Because I Could Not Stop For Breath Quiz

Answer: Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Fitzgerald stood out from the crowd, gaining the nicknames "First Lady of Song" and "Queen of Jazz", amongst others. Her music career spanned several decades, cementing her as an enduring and popular artist. She began singing in her childhood when inspired by jazz greats like Louis Armstrong, and further pursued her singing career successfully when her mother tragically died of a heart attack.

Although her solo career was successful, "I'm Making Believe" was sung with the vocal group Ink Spots and they sang several other tunes together including "I'm Beginning To See the Light" (1945) and "Cow Cow Boogie" (1944), showing that she could also collaborate well with other artists. "Guilty" was released in 1947 and was a love song which played with the guilt concept.

Answer: Stevie Wonder

"Music of My Mind" was released in 1972 when Stevie Wonder was 21 years old, and he either wrote or co-wrote all of the songs featured on it.
Later on, "Hotter Than July" was released in 1980 and featured songs such as "Master Blaster (Jammin)" and the very popular "Happy Birthday", and achieved success in both the US and UK.
Stevie Wonder was blinded shortly after birth and was known for wearing signature black shades. He had a successful single by the age of 13, which was notoriously young at the time, and he was considered a child prodigy for his musical prowess. He carried this success into adulthood, winning over 20 Grammy awards and having more than thirty US top-ten hits.

Answer: Tom Jones

Tom Jones is a Welsh popstar born in 1940 who has entertained in many musical styles and is not afraid to try both contemporary and older-styled music. "Sex Bomb" (2000), "What's New Pussycat" (1965) and "Delilah" (1968) were all successful releases in the UK, and Tom Jones's booming powerful voice helped him tackle any musical challenge put against him.

He has also been knighted by the Queen for his services to music. In 2012, he joined "The Voice UK", a show dedicated to finding new singing talent in the UK, as a mentor.

He was looked up to for his diverse experience and level-headed comments and mentored the winning act of the first series, Leanne Mitchell.

Answer: Leo Sayer

Although Leo Sayer was born as a Brit, he moved to become an Australian citizen in 2009 and enjoyed a singing career of over four decades. He was primarily a pop artist and had a strong initial charting record in the UK, although his chart success in albums and singles became patchier after 1980 or so. "Once In A While" (1980) and "Easy To Love" (1977) were not especially charting successes (though did fit in the question rather conveniently), but "When I Need You" (1977) hit number one in the UK, US and Canadian charts and was therefore a success.

Answer: Bjork

Bjork Guomundsdottir, or Bjork, was born in Iceland in 1965. Her musical genres include pop, jazz, folk, rave, alternative pop and more - a truly eclectic artist! "It's Oh So Quiet" (1995) reflected this eclectic style, as the song bounced from gentle quietness to an over the top vocal explosion, which was very entertaining to listen to. "Army Of Me" was the first single of Bjork's to chart in the top ten in the UK charts, and "Hyperballad" was a fan favourite which emphasised not forgetting one's individuality when in a relationship.

In addition to singing, Bjork has also helped mentor many musical artists and has engaged in charitable works such as raising money for a tsunami relief fund and preserving Iceland's environment.

Answer: Hayley Westenra

"River of Dreams" was on the "Pure" album released in 2003, and this album hit number one on the UK classical charts. The album mixed classical music with pop and Maori singing, and the New Zealand love song "Pokarekare Ana" featured on the album and was well-received. Hayley Westenra has sung in many different languages, reaching all across the world including Irish, Italian, Maori and German songs.

Her part-Irish heritage may have lead her to join the Irish group Celtic Woman in 2006, and her mix of popular and classical music combined with her pure voice made for a strong repertoire.

Answer: Morrissey

A mononym is a single-named identifier for a particular person. Morrissey's real name was Steven Patrick Morrissey and he was best known for his indie and alternative rock music. The Smiths were highly influential on the British music scene as he was said to 'reject convention' in his vocal style, and this innovation made him a popular artist.

However, he was also known for his controversial opinions, criticising several singers for their 'pointless lyrics' and politicians for a myriad of reasons, as politician-bashing was (and is) rarely out of fashion.

Answer: KT Tunstall

KT Tunstall's real name is Kate Victoria Tunstall but she adopted KT as she felt 'Kate' did not fit in with the rock star image she had in mind at the time. "Suddenly I See" (2005, UK) was the introduction song to the sharp fashion movie "The Devil Wears Prada" (2006) and set the scene for the movie well, although it was disappointingly not featured on the official soundtrack album for the movie. "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" was a spunky, upbeat song which made good use of the guitar and became popular in the USA after "American Idol" contestant Katharine McPhee sang the song in one of the shows.

Answer: Michael Buble

Michael Bublé followed in the footsteps of the likes of Bobby Darin and Frank Sinatra, amongst others, adding a contemporary style to his music to keep current at the time. Before becoming successful, Bublé had to work hard, engaging in as many gigs and opportunities as he possibly could. "Haven't Met You Yet" was a successful single from his fourth album, "Crazy Love" (2009), and was about the collective dream to find the right person for a long-lasting and happy relationship. "Moondance" and "Come Fly With Me" were both on his second album "Come Fly With Me" released in 2003-4 and were originally sung by Van Morrison and Frank Sinatra respectively.

Answer: Lana Del Rey

Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, or Lana Del Rey as she is better known, shot to fame when her "Video Games" single was released in 2011. "Born To Die" was released as a single in late 2011 and was the signature song of the "Born To Die" album released in 2012.

She was known for her emotive and somewhat offbeat music, and has been praised for her ability to both write and sing songs: both "Video Games" and "Born To Die" were written by her, for example.