Age: 38
Occupation: Actress, musician
Previous TIME 100 appearances: 0
Gwyneth Paltrow used to be just a fine actress married to a pop star. Now she's becoming a pop star in her own right. In the film Country Strong, Paltrow played a fallen country-music star and performed her own tunes. At first, many were skeptical that her musical talents could be as strong as her acting abilities — but she proved them wrong. Paltrow went on to perform at both the Grammys and the Oscars, and helped vault the film's sound track into the Top 5 on the country chart, leading Paltrow to a deal with Atlantic Records. To cap it all off, Paltrow was invited back to Glee this spring for two more guest appearances after she made a splash last fall as Holly Holiday, the sexy, slightly devious, singing, dancing substitute teacher.