Grammy Stars – Before The Fame and Awards!

Who Am I?

Kanye West

Surprisingly (or unsurprisingly… you decide), rap powerhouse Kanye West is up for six Grammys in four different categories. West is nominated for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song twice in both categories for the songs “N*****s In Paris” and “Mercy.” His collaboration with Jay-Z on “No Church In The Wild,” featuring Frank Ocean and The-Dream, is nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best Short Form Music Video. The self-proclaimed “college dropout” has come a long way since producing hit singles for major artists like Common and Alicia Keys in hometown Chicago, or maybe he’s just “graduated.”

Who Am I?

Kelly Clarkson - Won in 2013 BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM for her "Stronger" CD

As the first season winner of music competition show, American Idol, Kelly Clarkson had a lot of pressure to succeed. But succeed she did, and then some! Her biographical lyrics about strength and female empowerment have shaped the career of a pop-rock sensation. She’s got Thankful, Breakaway, My December, and All I Ever Wanted under her belt. As of 2012, Clarkson is back to performing on reality television, this time for the show Duets. Watch the 2013 Grammys to see if her lead single from her most recent album Stronger (nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album), “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You),” wins for either Record of the Year or Best Pop Solo Performance.

Who Am I?

DJ Redfoo

LMFAO duo, DJ Redfoo (Stefan Gordy) and Skyblu (Skyler Gordy), are the uncle-nephew team that gets people’s feet and booties moving. Redfoo is an LA-native and therefore no stranger to the entertainment industry, having founded the Motown record label as far back as 1960! Redfoo started writing songs with his nephew Skyler and LMFAO was born. Their debut album Party Rock was an instant hit, which they followed up with Sorry For Party Rocking. Don’t be sorry, guys, you’ve clearly found yourselves an electropop loving audience, because LMFAO is nominated for the single “Sexy And I Know It” in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category.

Who Am I?

Beyoncé Knowles - Won in 2013 for BEST TRADITIONAL R&B PERFORMANCE for "Love On Top"

Beyoncé kicked off her career with all-girl band, Gyrls Time, which evolved into Destiny’s Child. But when she released her debut solo album Dangerously In Love in 2003, she really came into her musical own. Hits like “Crazy In Love,” “Déjà vu,” and “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” from her solo albums have made her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. It’s no wonder that her single “Love On Top” from the album 4 is nominated for Best Traditional R&B Performance. Who wouldn’t love being on top? Of the music world, that is.

Who Am I?

Carrie Underwood - 2013 Winner for BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE for "Blown Away"

American Idol-alum Carrie Underwood has clearly “blown away” the competition this year! She’s up for two Grammy Awards in 2013: Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song for her hit single “Blown Away.” While this little belle from Muskogee, Oklahoma claims she’s never milked a cow, she’s definitely going to be milking her award winning smile and voice for years to come.

Who Am I?

Katy Perry

The best example of a good girl gone bad, Katy Perry really exploded onto the pop music scene with her hit single “I Kissed A Girl” in 2008. The church singer turned pop sensation followed up One Of The Boys with Teenage Dream in 2010, which was certified platinum. Teenage Dream released a string of hits and turned Katy Perry from a dark horse of pop music into a top billing, international touring pop princess. Her 2012 album, Part Of Me, features “Wide Awake,” which is nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance. Freshly divorced, Katy Perry is one hot commodity.

Who Am I?

Adam Levine

Lead singer for Maroon 5, Adam Levine is up for two Grammys in 2013. After the group’s gold, platinum and triple platinum success with their debut album, Songs About Jane, their successful follow-up It Won’t Be Soon Before Long proved that this band was here to stay. Hands All Over featured major artist Christina Aguilera (in “Moves Like Jagger”) and Adam Levine collaborated with Gym Class Heroes on their song “Stereo Hearts.” Maroon 5’s most recent album, Overexposed, is nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album and the song “Payphone” (featuring Wiz Khalifa) is nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

Who Am I?

Alecia Moore (Pink)

When L.A. Reid believes you’re bound for greatness, you’re on your way to superstardom. For Pink, this was just the case. Pink found fame in the early millennium around the same times as ‘N Sync, Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears, but her rock n’ roll sound and alternative look set her apart from the teen queens and kings. She really “got the party started” with Missundaztood, which turned her from an opening act into a headliner. Since then her catchy beats with infectious hooks have opened the doors for a different kind of pop and a different kind of woman in the music industry. Her 2012 album The Truth About Love is nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album, meaning even a softer sounding Pink is worth Grammy gold.

Who Am I?

Blake Shelton

Blake Shelton, husband to Miranda Lambert, kicked off his hot country career with Blake Shelton and the No. 1 single “Austin.” Shelton gained momentum with The Dreamer and Blake Shelton’s Barn & Grill, both certified gold albums with more than one hit. Four more studio albums later and Shelton is still knocking it out of the park. His song “Over” from Red River Blue is nominated for Best Country Solo Performance. Looks like this Oklahoma country boy is really “startin’ fires.”

Who Am I?

Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne may be little in stature, but he’s more than a big deal. He wrote his first rap when he was just eight years old and he hasn’t stopped since. You may or may not remember him rapping on “Back That Azz Up” (he was only 17 at the time!), but the verse “drop it like it’s hot” inspired the same named song by Snoop Dogg and can be heard again later in Lil Wayne’s 2008 hit, “Lollipop.” Drake’s song “HYFR (Hell Ya F… Right)” featuring Lil Wayne is nominated for Best Rap Performance, as well as the song “The Motto” (also featuring Wayne) for Best Rap Song.

Who Am I?

Marilyn Manson

Marilyn Manson, born Brian Warner, has made quite a name for himself. His subversive metal music and sensationalist performances may have been controversial for most, but it hasn’t stopped him from scoring going platinum and gold three times! His body of work includes nine studio albums, the latest of which is called Born Villain and features the song “No Reflection,” up for a Grammy in the Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance category. It’s hard to think of anyone who rocks harder!

Who Am I?

Fiona Apple

Fiona Apple fist made waves in 1996 with her debut album Tidal that went multi-platinum and scored her a Grammy for the song “Criminal.” In 2005, her album Extraordinary Machine went gold. The husky-voiced songstress is nominated for Best Alternative Music Album for her most recent album, The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do. The jazzy-sounding soulful singer may have had a trouble past, but she’s got a mighty fine way of conquering her demons.

Who Am I?

Miranda Lambert

Country singer Miranda Lambert has a lot on her plate. Since placing third on the country music competition Nashville Star, she’s created a fiery reputation for herself in the world of Country. Her first album, Kerosene, shot to No. 1 and subsequently went platinum. This was followed up by Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Revolution and now Uncaged, which is nominated for Best Country Album. Lambert’s original songwriting about love, loss and the best kind of revenge make her almost too hot to handle!

Who Am I?

Taylor Swift

Nobody’s made a more successful country-pop music crossover than Taylor Swift. The world took notice when she won the Best New Artist at the 2008 Grammys, and here she is five years later collecting nominations and awards by the fistful. Her single “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” is nominated for Record of the Year and “Safe & Sound” (an original song for The Hunger Games soundtrack) co-written with The Civils and T-Bone Burnett is nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance and Best Song Written For Visual Media. The world has watched TSwift become a woman! What’s next, the moon?