P!nk Essentials

Even as P!nk rose in fame, she retained the whiff of an outsider—someone too frank, too unapologetic, too real for the show: not an icon, but a human being. Born Alecia Beth Moore in Doylestown, Pennsylvania in 1979, P!nk loved Madonna and Janis Joplin, and tried her hand at opera, show tunes and punk rock. After the demise of her first group, Choice, which was briefly signed to LaFace Records, P!nk released her 2000 debut, Can’t Take Me Home, co-writing more than half the album’s tracks. A year later, she released M!ssundaztood, which bridged the immediacy of club pop with songs that were confessional, genuine, frustrated and raw (“Family Portrait”, “Just Like a Pill”). While her attitude was central to her appeal, what really set her apart was her versatility: It was hard to imagine another singer capable of tackling something as fun-loving as "Raise Your Glass" or "Get the Party Started" and then shifting, with total credibility, to “Dear Mr. President” or “Who Knew”—who could be a rager one minute and an embracing, almost maternal comfort the next. That mature outlook only took deeper root in the years to follow, with songs such as "Just Give Me a Reason" and "What About Us" exploring relationship challenges and big emotions.