By Neia Balao
5:23am PST, Dec 2, 2021
Oh, the 2000s! Throughout the decade, we saw many female singers rise to fame — like Nelly Furtado. In honor of the Canadian singer-songwriter's 43rd birthday on Dec. 2, 2021, Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at some of the most popular female singers of the '00s to find out what they've been up to in the years since they found fame. In 2000, Nelly broke onto the scene with debut studio album "Whoa, Nelly!" which was met with commercial and critical success. First single "I'm Like a Bird" earned her a Grammy for best female pop vocal performance. "Whoa, Nelly!" was followed by her 2003 album, "Folklore," which failed to match the success of her debut. 2006 marked the release of her third studio effort, "Loose," which went on to become her bestselling album with upwards of 12 million copies sold globally. Spawning hit singles "Promiscuous," "Maneater," "Say It Right" and "All Good Things (Come to an End)," "Loose" was recognized as one of the bestselling albums of the 2000s. In 2009, Nelly released "Mi Plan," her first Spanish-language album, and earned a Latin Grammy for best female pop vocal album. In 2003, she welcomed daughter Nevis Chetan with longtime boyfriend Jasper Gahunia. She married sound engineer Demacio Castellon in 2008, but it wasn't meant to be.
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In 2012, Nelly Furtado released her fifth studio album, "The Spirit Indestructible," which received a Juno Award nomination for best pop album of the year. Her sixth album, "The Ride," was released in 2017 and included the singles "Pipe Dreams," "Cold Hard Truth" and "Sticks and Stones." She split from husband Demacio Castellon in 2016.
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Back in 2004, Natasha Bedingfield released her debut album, "Unwritten," which sold more than 2.3 million copies around the world. The album's title track — which many of us remember as the theme to MTV's "The Hills" — earned her a Grammy nod for best female pop vocal performance. In 2008, she released her second studio album, "Pocketful of Sunshine."
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In 2010, Natasha Bedingfield released her third studio album, "Strip Me." This would be her last album for nine years until the release of 2019's "Roll with Me." She married businessman Matt Robinson in 2009 and in 2017, they welcomed their first child together, son Solomon Dylan. In 2021, she competed on the sixth season of FOX's "The Masked Singer."
A star was born when Rihanna hit the scene with her first single, "Pon de Replay," in 2005. At 17, she released her debut studio album, "Music of the Sun," which also included her second single, "If It's Lovin' that You Want." Her sophomore album, 2006's "A Girl Like Me," included hit tracks "SOS" and "Unfaithful" and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart. But it was was Rihanna's third studio album, 2007's "Good Girl Gone Bad," that launched her to major fame. Lead single "Umbrella" earned Rihanna her first Grammy Award (for best rap/sung collaboration) and was regarded as one of the best songs of 2007. Before the end of the aughts, RiRi released her fourth album, 2009's "Rated R." She was also in a highly publicized relationship with R&B star Chris Brown, who was arrested for assaulting the Bajan star in February 2009.
Rihanna went on to release 2010's "Loud," 2011's "Talk That Talk" and 2012's Grammy-winning "Unapologetic," which became her first album to hit No. 1 in the United States. It also included several successful singles like "Rude Boy," "Only Girl (In the World)," "S&M," "We Found Love," "What's My Name?" and "Stay." In 2016, she released her eighth studio album, "Anti," which was certified platinum by the RIAA just two days after its debut. Rihanna has since ventured into the beauty and fashion worlds with her Fenty brand. In 2017, she launched the billion-dollar brand Fenty Beauty — she owns 50% of the company — and in 2018, she launched her lingerie brand, Savage x Fenty. In 2019, RiRi became the first Black woman to head a luxury fashion house under the LVMH luxury goods conglomerate. And her success in business hasn't stopped there: In 2020, she launched a skincare brand, Fenty Skin. Rihanna hit a massive career milestone in 2021 when Forbes reported that she'd officially become a billionaire, with an estimated worth of $1.7 billion! After her split from Chris Brown early in the 2010s, she was romantically linked to music stars Drake and Travis Scott and in 2016 embarked on a three-year relationship with Saudi businessman Hassan Jameel. In late 2020, People magazine confirmed RiRi was in a relationship with old friend A$AP Rocky.
Following the release of Christina Aguilera's 1999 self-titled debut album, which contained the No. 1 singles "Genie in a Bottle," "What a Girl Wants" and "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)," the singer continued to dominate pop music. Throughout the aughts, she released two more albums: 2002's "Stripped," which included the singles "Dirrty" and "Beautiful," and 2006's "Back to Basics." In 2005, she married marketing executive Jordan Bratman, with whom she shares son Max. The couple divorced in 2011.
In 2010, Christina Aguilera released her sixth studio album, "Bionic," which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart. That same year, she made her acting debut in the musical drama "Burlesque." Christina has since gone on to release two more albums: 2012's "Lotus" and 2018's "Liberation." In 2011, she became a coach on the hit NBC reality singing competition "The Voice," a position she held from seasons 1 to 3 and reprised for seasons 5, 8 and 10. In 2015, she landed a recurring role on "Nashville" as Jade St. John. In promotion of her 2018 album, Christina embarked on a U.S. tour, a European tour and headlined "The Xperience," a Las Vegas residency that ran from 2019 to 2020. In 2021, she released the Spanish-language single "Somos Nada," which she plans to follow up with an EP that will further explore her Latina roots. In 2014, after four years of dating, she became engaged to Matthew Rutler. They welcomed their first child together, daughter Summer, that same year but have not married.
Our favorite sk8r girl! Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne, who's been credited with helping develop the female-driven pop-punk music scene, entered the spotlight with the release of her debut single, "Complicated," in 2002, which was followed shortly after by "Sk8er Boi." Her debut studio album, "Let Go," came out that same year and was certified seven-times platinum in the United States, making it the biggest pop album debut of 2002. Avril went on to release two additional albums during the aughts: 2004's "Under My Skin," which was her first album to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and 2007's "The Best Damn Thing," which marked her departure from her previous alternative grunge sound. In 2006, she married Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley, a fellow Canadian rocker. Throughout the decade, she also ventured beyond music, launching the now-defunct clothing line Abbey Dawn in 2008 and releasing her first fragrance, Black Star, in 2009.
Following her divorce from Deryck Whibley in 2010, Avril Lavigne went on to release her fourth and fifth albums, 2011's "Goodbye Lullaby" and 2013's "Avril Lavigne." In 2013, she took her second walk down the aisle when she married Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger — though in 2016, after three years of marriage, the Canadian couple called it quits. Following her 30th birthday in 2014, Avril revealed that she'd been diagnosed with Lyme disease, which left her bedridden for five months. In 2019, she released her sixth studio album, "Head Above Water," which was inspired by her experience dealing with Lyme disease and peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard 200 chart. In 2020, she re-recorded her track "Warrior" from "Head Above Water" and released it as a single entitled "We Are Warriors" in an effort to raise funds in support of frontline workers during the coronavirus pandemic. The singer had an eventful 2021: She went public with a new romance with musician Mod Sun, signed with Travis Barker's label, DTA Records and released a new single, "Bite Me."
Hilary Duff made her Hollywood debut back in 2001 with a starring role on Disney's hit series "Lizzie McGuire." She played the titular character until the show's end in 2004 and starred in a feature film based on the series, "The Lizzie McGuire Movie," in 2003. She landed leading roles in several films throughout the decade including "Agent Cody Banks," "Cheaper by the Dozen," "A Cinderella Story," "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" and "Material Girls." In 2004, she launched the clothing line Stuff by Hilary Duff, which was available worldwide. The former Disney darling released her debut studio album, "Santa Claus Lane," in 2002 and went on to release four subsequent albums: 2003's "Metamorphosis," which included the hit single "Come Clean"; 2004's "Hilary Duff"; 2005's "Most Wanted"; and 2007's "Dignity." She was in relationships with music stars Aaron Carter and Joel Madden of Good Charlotte fame throughout her teens.
The release of her fifth studio album, "Breathe In. Breathe Out," in 2015 marked Hilary Duff's musical comeback. In 2010, she tied the knot with former NHL player Mike Comrie, and they welcomed son Luca in 2012. The couple, however, called it quits in 2016 after six years of marriage. Hilary has since remarried: She walked down the aisle with songwriter-producer Matthew Koma in 2019 a year after the birth of their first daughter, Banks Bair; daughter Mae James arrived in 2021. From 2015 to 2021, Hilary starred on the hit TV Land dramedy "Younger," the network's longest running original series. In 2022, she'll star on Hulu's "How I Met Your Mother" spinoff, "How I Met Your Father."
In 2002, Pennsylvania-born singer Vanessa Carlton released her debut single, "A Thousand Miles," which hit No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. That same year, she released her debut, platinum-selling album, "Be Not Nobody," which included singles "Ordinary Day" and "Pretty Baby." She went on to release two more albums during the aughts: 2004's "Harmonium" and 2007's "Heroes & Thieves."
After releasing 2007's "Heroes & Thieves," Vanessa Carlton went on to release two more albums during the 2010s: 2011's "Rabbits on the Run" and 2015's "Liberman." She then put out two live albums: "Liberman Live" in 2016 and "Earlier Things Live" in 2017. In 2019, Vanessa made her Broadway debut, taking on a starring role in the Carole King musical "Beautiful" for a limited run. Her sixth studio album, "Love Is an Art," was released in 2020. Vanessa married singer-songwriter John McCauley, with whom she shares daughter Sidney, in 2013.
Though Shakira already established quite a career for herself in Latin America with Spanish-language albums in the '90s, it wasn't until 2001 that she released her English-language debut, "Laundry Service." The album — a smash hit thanks to No. 1 singles like "Whenever, Wherever" and "Underneath Your Clothes" — helped catapult Shakira to pop superstardom in the States during MTV's "Total Request Live" era. Her second English-language album, 2005's "Oral Fixation, Vol. 2," featured tunes like "Hips Don't Lie" and was also a big hit. By 2008, Shakira was the fourth top earning female artist in the world, according to Forbes. She wrapped up the decade with the 2009 release "She Wolf."
Like other big pop stars of the 2000s, Shakira served as a coach on NBC's "The Voice." She joined the show in 2013 for its fourth season then returned for the sixth season the following year. She lent her voice to the 2016 film "Zootopia," playing Gazelle. In 2018, she won her third Grammy — for the Spanish-language album "El Dorado" — then set off on her "The El Dorado" world tour. In 2020, she performed alongside Jennifer Lopez during the Super Bowl halftime show. In 2021, she released "Don't Wait Up," the lead single off her forthcoming 12th studio album. These days, she's also a busy mom: She shares sons Milan and Sasha with Spanish soccer star Gerard Pique, her partner since 2010.
Alicia Keys broke onto the scene with the release of her debut studio album, "Songs in A Minor," in 2001. The album was met with both critical and commercial success and the single "Fallin'" became her first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, selling more than 16 million copies worldwide. At just 19, Alicia earned five Grammy Awards including best new artist, best R&B song and song of the year. Her second album, "The Diary of Alicia Keys," which debuted in 2003 and included the acclaimed single "I Ain't Got You," earned her four more Grammys. She went on to release two more albums during the decade: 2007's "As I Am" and 2009's "Element of Freedom." In 2004 and 2009, respectively, she collaborated with Usher on the duet "My Boo" and with JAY-Z on "Empire State of Mind." The latter track earned Alicia a Grammy for best rap/sung collaboration. She ended a long relationship with Kerry Brothers Jr. in 2008.
In 2012, Alicia Keys released her fifth studio album, "Girl on Fire," which won a Grammy for best R&B album. Her sixth album, "Here," was released in 2016 and received critical acclaim for its poignant exploration of being Black in America. Alicia appeared as a coach on the hit singing competition series "The Voice" for three seasons between 2016 and 2018. In 2018, she launched her non-profit organization, "She Is Music," which aims to lift up women in music. In 2020, Alicia released the bestselling New York Times memoir "More Myself: A Journey," which has been described as "part autobiography, part narrative documentary." Her seventh studio album, "ALICIA," debuted in 2020. Music isn't the only area she's been focusing on: In 2020, she launched the skincare line Keys Soulcare. In anticipation of the release of her eighth studio album, Alicia debuted the single "LALA (Unlocked)" featuring rapper Swae Lee, in 2021. She married musician-producer Swizz Beatz in 2010. They share two children.
Ashlee Simpson, the younger sister of pop star Jessica Simpson, first pursued acting prior to breaking into the music industry. She portrayed Cecilia Smith on The WB family drama "7th Heaven" from 2002 to 2004. After appearing on her sister's reality television series "Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica," which aired from 2003 to 2005, Ashlee landed her own spinoff reality project on MTV, "The Ashlee Simpson Show," which chronicled the early stages of her career and her romantic relationship with singer-songwriter Ryan Cabrera. In 2004, she released her debut single, "Pieces of Me," followed by her debut studio album, "Autobiography." Ashlee then released two more studio albums: 2005's "I Am Me" and 2008's "Bittersweet World." In 2008, after two years of dating, she married Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz, with whom she shares son Bronx. Ashlee and Pete called it quits in 2011.
Following her split from Pete Wentz, Ashlee Simpson went on to independently release the single "Bat for a Heart" in 2012. A year later, she began dating actor Evan Ross, whom she married in 2014. They welcomed their first child together, daughter Jagger Snow, in 2015. In 2018, Ashlee and Evan released their first track as a couple, "I Do," which debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard Pop Digital Songs Sales chart. Their debut EP, "Ashlee + Evan," came out in October that same year. They also starred on a reality series for E! — aptly titled "Ashlee + Evan" — in 2018. In 2020, the couple welcomed their second child together, son Ziggy Blu.
Norah Jones was recognized by Billboard as the top jazz artist of the '00s. In 2002, the New York native released the debut solo studio album "Come Away with Me," which was certified diamond. The album went on to earn her five Grammy Awards including best new artist, album of the year and record of the year. She released three more during the decade — 2004's "Feels Like Home," 2007's "Not Too Late" and 2009's "The Fall" — which were all certified platinum. In 2007, Norah — the daughter of composer-sitar master Ravi Shankar and concert producer Sue Jones — also made her acting debut in the film "My Blueberry Nights." She was in a relationship with her bassist, Lee Alexander, from 2000 to 2007.
Norah Jones went on to release a few more albums in the 2010s: 2012's "Little Broken Hearts" and 2016's "Day Breaks." Her seventh studio album, "Pick Me Up Off the Floor," came out in 2020 and incorporated more jazz and orchestral pop elements — a noticeable shift from her distinguishable lounge sound. In 2021, she released her first full-length Christmas album, "I Dream of Christmas." She's married to keyboardist Pete Remm, with whom she shares two children.
Michelle Branch rose to fame after releasing her debut single "Everywhere" in 2001. That same year, her debut album, "The Spirit Room," came out featuring the singles "All You Wanted" and "Goodbye to You." In 2002, she collaborated with acclaimed guitarist Santana to record the track "The Game of Love," for which she earned a Grammy Award for best pop collaboration with vocals. In 2003, in addition to being nominated for best new artist at the Grammys, Michelle released her second studio album, the platinum-certified "Hotel Paper," which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Its first single "Are You Happy Now?" earned Michelle a Grammy nomination for best female rock vocal performance. She also joined forces with longtime friend Jessica Harp to form the duo The Wreckers in 2005; they released their debut and only album, "Leave the Pieces," the following year. From 2004 to 2015, she was married to bassist Teddy Landau, with whom she shares daughter Owen.
What's the "Breathe" singer-songwriter up to nowadays? In 2010, Michelle Branch released a country-pop EP, "Everything Comes and Goes," which she dubbed her "bonus album." In 2017, she released her third studio album — and first in seven years — "Hopeless Romantic." In 2015, Michelle met the Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney, whom she married in 2019. The Nashville-based couple welcomed their first child together, son Rhys, in 2018. In 2021, she revealed that they're expecting their second child.
2000 marked the beginning of Pink's career as a solo artist. That year, she released her debut studio album, "Can't Take Me Home," which included singles "There You Go," "Most Girls" and "You Make Me Sick." In 2001, in addition to being featured on the collaborative track "Lady Marmalade," she released her second studio album, "Missundaztood," which spawned hits "Just Like a Pill," "Don't Let Me Get Me" and "Get the Party Started." Pink (real name: Alecia Moore) released her third album, "Try This," in 2003 and earned a Grammy Award for best female rock vocal performance for the track "Trouble." During the aughts, she released two additional albums: 2006's "I'm Not Dead" and 2008's "Funhouse." In 2006, she married professional motocross racer Carey Hart.
Pink is recognized as one of the bestselling artists worldwide and has earned several accolades including three Grammys and seven MTV Video Music Awards. To date, she's received 20 Grammy nominations. In 2012, she released her Grammy-nominated sixth studio album, "The Truth About Love," which included "Just Give Me a Reason," a collaborative single with fun. frontman Nate Ruess. She soon embarked on her "The Truth About Love" tour and earned $147.9 million in ticket sales, making it the third bestselling tour of 2013 — and her tour success has continued since. In 2014, Pink joined forces with Canadian singer-songwriter Dallas Green to form the musical duo "You+Me" and spawned the folk album "rose ave" that same year. Her seventh studio album, "Beautiful Trauma," was released in 2017 and was followed by her eighth album, "Hurts 2B Human," in 2019. While her ninth album is still in the works, Pink released her second live album, "All I Know So Far: Setlist," in 2021. She and husband Carey Hart welcomed daughter Willow in 2011 and son Jameson in 2016. In 2018, they launched Two Wolves Wine — the grapes are grown in their vineyards in California's Santa Ynez Valley.
Ashanti first garnered attention after she was featured on the Ja Rule track "Always on Time" in 2001 and Fat Joe's "What's Luv?" in 2002. 2002 also marked the year in which Ashanti released her self-titled debut studio album, which earned her a Grammy nomination for best contemporary R&B album and has since gone triple platinum in the United States. Ashanti went on to release three more albums throughout the aughts: 2003's "Chapter II," 2004's "Concrete Rose" and 2008's "The Declaration." In addition to her music career, Ashanti also acted, appearing in notable films including "Coach Carter," "John Tucker Must Die" and "Resident Evil: Extinction." From 2003 to 2014, she was in a relationship with rapper Nelly.
After taking a step back from the music industry for four years, Ashanti returned with the single "Never Too Far Away" in 2014 — the same year she released her sixth studio album, "Braveheart." She portrayed Latasha Montclair on the Lifetime series "Army Wives" for 13 episodes in 2013. Ashanti has continued to make music since then, collaborating with rappers like Ty Dolla Sign and Lil Wayne in 2017 and 2018. In honor of the 20th anniversary of her self-titled debut studio album in 2022, Ashanti plans to re-record and re-release it on her own label.
After being discovered on "America's Most Talented Kids," JoJo released her eponymous debut studio album at 13. Lead single "Leave (Get Out)" topped the Billboard pop chart, making JoJo the youngest artist to ever achieve that level of success. Her second studio album, "The High Road," was released in 2006, and its first single, "Too Little Too Late," was certified platinum by the RIAA. She made her feature film debut in the 2006 teen rom-com "Aquamarine."
Amidst a dispute with her former label, JoJo independently released two mixtapes: 2010's "Take That Away from Me" and 2012's "Agápē." In 2014, she signed with Atlantic Records and released her long-awaited third studio album, "Mad Love," in 2016. She left Atlantic the following year to create her own label, Clover Music, with Warner Records. In addition to re-recording and re-releasing previous albums "JoJo" and "The High Road," she released her fourth studio album, "Good to Know," in 2020. Five months later, JoJo debuted "December Baby," her first holiday album. She also won her first Grammy in 2020: She and PJ Morton took home the prize for best R&B song for their hit "Say So." JoJo has continued to make music — In 2021, she released the EP "Try Not to Think About It."
Although Lindsay Lohan rose to fame as a child actor, she launched a relatively successful music career in her teens. In addition to starring in several noteworthy films including "The Parent Trap," "Freaky Friday," "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen" and "Mean Girls," Lindsay made her music industry debut in 2004. At 18, she released her debut studio album, "Speak," which went platinum. Then in 2005, she released her sophomore album, "A Little More Personal (Raw)," which contained the single "Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father)." She continued to land acting roles throughout the '00s, starring in films like "Just My Luck," "Chapter 27" and "I Know Who Killed Me," but as the decade came to a close, she was known more for her legal woes and rehab stays as her professional reputation took a nosedive. Lindsay also made headlines for her relationships with Wilmer Valderrama, Harry Morton and Samantha Ronson throughout the aughts.
Throughout the 2010s, Lindsay Lohan appeared in just a handful of films including "Machete," a made-for-TV movie about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton's tumultuous romance and "The Canyons." In 2014, she starred on her own short-lived docu-series, "Lindsay," as she began to get her life back together. From 2017 to 2018, she appeared alongside "Harry Potter" alum Rupert Grint on the British dark comedy series "Sick Note." In 2019, Lindsay — who for much of the decade has lived in Europe or Dubai — starred on another short-lived reality series, this time for MTV: "Lindsay Lohan's Beach Club" chronicled her efforts running an oceanside hotspot in Mykonos, Greece. It lasted just one season. That same year, Lindsay became a judge on the inaugural season of "The Masked Singer Australia." In 2020, she released the single "Back to Me." Get ready for a comeback in 2022 when the actress makes her return to movies in a Netflix rom-com alongside "Glee" actor Chord Overstreet.
Canadian singer-songwriter Fefe Dobson made her debut with the single "Bye Bye Boyfriend" in 2003. Her self-titled debut album was released that December and included the singles "Take Me Away," "Everything" and "Don't Go (Girls and Boys)."
In 2010, Fefe Dobson released her second studio album, "Joy." Her third album (which was intended to be her second), "Sunday Love," was released in 2012. The Canadian singer-songwriter married rapper-singer Yelawolf in 2019. While she's mostly remained out of the spotlight, in 2021, Fefe appeared as a guest judge on an episode of "Canada's Drag Race."
