1990 in music

Specific locations

• 1990 in British music
• 1990 in Norwegian music

  Specific genres

• 1990 in country music
• 1990 in heavy metal music
• 1990 in hip hop music
• 1990 in Latin music
• 1990 in jazz

  Events

January–March

• January 18 – Eric Clapton plays the first of eighteen shows in a three-week span at London's Royal Albert Hall.
• January 21 – MTV's Unplugged is broadcast for the first time, on cable television, with British band Squeeze.
• February 6
• *Billy Idol is involved in a serious motorcycle accident, resulting in several broken bones. Idol had been scheduled to have a major role in Oliver Stone's film The Doors, but due to his injuries, the role was reduced almost to a bit part. The role of the T-1000 in , originally intended for Idol, was recast entirely as a result of the accident.
• *Bob Marley's birthday is a national holiday in Jamaica for the first time.
• February 14 – 50,000 fans watch The Rolling Stones play the first of 10 concerts at Tokyo's Korakuen Dome, the beginning of the Stones' first ever tour of Japan. The group was originally scheduled to perform there in 1973 but a drug conviction prevented Mick Jagger from obtaining a visa at the time.
• February 16 – Ike Turner is sentenced to 4 years in prison for possession of cocaine.
• February 24 – The Byrds reunite, for the first time in 25 years, to perform at a Los Angeles tribute to Roy Orbison. The three are joined unexpectedly on stage by Bob Dylan, who sings "Mr. Tambourine Man" with the band.
• March 15 – MCA Inc. purchases Geffen Records for over $550 million in stock. Under the agreement, David Geffen will continue to run the record company through an employment contract.
• March 16 – Flea and Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers are arrested and charged for an incident two days earlier at a performance in Daytona Beach during MTV's spring break coverage, in which they allegedly sexually assaulted and verbally abused a female audience member after jumping from the stage. They are released on $2,000 bail.
• March 20 – Gloria Estefan's tour bus is involved in an accident. Estefan suffers several broken bones in her back.
• March 25 – Mötley Crüe's Tommy Lee is arrested for allegedly exposing his buttocks during a performance in Augusta, Georgia.
• March 28 – The Go-Go's reunite to play a benefit concert for the California Environmental Protection Act. They play several more reunion shows later in the year.

  April–June

• April 4 – Gloria Estefan returns to Miami, Florida after undergoing back surgery following the March 20 accident.
• April 6 – Mötley Crüe's Tommy Lee suffers a mild concussion after falling off of scaffolding above his elevated drum kit during a performance in New Haven, Connecticut.
• April 7 – Neil Young, Elton John, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Guns N' Roses and Jackson Browne perform at Farm Aid IV in Indiana. John dedicates "Candle in the Wind" to AIDS patient Ryan White during his performance. White dies the following day.
• April 13 – Madonna starts her controversial Blond Ambition Tour in Tokyo, Japan.
• April 16 – A massive tribute concert is held at Wembley Stadium for recently freed anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela, who appears in a pre-taped 45-minute speech at the event. Performers include Anita Baker, Tracy Chapman, Peter Gabriel, The Neville Brothers and Neil Young. The event is broadcast to 61 countries around the world.
• April 24 – Janet Jackson is honored with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
• April 25 – Jimi Hendrix's Fender Stratocaster, on which he performed his famous version of the "Star Spangled Banner" at Woodstock, is auctioned off in London for $295,000.
• April 27 – Axl Rose marries model Erin Everly, daughter of singer Don Everly, in a Las Vegas ceremony. Divorce papers are filed on May 24, then withdrawn, then filed again in October.
• May 6 – Valery Leontiev show "It seems to me that I have not lived" in the Olympic Stadium.
• May 10–11 – Thrash Godfather Element Ethan's double live album, Corruption in Tokyo, is recorded and filmed in Tokyo, Japan, which includes an opening segment by Minnie Mouse and an announcement that Element Ethan has been diagnosed with the early stages of stomach cancer during the concert.
• May 18 – The Rolling Stones open their Urban Jungle European tour in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
• May 27 – The Stone Roses stage a legendary concert at Spike Island, Cheshire.
• May 29
• *In Canada, Toronto police threaten to arrest Madonna if she performs her simulated masturbation scene during her performance of "Like a Virgin" on her Blond Ambition Tour. Madonna refuses to change her show, and the police decide not to press charges, later denying that they had ever threatened to do so.
• *At the Eurovision Young Musicians Competition 1990 finals, held at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria, pianist Nick van Oosterum of the Netherlands takes first place.
• June 9 – The Stone Roses perform to 8,000 people at Glasgow Green, which is widely regarded as their best ever gig.
• June 10 – members of rap group 2 Live Crew are arrested and charged with obscenity after a performance in a Hollywood, Florida nightclub..
• June 30 – Knebworth 1990, a one-off festival at Knebworth Park, England in support of Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy. Participating musicians had all been winners of the Silver Clef Award. The acts included headliners Pink Floyd, Genesis, Robert Plant, Elton John, Dire Straits, Status Quo, Eric Clapton and others.

  July–September

• July 7 – The Three Tenors give their first concert, at the Baths of Caracalla in Rome.
• July 14 – Jean Michel Jarre's concert Paris la Defense attracts 2.5 million spectators.
• July 21 – Roger Waters and numerous guest stars stage a performance of Pink Floyd's The Wall in Berlin, Germany to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall eight months earlier. Scorpions, Cyndi Lauper, Thomas Dolby, Sinéad O'Connor, The Band and Bryan Adams are among the performers.
• August 5 – Madonna ends her controversial Blond Ambition Tour in Nice, France. The last date was aired live and broadcast on HBO in United States, and later released as Laser Disc only.
• August 13 – Curtis Mayfield is paralyzed from the neck down in an accident at an outdoor concert in Flatbush, Brooklyn, after stage lighting equipment collapses on top of him.
• August 19 – Leonard Bernstein conducts his final performance at Tanglewood; he suffers a coughing fit in the middle of one piece which almost brings the concert to a premature end.
• August 22 – James MacMillan's symphonic piece The Confession of Isobel Gowdie premieres at The Proms in London.
• August 24
• *A judge rules that heavy metal band Judas Priest is not responsible for the actions of two Nevada youths who shot themselves, one fatally, after listening to the band's music in December 1985.
• *Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor sparks controversy when she refuses to play a concert at the Garden State Arts Center in New Jersey unless the venue refrains from its tradition of playing a recording of the American national anthem before the performance. O'Connor is heavily criticized and her music is dropped from a number of radio stations as a result.
• August 27 – Guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan is killed in a helicopter crash following a concert at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin. He was 35.
• September 4 – Walter Yetnikoff steps down after fifteen years as President of CBS Records.
• September 11 – After a decade of performing in the Francophone world, Céline Dion makes her formal English-language debut in the United States with the release of her album Unison.
• September 26 – The poorly received Cop Rock premieres on US television; it was TV's only musical police drama.

  October–December

• October 9 – Leonard Bernstein announces his retirement from the conducting podium; he dies five days later.
• October 20 – A Florida jury acquits 2 Live Crew of the obscenity charges stemming from a June 10 performance of their act known for its sexually explicit lyrics.
• October 22 – Pearl Jam, then named "Mookie Blaylock", play their first show as a band at the Off Ramp club in Seattle, Washington.
• October 27 – Janet Jackson's "Black Cat" reaches number one. It was also the first song to simultaneously peak atop the Billboard Hot 100 and Mainstream Rock chart.
• November 6 – Madonna releases her new single, "Justify My Love". The accompanying music video is banned by MTV amid international controversy over its sexually explicit content.
• November 21 – The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger finally marries longtime girlfriend Jerry Hall in a traditional Hindu ceremony on the island of Bali, although the wedding's legality is questionable.
• November 27 – Amid growing public skepticism towards the artistic integrity of dance-pop duo Milli Vanilli as well as creative differences with frontmen Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus, music producer Frank Farian admits that Morvan and Pilatus had been lip-synching all of their songs, including hits such as "Girl You Know It's True." In actuality, the tracks were composed and recorded by an ensemble of much older artists. Milli Vanilli's Grammy award for Best New Artist is voided in the ensuing fallout; accounts vary as to whether it was revoked or if Morvan and Pilatus returned it themselves.
• December 1 – ABC airs a television special accompanying the Red Hot + Blue benefit album in which contemporary pop performers reinterpret the songs of Cole Porter. The special includes video clips portraying the societal effects of AIDS.
• December 3 – Following the banning of her "Justify My Love" music video by MTV, singer Madonna appears on Nightline to defend the video.
• December 15 – Rod Stewart marries model Rachel Hunter.
• December 31 – The nineteenth annual New Year's Rockin' Eve special airs on ABC, with appearances by The Beach Boys, Bell Biv DeVoe, The Kentucky Headhunters, Nelson, The O'Jays and Sweet Sensation.

  Also in 1990

• Fall – For the first time, Amy Grant and Gary Chapman hold a night of music at their Franklin, Tennessee Riverstone Farm, for local teenagers. Performers included Rich Mullins, Rick Elias, Charlie Peacock, Wes King and Michael W. Smith. The event becomes known as "The Loft".
• Guitarists: Dan Nilsson & Micke Bargstörm, Bassist: Martin Persson & Drummer: Rille Even, all quit Opeth who were the original members of the band. David Isberg, the only remaining original member hires Guitarists: Mikael Åkerfeldt Andreas Dimeo, Bassist: Nick Döring & Drummer: Anders Nordin.
• Studio Fredman is built.
• Sons of Kyuss change their name to Kyuss and add new members, except for guitarist Josh Homme.
• After a hiatus of 7 years, rock group Styx reform to record a new album and tour without long-time guitarist Tommy Shaw, who was committed to Damn Yankees at the time.
• Tapes of the original William Walton score for the 1969 film Battle of Britain are rediscovered, having been lost since the score was abandoned in favour of one by Ron Goodwin.

  Bands formed

• See :Category:Musical groups established in 1990|Musical groups established in 1990

  Bands disbanded

• See :Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1990|Musical groups disestablished in 1990

  Albums released

January–March

April–June

July–September

October–December

Release Date Unknown

• 1234 – Propaganda
• 1888 – Death in June/Current 93
• 1990 – Daniel Johnston
• Anam – Clannad
• Anonymous Bodies in an Empty Room – Swans
• The Apprentice – John Martyn
• Are You Okay? – Was
• As I Came of Age – Sarah Brightman
• Bang! – Corey Hart
• Banking, Violence and the Inner Life Today – McCarthy
• Because It's Christmas – Barry Manilow
• Beers, Steers, and Queers – Revolting Cocks
• Best of the West Rides Again – Riders in the Sky
• Beyond Belief – Petra
• Beyond Thee Infinite Beat – Psychic TV
• Blood Guts & Pussy – The Dwarves
• Blue Pacific – Michael Franks
• The Blues Brothers Band Live in Montreux – The Blues Brothers
• Bonafide – Maxi Priest
• Brand New Heavies – Brand New Heavies
• ' – Blue Öyster Cult
• Chain Reaction – John Farnham
• Christmas, Like a Lullaby – John Denver
• ' – Various Artists
• The Collection – Kenny G
• Concrete Jungle – Sway & King Tech
• Dare to Be Different – Tommy Emmanuel
• ' – Violent Femmes
• Erpland – Ozric Tentacles
• Everybody Wants to Shag... The Teardrop Explodes – The Teardrop Explodes
• Evergreen Everblue – Raffi
• Extremities, Dirt & Various Repressed Emotions – Killing Joke
• Fakebook – Yo La Tengo
• Fist Sized Chunks – Skin Yard
• The Flower That Shattered the Stone – John Denver
• From a Scream to a Whisper – Lowlife
• Garista – :zoviet*france:
• Ghost – Ghost
• Gloryline – Dreams So Real
• Greatest Hits 1977–1990 – The Stranglers
• Groovy, Laidback and Nasty – Cabaret Voltaire
• Heartbeats Accelerating – Kate and Anna McGarrigle
• Hell Is for Wimps – Newsboys
• Hell with the Lid Off – MC 900 Ft. Jesus
• Here Comes Trouble – Scatterbrain
• High Wire – Ernie Isley
• Hispanic Causing Panic – Kid Frost
• Home – Hothouse Flowers
• Home For Christmas – Dolly Parton
• Horse Opera – Riders in the Sky
• The House of Love – The House of Love
• Hot Chocolate Massage – Tiny Lights
• Iced Earth – Iced Earth – Released in Europe only
• It's... Madness – Madness
• I've Got That Old Feeling – Alison Krauss
• The Last Temptation of Reid – Lard
• Left Hand Path – Entombed
• Live at the China Club – Dramarama
• Live at the Roxy Club – Sham 69
• Lost Souls – The Raindogs
• Love Is Strange – Kenny Rogers
• Lovers Who Wander – The Del-Lords
• The Lyrical Strength of One Street Poet – D-Boy Rodriguez
• The Massacre – The Exploited
• Craig McLachlan & Check 1–2 – Craig McLachlan & Check 1–2
• Merci – Florent Pagny
• Midnight Radio – Big Head Todd and the Monsters
• Motive – Red Box
• Neighbourhood Threat – Johnny Crash
• A Night on the Town – Bruce Hornsby and the Range
• Nineteen 90 – Regine Velasquez
• Nu Thang – dc Talk
• Other Voices – Paul Young
• Oh Suzi Q. – Suzi Quatro
• Paintings in My Mind – Tommy Page
• Party of One – Nick Lowe
• Past to Present 1977–1990 – Toto
• Pentagram – Mezarkabul
• Plus Signs – Burton Cummings
• Rainbow Electronics – Merzbow
• Reflections – The Shadows
• Return to Samoa – Angry Samoans
• Round the Outside, Round the Outside – Malcolm McLaren
• Sack Full of Silver – Thin White Rope
• Set the Booty Up Right – Fishbone
• Shadow in Dreams – Dennis Rea
• Shake Your Soul – Baton Rouge
• She Hangs Brightly – Mazzy Star
• Skellington – Julian Cope
• Skywriting – The Field Mice
• Slappy – Green Day
• So Much 2 Say – Take 6
• Sons of Kyuss – Kyuss
• Space Bandits – Hawkwind
• A Spy in the House of Love – The House of Love
• Stiletto – Lita Ford
• Strap It On – Helmet
• Taking Drugs to Make Music to Take Drugs To – Spacemen 3
• Tangled – Jane Wiedlin
• Ten Commandments – Ozzy Osbourne Compilation
• Toy Matinee – Toy Matinee
• Turned On – Rollins Band
• Unfun – Jawbreaker
• Unnatural History – Coil
• ' – :$OVIET:FRANCE:
• The Vegetarians of Love – Bob Geldof
• Volume 2 – Reagan Youth
• Waiting for Cousteau – Jean Michel Jarre
• Women in the Room – Zachary Richard
• The Wonder – Tom Verlaine
• World Power – Snap!
• The Youth Are Getting Restless'' – Bad Brains

  Biggest hit singles

#	Artist	Title	Year	Country	Chart Entries
1	Sinéad O'Connor	Nothing Compares 2 U	1990		UK 1 – January 1990; US Billboard 1 of 1990; Netherlands 1 – January 1990; Sweden 1 – February 1990; Austria 1 – March 1990; Switzerland 1 – February 1990; Norway 1 – February 1990; Poland 1 – March 1990; Germany 1 – February 1990; Republic of Ireland 1 – January 1990; New Zealand 1 for five weeks, April 1990; Australia 1 for eight weeks, May 1990; KROQ-FM 1 of 1990; Australia 3 of 1990; US Cash Box 4 of 1990; Italy 8 of 1990; Europe 8 of the 1990s; Rate Your Music 9 of 1990; Germany 19 of the 1990s; Poland 59 of all time; Belgium 90 of all time; Acclaimed 113; OzNet 138;Rolling Stone 162; WXPN 661.
2	Madonna	Vogue	1990		UK 1 – Apr 1990, US BB 1 of 1990, US CashBox 1 of 1990, Sweden 1 – Apr 1990, Norway 1 – Apr 1990, Poland 1 – Apr 1990, New Zealand 1 for 4 weeks May 1990, Australia 1 for 4 weeks Aug 1990, Netherlands 2 – Apr 1990, Switzerland 2 – Apr 1990, Italy 5 of 1990, Germany 4 – Apr 1990, France 7 – Apr 1990, Austria 7 – May 1990, POP 7 of 1990, US BB 8 of 1990, RYM 8 of 1990, Australia 10 of 1990, Global 33 – 1990, Party 181 of 2007, Germany 230 of the 1990s, Acclaimed 521, OzNet 881
3	Vanilla Ice	Ice Ice Baby	1990		UK 1 – Nov 1990, US BB 1 of 1990, Netherlands 1 – Nov 1990, Republic of Ireland 1 – Dec 1990, New Zealand 1 for 7 weeks Dec 1990, Australia 1 for 3 weeks Apr 1991, Sweden 2 – Nov 1990, Switzerland 2 – Nov 1990, Norway 2 – Dec 1990, Germany 2 – Jan 1991, Austria 3 – Nov 1990, US BB 4 of 1990, POP 4 of 1990, France 5 – Dec 1990, Australia 15 of 1991, US CashBox 21 of 1990, Party 42 of 2007, Italy 65 of 1991, Germany 82 of the 1990s, RYM 188 of 1990
4	MC Hammer	U Can't Touch This	1990		Netherlands 1 – Jul 1990, Sweden 1 – Aug 1990, Australia 1 of 1990, New Zealand 1 for 6 weeks Jul 1990, Australia 1 for 5 weeks Oct 1990, Switzerland 2 – Jul 1990, UK 3 – Jun 1990, Germany 3 – Jul 1990, US BB 5 of 1990, Austria 5 – Aug 1990, POP 5 of 1990, France 6 – Jun 1990, Norway 6 – Aug 1990, US BB 8 of 1990, Scrobulate 18 of rap, US CashBox 39 of 1990, RYM 63 of 1990, Germany 147 of the 1990s, RIAA 201, Party 214 of 1999, Acclaimed 1797
5	Roxette	It Must Have Been Love	1990		US Bullfrog 1 – Apr 1990, US BB 1 of 1990, Switzerland 1 – Jun 1990, Norway 1 – Jun 1990, Poland 1 – Jun 1990, Australia 1 for 2 weeks Oct 1990, Japan 2 – May 1990, UK 3 – Jun 1990, Netherlands 3 – Jun 1990, Sweden 3 – Dec 1987, Austria 4 – Jul 1990, Germany 4 – Jun 1990, US CashBox 6 of 1990, France 8 – May 1990, Australia 8 of 1990, Brazil 12 of 1990, US Gold, POP 30 of 1990, Italy 48 of 1990, Europe 52 of the 1990s, Japan 64 of 1990, Germany 119 of the 1990s, OzNet 716

Top hits on record

Charts uk. Top singles 1990

• United States: List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1990
• Canada: RPM number-one hits of 1990, RPM number-one albums of 1990

  Other significant singles

• "Little Fluffy Clouds" – The Orb
• Sampling copyright debate continues over the Soho single Hippychick, which uses a sample from How Soon Is Now? by The Smiths.

  Published popular music

• "Keep It Together" w.m. Stephen Bray & Madonna
• "The Simpsons theme song" m. Danny Elfman

  Top ten best albums of the year

1. Depeche Mode – Violator
2. Pixies – Bossanova
3. Megadeth – Rust in Peace
4. Jane's Addiction – Ritual de lo Habitual
5. Cocteau Twins – Heaven Or Las Vegas
6. Ride – Nowhere
7. Public Enemy – Fear of a Black Planet
8. Happy Mondays – Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches
9. Sonic Youth – Goo
10. The La's – The La's

    Classical music

• Mario Davidovsky
• *Biblical Songs for soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano
• *Concertante for string quartet and orchestra
• Thomas Demenga – Solo per due, for cello and orchestra
• Lorenzo Ferrero
• *Cadenza, for clarinet and marimba
• *Discanto sulla musica sull'acqua di Handel
• *Four Modern Dances, for small orchestra
• *Musica per un paesaggio, for small orchestra
• *Rock my Tango, for piano solo
• Henryk Górecki
• *Good Night, Op. 63, for soprano, alto flute, piano and three tam-tams
• *Intermezzo, for piano
• John Harbison – The Flight into Egypt
• Chris Harman – Iridescence, for 24 strings
• Paul Lansky – Smalltalk
• Alvin Lucier – Music for Piano with One or More Snare Drums
• Witold Lutosławski – Chantefleurs et chantefables for Soprano and Orchestra
• John McCabe – Flute Concerto
• James MacMillan
• *The Confession of Isobel Gowdie
• *The Berserking
• Meredith Monk – Book Of Days
• John Pickard – The Flight of Icarus
• Carl Vine – Piano Sonata No. 1
• Takashi Yoshimatsu – Symphony No. 1 Kamui-Chikap
• John Zorn – The Dead Man

  Opera

• Gerald Barry – The Intelligence Park
• Azio Corghi – Blimunda
• Mark Lanz Weiser – Purgatory

  Jazz

Musical theater

• Aspects of Love – Broadway production opened at the Broadhurst Theatre and ran for 377 performances
• Bran Nue Dae
• A Change in the Heir – Broadway production opened at the Edison Theatre and closed after only two weeks
• Five Guys Named Moe – London production
• Into the Woods London production opened on September 25 and ran for 197 performances. Starring Julia McKenzie and Imelda Staunton.
• Once on This Island – Broadway production opened at the Booth Theatre and ran for 469 performances
• Shogun – Broadway production opened at the Marquis Theatre and ran for 72 performances
• Sunday in the Park with George (Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine – London production
• Truly Blessed – Broadway production opened at the Longacre Theatre and ran for one month

  Musical films

• Alissa in Concert
• Cry-Baby
• Graffiti Bridge
• His Highness Abdullah
• Thazhvaram

  Awards

• Country Music Hall of Fame Inductee: Tennessee Ernie Ford
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees: Hank Ballard, Bobby Darin, The Four Seasons, The Four Tops, The Kinks, The Platters, Simon & Garfunkel and The Who
• Grammy Awards of 1990
• Eurovision Song Contest 1990: Toto Cutugno
• Luc Ferrari wins the International Koussevitzky Prize for Recordings for his composition Histoire du plaisir et de la désolation
• Juno Awards: Best Composer: David Tyson/Christopher Ward
• Dalida is posthumously awarded the International Diploma by the "International Star Registry", three years after her death.
• Scottish composer Thomas Wilson is appointed a CBE.
• Kumar Sanu wins the Filmfare Best Male Playback Award
• Anuradha Paudwal wins the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award
• 32nd Japan Record Awards

  [Glenn Gould Prize]

• Yehudi Menuhin

  Music festivals

• In Australia, the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival is founded by Michael Easton and Len Vorster.

  Births

• January 9 – Di Genius, Jamaican singer, producer, and dj
• January 10 – Nicolas Jaar, Chilean American composer and recording artist, works with FKA Twigs.
• January 13 – Liam Hemsworth, Miley Cyrus muse and long term associate, Australian actor
• January 14 – Grant Gustin, American actor and singer
• January 22 – Logic, American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer.
• January 25 – Thomas Berge, Dutch singer
• February 1 – Laura Marling, British folk-pop singer-songwriter
• February 3 – Sean Kingston, American-Jamaican R&B artist
• February 10 – SooYoung, a member of nine-piece Korean pop girl group Girls' Generation
• February 16 – The Weeknd, Canadian singer, songwriter, rapper, producer
• February 18 – Choi Sung-Bong, Korean singer
• March 9 – YG, American rapper
• March 17
• * Hozier, Irish singer-songwriter and musician
• * Kai, Canadian singer-songwriter
• March 20 – Tessa Violet, American singer-songwriter, musician, activist and youtuber
• March 22
• * Claire Huangci, American pianist
• * Lisa Mitchell, English-born Australian singer-songwriter
• March 27 – Kimbra, New Zealand singer-songwriter/guitarist
• April 2 – Roscoe Dash, American rapper
• April 8 – Kim Jong-hyun, known as, Jonghyun K-pop singer-songwriter, actor
• April 10 – Maren Morris, American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer.
• April 22 – Machine Gun Kelly, American rapper
• April 29 – Loick Essien, British singer
• May 26 – Nadia Oh, English singer, producer rapper, songwriter and model
• May 30
• * YoonA, South Korean singer and actress, member of Girls' Generation
• * Phillipa Soo, American actress and singer.
• June 4 – Zac Farro, American musician, drummer, singer-songwriter and multi instrumentalist
• June 5 – DJ Mustard, American producer, DJ,
• June 6
• *Raisa Andriana, Indonesian singer
• *Mike G, American rapper
• June 7 – Iggy Azalea, Australian rapper
• June 14 – Starrah, American songwriter, singer and rapper
• June 16 – John Newman, English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer
• June 18 – Raleigh Ritchie, English actor, singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer
• June 19 – Moses Sumney, American singer-songwriter, musician
• June 25 – Makj, American dj
• June 29 – Laura Macrì, Sicilian-Italian soprano singer
• July 4 – Fredo Santana, American rapper
• July 6 – Meg Mac, Australian singer-songwriter and musician
• July 10 – Talay Riley, British singer-songwriter, producer
• July 12 – Maverick Sabre, British singer-songwriter
• July 15 – Olly Alexander, English singer-songwriter, musician, producer
• July 16
• * James Maslow, American actor, singer
• * Paula Rojo, Spanish singer and songwriter.
• July 19 – GFOTY, British EDM Pop singer with PC music
• July 23 – Dagny, Norwegian pop singer
• July 24
• * Ben McKenzie, Australian Idol contestant, singer, actor
• * Jay McGuiness, British singer, songwriter and dancer, former member of The Wanted
• July 28 – Soulja Boy, American rapper
• August 8 – Rina Sawayama, Japanese-British singer-songwriter and model.
• August 13 – Shila Amzah, Malaysian singer
• August 15
• * Jennifer Lawrence, American singer/actress
• * BloodPop – American musician, record producer, and songwriter
• August 21 – Bo Burnham, American comedian and musician
• August 23 – A.G. Cook, British singer-songwriter, music producer and head of record label PC Music.
• August 30 – Julia Jacklin, Australian singer-songwriter and musician
• September 3 – Iza, Brazilian singer-songwriter
• September 4 – James Bay, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• September 11 – Alex Cameron, Australian musician
• September 18 – Sam Perry, Australian singer-songwriter and looping artist
• September 19 – , Icelandic electronic music composer
• September 20 – Phillip Phillips, American singer
• September 21 – Phoebe Ryan, American singer-songwriter
• September 27 – Mitski, Japanese-American singer-songwriter and musician
• October 1 – Charlie McDonnell, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• October 7 – Seinabo Sey, Swedish recording artist and songwriter
• October 11 – Behzod Abduraimov, Uzbek classical pianist
• October 23 – Stan Walker, Australian-New Zealand singer
• October 31 – JID, American rapper and songwriter
• November 2 – Kendall Schmidt, American actor, singer
• November 7 – Matt Corby, Australian singer
• November 8 – SZA, American singer/songwriter
• November 18
• *Jackie Thomas, New Zealand singer
• *Myk Perez, Filipino singer
• November 26
• * Rita Ora, British singer
• * Chip, British rapper
• * tofubeats, Japanese singer, producer and DJ
• November 27 – blackbear, American rapper, producer, singer
• December 20 – JoJo, American singer, songwriter, activist and actress
• December 21 – Holiday Sidewinder, Australian singer-songwriter, musician and record producer
• December 23 – Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, American singer and actress
• December 26 – Jon Bellion, American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer.
• December 28 – David Archuleta, Season 7 American Idol runner-up

Deaths

• January 3 – Arthur Gold, American pianist, 72
• January 7 – Jimmy Van Heusen, composer and songwriter, 77
• January 18 – Melanie Appleby of British duo Mel and Kim, 23
• January 19 – Semprini, pianist and broadcaster, 81
• January 28 – Puma Jones, American singer, 36
• January 23 – Allen Collins, Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist, 37
• February 1 – Peter Racine Fricker, composer, 69
• February 2 – Mel Lewis, drummer and bandleader, 60
• February 8 – Del Shannon, singer-songwriter, 55
• February 14 – Tony Holiday, German singer, 38
• February 15 – George Suranovich, drummer, 45
• February 24 – Johnnie Ray, singer, 63
• February 26 – Cornell Gunter, R&B singer, 53
• March 6 – Mala, singer, 50
• March 11 – Muriel Dickson, operatic soprano, 86
• March 16 – Andrew Wood, singer, 24
• March 17 – Ric Grech, bassist, 43
• April 3 – Sarah Vaughan, American jazz singer, 66
• April 25 – Dexter Gordon, jazz saxophonist, 67
• May 1 – Sergio Franchi, Italian-American tenor/actor, 64
• May 8 – Luigi Nono, composer, 66
• May 16 – Sammy Davis, Jr., American entertainer, 64
• June 3 – Stiv Bators, punk musician, 40
• June 5 – Richard Sohl, pianist, 37
• June 6 – Joe Loss, English bandleader, 80
• June 14 – Erna Berger, operatic soprano, 89
• June 15 – Jim Hodder, Steely Dan drummer, 42
• June 16 – Dame Eva Turner, operatic soprano, 98
• June 21
• *June Christy, American singer, 64
• *Elizabeth Harwood, operatic soprano, 52
• June 22 – Kripp Johnson, American singer, 54
• June 25 – Peggy Glanville-Hicks, composer, 77
• July 2 – Snooky Lanson, American singer, 76
• July 7 – Cazuza, singer and composer, 32
• July 15 – Trouble T Roy, hip-hop dancer, 22
• July 16 – Sidney Torch, pianist, cinema organist, conductor, orchestral arranger and composer
• July 18 – Gerry Boulet, Canadian singer-songwriter, 44
• July 26 – Brent Mydland, keyboardist, 37
• August 3 – M. Ranga Rao, Indian film composer and music director
• August 14 – Lafayette Leake, blues and jazz pianist, organist, vocalist and composer, 71
• August 15 – Viktor Tsoi, Russian singer of Kino, 28
• August 17 – Pearl Bailey, singer, 72
• August 27 – Stevie Ray Vaughan, American blues guitarist performer, 35
• September 2 – Sari Biro, pianist, 78
• September 6 – Tom Fogerty, 48
• September 13 – Phil Napoleon, jazz trumpeter, 89
• October 3 – Eleanor Steber, operatic soprano, 76
• October 4 – Ray Stephens, a onetime member of The Village People, 35
• October 6
• *Asser Fagerström, pianist, composer and actor, 78
• *Danny Rodriguez, Christian rap artist, 22
• October 8 – B. J. Wilson, drummer of Procol Harum, 43
• October 14 – Leonard Bernstein, American composer and conductor, 72
• October 16
• *Art Blakey, jazz drummer, 71
• *Jorge Bolet, pianist, 75
• October 27 – Xavier Cugat, violinist, bandleader and arranger, 90
• October 31 – M. L. Vasanthakumari, Carnatic musician and playback singer, 62
• November 3 – Mary Martin, US singer and actress, 76
• November 10 – Ronnie Dyson, soul singer and actor
• December 2 – Aaron Copland, American composer
• December 7 – Dee Clark, singer, 52
• December 18 – Paul Tortelier, cellist, 76