麻豆APP

Queen Latifah. Photo by Sister Circle TV. .

Top 10 Iconic Singers from Newark

Newark is the cultural center of the state, offering endless arts and entertainment options. The nation’s third oldest city, Newark is one of the leading historic spots in the Northeast, renowned as the most culturally affluent region in New Jersey.

Pink Rock and Hardcore are the common genres of music in Newark. Punk rock and hardcore have played an important role in the music of New Jersey, with many prominent artists in these genres originating from the state. This included many figures from the punk and new wave movements. Here are the Top 10 Iconic Singers from Newark.

1. Akon

Akon. Photo by U.S. Embassy Nairobi. .

While Akon was born in Senegal, his family moved to New Jersey when he was 7 years old. His second album, Konvicted (2006), received three Grammy Award nominations for Best Contemporary R&B Album.

Over two decades, he has sold more than 35 million albums worldwide, earned five Grammy nominations, released 45 Billboard Hot 100 songs, and made over 300 guest appearances for generational icons such as Michael Jackson, David Guetta, Gwen Stefani, Lil鈥� Wayne, and Eminem.

2. Queen Latifah

Queen Latifah is a Grammy Award-winning rapper, record producer and actress, known for her roles in the big-screen adaptation of ‘Chicago’ and the TV film ‘Bessie. Queen Latifah was born Dana Elaine Owens on March 18, 1970, in Newark, New Jersey. The second child of Lance and Rita Owens, Latifah is best known for her social politics, acting skills and gift for rhyme.

Latifah began singing in the choir of Shiloh Baptist Church in Bloomfield, New Jersey, and had her first public performance when she sang a version of “Home”. U.N.I.T.Y. is the biggest and most successful Queen Latifah hit of all time. The track peaked at position seven in the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and won Queen Latifah the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance in 1995.

3. Whitney Houston

The daughter of the great gospel singer Cissy Houston, the cousin of Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick, the god-daughter of Aretha Franklin. With this kind of pedigree Whitney Houston could hardly fail to be a star.

She grew up singing in gospel choirs, appeared in New York clubs with her mother. Whitney Houston holds the Guinness World Record as the most awarded female artist of all time, with more than 400 career awards. Whitney won 6 GRAMMY Awards and 22 American Music Awards.

4. Kat DeLuna

Kathleen Emperatriz DeLuna is an American singer. DeLuna began pursuing a career as a singer when she was a teenager and later signed with Epic Records.

With her sun-kissed style, Caribbean heritage and ability to both sing and rap, there’s no denying DeLuna checked a whole lot of boxes for Epic. The 19-year-old New Jersey native can sing beautifully and she writes her own music.

5. Frankie Valli

Frankie Valli on Broadway in New York City, 2012-10-27. Photo by SolarScott. .

Valli is an American singer, known as the frontman of the Four Seasons beginning in 1960. With no formal vocal training, Valli taught himself to sing by doing impressions of other artists such as Rose Murphy and Dinah Washington.

By doing so he cultivated his falsetto into what has remained his signature sound. He has done unforgettable unforgettable tunes like “Sherry,” “Walk Like A Man,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Rag Doll,” “December ’63 – Oh What A Night,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You,” and of course, “Grease.”

6. Sarah Vaughan

Sarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed “Sassy” and “The Divine One”, she won four Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award. She was given an NEA Jazz Masters Award in 1989.

Critic Scott Yanow wrote that she had “one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century”. Along with Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, Vaughan helped popularize the art of jazz singing, influencing generations of vocalists following her.

7. Bruce Springsteen

Springsteen is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He has released 20 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is one of the originators of the heartland rock style of music, combining mainstream rock musical style with narrative songs about working class American life.

During a career that has spanned six decades, Springsteen has become known for his poetic, socially conscious lyrics and energetic stage performances, sometimes lasting up to four hours.

8. Nancy Sinatra

Nancy Sinatra seemed to inherit the same talents as her father, Frank Sinatra. Born in Jersey City, NJ, she made her debut on his show, The Frank Sinatra Timex Show: Welcome Home Elvis, where she sang the duet 鈥淵ou Make Me Feel So Young/Old.鈥�

She eventually released her big 1966 hit, 鈥淭hese Boots Are Made for Walkin鈥�.鈥� She also did the title song for the James Bond film You Only Live Twice, covered Cher鈥檚 鈥淏ang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)鈥� and released 13 more songs that made some headway on the Billboard charts.

9. Misfits

Whitney Houston performing “Greatest Love of All” during the HBO-televised concert. Photo by PH2 Mark Kettenhofen. .

The Misfits are an American punk rock band often recognized as the progenitors of the horror punk subgenre, blending punk and other musical influences with horror film themes and imagery.

The group was founded in 1978 in Lodi, New Jersey, by vocalist, songwriter and keyboardist Glenn Danzig, and drummer Manny Mart铆nez. Jerry Only joined on bass guitar shortly after. Over the next six years, membership would change frequently with Danzig and Only being the two consistent members.

10. Frank Sinatra

Portrait of Frank Sinatra at Liederkranz Hall, New York. Photo by William P. Gottlieb.

Frank Sinatra is an American singer and motion-picture actor who, through a long career and a very public personal life, became one of the most sought-after performers in the entertainment industry.

He is often hailed as the greatest American singer of 20th-century popular music. Years of singing as many as 100 songs per day had taken its toll, and he lost his voice completely for several months in 1950 because of vocal-chord hemorrhaging.