Madison Avenue

Ah, record companies... You have to love them. Once they had wakened up to the fact that dance was 2000's chart king, more re-releases got the promotion they deserved in the first place. Madison Avenue had a minor hit with Don't Call Me Baby (which incidently I was convinced was called "Don't Call Me Sadie") in 1999. The Australian band crashed into the UK chart with the song at the top in May, 2000. They were the first Australian outfit to reach no 1 in the UK for seventeen years... Their follow-up, the equally sarcastic Who The Hell Are You? was also a hit, and came with a video that made them look like they were trying to sell us some vodka...

Madonna

The third single from acclaimed album Music also comes with the most controversial video - What It Feels Like For A Girl directed by husband Guy Ritchie, shows the Queen of Pop on a mad crime-spree, stealing cars, blowing up a petrol station, and causing mayhem before presumably committing suicide in a crash. The single followed the title-track Music and Don't Tell Me which were hits in 2000.

M&S presents The Girl Next Door

Featuring as the title suggests a sample from SalSoul records Loleatta Holloway's "Hit and Run" Salsoul Nugget by M&S presents The Girl Next Door was a UK hit 2001. M&S are Ricky Morrison and Fran Sidoli, school friends who met up again years later to make music. They have charted before under the monikers State of Mind and as producers of The Blockster. The Girl Next Door is Natasha Brice who had a minor role in the SF movie The Fifth Element.

Manic Street Preachers

Strangest release of 2001 had to be the Beachboysesque So Why So Sad by the Manic Street Preachers which is the first single taken from latest album Know Your Enemy. The video portrays families holidaying on a beach seemingly oblivious to troops invading it, an anti-war statement as subtle as a sledgehammer and which seems to have little to do with the song. Still the track is jolly in its own way - perhaps I'd understand the point if I had a better reading list? The second single was released the same week as the first in a typical manic move. Found That Soul is a darker, heavier song than So Why So Sad and is accompanied by a dark night-vision video with shots of which books the boys presumably want us to read... The publicity for the new album has included a news-worthy concert in Cuba where none other than Fidel Castro attended...

Marilyn Manson

Lene Marlin

Ricky Martin

A marriage of vocals made in heaven you'd think but the falseness of the video trickery for Nobody Wants To Be Lonely mars a relatively good effort by the numero uno latino songsters, Ricky Martin and Christina Aguilera. A heavily air-brushed Christina appears in the video as a cross between Dolly Parton and Barbie while Ricky dances solo in denim.

Mary Mary

Mary Mary are two sisters from California, USA with their first hit, Shackles (Praise You). Brought up exclusively on gospel music, the sisters sang solo spots in their church choir which led to appearances on Cable TV. They have since performed as tour backing singers for Brandy. Now with their own recording contract their first album Thankful was produced by Warryn Campbell. Incidently the name Mary Mary refers to Mary Magdalene and the mother of Jesus.

Matchbox 20

Martine McCutcheon

A surprising high debuting hit for Martine McCutcheon was her first single from latest album. I'm Over You is written by Sturken and Rogers, hitmakers behind Christina Aguilera and Ricky Martin, but suffers a rather pedestrian production which makes it sound a little dated. The video looks a bit lacking in ideas too. The problem seems to be that the producers are going for a Britney/Billie look which doesn't fit with a face as well-known as Martine's. McCutcheon of course came to fame as Tiffany in british soap opera Eastenders and despite a successful singing career (this is her fourth hit since leaving the show) she is also busy appearing as Eliza Doolittle in a stage production of My Fair Lady.

Sarah McLachlan

George Michael

Christina Milian

Milk Inc

Dannii Minogue

Kylie Minogue

2000 may have been a comeback year for Kyle Minogue but with Can't Get You Out Of My Head the Aussie diva is reaching new heights. The song was a no 1 in both Australia and the UK in 2001 before hitting the US top 10 in 2002. Simple lyrics, hypnotic dance moves and a few cheeky flashes of flesh combine the song and video flawlessly. Spinning Around in summer 2000 rejuvenated her career and was followed by the hit album Light Years and hits in On A Night Like This, Please Stay and the Robbie Williams duet Kids.

Miss Dynamite

Mis-teeq

Alesha, Su-Elise, and Sabrina make up Mis-teeq who have already done the Eternal/Destiny's Child thing and dropped the fourth member of the line-up. All their songs have featured R&B and garage versions which suggests the girls have hopes for hits on both sides of the Atlantic...

Moby

What a good year 2000 was for US producer Richard Hall better known as Moby. Not only did his album Play spent five weeks at the top of the UK album chart but Porcelain, the sixth single from it, becomes his highest charting single ever and only the third top 10 of his career. Moby revealed in a recent article in Q magazine that he plays a game at celebrity parties with his mates which involves them slipping their pinuses out of their flies and surreptiously brushing against other stars... And Christine thinks Eminem is gross...?

Modjo

Strangely Jan Destagnol and Romain Tranchart, the producers behind the Lady, met while studying classical music at the American School of Modern Music in Paris. They say they're not that keen on the club-scene, and prefer chillin' watching football at home. They are so shy that UK flagship chart programme, Top of the Pops, had to resort to a latter-day Pan's People to dance to their No 1 record.

Moloko

Moony

Chanté Moore

Mandy Moore

The latest teenage girl import from the US is Mandy Moore. Candy's video features the girl cruising in the latest Volkswagen Beetle with her friends and eyeing up the local boys. Born in 1984 Mandy lives with her parents in Orlando, Florida. She always wanted to be a singer and as she grew up she became known as the "National Anthem Girl" because she sang the "Star Spangled Banner" at so many sports events. She says her musical talent may have come from her grandmother who was a dancer in the theatre district of London. She's featured in a lot of TV advertising and her debut album I Wanna Be With You is now released.

More Fire Crew

Debelah Morgan

Alanis Morissette

Mousse T

Samantha Mumba

With five UK hits Dublin lass Samantha Mumba has also made waves around the globe. She's been spending most of her time lately in the US where she has had top 10 success in both the single and album charts. She has also been filming a role in The Time Machine produced by Stephen Spielberg. Meanwhile her little brother Omero is currently recording his first album...

Muse

Mya

The R&B vocalist Mya charted as part of other hits such as ex-Fugee Pras Michel's Ghetto Supastar and Blackstreet's Take Me There both in 1978. Her first album Mya was released in the US when she was 18 and spawned three top ten hits including a duet with Sisqo, It's All About Me. Most recently of course she was a member of the successful quartet taking Lady Marmalade to no 1 in the US, UK and Australia.

Mystikal