The 1990s in music were very eclectic, ranging from the artists who had established themselves for many years to those who had made stunning debuts.

Quite a significant proportion of artists of the 1990s had begun their careers in the 1980s or before.

Some of the more famous of these artists included:

Air Supply

Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell had dominated the 1980s with their melodious middle-of-the-road music, a genre that transcended all mainstream genres and stood out from the loud punk rock sounds of that time; starting with "Lost in love" (1980), the duo had a string of hits throughout the period, including "All out of love" (1980), "Every woman in the world" (1980), "The One That You Love" (1981), "Here I am" (1981), "Sweet dreams" (1981), "Come what may" (1982), "Even the nights are better" (1982), "Two less lonely people in the world" (1982), "Making love out of nothing at all" (their first power ballad, 1983), and "Power of love" (1985). By the 1990s, the duo from Australia were a household name, and had just begun the decade with their smash hit "Without You (Ken Lee)" (1989). Some of Air Supply's biggest 1990s hits included "Goodbye" (1993), co-written by Graham Russell with Per Gessle (of Roxette fame); and "Strong strong wind" (1997), written by top songwriter Diane Warren. The duo continue to perform today, and are presently on their Lost In Love Experience World Tour.

Roxette

Having established themselves as the second-biggest Swedish act in the world after ABBA, with such hits as "Listen to your heart" (1989), Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle began the decade with a re-release of their 1987 debut single "It must have been love", now the theme song to the movie of the year, Pretty Woman. Their 1991 album Joyride proved to be the album that would permanently establish their position in the music world, spawning the hits "Spending my time", "Fading like a flower", and "Perfect day". They released a compilation album of their greatest hits in 1995, after which Gessle - already known for writing songs for many other artists including Anne Murray, Air Supply, Cliff Richard, Chicago, Jermaine Jackson, Kenny Rogers, and Lionel Richie - took up a job as a record producer in Southeast Asia between 1996 and 1999. They regrouped late in 1999 and recorded what was their strongest effort, Have A Nice Day, in Asia's Form Recording Studio that same year; the album contained what would be one of their grandest power ballads, "To Love You More". Fredriksson had an accident in the bath in 2002 after which she developed a malignant brain tumor, and died in December 2019 from complications from the tumor; and Gessle has since reformed the band using the new name PG Roxette with female vocalists Helena Josefsson and Dea Norberg.

Bee Gees

Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb had already made themselves a name after they began their careers in their native Queensland as Beatles soundalikes doing Beatles covers, then having a career of soft acoustic middle-of-the-road songs in the 1960s and 1970s before being swept up in the disco craze, and then returning to power ballads in the 1980s, including the catchy "Someone belonging to someone" (1983). By the 1990s, the trio were hoping to return to their roots with their newest single, "For whom the bell tolls", released in 1993. Their 1997 album Still Waters showed that the Gibbs had not lost their roots at all; its lead single, "Closer than close", was sung by Maurice. Maurice died in 2003, and Robin in 2012, leaving Barry the only surviving member of the Bee Gees today. Barry still continues to perform as a soloist.

Cliff Richard

Already famous as the UK's answer to Elvis Presley in the 1960s, Sir Cliff reinvented himself as a power-balladeer when he made his comeback in the 1980s with such hits as "Throw down a line" (1980) and "Ocean deep" (1984). By the 1990s, he was trying new stuff out, including the soul-tinged "Can't keep this feeling in", released in 1992. Cliff went on to do musical theater in the mid-1990s, playing Raoul in the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, with Sarah Brightman as Christine and Antonio Banderas in the title role. He also famously recorded "The Lord's Prayer" in 1999, as the anthem of the new millennium. Now approaching the age of 90, Cliff Richard still continues to perform today.

Patty Smyth-McEnroe

Formerly the lead singer of the rock band Scandal, Patty had a massive solo hit in 1992. Well, not exactly solo, as it featured Eagles drummer Don Henley. "Sometimes love just ain't enough" was so big that it was on top of every chart within days of first release, and it enabled Patty to retire early. She would go on to marry tennis star John McEnroe, and would not release another studio album until 2015. She still performs today.

Dan Hill

This gentle giant from Canada had already established his reputation as the King of Power Ballads since the success of 1976's "Sometimes when we touch", and had continued to have several more hits in the 1980s including "Can't we try" (a duet with Ally McBeal singer Vonda Shepard) and "Never thought (that I could love)" (a tribute to his hospitalized mother). 1991 turned out to be his swansong year for recording studio albums, when his final album Dance of Love was released, containing what would be his final chart entry, "I fall all over again". Although he no longer records studio albums, Hill still continues to perform live today, and also works as a record producer, having produced - among others - fellow Canadian Celine Dion's 1996 album Falling Into You.

Many artists who debuted in the 1990s made some of the most stunning debuts ever.

Some of these artists included:

Michael Learns To Rock (MLTR)

Hailing from Denmark, this band was best known for their middle-of-the-road love-themed ballads, which have placed them as the legitimate successors to Air Supply's throne. Jascha Richer, Soren Madsen, Mikkel Lentz, and Kaare Wanscher had formed in 1988 for Eurovision, taking their band name in a hurry - it was an obvious play on guitarist Mikkel Lentz's name. Their debut eponymous album was released in 1991 and contained the synth ballad "The Actor", the band's first big hit. Throughout the 1990s, they had a string of major hits - the 1995 album Colors spawned "Sleeping child", "Wild women", "Complicated Heart", "25 minutes", and "Out of the blue"; while their 1996 album Played On Pepper delivered "That's why (you go away)" - possibly their most successful single to date - and "Love will never lie". In 1997 their album "Nothing to lose" spawned the big hit "Paint my love" and also the title track. Their success continued into the 2000s and beyond with "You took my heart away" (2000), "The Ghost Of You" (2001), and "It's gonna make sense" (2008). Additionally, MLTR are known for singing the Fighting Spiders theme song, "Take me to your heart", which was first released in 2009. MLTR have just released their latest new single, "A Life To Remember" (2024); and they still perform today.

The Australian made a stunning debut with "Heaven knows", from his 1992 album of the same name, which provoked comparisons with Bryan Adams and Richard Marx. He would go on to specialized in a countryfied middle-of-the-road genre of music, established with his second album Tamborine Mountain (1995), which delivered two big hits with the country-tinged "River of love" and the piano ballad "Nothing can stop us now". Other big hits include "Walk away Renee" (1992) and "If you were my baby" (1992). Rick has just released his latest single, "You can't keep a good man down", a countryfied tribute to his grandfather; and he still performs today.

Hanson

Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson made their debuts in the late 1990s as teenage boys performing in a style similar to the Jackson Five. Their first album spawned the power ballad "I will come to you", which was based off a Biblical passage. But their second album, This Time Around, released in 1999, was more successful; its title track was a major hit, and the upbeat "I wish that I was there" - sung by drummer Zac - showcased the band's flexibility at trying new genres out. They still perform today.

Spice Girls

'Nuff said. Victoria Beckham, Geraldine Horner, Melanie Gulzar, Melanie Chisholm, and Emma Bunton began their careers with the smash hit "If you wanna be my lover" in 1997, and followed it up with "Stop right now" in 1998. They still perform today.

Celine Dion

Hailed as the successor to Whitney Houston, the Canadian Celine Dion began her career by doing Whitney Houston covers as a teenager; she barely spoke English at the time, having learned her lines phonetically. Her debut single "Where does my heart beat now" in 1990, released when she was only 19, showcased her stunning vocal belting skills and technique. She began a lifelong partnership with songwriter Diane Warren, who wrote such songs as "Water from the moon", "If you asked me to", and "Nothing broken but my heart" specially for her. Critics regard her recording of the Titanic theme song, "My Heart Will Go On", from 1998, as her outstanding achievement.

Mariah Carey

The Queen of Xmas herself is indeed today best known for all her Xmas songs, which have been at the top of the charts every Xmas period since her 1994 debut. Her signature song, "All I want for Xmas is you", has long been the epitome of the perfect Xmas carol. Outside of her Xmas repertory, Mariah's other big hits include "Hero" and "I still believe".