Rick Astley-Whenever You Need Somebody (1987)

Rick Astley became one of the world's biggest pop-rock stars in the late 1980s thanks to his looks, his charismatic baritone voice, and above all, his songs brimming with catchy melodies. Born in 1966 in Lancashire, in northwest England, he began his professional career at 19 as the drummer for a local band called FBI. At one of the band's performances, he was spotted by talent scout Peter Waterman, who would go on to launch Astley's career. Waterman, along with producers like Mike Scott and Stock Aitken, helped develop Astley's vocal range and produced his first single, a song that would shape the course of his successful career. "Never Gonna Give You Up" quickly became one of the biggest hits of the 1980s and one of the most memorable, a catchy dance-pop song that reached number one in numerous countries around the world. Shortly after came Astley's first full-length album, "Whenever You Need Somebody", which, in addition to "Never Gonna Give You Up", contained other major hits such as "Together Forever", "Whenever You Need Somebody", and "When I Fall in Love". This debut album, besides a repertoire of catchy pop songs, also featured R&B sounds and soul ballads. From then on, Astley's career maintained a high commercial and creative standard, releasing albums such as "Hold Me In Your Arms" (1988), "Free" (1991), and "50" (2016), among others that had less media impact.