Alison Gold

Vocalist Alison Gold became an Internet star overnight in the fall of 2013 when her song "Chinese Food," a dance-friendly ditty about the joys of eggs rolls, fried rice, and chow mein, racked up over 12 million views on YouTube within three weeks of being posted. Born in Fairfax, Virginia on May 9, 2002, Gold describes herself as a "singer, dancer, and actor" on her Twitter page, but her career was not much to talk about until 2012, when she partnered with songwriter and producer <a href="spotify:artist:3KC5lmp6aJubCdNpQqiRN6">Patrice Wilson</a>, the man behind <a href="spotify:artist:3Vl9fyKMIdLMswk8ai3mm9">Rebecca Black</a>'s viral video sensation "Friday." Accompanied by a video featuring Gold enjoying a meal at a Chinese restaurant and making friends with a panda who turns out to be <a href="spotify:artist:3KC5lmp6aJubCdNpQqiRN6">Wilson</a> in a costume, "Chinese Food" soon became a Web sensation of its own, though some in the media criticized the video for its use of certain Asian stereotypes. Despite the flap, "Chinese Food" rose to 29 on the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Billboard%22">Billboard</a> singles charts, based almost exclusively on YouTube play. Three weeks after "Chinese Food" hit, Gold and <a href="spotify:artist:3KC5lmp6aJubCdNpQqiRN6">Wilson</a> dropped their follow-up on YouTube, a lovelorn pop number called "ABCDEF." ~ Mark Deming