10. Ashley Alexandra Dupre - "What We Want" (2008)
Courtesy MySpace
Since 2004, Ashley Alexandra Dupre, born Ashley Youmans, has been an aspiring singer/songwriter. Her career received a sudden boost, at least in name recognition, due to the revelations that she is the woman referred to as "Kristen" in the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal. This song has now been heard more than 3.5 million times on the social networking site MySpace. Time will tell if this is the launch of a successful career, or if Dupre is simply experiencing brief tabloid-fueled public fascination.
9. Kevin Federline - "PopoZao" (2006)
Photo by Ethan Miller / Getty Images
Although he had worked as a dancer onstage for the likes of Justin Timberlake, Gwen Stefani, and Michael Jackson, it was his marriage to tabloid queen Britney Spears that made Federline (aka K-Fed) a household name. Somewhere along the way he decided to try and prove he was just as talented a musician as his famous wife. This single was released to resounding derision, fueled at least in part by an unintentionally comic video. Kevin Federline would later receive praise as a responsible father to the 2 children from his marriage, but there is no clamor for him to return to a musical career.
8. Paris Hilton - "Stars Are Blind" (2006)
Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images
When heiress and tabloid socialite Paris Hilton decided to pursue an airing of her musical talents, many in the industry scoffed. However, she managed to convince talented producers and songwriters to help put together an album titled Paris. The results were less than stellar and "Stars Are Blind's" #14 peak on the pop singles chart is likely to be seen as the pinnacle of her pop career. It was not long after the release of the album that Hilton was again garnering front page tabloid coverage for drunk driving arrests.
7. Tila Tequila - "I Love U" (2007)
Photo by Bryan Bedder / Getty Images
Singapore-born Tila Tequila has been a MySpace star, host of a VH1 reality show where both men and women compete for the opportunity to date her, and, an aspiring singer. She released this single independently and it was not long before it was hanging out near the top of sales on iTunes. The song failed to chart in Billboard, but the video is a YouTube favorite. Warning: The video includes rough language.
6. Lindsay Lohan - "Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father)" (2005)
Courtesy Casablanca Records
After her first album Speak failed to set the pop world on fire, Lindsay Lohan decided to get a bit more personal and dramatize her family's dirty laundry in song. Dealing with issues of alcoholism and domestic abuse, the video capitalizes on Lohan's film talents to riveting effect. Within months Lindsay Lohan was back in tabloid headlines for being hospitalized due to asthma attacks and cutting herself on a broken teacup.
5. Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson - "Scream" (1995)
Photo by Getty Images
Back in 1995, Michael Jackson and his sister Janet Jackson were two of the most popular performers in the world, but they were angry with the press. Michael had settled out of court following accusations of child molestation, and his marriage to Lisa Marie Presley was the subject of endless tabloid speculation. Janet received fire over the increasingly explicit sexual content of her music as well as a topless appearance on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. This song is their musical response. In their words, "The whole system sucks." The record reached the pop top 5, and the video received a Grammy Award.
4. George Michael - "Outside" (1998)
Photo by MJ Kim / Getty Images
An arrest for lewd behavior in a public restroom would seem to be a serious blow to the career of most pop stars. However, far from slinking away, George Michael came out swinging with this musical response to his arrest. The video, in particular, is a bitingly humorous take on the situation. Urinals morph into shiny things on the wall of a slick dance club, George appears in a skintight police uniform, and all sorts of couples and small groups are depicted enjoying each other's company outside.
3. Britney Spears - "Piece of Me" (2007)
Courtesy MTV Networks
Britney Spears is the undisputed queen of tabloid scrutiny, so it really came as no big surprise that she would ultimately aim to settle the score. However, few expected her approach, in music and video, would be quite so sly and clever.
2. Dixie Chicks - "Not Ready to Make Nice" (2006)
Photo by Frank Micelotta / Getty Images
In 2003, the Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines learned that criticizing the American president on foreign soil in the midst of a buildup for war is a difficult career move. After stating onstage in London that the group "was ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas," condemnation, boycotts, and death threats followed. Ultimately, the group responded in song and the effort won them a clutch of Grammy Awards.
1. Amy Winehouse - "Rehab" (2006)
Photo by Roger Kisby / Getty Images
With the release of her first album Frank in 2003, Amy Winehouse became a pop star in the UK amid strong acclaim from the music press. However, it was not long before she became the topic of tabloid scrutiny due to a tendency to appear intoxicated in public. This first single from the album Back to Black is a response to those who insisted she enter a rehabilitation center.
