Singers Meghan Trainor and Jordin Sparks and actor Ralph Fiennes are celebrating their birthdays today, December 22.
Meghan Trainor, 21
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Singer, songwriter and producer Meghan Trainor turns 21 today. Trainor's breakthrough came after she met and wrote with Grammy-nominated producer Kevin Kadish. Together they wrote "All About That Bass." After hearing the song, L.A. Reid signed her to Epic Records. "All About That Bass" has since become her first No. 1 single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, and has topped charts in other countries including Australia, Canada, Denmark and New Zealand. The song then remained at the top of the UK chart for four weeks, becoming the longest-running number one by a female act in 2014.
Trainor's debut EP, Title, was released in September 2014, peaking at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 chart. On October 21, 2014, Trainor released the single "Lips Are Movin" as the lead single from her upcoming third studio album, Title, which is set to be released on January 13, 2015.
Meghan Trainor was nominated for an American Music Award in 2014 for New Artist of the Year. She received two nominations at the 57th Grammy Awards - Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
In 2014, Trainor announced her first-ever headlining tour, That Bass Tour, which is scheduled to begin February 2015 in Vancouver, Canada and end in March 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Jordin Sparks, 25
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Singer, songwriter and actress Jordin Sparks turns 25 today. In 2007, she rose to fame after winning Season 6 of American Idol at age 17. Her self-titled debut album was released later that year and was certified platinum, selling over two million copies worldwide. The singles "Tattoo" and "No Air" reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "No Air" earned Sparks her first Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.
Sparks' second album, Battlefield, debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 chart. Its lead single with the same title reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Sparks transitioned into careers in acting and Broadway. She made guest appearances on several television series including Disney's The Suite Life on Deck and Nickelodeon's Big Time Rush. Sparks made her Broadway debut in the musical In The Heights. She made her feature film debut in a remake of the musical film Sparkle in 2012.
Sparks' will release her third studio album under her new label, Louder than Life. The new album will be titled Right Here, Right Now and is scheduled for an early 2015 release. Her single, "It Ain't You," was officially released digitally on December 15,2014.
Throughout her career, Sparks has won numerous awards, including an NAACP Image Award, a BET Award, an American Music Award, a People's Choice Award and two Teen Choice Awards. As of February 2012, she has sold 1.3 million albums and 10.2 million singles in the United States alone.
Ralph Fiennes, 52
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Actor, director and producer Ralph Fiennes turns 52 today. In 1993, Fiennes' portrayal of a Nazi war criminal in Schindler's List earned him the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role as well as nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. His performance as Count Almásy in The English Patient earned him a second Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, as well as BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations.
Fiennes has been in a number of notable films including The End of the Affair, Red Dragon, The Constant Gardener, In Bruges, The Reader, Clash of the Titans and most recently The Grand Budapest Hotel in 2014. He is also known for his role as Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter film series from 2005 to 2011. He also stars in the James Bond film series, in which he assumes the role of M in the 2012 film Skyfall.
In 2011, Fiennes made his directorial debut with his film adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy Coriolanus, in which he also played the title character. Fiennes won a Tony Award for playing Prince Hamlet on Broadway.