Pick a Day

Music History Events: Births

January 3, 2017 Janet Jackson gives birth to her first child, a baby boy named Eissa Al Mana, at age 50. The father is the singer's husband, Qatari billionaire Wissam Al Mana.

January 7, 2012 Beyoncé and Jay-Z have their first child: a daughter named Blue Ivy Carter.More

September 12, 2006 Britney Spears gives birth to her second child, Jayden James Federline, born just 363 days after her first son, Sean. In ensuing years, the kids enjoy many lavish joint birthday parties.

February 13, 1997 Michael Jackson's first child, a son named Prince, is born. The mother is his second wife, Debbie Rowe, who later relinquishes custody.

November 7, 1996 Lorde is born Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor in Auckland, New Zealand. She signs a record deal at 13 and lands her first hit, "Royals," when she's 16.

October 14, 1996 Madonna gives birth to her first child, a daughter named Lourdes. The father is her personal trainer, Carlos Leon.

March 1, 1994 Justin Bieber is born in London, Ontario, Canada. Discovered on YouTube, he moves to Atlanta and is mentored by Usher. By the time he's 18 he has two #1 albums and a phalanx of female fans known as Beliebers.

June 26, 1993 Ariana Grande is born in Boca Raton, Florida. After starring on the Nickelodeon TV show Victorious, she becomes a popular singer with a huge social media presence.

November 23, 1992 Miley Cyrus is born Destiny Hope Cyrus in Franklin, Tennessee. Nicknamed "Smiley," later shortened to "Miley," she is the first child of country star Billy Ray Cyrus. She also has a famous godmother: Dolly Parton.

August 18, 1992 Frances Bean Cobain is born to Courtney Love and Nirvana's Kurt Cobain.

March 16, 1991 Eddie Van Halen and his wife Valerie Bertinelli welcome a son, Wolfgang Van Halen, a musical prodigy who becomes the bass player in Van Halen when he's just 16. In 2021 he plays all the instruments and handles all the vocals on his first solo album, Mammoth WVH.

February 17, 1991 Ed Sheeran is born in West Yorkshire, England. He breaks through in 2011 with "The A-Team," written about a drug-addicted prostitute he met while performing at a charity event for a homeless shelter.

February 16, 1990 The Weeknd is born Abel Tesfaye in Toronto.

December 13, 1989 Taylor Swift is born in Reading, Pennsylvania. She is raised in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, and moves to Nashville at age 14, where she discovers her knack for turning heartache into hit singles.More

August 21, 1988 Country singer Kacey Musgraves is born in Golden, Texas. She writes her first song, "Notice Me," at age 8 for her elementary school graduation.

August 14, 1988 John Mellencamp becomes a grandfather at age 37 when his 18-year-old daughter Michelle gives birth to a little girl named Elexis.

May 5, 1988 Adele is born Adele Laurie Blue Adkins in London. Her albums are named after her age when they're released, starting with 19 in 2008. Her second album, 21, goes stratospheric, with visceral songs about her ex that make a deep connection with fans.

April 27, 1988 Lizzo is born Melissa Jefferson in Detroit, Michigan. She moves to Minneapolis in 2011 and appears on the 2014 Prince song "BoyTrouble" before releasing her breakthrough single, "Truth Hurts," in 2017.

February 20, 1988 Rihanna is born Robyn Rihanna Fenty in Saint Michael, Barbados. At 16, she's discovered by Evan Rogers of the group Rythm Syndicate, who brings her to America and helps her land a deal with Jay-Z's label, Def Jam.

December 30, 1986 Ellie Goulding is born in Herefordshire, England.

October 24, 1986 Aubrey Drake Graham is born in Toronto. After a stint on the TV show Degrassi: The Next Generation, he becomes a superstar rapper under the name Drake.

March 28, 1986 Stefani Germanotta enters the world in New York City. She is born this way, but rises to fame under the name Lady Gaga.

October 8, 1985 Bruno Mars is born Peter Hernandez in Honolulu, Hawaii. His dad calls him Bruno because as a toddler he's chunky like the wrestler Bruno Sammartino. He becomes one of the most popular artists of the streaming era in the 2010s with a run of hits that includes "Grenade," Locked Out of Heaven and "Uptown Funk."

December 4, 1984 The singer Jelly Roll is born Jason DeFord in Antioch, Tennessee (his mom gives him his nickname because he's a chubby kid). He starts off as a rapper and ends up both selling and using drugs, leading to a series of arrests. He starts turning his life around after getting out of jail in 2008, and as a country singer makes his mark with songs about struggle and redemption based on his own story.

March 10, 1983 Carrie Underwood is born in Muskogee, Oklahoma. She begins her music career by winning Season 4 of American Idol, becoming the first country singer to do so. She becomes the best-selling Idol alum in any genre, with over 20 million albums sold in America.

April 24, 1982 Kelly Clarkson is born in Fort Worth, Texas. In 2002 she becomes the first winner of American Idol, and she lives up to the hype, becoming one of the top pop stars of the next two decades.

December 13, 1981 Evanescence lead singer Amy Lee is born in Riverside, California. Her future bandmate Ben Moody hears her playing a Meat Loaf tune on the piano while the two attend a youth camp in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1994. The following year, Evanescence is born.

December 2, 1981 Britney Spears is born in McComb, Mississippi, raised in Louisiana. At 11 she joins the cast of The Mickey Mouse Club; at 16 she releases her first single, the #1 hit "...Baby One More Time."

September 4, 1981 Beyoncé Knowles is born in Houston, Texas. She finds fame as the lead singer of the '90s girl group Destiny's Child before becoming Queen Bey.

June 1, 1981 Brandi Carlile is born in the tiny town of Ravensdale, Washington. After dropping out of high school, she cuts her teeth performing in the Seatle music scene and puts out her first album in 2005. As her music gets more refined, her audience grows, and by 2019 she's a consistent Grammy winner with a legion of fans.