious City Of Evil, an 11-song collection that gives a middle finger to the idea of categorization, bridging the sonic guitar assault of Iron Maiden with the frenetic pace of Bad Religion and the musicianship of Dream Theater. “In Southern California you’re really brought up in the whole punk world. At the same time, we were growing up listening to Pantera, Megadeath, Metallica and Slayer records,” Shadows recalls. “So then you think, ‘I want to play in that kind of band, but I want to play in this kind of band.’ Then you pass that point and all of a sudden you’re just writing music and it comes out naturally. But that’s what happens cause of all the different influences we have. And we’re definitely not afraid to put anything in our songs if we think it calls for it.”

Yes, Avenged Sevenfold can rock, as the band recently did at a sold-out show at Hollywood’s Music Box Theater, where they turned the intensity of the new tunes up from 11 to about a 20, but these are musicians as well. However, as the group evidenced during the orchestral interlude in “The Wicked End,” a perfect metal moment live complemented by a boys choir and 14-piece string section, Avenged Sevenfold, in the tradition of Zeppelin, Queen, and Guns ‘N’ Roses’ “November Rain,” meld their intensity with a musical daring their hard rock forefathers would be proud of.

Those looking primarily for a cathartic release live, as so many of the kids moshing their brains out at the Music Box were, need only turn to the ferocious energy of “Bat Country,” a song written for Hunter S. Thompson about the band’s own adventures in Vegas, and the Maiden-esque guitar and Shadows’ perfect caterwaul of the line “city of evil” (where the album’s title stems from) in the opening “Beast & The Harlot.”

And while Avenged, whose influences range from Maiden, Pantera, and Guns ‘N’ Roses (Shadows calls Use Your Illusions 1 and 2 his favorite albums of all time) to Billy Joel, Queen, and Elvis Costello, may not be your typical hard rock band musically, they can hang with the best of them. Epic nights of late night fun have followed this band around the country, and it’s something all of the members freely acknowledge. They like to party, and they like to drink: and plenty. Additionally, and fitting with their chosen lifestyle, the members of Avenged could write the A7X equivalent of the Zagut guide to strip clubs in America.

“Strippers and bands have this bond,” Vengeance says. “They totally do. The band walks in and it’s like special treatment,” Shadows adds. So, what makes a good strip club? “I like strip clubs that are out of control,” he says, citing Vegas, New York and New Orleans (“It’s fucking Bourbon Street. It better be crazy,” he says) as home to some of the better establishments they’ve frequented.

Reflecting the complex personalities though that can lead a hard rock band to throw in a beautiful Flamenco guitar solo near the end of the new album’s savage “Sidewinder,” Avenged Sevenfold is far from just a party band, and it shows on City Of Evil. The album is bursting with displays of their virtuoso musicianship, from the intricate tempo changes of “Burn It Down” to the tender acoustic intro into a Spaghetti Western mixed with classical melody that provides the calm before the storm in the savage “Strength Of The World.”

The group has learned a great deal having spent the last three summers as part of the Warped tour. Shadows got some valuable advice from Fat Mike of NOFX, besides how to play Texas Hold ‘Em. “He’s like, ‘You know what, if you do this stuff long enough, you gotta fucking have fun. If you can’t have fun on tour then you’ll never last,’” Shadows recalls. “I think that’s a really important thing.”

Additionally, the quintet, which started on a Warped side stage, graduated to the second stage, and then made the move last year to main stage, a spot they’ll be returning to this year, learned a lot by the gradual progression. “We’ve seen bands that we started out with that got a little bit of a head start or an early break and they’re done. We’ve learned so much more doing it from the ground up. We’ve got so many more stories than other bands will have; so many more good times, bad times. It has made us stronger as a band too,” Vengeance says.

Hard work is what also accounts for the band’s fiercely loyal following, according to Shadows. “It’s rewarding ‘cause you know you have this really solid core fan base that has been through a lot and they believe in the band now as more than a band, it’s like a lifestyle,” he says. “If anything happens we don’t ever fall, it’s like they’re holding us up. We’re not on the radio, but everywhere we go we always have this rabid group of fans. We would’ve never had that if we had some lucky break and just jumped to the point we’re at now. I hope it gradually keeps going up. The slower you go the more I think it builds underneath you and we’re grateful for that. They can’t just get pulled out from underneath us. There’s nothing you can grab to pull; it’s fans that love that band. So, it’s very gratifying to be at this place now.”

READ MORE - Avenged Sevenfold Biography

FORT MINOR is the hip-hop side-project of Mike Shinoda, the vocalist, guitarist and songwriter of the alternative rock band Linkin Park. Shinoda's first solo album as Fort Minor, The Rising Tied, was released in 2005 with the singles "Where'd You Go" featuring Holly Brook and Jonah Matranga and "Remember the Name" featuring Styles of Beyond. Fort Minor Militia is the official fan club of the project, similar to Linkin Park Underground. Though it is technically a project by Shinoda alone, Styles of Beyond is heavily featured on "The Rising Tied" and appeared with Shinoda at photo shoots and live concerts.

History

Shinoda had been studying piano since 1993. Soon after graduating from high school in the mid-1990s, Shinoda joined drummer Rob Bourdon, guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell, and DJ Joe Hahn to form the band Xero, renamed Hybrid Theory in 1998. The next year, singer Chester Bennington joined the musicians, who finally renamed the group Linkin Park. The band was signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1999 and released its debut album Hybrid Theory in 2000. In Linkin Park, Shinoda provided rap vocals in its hit singles "In the End", "Crawling", and "Papercut", and additionally keyboards for numerous other tracks. He also designed cover artwork for the band's albums. Hybrid Theory was nominated for three Grammy Awards and sold over 24 million copies. Around late 2004, Shinoda began recording his side project. The Rising Tied, the debut album of Fort Minor, was released in November 2005. Robert Hales directed its first video "Petrified", which was released the previous month. Jay-Z, who had previously collaborated with Linkin Park on the 2004 album Collision Course, was the executive producer for The Rising Tied. Shinoda told Corey Moss of MTV News that he imposed himself with a requirement to play all instruments and write all lyrics to his album except for strings, percussion, or choir parts. "Where'd You Go", its first single, peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; following was "Remember the Name" at #66. Another track, "Kenji" describes the experiences of Shinoda's family during the Japanese American internment of World War II. Due to the success of "Where'd You Go", on the week of April 26, 2006, sales of The Rising Tied increased by 45 percent, and the album chart position went up 89 positions to #104 on the Billboard 200."Where'd You Go" was awarded Ringtone of the Year at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards. In mid August 2006 Fort Minor performed at the Summer Sonic 2006 alongside Linkin Park. The third track on the album, "Right Now", is featured in the trailer of The Family That Preys by Tyler Perry. In November 2006, Fort Minor released a video for "Remember the Name", which features a montage of various amazing feats. Shinoda has stated he felt the video was a nice wrap-up for Fort Minor. Also in November, Shinoda stated that Fort Minor is on hiatus, because of his dedication to Linkin Park. In 2006, Holly Brook released an exclusive version of "Where'd You Go" to radio stations, made completely by Holly Brook. Mike does not appear on this version, which can be heard by request on various American radio stations.

Related Tracks

Move On (featuring Mr. Hahn)
Do What We Did (featuring Styles of Beyond)
Tools of the Trade (featuring Styles of Beyond & Celph Titled)
Start It All Up
Strange Things

READ MORE - FORT MINOR BIOGRAPHY

The Black Eyed Peas are an American hip hop crew from Los Angeles, who have lately enjoyed massive international pop success. As Atban Klann, they signed to Ruthless Records (run by Eazy-E), but their album was never released because the positive and peaceful lyrics were too unusual for Ruthless. The group is composed of Will.i.am, Apl.de.ap, Taboo, and Fergie.

After Eazy-E died of AIDS in 1995 (see 1995 in music), Atban Klann reformed as the Black Eyed Peas and released a debut, Behind the Front (1998, 1998 in music) that earned the group (and their accompanying live band) critical acclaim. Their other album is 2000's Bridging the Gap (2000 in music). Their breakthrough album Elephunk was released in 2003, featuring a new female vocalist, called Fergie, born as Stacy Ferguson who used to be in a teen pop band named Wild Orchid. She is the replacement of background singer Kim Hill who departed the band during 2000.

From 'Elephunk' came the anti-war anthem 'Where Is The Love?', which became their first major hit, peaking at #8 on the US Hot 100, but topping the charts practically everywhere else, including six weeks at #1 in the UK where it became the biggest-selling single of 2003. The album subsequently spawned 'Shut Up', which failed in the US but peaked at UK #2 (despite being referred to by one reviewer as 'The single most vacuous, pointless, vile and generally loathsome song in a generation') and topped the charts in many other European countries including France and Germany. Indeed the band have enjoyed greater mainstream success in Europe than in the US with 'Elephunk' going Top 10, gold and (sometimes multi-)platinum in the UK, Germany and many other European markets, yet ultimately failing to break the US Top 10, although it did go platinum there. The third single from the album, 'Hey Mama' hit the Top 10 in the UK, Germany and several other European countries, and reached the Top 30 of the US Hot 100. Controversially, a reference to 'dropping bombs like we in the Middle East' was edited out of some versions of 'Hey Mama'.

The current line-up of the Black Eyed Peas as of 2004 (not including supporting band members) is: will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo, and newcomer Fergie­.

During Black Eyed Peas' concert tour in Asia in 2004, Apl.de.ap's life story was featured in a weekly Filipino TV drama special called Maalaala Mo Kaya (Will You Remember), which explained his childhood with his poor family in Pampanga, Philippines, before sadly parting with them to live a better life in the US at the age of 14. The Apl Song, with the chorus written in Tagalog, from their album Elephunk, tells the story of Apl.de.ap. The Tagalog lyrics and backing melody were based on the the song Balita, an original composition of the 1970s Filipino folk rock group Asin.

The BEP's song 'Let's Get Retarded' was restyled as 'Let's Get it Started' for an NBA finals worldwide commerical. New lyrics gave the tune a basketball theme, and the spot featured Carlos Santana. The revised song had great success as a single, especially popular on the iTunes music download service.

READ MORE - Black Eyed Peas Biography

Kebahagiaan Ahmad Dhani semakin lengkap setelah dua anaknya Al dan Dul berhasil meraih Inbox Award lewat video klip lagu Munajat Cinta. Al (Ahmad Al Gazali) mendapatkan gelar sebagai model klip pria terfavorit, sementara Dul (Ahmad Abdul Qodir Jaelani) mendapat penghargaan adegan video klip terfavorit lewat akting memberikan bunga pada seorang cewek dalam video klip lagu The Rock tersebut.

“Yang penting di atas prestasi itu adalah kesenangan mereka, kalau mereka dapat prestasi tapi mereka nggak seneng sama juga bohong,” terang Dhani mengomentari prestasi anak-anaknya itu

Dhani juga meyakini bahwa anak-anaknya, merupakan anak yang kuat dan berprestasi meski tanpa dirinya. Karenanya Dhani tidak khawatir jika suatu hari jauh dari mereka.

“Saya tidak khawatir anak-anak ini, karena ada atau tidak ada saya, mereka itu anak-anak yang kuat. Anda lihat saja nama El Jalaluddin Rumi, nama anak-anak yang kuat. Karena itu anak-anak harus jadi yang kuat, dan yang tahu kekuatan mereka ya saya sendiri,” ungkapnya.

Pada kesempatan Inbox Award yang digelar di Senayan, Minggu (24/8) itu, El juga menunjukkan kemampuannya bermain gitar. Bahkan dalam waktu dekat, menurut Dhani ia akan bersama teman-teman seumurnya merilis band, yang diberi nama The King. Meski waktu pastinya masih harus menunggu, saat yang tepat.

“Dia memang suka main gitar, saya ajak dia tampil, dan juga anak ini anaknya kurang pede, malu-malu tidak seperti Dul, kalau ini over pede,” terang Dhani sambil menunjuk anak-anaknya.

Dengan kebahagiaan ini Dhani juga mengajak untuk melihat lagu Kamu-kamulah Surgaku, yang mencerminkan kebahagiaannya bersama anak-anak yang menjadi inspirasinya.

“Mungkin semua orang banyak aset, banyak kekayaan tapi nggak punya anak yang sehebat, seganteng, secerdas dan tingkat spiritualnya tinggi kayak anak-anak saya ini,” pungkas pentolan group musik Dewa 19.

READ MORE - biografi The Lucky Laki