Music: Newsmakers of 2008

Harsha Mary Amy Winehouse: The rehab queen Hospitals, filthy roads were Amy’s hangouts in the year 2008. On the other hand, her jailed husband Blake Fielder Civil was in news for obstructing her career dreams even when he was not around. And, his 4-5 day release from jail meant only more harrowing news for Amy as he snubbed her and spent joyful days with his model girlfriend. Amy Winehouse`s Grammy triumph was the only bright spot in her dark existence - she celebrated her five wins while on a brief vacation from rehab. More Blake… more rehabs, she only accelerated her path to destruction. Smoking crack, sniffing cocaine, which led her to visit the doctors only more often. Her fans still await a stunning comeback with bated breath! Janet Jackson: No mood to work After her infamous ‘nipplegate’ episode in the year 2004, Janet Jackson was back in news for her drowning career. Her musical tour ‘Rock Witchu,’ had so many canceled dates that she was officially given a wallflower status. Despite no hits and no concerts this year, the lass was busy declining tours. Janet justified it saying that she had some vertigo-related condition. But, reports have it otherwise. Rumours are abuzz that Janet is planning to start a family with boyfriend Jermaine Dupri, setting off pregnancy rumours. But, we have no official reports confirming the news. Now with such unprofessional antics, Janet is not believed to be making a come back anytime soon. Britney Spears: She’s back and she rocks…. Britney Spears’ comeback was undoubtedly the most surprising news of 2008. After her continuous visits to rehabs and her stripper show on streets. Britney was assumed to have crashed as her career went south. Then, Spears` dad Jamie came into the picture and took control of her affairs. Lo and behold, now she`s on top of the pop charts and planning a nationwide tour (Circus). Her 55 minutes husband is now her butler and another ex-husband K-Fed confesses his love for Spears. Well, so with that hopefully, Britney is going to be back with a bang on 2009, literally! R Kelly: Shows his back to controversies R Kelly has made a career out of acquittals. So, it should really be no surprise that he got off in an epic fashion after a jury acquitted him of child pornography charges, despite a video featuring a man looking strikingly like Kelly getting freaky with a young girl. In case he was to go behind bars, we were all prepared for jail remixes, ‘Trapped in a Jail’, ‘Step I the Cell off love’. But obviously, we are robbed of that chance. Jay-Z And Beyonce: Knotted! Jay-Z liked it, so he put a ring on it. The rap mogul and the singing superstar finally tied the knot after six years of unconfirmed dating in an April ceremony at his Manhattan apartment. The newlyweds tried to keep the lavish affair under wraps, but paparazzi made that impossible; catching arriving guests including Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin. Though Beyonce refused to dish too much about her personal life, the ‘Single Ladies’ singer told talk-show host Oprah Winfrey that marriage feels great, but "the most important thing is to make sure you have your own life before you`re someone else`s wife." Well said lady! Mariah and Nick: The ‘People’ couple Well, Mariah Carey found love again with Nick Cannon, an actor 11 years her junior. And Mimi wastes no time when it comes to affairs of the heart. She married the "Drumline" star at her Bahamian estate in April after just weeks of dating. Like many celebrity couples, they shared (ahem, sold) their wedding album in ‘People’ magazine, where they talked about tattooing their love for each other. Carey, who sports a "Mrs Cannon" tattoo on her back, has said that she and her so-called soul mate didn`t consummate their relationship before tying the knot. Work, A-Rod and Kaballah: Madonna’s religion! Well, no doubt the much publicized Madge-Guy breakup was the hot news this season, beckoning to be the least shocking split of the year. Looks like Madge’s Kaballah magic never really worked for Guy the whole of 2008 and the kids too seem unimpressed by the same. Where there`s smoke, there`s fire! The pop star and her British filmmaker announced in October they were divorcing after nearly eight years of marriage and two children. Workaholic Madonna was least affected by the break-up and was too busy scorching the stage with her “Sticky & Sweet” world tour. She took fulsome liberty of poking fun at Ritchie while touring and guess that what kept her so full of life! Well, we do doubt a certain ‘A-Rod’ factor to Madge’s overriding personal life. Madge was spotted with New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez at several occasions prior and post the divorce and looks like she is planning to move into his neighbourhood too. Anoushka Shankar: India’s pride Anoushka was the first cover-face of the India edition of ‘Rolling Stone’ magazine and perhaps the only Indian to feature in the magazine. She’s one of the finest ‘Sitar’ players in the world. Anoushka featured in two new albums this year, Nitin Sawhney and Anoushka co-wrote a beautiful piece of music together titled “Charu Keshi Rain," and "London Undersound." She has a huge fan following even outside India. The Sydney Opera Concert Hall was over-flooded with fans on Anoushka’s maiden visit. She was also on the list of Young Global Leaders for 2008 announced by the World Economic Forum. WEF said in a statement that the honour is bestowed each year to recognise the top 200-300 young leaders from around the world for their professional accomplishment, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world. Anoushka’s recent performance alongside Jethro Tull was in wake of the recent, devastating terror attack in Mumbai. She is undoubtedly the pride of India. Pt Bhimsen ‘Bharat Ratna’ Joshi Pt Bhimsen Joshi was conferred the highest civilian award ‘Bharat Ratna’ on November 4, 2008. The musical maestro received honour in recognition to his contribution to Indian music. Pandit Bhimsen Gururaj Joshi, 86, is one of the most prominent Hindustani vocalist of this age. Though this respect comes pretty late to the veteran, it is well deserved. A part of the ‘Kirana’ gharana, the legendary singer’s crooning has touched many a chord all these years. The guru has won many accolades for his gifted singing and is the man behind the celebrated ‘Sawai Gandharva Music Festival’, which is held every year in memory of his teacher. 2008 bids farewell to the musical legend Mahendra Kapoor A voice that rendered many immortal songs will be heard no more. Bollywood bade farewell to singer Mahendra Kapoor, who passed away at the age of 74, following a massive cardiac arrest. The voice had faded into the background much before his death, but he had still been a popular figure in Bollywood mainly due to his unassuming nature. Though Kapoor had sung a number of non-film bhajans, it is because of his rendition of the most chanted one, ‘Om Jai Jagdish...’ that helped it travel beyond North India and attain a countrywide popularity. The nation misses the star that guided several talents to the path of success. India bids farewell to Ishmeet Singh The winner of 2007 Voice of India, a musical talent show, Ishmeet drowned July 29 in a swimming pool in Maldives, where he had gone to perform for a concert. The young talent apparently suffered from aqua phobia. The 19-year-old singer hailed from a middle-class family in Ludhiana, Punjab, and studied in MNC college of Mumbai. Within a short span, Ishmeet had managed to influence a number of younger talents and was an inspiration for many who followed. The sensational singer was flooded with offers and concerts ever since his win. But, his sudden demise was a cause of great distress to all his fans and family. India bids farewell to Ishmeet Singh with a mournful heart.Miley Cyrus exposed! Disney’s favourite, Miley Cyrus’ antics were no less than her worthy contenders - Lindsay, Britney and Madonna. Her bare-back scandalous pictures in the June issue of ‘Vanity Fair’ were the hot topic of the season. She has a record-breaking fan following and is extremely famous among the teens. Well, so this exposed venture did annoy most of the parents. And, Miley soon became infamous. However, a Disney spokesperson described the sexy photo spread as "a situation [that] was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines." The strong reaction to the image, taken by Annie Leibovitz, led Cyrus to release an apology, saying, "I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be `artistic` and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed. I never intended for any of this to happen and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about." Well, we certainly do hope she’s back for good on 2009! Jennifer Hudson’s black year! The 27-year-old, who bagged the runner-up title on ‘American Idol’ and later won an Oscar for her supporting performance in ‘Dreamgirls’, Jennifer Hudosn is now mourning the loss of her mother, sister and nephew, who were found shot dead at their Chicago residence. Hudson’s brother-in-law, William Balfour is the prime suspect behind the murders. He is said to have had regular screaming rows with Hudson`s sister, Julia, over matters involving money and infidelities. He has been arrested on the charges of first-degree murder. Hudson’s gradually trying to come out of the trauma and her fans eagerly await her return. Paul McCartney finds new love! The infamous Macca-Mills’ divorce was named the `Biggest Break-Up in Showbiz` - they parted ways amid claims and counter-claims with Mills` friends accusing Macca of domestic violence and McCartney`s pals accusing the former model of a past career in porn. After a string of interviews, the Macca-Mills’ divorce drama gradually faded away. But, Macca maintained headlines with new girlfriend Nancy Shevell, who moved in with him just five months after his divorce with Heather Mills. Well, looks like the evergreen legend has found love finally!AWARD AND HONOURS BHARTA RATNA- Pt Bhimsen Joshi GRAMMY AWARDS Album Of The Year: River: The Joni Letters, Herbie Hancock Record Of The Year: `Rehab,` Amy Winehouse Song Of The Year: `Rehab,` Amy Winehouse, songwriter (Amy Winehouse) New Artist: Amy Winehouse Rap Album: ‘Graduation’, Kanye West Rock Album: Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, Foo Fighters, Alternative Music Album: Icky Thump, the White Stripes Pop Vocal Album: ‘Back to Black’, Amy Winehouse Country Album: ‘These Days’, Vince Gill R&B Album: ‘Funk This’, Chaka Khan Contemporary R&B Album: ‘Because of You’, Ne-Yo Female Pop Vocal Performance: `Rehab,` Amy Winehouse Male Pop Vocal Performance: `What Goes Around...Comes Around,` Justin Timberlake Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal `Makes Me Wonder,` Maroon 5 Solo Rock Vocal Performance: `Radio Nowhere,` Bruce Springsteen Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal: `Icky Thump,` the White Stripes Hard Rock Performance: `The Pretender,` Foo Fighters Rock Song: `Radio Nowhere,` Bruce Springsteen, songwriter (Bruce Springsteen) Female R&B Vocal Performance: `No One,` Alicia Keys Male R&B Vocal Performance: `Future Baby Mama,` Prince R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals: `Disrespectful,` Chaka Khan Featuring Mary J. Blige R&B Song: `No One,` Alicia Keys Rap Solo Performance: `Stronger,` Kanye West Rap/Sung Collaboration: `Umbrella,` Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z Rap Song: `Good Life,` Kanye West Featuring T-Pain Female Country Vocal Performance: ‘Before He Cheats,’ Carrie Underwood Male Country Vocal Performance: `Stupid Boy,` Keith Urban Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals: `How Long,` the Eagles Country Song: `Before He Cheats,` Carrie Underwood For more on Music, log on to Spicezee.com »