Ke$ha

Brash, driven pop singer and songwriter Kesha (Kesha Rose Sebert) was born in Los Angeles but moved at the age of four to Nashville, when her mother -- a longtime songwriter -- inked a publishing deal. (Over a decade prior to that, Pebe Sebert's biggest success came with "Old Flames Can't Hold a Candle to You," originally recorded by Joe Sun and later by Dolly Parton.) Before finishing high school, Kesha returned to L.A. for the sake of jump-starting her own career in music; she did this despite being set up to study psychology at Columbia. She came into contact with Dr. Luke, a co-writer and co-producer of Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone" (among several other hits), who was impressed with some demo recordings. She penned the Veronicas' "This Love" and later contributed background vocals to Britney Spears' "Lace and Leather," both of which were released in 2008, but the biggest turning point came in 2009, when she was tapped to contribute vocals on Flo Rida's Dr. Luke-produced "Right Round," a number one Hot 100 hit. Subsequently signed to RCA, her debut album, featuring collaborations with Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Benny Blanco, was set for release in early 2010, led by the October 2009 single "Tik Tok."