Superstars of the World: Do You Know Their Origins?

The word "superstar" is thrown around a lot these days. Many people dream of becoming that one person who everyone admires and looks up to, and some celebrities become that way after many years of working hard to perfect their craft. But do you know who these celebrities are and where they originally came from? This is your chance to learn their origins.

1) Kurt Cobain

Nirvana was the king of the grunge-rock musical movement in the 1990s. They became one of the most successful rock bands in that decade, and every song they produced managed to top charts all over the world. Nirvana's frontman, Kurt Cobain, has won several awards for his musical talents and lyrics. He's born in a small town in Washington called Aberdeen, but his origins go all the way to Ireland actually. The surname Cobain comes from County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. Kurt found out about this by glancing through a phone book and seeing the name appear frequently in Ireland!

2) Keanu Reeves

Though he has played in various movies since his career began, Keanu Reeves is most known for his role as Neo in the Matrix trilogy. Besides the Matrix, Reeves is also famous for John Wick, Speed, and Point Break. He's considered to be a man of mystery and his deep-set dark eyes and exotic looks tell us that his origin is quite interesting. Although he's a Canadian citizen, Keanu is actually born in Lebanon. If you're wondering how he got his start in America, the actor revealed he "drove across the border from Canada and arrived in LA" when he was 20 years old.

3) Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj is a rapper who rose to fame in the 2010s. Unlike other rappers, she is known for her feminine and flirty style of dressing that truly makes her stand out from the rest. With her success in rap, she's been able to collaborate with various celebrity musicians such as Madonna and Beyonce. Minaj was born in Trinidad and Tobago where her origin is from, but she also has roots in India. She received many rewards for her music, and she's even known to be one of the top-selling artists in America.

4) Tina Turner

Born in Tennessee, Tina Turner is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She's been known as a "queen of rock'n'roll". Tina started her singing career at the age of 18 when she joined a local band called The Kings Of Rhythm. Since then, she has collaborated with other musicians like Elton John to produce countless hits. Though many people do not know this, Tina Turner became a citizen of Switzerland in 2013 after living there for two decades. Tina has said that she finds Switzerland to be her home now.

5) Rihanna

This beautiful singer was born in Barbados, but she has roots all over! Rihanna's father is originally from Ireland, while her mother has roots in Guyana. With her mixed background, Rihanna has managed to produce songs that appeal to audiences all around the world. She started off her career as a teenager and has worked with big names such as Jay-Z, Eminem, and Kanye West. She's even known to be one of the highest-paid singers in America today. Since she has been able to produce so many hits throughout her career, Rihanna is now considered one of the most influential musicians around the world.

6) Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman is an actress that started her career when she was merely a child. In the 1990s, she appeared in several films such as Mars Attacks! and Leon: The Professional. Portman went on to win an Oscar for her performance in Black Swan, and she's also well-known for her role in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. She was born in Jerusalem to an Israeli father and an American mother. Her family moved to the States when she was a kid, but her native language is Hebrew.

7) Celine Dion

Celine Dion is a pop artist that has been around for decades, and she's most famous for her song My Heart Will Go On. She's often known as the best-selling Canadian artist in history, but did you know that she had a series of French-language albums during the 1980s? Although her recordings are mainly in French and English, she has also sung in Spanish, Italian, German, Latin, Japanese, and Mandarin Chinese. One more interesting fact about her, Celine was the 14th child in her family! Her music is known for its emotional lyrics and beautiful melodies.

We highlighted some of the world's most famous celebrities and their origins. It is interesting to learn how each one got started as well as what they're known for now.