Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Throughout the '90s, the U.K. music scene was filled to the brim with nerdy cockney types sporting messy threads and even messier hair. Sophie Ellis-Bextor was among the first Brit-pop stars to break with this trend. She made it onto the stage in 1997 as the teenage vocalist behind new wave outfit theaudience. Smartly dressed and boasting an alluring voice, she caused quite a stir on London's alternative circuit. Theaudience became known the world over as a groundbreaking pop act and enjoyed success on the crowded U.K. singles chart with such numbers as "I've Got the Wherewithal." After the group split up, Ellis-Bextor went searching for success on her own.