Linda Perry

Linda Perry knew a thing or two about writing hit songs. The American singer and songwriter was first known as the lead singer of the all-female group 4 Non Blondes before becoming the chart-topping composer of several hit songs that included Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" and Gwen Stefani's "What You Waiting For?" Perry was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. At a young age, Perry displayed a talent and interest for music. When she moved to California's Bay Area at the age of 21 in 1986, it marked the beginning of Perry's career in music. In 1989, Perry met Christa Hillhouse and was recruited into her band, 4 Non Blondes. Three years later, the band released their debut album, Bigger, Better, Faster, More! With Perry providing the band's lead vocals, the album was an immediate success with its hit single "What's Up?," which Perry herself wrote. Despite their success, disagreements among the members of 4 Non Blondes caused the band to break up in 1994. Perry quickly jumped to start her solo career and released In Flight in 1996. Although her album was positively received by music critics, it did not match the success Perry found with 4 Non Blondes. After In Flight, she continued to perform for live shows around the country and found success writing songs for other artists. In 2000, pop rock singer Pink sought Perry's help for her second album, Missundaztood. Perry co-wrote many of the songs, which included full writing credits for the biggest hits on the album, "Get the Party Started" and "Lonely Girl." Now in the spotlight as a music producer and hit songwriter, Perry teamed up with other artists such as Jewel, Courtney Love, Alicia Keys, and Celine Dion. In 2002, she provided Christina Aguilera with "Beautiful." A haunting ballad with an empowering message, "Beautiful" was a huge hit, and won Aguilera the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Grammy in 2004; Perry was nominated for Song of the Year. Perry continued to work behind the scenes with other artists in the following years, including Gwen Stefani, James Blunt, KT Tunstall and Weezer. In 2010, she formed a new band called Deep Dark Robot with Tony Tornay and released their debut album, 8 Songs About a Girl, the following year. Perry began dating television star Sara Gilbert in 2011; the couple married on March 30, 2014. (Gilbert filed for divorce in December 2019.) Perry continued working steadily as a songwriter and producer, working with acts including Adele, Miley Cyrus, Pat Benatar, and Dolly Parton, with whom she wrote the Golden Globe-nominated song "Girl in the Movies" for the Parton-produced film "Dumplin ." (2018).