Betty Who
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Jessica Anne Newham (born 5 October 1991), known by her
stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...
Betty Who, is an Australian musician and singer. After independently releasing her debut single, " Somebody Loves You" (2012), and her debut extended play, ''
The Movement The Movement may refer to: Politics * The Movement (Iceland), a political party in Iceland * The Movement (Israel), a political party in Israel, led by Tzipi Livni * Civil rights movement, the African-American political movement * The Movement ...
'' (2013), she signed with
RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...
and later released her debut studio album, ''
Take Me When You Go ''Take Me When You Go'' is the debut studio album by Australian-American recording artist Betty Who, released on 3 October 2014 by RCA Records. The album is preceded by the extended plays ''The Movement'', '' Slow Dancing'' and '' Worlds Apart'' ...
'' (2014). Her second studio album, '' The Valley'' (2017), saw the commercial success of her cover of "
I Love You Always Forever "I Love You Always Forever" is a song by Welsh singer Donna Lewis from her debut album, '' Now in a Minute'' (1996). Written by Lewis and produced by Lewis and Kevin Killen, it was released as the album's lead single. In the United States, it wa ...
", which peaked inside the top ten in Australia and reached the top of the ''
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''
Dance Club Songs The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...
chart in the United States. Who made her
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
debut in ''
Hadestown ''Hadestown'' is a musical with music, lyrics, and a book by Anaïs Mitchell. It tells a version of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Eurydice, a young girl looking for something to eat, goes to work in a hellish industrial vers ...
'' at the
Walter Kerr Theater The Walter Kerr Theatre, previously the Ritz Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 219 West 48th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. The theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was constructed ...
on 5 September 2023. She played the role of
Persephone In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Persephone ( ; , classical pronunciation: ), also called Kore ( ; ) or Cora, is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She became the queen of the Greek underworld, underworld afte ...
until 4 February 2024.


Early life

Jessica Anne Newham was born in Sydney, Australia, where she lived until her mid-teens. Trained since the age of four as a cellist, she moved to the United States in 2007 to attend
Interlochen Center for the Arts Interlochen Center for the Arts ( '; also known as I.C.A. or Inty) is a Nonprofit organization, non-profit corporation which operates Visual arts education, arts education institutions and Music venue, performance venues. Established in 1928 b ...
in
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
. Newham is also self-taught on piano and guitar, wrote her first songs at age 14, and began performing as a singer-songwriter two years later. Her stage name comes from the title of a song she composed at age 16 about unrequited love. After school at Ascham in Sydney and
Frensham Frensham is a village in Surrey, England, next to the A287 road, WSW of Guildford, the county town. Frensham lies on the right bank of the River Wey (south branch), only navigable to canoes, shortly before its convergence with the north bra ...
in the Southern Highlands, NSW, Newham attended
Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...
in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. During her first semester, she met producer Peter Thomas who was also attending Berklee. Thomas suggested pairing Newham's songwriting with a more dreamy, anthemic production style. The two began writing new material together and developed Newham's sound over the next two years.


Career


2010–2013: Career beginnings, "Somebody Loves You" and ''The Movement''

As Betty Who, Newham's debut single " Somebody Loves You" was initially released independently as a free download, and was premiered by pop music blogger and at-the-time official
Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
blogger Arjan Writes on 30 November 2012. Co-written by Newham and Thomas, and produced by Thomas, the song garnered immediate praise, spreading quickly online and being featured by other well-known outlets including Socialite Life, Pop on And On, and Popservations. A music video, directed by Evan Savitt, was released on 22 January 2013, and an official remix by acclaimed indie pop producer FM Attack was released on 11 March 2013. Newham's debut EP, ''
The Movement The Movement may refer to: Politics * The Movement (Iceland), a political party in Iceland * The Movement (Israel), a political party in Israel, led by Tzipi Livni * Civil rights movement, the African-American political movement * The Movement ...
'', was released on 17 April 2013. An independent, free-download release initially, the EP's huge success online helped lead to a large amount of major label interest, before she ultimately signed with RCA Records. It premiered on ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' on 9 April 2013, one week prior to its official release date. On 11 September 2013, Spencer Stout uploaded a YouTube video of him proposing to his boyfriend Dustin in a flash mob dance routine at a Salt Lake City, Utah
Home Depot The Home Depot, Inc., often referred to as Home Depot, is an American multinational corporation, multinational home improvement retail corporation that sells tools, construction products, appliances, and services, including fuel and transportat ...
. The video, which featured " Somebody Loves You" became a viral hit online. The attention of the video coupled with the track's official iTunes release, led to the song debuting at number 44 on the overall iTunes Charts, as well as debuting as the number 4 most viral song on Spotify. Who signed to RCA Records on 15 September 2013.


2014–2017: ''Take Me When You Go'' and ''The Valley''

On 8 March 2014, " Somebody Loves You" reached number one on ''Billboard's''
Dance/Club Play Songs The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...
chart. In April 2014, Who released her second EP, '' Slow Dancing'', which made it to number one on the
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
pop music charts. The first single from that EP, titled " Heartbreak Dream", was released on iTunes and
Google Play Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store, Play Store, or sometimes the Android Store (and was formerly Android Market), is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certifie ...
on 18 February 2014. The song is used over the
end credits Closing credits, aka end credits or end titles, are a list of the cast and crew of a particular motion picture, television show, or video game. While opening credits appear at the beginning of a work, closing credits appear close to or at the ve ...
of the 2015 film ''
Pitch Perfect 2 ''Pitch Perfect 2'' is a 2015 American musical comedy film directed and produced by Elizabeth Banks (in her feature directorial debut) and written by Kay Cannon. It is a sequel to the 2012 film '' Pitch Perfect''. The film centers on the fictio ...
''. Who has praised
Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists in hist ...
,
Robyn Robin Miriam Carlsson (; born 12 June 1979), known professionally as Robyn (), is a Swedish singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. Her 1995 debut album ''Robyn Is Here'' produced two Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top 10 single ...
and
Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( , born Destiny Hope Cyrus, November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and director. Regarded as a contemporary pop icon, Cyrus has been recognized for her evolving artistry and image reinventions. She is ...
as influences. She told ''Variance Magazine'' in 2014 that they "make pop that's generational. They're making the pop music of our generation that's going to stick around. People are going to look back and be like, 'Oh my God, it's Robyn's ''Body Talk'' album. That's one of the best pop albums of the last 10 years.'" Who supported Katy Perry and
Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...
on part of the Australia leg of
The Prismatic World Tour The Prismatic'' ''World Tour was the third concert tour by American singer Katy Perry, in support of her fourth studio album, ''Prism'' (2013). The tour began on May 7, 2014, at Belfast, Northern Ireland's Odyssey Arena and ended on October 18, ...
and Kiss Me Once Tour respectively. In 2014, Who made her American television debut when she performed " Somebody Loves You" on '' Watch What Happens: Live''. In late August 2014, Who made the announcement that her full-length debut album, ''
Take Me When You Go ''Take Me When You Go'' is the debut studio album by Australian-American recording artist Betty Who, released on 3 October 2014 by RCA Records. The album is preceded by the extended plays ''The Movement'', '' Slow Dancing'' and '' Worlds Apart'' ...
'', would be released on 7 October 2014. She also released the track list with the announcement. Thirteen songs, four of them being taken from her previous EPs, appeared on the album. From the album, the track " All of You" was her second number one on the US Dance chart, peaking at number one on 21 February 2015. On 3 June 2016, Who released a cover of
Donna Lewis Donna Lewis is a British singer from Cardiff, Wales. She is best known for the 1996 pop hit single " I Love You Always Forever". Lewis teamed up with Richard Marx on the 1997 adult contemporary hit " At the Beginning" for the ''Anastasia'' so ...
' "
I Love You Always Forever "I Love You Always Forever" is a song by Welsh singer Donna Lewis from her debut album, '' Now in a Minute'' (1996). Written by Lewis and produced by Lewis and Kevin Killen, it was released as the album's lead single. In the United States, it wa ...
". It became her third number one on the ''Billboard''
Dance Club Songs The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...
chart, and proved to be her breakthrough hit in Australia, reaching number 6 on the
ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
. On 24 March 2017, Who's second album, '' The Valley'' was released.


2018–2020: ''Betty''

On 19 January 2018, Who released " Ignore Me", which is Who's first single as an independent artist, after parting in 2017 with
RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...
. On 16 February 2018, the singer released a cover of
Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...
's "
Come Into My World "Come into My World" is a song recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her eighth studio album ''Fever (Kylie Minogue album), Fever'' (2001). Written and produced by Cathy Dennis and Rob Davis (musician), Rob Davis, it is a dance-pop so ...
" for ''Made in Australia'' compilation by
Amazon Music Amazon Music (previously Amazon MP3) is a music streaming platform and digital music store operated by Amazon. As of January 2020, the service had 55 million subscribers. It was the first music store to sell music without digital rights manag ...
. In 2018, Who released a remixed version of
Widelife Widelife is a Canadian electronic music songwriting and production team consisting of Ian J. Nieman and Rachid Wehbi. They are best known for their single " All Things (Just Keep Getting Better)", which was the theme song for the television sho ...
's "
All Things (Just Keep Getting Better) "All Things (Just Keep Getting Better)" is a song composed by Canadian electronic music production team Widelife with Simone Denny of Love Inc. on vocals. It was the theme song for the television series ''Queer Eye for the Straight Guy'' and w ...
" to be used as the theme song for season two of the
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reboot ''
Queer Eye ''Queer Eye'' is a television franchise based upon a team of gay professionals (the "Fab 5") giving lifestyle and fashion makeovers to guests. ''Queer Eye'' may refer to: * ''Queer Eye'' (2003 TV series), an American reality television series on ...
''. A music video was released featuring the cast of ''Queer Eye'' and Who. On 15 June 2018, '' Betty, Pt. 1'', Who's third EP, was released containing the singles "Ignore Me", "Look Back" and "Taste" as well as two other previously unreleased songs: "Just Thought You Should Know" and "Friend Like Me". On 14 November 2018, " Between You & Me" was released as another new single. It was the first single from the new album ''
Betty Betty or Bettie is a name, a common diminutive for the names Bethany and Elizabeth. In Latin America, it is also a common diminutive for the given name Beatriz, the Spanish and Portuguese form of the Latin name Beatrix and the English name Beatric ...
'' that had not been previously released on the ''Betty, Pt 1'' EP. With the release of this single, Betty Who used different shades of blue and photos of herself on her social media profiles to release lyrics to the song. The lyrics that were revealed were "You've got one hand on the wheel", "Sitting at the red light, tensions are high, vibe you could cut with a knife", and "just between you & me, I can feel something here, wondering if you do too". An Instagram post by Betty Who on the day after the release showed that the single already had 22,310 streams on Spotify, and had risen to 31,000 streams two hours later. By 12 December 2018, streams had surpassed 500,000. The music video for this song dropped on 28 November 2018, in which Betty Who plays herself as well as her own love interest. On 10 January 2019, "I Remember" was released as the fifth single from the album, with the music video for the song being released on 24 January. In June 2020, she launched a
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to fund new music and give fans access to exclusive content. That September, Who made her acting debut in the
comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...
film '' Unpregnant'' portraying Kira Matthews, a character she described as "a totally badass, confident and queer race car driver".


2022-present: ''The One That Got Away'' and ''Big!''

In May 2022, it was revealed that Who would be making her reality TV debut by hosting the new dating show '' The One That Got Away''. Produced by
Amazon Studios Amazon MGM Studios is an American film and television production and distribution company owned by Amazon, and headquartered at the Culver Studios complex in Culver City, California. Launched on November 16, 2010, it took its current name on O ...
and
Fulwell 73 Fulwell 73 is a British television, film and music production company based in London. It was founded in 2005 by brothers Gabe and Ben Turner, Leo Pearlman, and Ben Winston. James Corden became the fifth full time partner in January 2017. Fulwe ...
and executive produced by
Elan Gale Elan Gale (born October 27, 1983) is an American author, television writer, and television producer. He worked on the reality series ''The Bachelor'' and created '' FBoy Island''. Gale also produced ''The Bachelorette'', '' Bachelor Pad'', '' Bac ...
, the series is set to premiere on 24 June 2022. The show is a time-traveling, experimental dating series where six people searching for their soulmates are given the chance to explore a lifetime of missed connections as, one by one, people from their pasts enter through "The Portal" to surprise them and take their shot at love. On 3 June 2022, Who released her first single in over two years titled "Blow Out My Candle". The music video, directed by Tyler Cunningham, made its broadcast premiere on MTV and finds Who embracing the '80s aesthetic as she dances around in a Jamie Lee Curtis-inspired workout leotard, sweatband, and high socks as she sings about self confidence and love. Speaking of the delay in her return due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, Who stated: "It's been a long couple years for all of us. 'Blow Out My Candle' is the story I want to share most. The feeling I held onto in the darkest moments of the last couple years." The song is the lead single to her upcoming fourth studio album, set for release in late 2022. ''
Big! Big! is a television program series in which an episode consists of a team of engineers manufacturing the world's biggest items (usually a household item that is normally hand carried, scaled up to proportions that make the items unusable withou ...
'' followed later in the year. On 5 September 2023, she made her Broadway debut in the musical ''Hadestown'' as Persephone.


Artistry

Who is an
alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: '' altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In four-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in ch ...
, with a vocal delivery that has been described as "breathy". As a
multi-instrumentalist A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments, often but not exclusively at a professional level of proficiency. Also known as woodwind doubler, doubling, the practice allows greater ensemble flexibility and mor ...
, Who has played cello, piano, and guitar since childhood, having taught herself the latter two. Several critics have noted Who's songs, particularly her early work, are heavily influenced by
1980s music : ''For music from a year in the 1980s, go to 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 , 88 , 89'' This article includes an overview of popular music in the 1980s. The 1980s saw the emergence of electronic dance music and indie ...
, with the singer herself admitting she is strongly biased towards "big-sounding 1980s synth-pop", a sound she and songwriting-producing partner Peter Thomas spent two-and-a-half years cultivating. The ''
Phoenix New Times ''Phoenix New Times'' is a free digital and print media company based in Phoenix, Arizona. ''Phoenix'' ''New Times'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music, arts, cannabis, as well as longform narrative journalism. A ...
'' music critic Benjamin Leatherman described Who as equally "influenced by ’80s synth music and ’90s dance-pop as she is by the maximalist production style of
Max Martin Karl Martin Sandberg (born 26 February 1971),Max Martin
AllMusic
known professional ...
".
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
biographer Heather Phares said the singer "makes big-hearted pop music" while "Borrowing sounds and styles from the '80s onward and putting her own joyous stamp on them". The artist has described her approach to songwriting as "taking influences from
ast AST, Ast, or ast may refer to: Science and technology * Attention schema theory, of consciousness or subjective awareness Computing * Abstract syntax tree, a finite, labeled, directed tree used in computer science * Anamorphic stretch transform, ...
music and mixing it in with the emotions I’m actually living through". Who has also cited
1990s File:1990s decade montage.png, From top left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope orbits the Earth after it was launched in 1990; American jets fly over burning oil fields in the 1991 Gulf War; the Oslo Accords on 13 September 1993; the World ...
pop acts such as
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...
and the
Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson (musician), Kevin Richardson. The band formed in 1993 in Orlando, Flori ...
as musical influences, with Spears serving as one of several eclectic sources of inspiration for her third album, ''Betty''. ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
''' Evan Sawdey summarized her work as "a streamlined, full-pastel celebration of her favorite dance-pop idols". Who is primarily a pop,
dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...
and
synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...
singer, which starkly contrasts with her
classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...
upbringing and training.
CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio broadcaster CBS. It is headquartered in New York City. CBS News television programs include ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs ''CBS News Sunday Morn ...
described her debut album ''Take Me When You Go'' as a combination of "dance hits, love songs and ballads – all with a hint of synthesizer, drums and keyboard", whereas ''Betty'' was her most musically diverse body of work upon release. Josh Rogosin of
NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
, who served as
audio engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduc ...
for Who's
Tiny Desk Concert ''Tiny Desk Concerts'' is a video series of live concerts hosted by NPR Music at the desk of former '' All Songs Considered'' host Bob Boilen in Washington, D.C. The first ''Tiny Desk Concert'' came about in 2008 after Boilen and NPR Music ed ...
in 2019, observed that "When all the studio production is stripped away, what's left are intricate melodies that soar through Betty's impressive vocal range and relatable lyrics". According to Sam Lansky of
Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolator or Idolater may also refer to: * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), a 2005 album by Blood Stain Child * ''Idolator'', a 1986 album by Ole Evenrud * "Idolater", a ...
, she frequently combines heartbreaking lyrics with infectious melodies, spunk and "massive" hooks, while AXS said she "paint pictures with a hypnotic and heartfelt honesty". Who's musical style and artistry have drawn comparisons to female artists such as
Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper ( ; born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her distinctive image, featuring a variety of hair colors and eccentric clothing, and for her powerful four-octave vocal range;Jerome, ...
,
Robyn Robin Miriam Carlsson (; born 12 June 1979), known professionally as Robyn (), is a Swedish singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. Her 1995 debut album ''Robyn Is Here'' produced two Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top 10 single ...
,
Pink Pink is a pale tint of red, the color of the Dianthus plumarius, pink flower. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, p ...
,
Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists in hist ...
,
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
, and
Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...
, with Houston's death in 2012 inspiring her to write her debut single "Somebody Loves You". Who has also cited prolific singer-songwriters
Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan Mitchell (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitch ...
and
Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter and musician renowned for her extensive contributions to popular music. She wrote or co-wrote 118 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billbo ...
as songwriting influences, as well as singer-songwriters
Missy Higgins Melissa Morrison "Missy" Higgins (born 19 August 1983) is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. Her most popular singles include "Scar", " Steer", and " Where I Stood". Her Australian number-one albums are '' The Sound of White'' (2004 ...
and
Ingrid Michaelson Ingrid Ellen Michaelson (born December 8, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for her 2006 single "The Way I Am (Ingrid Michaelson song), The Way I Am" and her 2014 single "Girls Chase Boys", both of which achieved success ...
. Who recalled that, early in her career, she was accused of being unoriginal for resembling
Pink Pink is a pale tint of red, the color of the Dianthus plumarius, pink flower. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, p ...
too closely, largely due to their similar hairstyles, and believes female artists are subjected to an expectation to be original that male artists do not experience. Who's output has been generally acclaimed by music critics and the press. In 2013, Lansky hailed her as "the next great pop star", before she had released a full-length album. Following her successful debut, in 2014 Edward Helmore of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' hailed Who as "the latest bright young thing to provide a lesson in how to construct a career with few of the conventional components", describing her as "a singer whose talent and following has come naturally, rather than under the direction of a pop Svengali or management team that oversees every tweet or Instagram picture". Meanwhile, music consultant Andy Gershon labeled her "an accidental pop star" due to her perceived authenticity and way in which she initially established a strong following and fanbase with little involvement from a record company. Comparing her public profile and potential to that of dance-pop contemporary
Carly Rae Jepsen Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of ...
, Sawdey observed that Who continues to fall short of mainstream success despite positive reviews and constantly selling out smaller venues, describing her as "a guilty pop secret that only a select few knew about". Who cites actress
Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...
as one of her main fashion inspirations, crediting her size with helping her appreciate her own body type.


Personal life

Who describes herself as a "
queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...
,
bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...
woman". In 2014, Who began dating photographer Zak Cassar, son of director and producer
Jon Cassar John Francis "Jon" Cassar (born 27 April 1958) is a Maltese-Canadian television director and producer, known for his work on the first seven seasons of '' 24''. In 2006, he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Seri ...
. The couple announced their engagement on 21 November 2017. They were married in 2020. Who is a
dual citizen Multiple citizenship (or multiple nationality) is a person's legal status in which a person is at the same time recognized by more than one sovereign state, country under its nationality law, nationality and citizenship law as a national or cit ...
of Australia and the United States.


Discography


Studio albums


Extended plays


Singles


As lead artist


As featured artist


Album appearances


Remixes


Music videos

Notes


Awards


See also

*
List of number-one dance hits (United States) ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine has published Billboard charts, charts ranking the top-performing dance music songs in the United States since 1974. Originally a top-ten list of tracks that garnered the largest audience response in N ...
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List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Who, Betty 1991 births Living people Australian contraltos Australian dance musicians Australian emigrants to the United States Australian LGBTQ singers Australian women in electronic music Australian women pop singers Australian women singer-songwriters Berklee College of Music alumni Bisexual women musicians Dance-pop musicians People educated at Ascham School People educated at Frensham School Singers from Sydney 21st-century Australian LGBTQ people 21st-century Australian singers 21st-century Australian singer-songwriters 21st-century Australian women singers LGBTQ women singers