Debbie Harry founded the American band Blondie with Chris Stein in the early 1970s. Harry once stated in an interview that the idea for the band's name came from truck drivers calling Harry a "blondie" as they drove by her. Harry, who was born in Miami in 1945, became an icon in the music industry.
She was in a relationship with Stein when they founded the band but broke up a few years later. Blondie is mostly known for songs like "Maria", "Heart of Glass", and "One Way Or Another".
2. Dolores O'Riordan
Answer: The Cranberries
Dolores O'Riordan (1971-2018) was the lead singer for The Cranberries between 1990 and 2003 (when the band was on hiatus), and then again from 2009 until her tragic death in 2018. The Irish band was originally founded as Cranberry Saw Us in 1989 by brothers Mike and Noel Hogan, Fergal Lawler, and Niall Quinn. Quinn was replaced by O'Riordan as lead vocalist in 1990, and the band soon rose to prominence thereafter.
Some of their most famous singles include "Zombie", "Linger", and "Dreams". "Zombie" was inspired by the conflicts between British forces and Irish paramilitary groups.
More specifically, the song was a response to the Warrington bombings perpetrated by the Irish Republican Army in 1993, which killed two children.
3. Amy Lee
Answer: Evanescence
Evanescence is an American band formed in 1995 by Amy Lee and Ben Moody when they were teenagers. The band kept a relatively low profile until 2003, when they released their first studio album, "Fallen". The album reached top positions in several charts around the world, and contained two hugely popular singles: "Bring Me to Life" and "My Immortal".
The former song featured Paul McCoy, the lead singer of 12 Stones. In addition to her work in Evanescence, Amy Lee has also embarked on several solo projects, such as collaborating with Dave Eggar on "Aftermath", the soundtrack for the 2014 film "War Story".
4. Gwen Stefani
Answer: No Doubt
The Californian band No Doubt was formed in 1986 by Eric Stefani, his sister Gwen Stefani, John Spence, and other members who were later replaced. By the 1990s, the Stefanis, Tom Dumont, Tony Kanal, Adrian Young, Stephen Bradley, and Gabrial McNair were the main members of the band, though Eric Stefani left in 1994 to become an animator for "The Simpsons". One of the band's most successful singles, "Don't Speak", is a ballad about the break-up of fellow band members Gwen Stefani and Tony Kanal. The band went on hiatus in 2004 when Gwen launched her solo career, and she won an American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist a year later.
Some of her best-known solo songs include "Hollaback Girl" and "The Sweet Escape".
5. Stevie Nicks
Answer: Fleetwood Mac
Stevie Nicks is an American musician born in Arizona in 1948. Nicks was not an original member of Fleetwood Mac, which was created in England in 1967 by Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood, and John McVie. The band, which experienced constant changes in their membership, released several successful hits in the 1970s. By 1977, Fleetwood Mac was composed of Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, and John McVie. During this time, many band members were going through relationship issues (such as Christine and John McVie or Nicks and Buckingham). Indeed, several of the songs in their album "Rumours" were written by different band members about their deteriorating relationships.
Stevie Nicks has won several prestigious awards throughout her career, including Grammy Awards. She has also been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame both for her work with Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist.
6. Sydney Sierota
Answer: Echosmith
Echosmith was founded in 2009 in California by Sydney, Noah, Graham, and Jamie Sierota. The siblings learned to play musical instruments from a young age and were influenced by groups like Coldplay and The Killers. Though the band first started their career by doing covers of other artists' songs (like Ellie Goulding's "Lights"), they are best known for their 2013 single "Cool Kids", which became more prominent a year after it was released.
In addition to being co-vocalist for the band, Sydney Sierota also plays the keyboard and tambourine.
7. Marie Fredriksson
Answer: Roxette
Marie Fredriksson (1958-2019) was one half of the Swedish group Roxette. Fredriksson and Per Gessle first joined forces in the late 1970s but would not formally perform as a group until 1986. Their success was at first limited to Sweden, but they soon became known internationally with hits like "It Must Have Been Love" (part of the soundtrack for "Pretty Woman") and "Joyride".
In 1988, Roxette released "Listen to Your Heart", a song that reached top positions on many international charts. Marie Fredriksson won two Swedish Grammy Awards in her lifetime.
After a long fight with cancer, Fredriksson passed away in 2019.
8. Ann & Nancy Wilson
Answer: Heart
Originally born as The Army, Heart was founded by Steve Fossen, Roger Fisher, Don Wilhelm, and Ray Schaefer in 1967. A few years later, sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson joined the band which would become known as Heart. Heart has had over thirty members throughout its history, though the Wilson sisters (especially Ann) have consistently been part of the band.
Some of Heart's best-known hits are "Barracuda", "Alone", and "What About Love".
9. Agnetha Faltskog & Anni-Frid Lyngstad
Answer: ABBA
The iconic Swedish group ABBA began performing in 1972 with all its four members: Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. However, the members already had musical careers of their own before; indeed, Ulvaeus and Andersson had already worked together in the group The Hep Stars. Ever since ABBA (an acronym that uses the first letter of each member's name) won Eurovision in 1974 with "Waterloo", the group quickly launched to international fame. They went on to release a series of successful songs. Some of them are "Fernando", "Mamma Mia", "SOS", "Dancing Queen", and "The Winner Takes It All". The musical and film "Mamma Mia!" use several of ABBA's best-selling hits.
Ulvaeus and Fältskog were married between 1971 and 1980, but they both stayed in the band until they stopped performing in 1982.
10. Nanna Bryndis Hilmarsdottir
Answer: Of Monsters and Men
Of Monsters and Men is an Icelandic indie band founded in 2010. Initially a solo project of Nanna Bryndis Hilmarsdottir, she was joined by Ragnar Þorhallsson, Brynjar Leifsson, Kristjan Pall Kristjansson, Arnar Rosenkranz Hilmarsson, and Arni Guojonsson, and together they created Of Monsters and Men.
The group suddenly rose to fame with their hugely successful single "Little Talks". The song was part of their first studio album, "My Head Is an Animal", which also had singles like "Dirty Paws" and "Mountain Sound".
The band's music has been featured in productions like "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" and "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty".
11. Ana Torroja
Answer: Mecano
Mecano was an extremely popular Spanish band in the late 20th century. The band was integrated by Ana Torroja and brothers Nacho and Jose Maria Cano. Their musical style was mainly pop rock, though they are also considered pioneers in technopop and synth-pop movements.
Their first hit song was "Hoy no me puedo levantar" (which means "I Can't Get Up Today"), and a musical with the same name was produced years later by the Cano brothers. Later, the band had other successful singles like "Me cuesta tanto olvidarte" ("It's So Hard For Me to Forget You") and "Hijo de la Luna" ("Son of the Moon"). Mecano split in 1998, after which Torroja launched an also successful solo career.
12. Nina Persson
Answer: The Cardigans
The Cardigans were formed in Sweden in 1992 by Peter Svensson, Magnus Sveningsson, Bengt Lagerberg, Lars-Olof Johansson, and Nina Persson. The band released their first studio album "Emmerdale" in 1994, and their second one, "Life", followed in 1995. However, the group gained great international fame through the catchy single "Lovefool", first released in 1996.
They won several Swedish Grammi Awards in the late 1990s. As a solo artist, Nina Persson released her debut album "Animal Heart" in 2014.
13. Hayley Williams
Answer: Paramore
Paramore started when Hayley Williams, Zac Farro, and Josh Farro met as teenagers and began working in music together. A couple of years after this, they became known as Paramore when Jeremy Davis and Jason Bynum joined the group. The group went through several membership changes over the years; most notably, the Farros departed (though Zac later rejoined) and Taylor York became their guitarist.
Some of the band's songs include "crushcrushcrush" and "Misery Business". Hayley Williams has also released singles on her own and has collaborated with artists like B.o.B ("Airplanes") and Zedd ("Stay the Night").
14. Karen O
Answer: Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Karen Lee Orzolek, better known by her artistic name Karen O, started the Yeah Yeah Yeahs when she brought together Nick Zinner and Brian Chase in the late 1990s. They were all college students at the time, but would quickly earn a place in the world of music by touring with recognized bands like The Strokes and The White Stripes.
Some of their works include "Maps", "Gold Lion", and "Zero". Karen O also has made music as a solo artist, with "Crush Songs" being released as her debut album in 2014.
15. Danielle McTaggart
Answer: Dear Rouge
Vocalist Danielle McTaggart and guitarist Drew McTaggart created Dear Rouge in 2012. The Canadian alternative rock duo has a special connection because its two members met while working on different projects, then started dating, and ultimately got married.
They released their first studio albums, "Heads Up! Watch Out!" and "Kids Wanna Know" in 2012. One of the first songs that made the group popular was "I Heard I Had". Dear Rouge won a Juno Award in 2016 for Breakthrough Group of the Year.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
