Powerful Women Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rachel Platten

Rachel Platten was born in 1981 in New York City. Her professional music career started as early as 2003, when she released her debut album "Trust in Me". She did not release another album until 2011, when "Be Here" was released. Platten gained widespread notoriety when she released "Fight Song" as a single in 2015 (it would subsequently be included in her 2016 album "Wildfire").

Platten has explained in interviews that she wrote the song at a time when she was sad and re-thinking whether her career in music would work. The track turned out to be wildly successful, reaching the sixth position on the US Billboard Hot 100 charts, and the top position in the US Adult Contemporary and US Adult Top 40 charts, and has become a sort of anthem for empowerment and overcoming struggles.

"Fight Song" was used in several political events for Hillary Clinton when she ran for U.S. president in 2016, including the Democratic National Convention. The song was also made popular by Calysta Bevier, a young girl with ovarian cancer who sang the song on "The Ellen Show" with Platten, and then auditioned on "America's Got Talent" with the same song, a performance that earned her a Golden Buzzer from Simon Cowell.

Answer: Katy Perry

Katy Perry was born in 1984 in Santa Barbara, California. She started singing at a very early age, beginning with gospel music and then transitioning to pop music. In 2006, Perry's career started slowly taking off when she collaborated with several artists with back-up vocals, and appeared in the music video of "Cupid's Chokehold" by Gym Class Heroes.

In 2008, she rose to fame with the release of her second studio album, "One of the Boys", which contained songs like "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold", two of the tracks that helped boost her popularity. In 2010 she released the album "Teenage Dream", followed by "Prism" in 2013 and "Witness" in 2017. Many of Perry's songs have received Grammy Award nominations.

"Roar" was the first single to be released from the album "Prism", and in an interview, Katy Perry revealed that she wrote the song after feeling the need to stand up for herself. "Roar" was hugely successful in the charts, reaching the first position in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, as well as in the US Adult Contemporary, US Adult Top 40, US Dance Club Songs, and US Mainstream Top 40 Billboard charts.

Answer: Beyoncé

Beyoncé Knowles was born in 1981 in Houston, Texas. She started her professional career as a part of the group Destiny's Child, which won three Grammy Awards between 2001 and 2002 for their songs "Say My Name" and "Survivor". Shortly after that, Beyoncé released her first solo album, "Dangerously in Love", in 2003, which contained several hit songs (most notably "Crazy in Love" featuring Jay-Z.

She subsequently released more studio albums, all of which were highly successful. "B'Day" (2006) had the song "Irreplaceable", "I Am... Sasha Fierce" (2008) had "Halo", "If I Were a Boy", and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", and "4" (2011) had "Run the World (Girls)". She then released the album "Beyoncé" in 2013, and the Grammy Award-winning "Lemonade" in 2016.

Beyoncé is known for being a positive influence for many women around the world. She has been named as one of the most powerful women in the world by Forbes magazine, and the British radio program "Woman's Hour" included her in a list of seven women that had a big impact on other women's lives between 1946 and 2016.

Answer: Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys was born in 1981 in New York City. She learned to play classical music on the piano from age seven, which according to Keys gave her the discipline needed to become a successful songwriter. She released her first studio album, "Songs in A Minor", in 2001. The album, which went on to win five Grammy Awards, was recorded by the label J Records, since Columbia Records had previously rejected it.

In 2003 she released "The Diary of Alicia Keys" and later, in 2007, "As I Am" (which contained particularly successful singles like "No One" and "Superwoman"). 2009 saw the release of her fourth studio album, "The Element of Freedom", and subsequently, she released "Girl On Fire" in 2012 with an eponymous lead single. A sixth studio album, "Here", was released in 2006. Keys very rarely wears make up since 2016, when she had a make up-free photo shoot and decided she did not "want to cover up anymore".

"Superwoman" was, according to a 2008 MTV interview, Keys' favorite song in the album "As I Am". The song reached the 82nd position in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and peaked at the 12th position of the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Billboard chart. It was co-written by Keys, Linda Perry, and Steve Mostyn.

Answer: Madonna

Madonna was born in 1958 in Bay City, Michigan. Raised by a family with deep Italian roots, Madonna started her career in music as part of the rock band The Breakfast Club. In 1983, she released her first solo album, titled "Madonna". Just a year later, she released the album "Like a Virgin", which had hits like the eponymous lead single and "Material Girl". Her fourth studio album, "Like a Prayer" had the empowering "Express Yourself" in it. She released her thirteenth studio album, "Rebel Heart", in 2015.

Madonna's career has not been limited to music, as she has also appeared as an actress in several films. Perhaps one of the best known of these movies is "Evita", starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas, which tells the story of Argentine First Lady Eva Peron. Madonna was the main artist in the Super Bowl XLVI half-time performance. She has also been awarded a variety of Guinness World Records, such as "Most Successful Female Solo Artist" in 2000 and "highest annual earnings ever for a female pop star" in 2013.

"Express Yourself" was written and produced by Madonna and Stephen Bray, and has multiple messages of female empowerment. It was quite successful in the charts, reaching the second spot in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and heading charts in Canada, Italy, and Switzerland.

Answer: Colbie Caillat

Colbie Caillat was born in 1985 in Malibu, California. Her father, Ken Caillat, is a producer and he has worked ion albums by Fleetwood Mac, Lionel Richie, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Colbie Caillat, as many singers, realized that she liked music since she was very little. Caillat auditioned for the TV show "American Idol" twice, and was rejected on both occasions.

Caillat released her first studio album, "Coco", in 2008. The album included one of Caillat's most successful songs, "Bubbly", which reached the fifth position in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Her second album, "Breakthrough", was released in 2009, and her third ("All of You", which contained songs like "Brighter Than The Sun"), in 2011. Caillat released her sixth studio album, titled "The Malibu Sessions", in 2016.

"Try", written by Caillat, Babyface, Antonio Dixon, and Jason Reeves, was released in 2014 with the album "Gypsy Heart". The song is about being comfortable with yourself, and disregarding pressures coming from other people to be someone you're not. The song reached the fourth spot on the US Adult Contemporary Billboard chart.

Answer: Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez was born in 1992 in Grand Prairie, Texas. She began her acting career by appearing in "Barney & Friends" with her future Disney Channel co-star, Demi Lovato. She then participated in Disney Channel shows like "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody" and "Hannah Montana". Gomez gained notoriety upon successfully auditioning for the role of Alex Russo in "Wizards of Waverly Place", which ran from 2007 to 2012.

Gomez simultaneously began a career in singing through the formation of a band, Selena Gomez & The Scene. Their first album, "Kiss and Tell", had songs like "Falling Down" and "Naturally", which reached the top position on the US Dance Club Songs Billboard chart. "A Year Without Rain", their second album, was released in 2010, and "When The Sun Goes Down" was released as their third album in 2011. The group ceased to be active in 2012, and Gomez shortly began a solo career (while participating in more acting roles).

"Who Says?" was included in the band's third album, and was written by prolific songwriters Emanuel Kiriakou and Priscilla Hamilton. The song was praised for its positive messages about self-confidence and being comfortable with who you are. In an interview with Billboard, Gomez revealed that this was one of her favorite songs that she has ever recorded.

Answer: Mary Lambert

Mary Lambert was born in 1989 in Seattle, Washington. Her career took off after she collaborated with hip hop artists Macklemore and Ryan Lewis to produce the song "Same Love", which was written in support of LGBT rights in the midst of the Washington Referendum 74 vote that would decide whether same-sex couples had the right to marry (the "yes" option won and same-sex marriages were allowed in the state).

After "Same Love", which reached the 11th position on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and received a Grammy Award nomination for Song of the Year, Lambert wrote the song "She Keeps Me Warm" derived from the former piece's chorus. She released her first studio album, "Heart On My Sleeve", in 2014.

"Secrets" is a powerful song that draws from several of Lambert's experiences, such as suffering from bipolar disorder, being overweight, and her sexuality (she identifies as a lesbian). The song performed well on the charts, even reaching the first position on the US Dance Club Songs Billboard chart.

Answer: Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera was born in 1980 in New York City. Aguilera began her career participating in "The Mickey Mouse Club", a show that also featured artists like Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears. She released her first studio album in 1999, and her second and third in 2000. Her fourth studio album, "Stripped", was released in 2002 and had songs like "Dirrty", "Fighter", and "Beautiful".

Aguilera, who also sings in Spanish, has won a number of different awards. Early in her career, she won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2000. Since then, she has also won Grammys for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (for "Beautiful"), and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (for "Say Something", a 2013 song recorded with the duo A Great Big World.

"Beautiful" has been adopted by groups like the LGBT community as an anthem for self-acceptance, which Christina encourages and embraces. Aguilera said in an interview that the song (which was written by Linda Perry), had a great message that had to be heard by people.

Answer: Cyndi Lauper

Cyndi Lauper was born in 1953 in New York City. Lauper was part of the group Blue Angel before launching her solo career. When the band broke up, Lauper went through financial struggles until she managed to sign a contract with Portrait Records in 1981. In 1983, Lauper released her debut album, "She's So Unusual", which contained now-iconic tracks like "Time After Time", "When You Were Mine", and of course, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun". "She's So Unusual" won a Grammy Award in 1985 for Best Album Package. Lauper is an active supporter of the LGBT community.

Since the release of "She's So Unusual", Lauper recorded many more albums, releasing her eleventh one, "Detour", in 2016. Arguably, however, some of her most successful hits were included in her first and second studio albums. "True Colors", released in 1986, contained a lead single of the same name, as well as "Change of Heart" and "What's Going On".

"Girls Just Want to Have Fun" was originally written by American musician Robert Hazard. According to Hazard, Lauper and he rewrote the song over the phone by making gender changes in most of the lyrics, given that it was written from a male perspective.