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Alecia Beth Moore (born September 8, 1979), professionally known as Pink, or P!nk, is a two-time Grammy-winning American singer-songwriter who gained prominence in 2000 and has had continued success around the world. She released her first single "There You Go" and first album, the R&B-oriented Can't Take Me Home, in 2000 via LaFace Records, which garnered commercial success.
Her more pop rock-oriented second studio album, Missundaztood, was released in 2001 and is her biggest seller to date. Featuring the hits "Get The Party Started," "Just Like a Pill," and "Don't Let Me Get Me," it began a marked shift in the sound of her music. Pink soon followed up with her third album, Try This. It was met with disappointing sales upon its release in November of 2003[2], although critically the album received mostly positive praise.[3]
After a brief break from music, Pink returned in April 2006 with her fourth album, I'm Not Dead. Initially upon its release I'm Not Dead, like her previous album, critically received mostly good reviews[4], but quickly fell off the charts. With a general decline in commercial sales of her albums since M!ssundaztood, especially in her native United States, it appeared as though Pink was headed for cult status. Pink's career was revived in 2007 when the success of U + Ur Hand and Who Knew caused a resurgence of commercial success of I'm Not Dead.[5]
Her fifth album, Funhouse was released in late October 2008 and was preceded by her first solo number one on the Hot 100, "So What"[6]. Since its release in October, Funhouse has sold over 850,000 copies in the U.S. and over 3 million worldwide. The second single from the album, Sober has also become a U.S. Top 20 hit, peaking at number 16 on the Hot 100[7] making Funhouse Pink's first album since M!ssundaztood to have its first two successive singles peak in the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100.
Early life
Pink was born Alecia Moore in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Judy Moore, a nurse, and James Moore, Jr., a Vietnam veteran.[8][9] Her father is Catholic and her mother Jewish,[10] and her ancestors immigrated from Ireland, Germany and Lithuania.[11][12] Pink grew up in Doylestown, where she attended Kutz Elementary School, Lenape Middle School, and Central Bucks West High School. Her father played guitar and sang songs for her, and from an early age she aspired to be a rock star. When in high school, Pink joined her first band called Middleground, which never gained popularity beyond local status. Throughout high school, Middleground had an ongoing rivalry with another local band, The Jetsists. Middleground folded upon losing a battle of the bands competition, held at a local cafe, to The Jetsists. According to Pink, her biggest influences are Bette Midler, Janis Joplin, Steven Tyler, Kyisha Hunt, Jecyra Selvie, Tyriyona Bender, Madonna, Billy Joel, Indigo Girls, Don McLean, 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G.[13] Pink developed her voice early in life. [14] Although a healthy baby at birth, she quickly developed asthma that plagued her through her early years.[15] When she was a young teenager, Pink wrote lyrics as an outlet for her feelings, and her mother commented, "Her initial writings were always very introspective. Some of it was very black, and very deep, almost worrisome."[16] She began performing in Philadelphia clubs when she was fourteen years old. At sixteen, she joined the R&B Atlanta-based trio Choice, which included Chrissy Conway of the Christian girl group ZOEgirl. The group signed with LaFace Records and contributed "Key to My Heart" to the soundtrack of the 1996 film Kazaam. Choice eventually disbanded after recording an unreleased album; Pink remained at LaFace as a solo act under the stage name Pink. Daryl Simmons took her to recordings where she sang backing vocals for artists such as Diana Ross, 98 Degrees, Kenny Lattimore and Tevin Campbell. She was then featured in the techno song "Gonna Make Ya Move (Don't Stop!)" written by L. Carpella and F. Scandolari.
Musical career
2000–2001: Can't Take Me Home
Pink's first album was Can't Take Me Home, which was produced by Babyface and Steve Rhythm, and released in April 2000. A substantial success, it went double platinum in the U.S., sold 5 million copies worldwide and produced two U.S. top ten singles: "There You Go" and "Most Girls" (which reached number one in Australia). The album's third single, "You Make Me Sick", became a smaller U.S. top forty hit and UK top ten hit in early 2001 and was featured in the film Save the Last Dance.
Pink landed an opening act for 'N Sync on their American tour in the summer of 2000.[17]
In 2001, she recorded a cover of Labelle's 1975 single "Lady Marmalade" with Christina Aguilera, rapper Lil' Kim and Mýa for the soundtrack of the film Moulin Rouge!. Produced by hip-hop producers Rockwilder and Missy Elliott, the song topped the charts in countries including New Zealand, the UK, Australia and the U.S., where it became the most successful airplay-only single in history.[18] The success of the single was helped by its music video, which was popular on music channels[19] and won the MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year.[20] The song won a Grammy Award — Pink's first — for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, and provided a boost for the four performers' careers.[21]
2001–2002: M!ssundaztood
Tired of being marketed as another cookie-cutter pop act and eager to become a more serious songwriter and musician, and to perform the type of music she wanted to, Pink took her sound in a new direction and sought more creative control during the recording of her second album.[22] She recruited former 4 Non Blondes vocalist Linda Perry, who said Pink opened up to her: "In the beginning I just said: "What do you feel?", and she (Pink) would just sit behind the piano and sing".[21] Perry's band, 4 Non Blondes had been one of Pink's favorites in her teenage years. Pink moved into Perry's Los Angeles home where the pair spent several months writing songs for the album.[23] Perry co-wrote and co-produced the album with Dallas Austin and Scott Storch, and according to VH1 Driven, Antonio "LA" Reid of LaFace Records wasn't initially content with the new music Pink was making.[21] The album, named Missundaztood because of Pink's belief that people had a wrong image of her,[24] was released in November 2001. Its lead single, "Get the Party Started" (written and produced by Perry), went top five in the U.S. and many other countries, and number one in Australia. At the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, the music video won in the categories of Best Female Video and Best Dance Video. The album's other singles—"Don't Let Me Get Me", the Dallas Austin-produced "Just like a Pill", and "Family Portrait"—were also radio and chart successes, with "Just like a Pill" becoming Pink's first solo UK number-one hit. The singles were substantial hits on adult Top 40 radio. Missundaztood was certified gold or platinum status in more than twenty countries,[25] with worldwide sales of 16 million.[26] It was the second-best-selling album in the UK during 2002. Missundaztood and "Get the Party Started" earned nominations at the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, respectively.
The 2002 Faith Hill album, Cry, features a song co-written by Pink and Perry. In 2002, Pink started a headlining American, European and Australian tour, the Party Tour; later, she became a supporting act for Lenny Kravitz's American tour.
2003–2005: Try This
In mid-2003, Pink contributed the song "Feel Good Time" to the soundtrack of the film Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, in which she had a cameo appearance as a motocross race ramp owner/promoter. "Feel Good Time" was co-written by singer Beck, produced by electronic music artist William Orbit and based on the song "Fresh Garbage" by the band Spirit. It became Pink's first single to miss the top forty on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, although it was a hit in Europe and Australia. During the same period, a song Pink co-wrote with Damon Elliott was released on Mýa's album Moodring.
"Feel Good Time" was included on non-U.S. editions of Pink's third album, Try This, which was released on November 11, 2003. Eight of the thirteen tracks were co-written with Tim Armstrong of the band Rancid; Linda Perry was featured on the album as a writer and musician. Though Try This reached the top ten on album charts in the U.S., Canada, the UK and Australia, sales were considerably lower than those of Missundaztood; it went platinum in the U.S. and sold over 3 million copies worldwide, a commercial flop compared to its predecessor.[27] The singles "Trouble" and "God Is a DJ" did not reach the U.S. top forty but went top ten in other countries, and "Last to Know" was released as a single outside North America. "Trouble" earned Pink her second Grammy Award (for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance) at the 2004 Grammy Awards, and "Feel Good Time" was nominated in the category of Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. She toured extensively on the Try This Tour through Europe and Australia, where the album was better received. In 2005 she collaborated with her good friend Lisa Marie Presley on the track Shine, on Presley's second album Now What.
2006–2007: I'm Not Dead
Pink took a break to write the songs for her fourth album, I'm Not Dead, which she said she titled as such because "It's about being alive and feisty and not sitting down and shutting up even though people would like you to."[28] Pink worked with producers Max Martin, Billy Mann, Christopher Rojas, Butch Walker, Lukasz Gottwald and Josh Abraham on the album.
The album's release in April 2006 through LaFace Records was a substantial success throughout the world, particularly in Australia. The album reached the top ten in the U.S., the top five in the UK, number one in Germany, and sat at number one in Australia for two non-consecutive weeks,[29] though it was Pink's lowest seller in the U.S. until the success of the single "U + Ur Hand" in early 2007. The album ranked 96th in the USA during 2007. [2]
Lead single "Stupid Girls" was Pink's biggest U.S. hit since 2002 and earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Its music video, in which she parodies celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Simpson and Paris Hilton,[30] won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Pop Video. Subsequent singles "Who Knew" and "U + Ur Hand" were substantial hits in Australia and Europe, and they later became top ten singles in the U.S. in 2007. The non-U.S. singles were "Nobody Knows", a minor hit in the UK, Australia and Germany; "Dear Mr. President", an open letter to American President George W. Bush (featuring the Indigo Girls) a top five hit in Germany, Australia and other countries; "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)", a UK top forty and Australian top five entry; and "'Cuz I Can".
The album has sold over 1.1 million copies in the U.S., over 630,000 in Australia, and over 6 million worldwide. Proving very popular in Australia, with 6 top five singles, and a record breaking 62 weeks in the top 10, so far the album has gone 9 times platinum. Even as of June 2008, the I'm Not Dead album returned to the Australian Top 40 ARIA charts and remained there in November 2008 where it sits at number 15 on the chart - a total of 110 weeks in the Australian top 40 to date.[31]
In support of the album, Pink embarked on the world I'm Not Dead Tour, for which ticket sales in Australia were particularly high—she sold approximately 307,000 tickets in Australia, giving her the record for the biggest concert attendance for an arena tour by a female artist.[32] One of the London shows on the tour was taped and released as a DVD, Pink: Live from Wembley Arena. In 2006, Pink was chosen to sing the theme song for NBC Sunday Night Football, "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night", which is a take on "I Hate Myself for Lovin' You" by Joan Jett. She contributed a cover of Rufus's "Tell Me Something Good" to the soundtrack of the film Happy Feet, and lent her name to PlayStation to promote the PSP, a special pink edition of which was released.[33]
Pink collaborated with several other artists in 2006 and 2007, when she opened for Justin Timberlake on the American leg of his FutureSex/LoveShow Tour. She sang on the Indigo Girls album Despite Our Differences. She was featured on a remix of India.Arie's song "I Am Not My Hair" featured in the Lifetime Television film Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy. She wrote a song ("I Will") for Natalia's third album, Everything & More. "Outside of You", another song she co-wrote, was recorded by dance-pop singer Hilary Duff and released on her 2007 album Dignity. Pink recorded a song with Annie Lennox and twenty-two other female acts for Lennox's fourth solo studio album, Songs of Mass Destruction. Titled "Sing", it was written as an anthem for HIV/AIDS, according to Lennox's official site.[34]
In December 2007, a special edition Pink Box, which comprises her second to fourth albums and the DVD Live in Europe, was released in Australia and reached the top twenty on the albums chart and was certified Gold, selling over 35,000 units.[35]
2008-2009: Funhouse
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On February 20, 2008, Pink posted a message on her website discussing her separation from her husband Carey Hart and to confirm that she is working on a new album.[36]
On March 31, 2008, a Dutch music store published an album and DVD release list on their website, stating that in October 2008 a new album from Pink will be released in stores.[37]
On June 16, 2008 Pink's Manager confirmed that Pink was in fact working on her album and was due to release it in October if all went well. This story is taken from Late News Channel Ten in Australia. Also during June, producer Danja wrote in a MySpace bulletin that he was working on tracks for Pink as well as other artists.
On July 15, 2008 the official Pink website posted behind the scenes photos of the singer in the studio. The black and white pictures show Pink recording her new album.[38] Later that month, it was announced that the new album will be released in America on October 28, 2008[39] and on October 25 in Australia.[40]
On August 18, 2008, Pink's single, "So What", officially went for radio ads,[41] however on August 7, 2008, it was leaked online, and radio stations across Australia were quick to give it massive airplay. Within less than 6 hours from the leak, "So What" was immediately voted #1 on Nova 100 Melbourne (although this angered Barry Fields) and shot to #1 on the Today Network's national radio Hot30 Countdown.[42] It also shot straight to number 1 on the official Australian and British iTunes single downloads charts.
On August 22, Pink announced a new track titled "Crystal Ball". The song is about not knowing what the future holds and liking it that way.[43]
On about August 24, 2008, Pink spoke about her new album 'Funhouse' in an interview on Australian radio. This interview was then aired on Monday August 25, and Pink stated she now has a fairly busy schedule booked right up till 2010, including touring again in Australia and elsewhere. Approximately 17 minute interview with Pink aired about 9:10 am Monday August 25, 2008 on Australian radio - interview was recorded in the USA on about August 24.
On September 18, 2008, "So What" became the first solo number one of her career on the Billboard Hot 100. The track has also reached number one in Australia, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada and Germany.
On October 19, 2008, Pink was the guest of honour at the 2008 ARIA Music Awards held in Sydney, Australia. She performed her hit song "So What", stealing the show and receiving a standing ovation from the Australian music industry. On November 3, 2008, "Funhouse" debuted at number one on the ARIA charts, certified two times platinum selling over 150,000 units in its first week. Pink's "Funhouse" tour sold out all concerts in Australia, already set to perform 43 shows in the country from late May to early August 2009.
To support the album release Pink will go on tour in 2009. The Funhouse Tour will start in France on February 24 and will tour in Europe until mid-May. After that the Australian leg of the tour starts in Perth. After Australia the tour also visits New Zealand. No North America dates are announced thus far.
November 23, 2008, she performed her second single "Sober" at American Music Awards. Pink also appeared on Ellen on September 6, 2008.
The music video for "Please Don't Leave Me" was shot in 2008, it leaked to the internet on January 23, 2009, and official premiered on Pink's YouTube channel on January 27, 2009. It was directed by Dave Meyers
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 2002 | Rollerball | Rock singer | |
| 2003 | Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle | Coal bowl starter | |
| 2007 | Catacombs | Carolyn | |
| 2009 | Get Him to the Greek | ||
Personal life
Marriage and divorce
Pink met professional motocross racer Carey Hart at the 2001 X Games in Philadelphia. Pink proposed to Carey in 2005 during one of his pit boarding races in Mammoth Lakes, California by holding up a "Will you marry me?" sign. On the other side was written "I'm Serious!" After Carey read the sign, he almost caused an accident.[44] They married in Costa Rica on January 7, 2006 at sunset.[45] After months of speculation, Pink's publicist, Michele Schweitzer, told PEOPLE magazine on February 19, 2008, that the singer and Carey Hart had separated.[46] "This decision was made by best friends with a huge amount of love and respect for one another", Schweitzer said.[47] The video for her current hit "So What", in which Hart appears, deals with her separation and pending divorce. [48].
PETA
Pink is a prominent campaigner for PETA, contributing her voice towards causes such as protesting against protests against KFC. She sent a letter to Prince William criticizing him for fox hunting and one to Queen Elizabeth II protesting the use of real fur in the bearskins of the Foot Guards and the Honourable Artillery Company. In November 2006, Pink mentioned in the News of the World that she was disgusted with fellow singer Beyoncé for wearing fur. In conjunction with PETA, she criticized the Australian wool industry over its use of mulesing only after selling out her Australian tour dates. In January 2007, she stated that she had been misled by PETA about mulesing and that she had not done enough research before lending her name to the campaign.[49] Her campaigning led to a headlining concert in Cardiff, Wales on August 21, 2007 called PAW (Party for Animals Worldwide). This highlighted her involvement with animal cruelty problems, as well as her unwavering commitment to contributing her voice towards such causes.
Charity work
Pink is involved with many charities including "Phoenix vert" [50], Human Rights Campaign, ONE Campaign, Prince's Trust, New York Restoration Project, Run For The Cure Foundation, Save the Children, Take Back the Night, UNICEF and World Society for the Protection of Animals.[51] As of May 2008 Pink has been officially recognized as an advocate for the RSPCA in Australia. On February 16, 2009, Pink announced she was donating $250,000 to the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal to aid the victims of the bushfires that swept through the Australian state of Victoria earlier that month, which killed more than 208 people[52], claiming that she wanted to make "a tangible expression of support".[53]
Discography
Studio albums
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DVDs
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Other
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Tours
Headlining
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As supporting act
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Awards and nominations
Source: Grammy official site
References
- ^ Pinks vocal ranges.
- ^ http://www.happygrrls.com/arts/imnotdead.html
- ^ http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/pink/trythis
- ^ http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/pink/imnotdead
- ^ http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSN2424168520070324
- ^ Pink notches first solo No. 1 single
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/chart_display.jsp?f=The+Billboard+Hot+100&pageNumber=Top+11-50&g=Singles
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/feature/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002156895
- ^ http://www.newspaperarchive.com/LandingPage.aspx?type=nlp&search=alecia%20moore%20father%20mother&img=\\na0037\6771001\27112239_clean.html
- ^ http://news.superiorpics.com/print/2006/03/30/PINK_S_LATEST_INTERVIEW.html
- ^ Alecia's Q Magazine Transcript Q Magazine. Retrieved March, 2004.
- ^ Nate Bloom [1] Interfaith Family.
- ^ Official MySpace page MSN. Retrieved March 2006.
- ^ Official Homepage Jensen. Interview in the Dutch program Jensen. RTL. Retrieved March 2006
- ^ Driven: Pink VH1. Retrieved October 31, 2007.
- ^ Driven: Pink VH1. Retrieved October 31, 2007.
- ^ Robert Mancini "Pink Lands 'NSYNC Tour, Plans New Video" MTV News. April 5, 2000.
- ^ "Lady Marmalade" from Moulin Rouge Makes History
- ^ Rebecca Murray Music From "Moulin Rouge" Makes History Interscope Geffen A&M Records. Retrieved August 10, 2007.
- ^ MTV Celebrates the Best in Music Video prnewswire. Retrieved September 6, 2001.
- ^ a b c Pink: Driven. About the Episode VH1. Retrieved September 9, 2007.
- ^ Teresa Wiltz Pop Princess Pink: Flush With Attitude The Washington Post. Retrieved June 2, 2002.
- ^ Rock Chicks The Hottest Female Rockers from 1960's to Now Alison Stieven-Taylor http://www.rockpoolpublishing.com.au
- ^ Jason Genegabus She'll get the party started with a show at the Blaisdell StarBulletin. Retrieved December 16, 2002.
- ^ Entertainment Editors JUST WHITNEY... Wins Career-High 1st Week Sales and Top 10 Album Chart Debut, as Arista Nets 2 of Year's Top 10 Soundscan Albums !! BusinessWire. Retrieved December 19, 2002.
- ^ Entertainment Editors PINK - Looking for 'Trouble?' - TRY THIS! New Album, Try This, in Stores November 11 BusinessWire. Retrieved September 22, 2003.
- ^ Pink on E! True Hollywood Story.
- ^ Julie Chen"Pink: Singing With Dad Was 'Awesome'". CBS News. July 12, 2006. Retrieved March 30, 2007.
- ^ Pink At #1 With Album, Aussie Airplay + Single Sony BMG Australia. Retrieved June 3, 2007
- ^ Gardner, Elysa. "Pink's video pokes fun at 'Stupid Girls'". USA Today. February 14, 2006.
- ^ Australian Record Industry Association
- ^ Jonathon Moran Pink proves a hot ticket Sunday Telegraph June 10, 2007. Retrieved June 24, 2007.
- ^ Official mini-site for the Pink PSP Sony Entertainment. Retrieved November 12, 2006
- ^ Special section about Sing on Annie Lennox official website
- ^ Australian Record Industry Association
- ^ Pink Home | The Official Pink Site
- ^ | Free Record Shop (NL)
- ^ http://www.pinkspage.com/news/exclusive-studio-photos
- ^ Pink News + Blog | The Official Pink Site
- ^ SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
- ^ Latest Breaking Radio and Music News - AllAccess.com v2.0
- ^ Hot30 Countdown Vote
- ^ Pink Official Forums
- ^ "Pink Gets Engaged To Motocross Champion Carey Hart". Retrieved February 1 2008.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|dateformat=ignored (help) - ^ "Pink Gets Married in Costa Rica". Retrieved February 1 2008.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|dateformat=ignored (help) - ^ Pink News on Yahoo! Music
- ^ Pink blue after marriage bust-up. NEWS.com.au. Retrieved on Feb 20, 2008.
- ^ Pink - is she the thinking gay girl's best friend?, Diva, Jane Czyzselska, November 2008
- ^ Pink sheepish over boycott call Theage.com. Retrieved January 17, 2007.
- ^ [www.phoenixvert.com]
- ^ Look to the Stars: Pink's Charity Work
- ^ http://www.accessallareas.net.au/music_news/EkFuZVEpulqWDWamGv.php
- ^ "Pink helps bushfire victims". idiomag. 2009-02-17. Retrieved 2009-02-19.