Alecia Beth Moore (born September 8, 1979), who performs under the stage name Pink (often stylized as P!nk), is an American singer and songwriter. To date she has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.
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, which began a marked shift in the sound of her music, was released in 2001, and was successful worldwide. Pink soon followed up with her third album, Try This in November of 2003, and then with her fourth album in April of 2006, I'm Not Dead. The album generated three hit singles, "Stupid Girls", "U + Ur Hand" and "Who Knew".
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". [2]
Early life
Pink was born Alecia Moore in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Judith Moore, a nurse, and James Moore, Jr, a Vietnam veteran.[3][4] Her father is Catholic and her mother Jewish,[5] and her ancestors immigrated from Ireland, Germany,and Lithuania.[6] 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, Madonna, Billy Joel, Indigo Girls, Don McLean, 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G.[7]
Pink developed her voice early in life.[8] Although a healthy baby at birth, she quickly developed asthma that plagued her through her early years.[9] 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."[9] 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.
Solo musical career
2000–2001: Can't Take Me Home
Pink's debut album, Can't Take Me Home, was produced by Babyface, Terence "Tramp-Baby" Abney, She'ksphere, Dallas Austin,The Specialists and Steve Rhythm, and released in April 2000. A substantial success, it was certified 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. the Babyface & Terence "Tramp-Baby" Abney Produced Split Personality was featured in the film The Princess Diaries
Pink landed an opening act for 'N Sync on their American tour in the summer of 2000.[10]
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.[11] The success of the single was helped by its music video, which was popular on music channels[12] and won the MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year.[13] The song won a Grammy Award — Pink's first — for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, and provided a boost for the four performers' careers.[14]
2001–2002: Missundaztood
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.[15] 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".[14] 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.[16] 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.[14] The album, named Missundaztood because of Pink's belief that people had a wrong image of her,[17] 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,[18] with worldwide sales of 12 million.[19] 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.
In Faith Hill's 2002 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.[20] 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 sophomore 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."[21] 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,[22] 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. [1]
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, Mary-Kate Olsen and Paris Hilton,[23] 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 number 1 hit in Belgium, 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 1.3 million copies in the U.S., over 700,000 in Australia, and 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 10 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.[24] In June 2009 the album returned once again to the Australian top ten album charts in its 142nd week in the national top fifth.[25]. It re-entered at #10 on the back of her mammoth Funhouse Tour.
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.[26] 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.[27]
Pink performing on the I'm Not Dead summer tour in 2007
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 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.[28]
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.[29]
2008–2009: Funhouse
On August 18, 2008, Pink's single, "So What", officially went for radio ads,[30] 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.[31] 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.[32]
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 and selling over 83,000 units in its first week. Pink's "Funhouse" tour sold out all concerts in Australia, and she will perform a total of 58 shows around the country between May and August 2009, performing for more than 600,000 Australian fans.[33]
The Funhouse Tour started in France on February 24 and continued through Europe until mid-May. Support came from British band Raygun.[34] Pink then performed in Australia and New Zealand.
November 23, 2008, Pink performed her second single "Sober" at American Music Awards. She also appeared on Ellen on November 24, 2008. The third single off the album is Please Don't Leave Me.
The music video for "Please Don't Leave Me" was shot in 2008, it leaked to the internet on January 23, 2009, and officially premièred on Pink's YouTube channel on January 27, 2009. It was directed by Dave Meyers.
Her fourth single is 'Funhouse'
In May 2009, Pink released a 4 CD set of her albums Can't Take Me Home / Missundaztood / Try This / I'm Not Dead, excluding her current album Funhouse. The album has so far peaked at number 7 in the UK Album Chart.[35]
On June 1, 2009, P!nk broke another Australian record by having all 5 of her albums inside the ARIA Top 50 in Australia. On June 8, 2009 this record was once again broken by P!nk by having all 5 albums in the top 50 as well as a box set of Cant Take Me Home/ Missundaztood in the chart.
Personal life
Marriage
Pink met professional motocross racer Carey Hart at the 2001 X Games in Philadelphia[36]. 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.[37] They married in Costa Rica on January 7, 2006 at sunset.[38]
After months of speculation, Pink's publicist, Michele Schweitzer, told PEOPLE magazine on February 19, 2008, that the singer and Carey Hart had separated.[39] "This decision was made by best friends with a huge amount of love and respect for one another", Schweitzer said.[40] The video for her 2008 hit "So What", in which Hart appears, deals with her separation and pending divorce.[41]
In March 2009, Carey Hart revealed in an interview for SpeedFreaks that he and Pink were 'dating'.[42] Carey has also confirmed on Jason Ellis' Sirius XM radio show, The Chelsea Lately Show & The Best Damn Sports show that he and Pink are attempting to work things out stating: "Sometimes you have to take a couple of steps back to move forward."[citations needed] Pink has stated that the couple has gone to marriage counseling and have gotten back together and have never been legally divorced.[43]
PETA
Pink in an advertisement for PETA's anti-fur campaign
Pink, a vegetarian, is a prominent campaigner for PETA, contributing her voice towards causes such as protesting 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.[44] 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",[45] 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.[46] 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, A total of 173 people are confirmed to have died in the fires with around 500 injured. Initial estimates were as high as 210 fatalities, but this was later revised down after further forensic analysis.,[47] claiming that she wanted to make "a tangible expression of support".[48]
Filmography
Discography
Tours
Headlining
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As supporting act
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Awards and nominations
Source: Grammy official site
Further reading
References
- ^ Pinks vocal ranges.
- ^ Pink notches first solo No. 1 single, and the hit singles "Sober", "Please Don't Leave Me", "Bad Influence" and the upcoming release "Funhouse".
- ^ 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.
- ^ Official MySpace page MSN. Retrieved March 2006.
- ^ Official Homepage Jensen. Interview in the Dutch program Jensen. RTL. Retrieved March 2006
- ^ a b 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
- ^ 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
- ^ Latest Breaking Radio and Music News - AllAccess.com v2.0
- ^ Hot30 Countdown Vote
- ^ Pink Official Forums
- ^ http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,28383,25623402-5013560,00.html
- ^ http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=239610968&blogId=465193978
- ^ Chart Stats : UK Singles & Albums Chart Archive - Pink - Can't Take Me Home / Missundaztood / Try This / I'm Not Dead
- ^ http://www.inkedmag.com/articles/detail/122/pink-welcome-to-the-funhouse/
- ^ "Pink Gets Engaged To Motocross Champion Carey Hart". http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1505056/20050630/story.jhtml. Retrieved on February 1 2008.
- ^ "Pink Gets Married in Costa Rica". http://top40.about.com/b/2006/01/09/pink-gets-married-in-costa-rica.htm. Retrieved on February 1 2008.
- ^ Pink News on Yahoo! Music
- ^ Pink blue after marriage bust-up. NEWS.com.au. Retrieved on February 20, 2008.
- ^ Pink - is she the thinking gay girl's best friend?, Diva, Jane Czyzselska, November 2008
- ^ "Carey Hart sees off-road action". SpeedFreaks.tv. 30 March 2009. http://www.speedfreaks.tv/gallery/display.sd?iid=4361. Retrieved on 2009-04-05.
- ^ "Q&A: Pink talks about tour, Britney, ex-husband". Associated Press. 27 April 2009. http://music.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=406079. Retrieved on 2009-05-06.
- ^ 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. http://www.idiomag.com/peek/65235/pink. Retrieved on 2009-02-19.
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_Him_to_the_Greek#Spin-off
- ^ http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B002CKJ1T2/ref=pe_3871_16095421_snp_dp
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/P-nk-Box/dp/B0027VSTC6/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1247240455&sr=8-5
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