She began performing in Philadelphia clubs when she was 14. Her stage name, "P!nk", which she thought was a good nickname after Anthony Ragland suggested it, was a nickname of hers when she was singing in the clubs. Pink said, "I was extreme. I went through phases from skateboarder, to hip-hopper, to rave child, to lead singer in a band. I did it all, and all at the same time." At 14, she was convinced to audition to become a member of the all-female group Basic Instinct, and earned a spot in the lineup. Ultimately, the group disbanded without releasing any material. At 16, together with two other teenage girls, Stephanie Galligan and Chrissy Conway, Pink formed the R&B group Choice. A copy of their first song, "Key to My Heart", was sent to LaFace Records in Atlanta, Georgia, where L.A. Reid overheard it and arranged for the group to fly there so he could see them perform. After that, he signed them to a record deal. As the three girls were under 18 at the time, their parents had to cosign the contract. The group relocated to Atlanta and recorded an album, which was never released, and "Key to My Heart" appeared on the soundtrack to the 1996 film Kazaam. During a Christmas party, Reid gave Pink an ultimatum: go solo or go home. Choice disbanded in 1998.Pink has named Janis Joplin as her biggest musical influence saying: "She was so inspiring by singing blues music when it wasn't culturally acceptable for white women, and she wore her heart on her sleeve. She was so witty and charming and intelligent, but she also battled an ugly-duckling syndrome. I would love to play her in a movie." Madonna is also one of her biggest influences about whom she stated: "I wanted to do it my way with my career, and I had this arrogant notion that people weren't just interested in my music but me as a person. That was my bit of arrogance, I guess. That's something I learned from Madonna. I was a fan right from the first time I heard 'Holiday. " Other influences include Joan Jett, Mary J. Blige, Billy Joel, Linda Perry and Whitney Houston. She has been described as an artist who has changed the scope of pop music. She has been credited for breaking boundaries and pushing the envelope throughout her career. She is often regarded as the "most trailblazing artist" of her generation. Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times says, "Pink stood up for her music, broke the music industry's mold and scored a breakout hit, challenging a school of teen singers to find their own sounds as well." He adds,"[Pink] also started a race among other teen pop stars like Christina Aguilera to add substance to their own sound. Referring to her as a "powerhouse vocalist", Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times asked, "Why isn't she an even bigger star?" Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone commented: "I think people respond to her sense of independence and dedication. It inspires people ... This is a prolific pop artist who is sometimes famous and successful, sometimes obscure, who nonetheless keeps making her own kind of music. Every few years, the spotlight comes back around to her—but her fans can trust that when the spotlight moves along, Pink will keep on writing Pink songs." Powers adds that her mix of rock-style rebellion, emotional rawness, humor and "infectious" dance beats created "a model for the mashup approach of latter-day divas such as Avril Lavigne, Katy Perry, Kesha, and even Rihanna." James Montgomery of MTV describes her as "a fabulously fearless pop artist" who can "out-sing almost anyone out there. She can out-crazy Gaga or Lily. She's the total pop-star package, everything you'd want in a singer/entertainer/icon. And still, she remains oddly off the radar. Such is the price of busting borders, I suppose." Entertainment Weekly said: "She essentially invented the whole modern wave of Pop Diva Domination: You can draw a straight line from “Get This Party Started” to Katy Perry, Kesha, pre-messianic Lady Gaga, and post-weird Rihanna." Doing a cover story on Pink in 2012 The Advocate wrote: "The singer has changed the sound of modern pop music irrevocably. Paving the path for many of today’s most popular modern female artists, including Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Rihanna. Bill Brotherton of the Boston Herald seconded this notion while reviewing The Truth About Love Tour saying: "It’s hard to imagine that Katy Perry, Rihanna and even Gaga would have achieved superstar status without 33-year-old Alecia Moore leading the way." Following her performance at the American Music Awards of 2012, LZ Granderson of CNN wrote: "... our culture's biggest sin may well be the auto-tuned syrup we've allowed to dominate the pop charts. All-time chart records are handed to vacuous acts such as the Black Eyed Peas and singing awards are given to vocal lightweights such as Taylor Swift, but thank God for Pink. While Christina Aguilera has a tendency to oversing, Britney Spears can't sing, and Lauryn Hill sorta stopped singing, Pink has managed to carve a brilliant 13-year-career by being something that is incredibly rare these days—an artist." British soul singer Adele considers Pink's performance at Brixton Academy in London as one of "the most defining moments" in her life, saying "It was the Missundaztood record, so I was about 13 or 14. I had never heard, being in the room, someone sing like that live. I remember sort of feeling like I was in a wind tunnel, her voice just hitting me. It was incredible." Pink's internet and social media life has proven strong, with 16 million followers on Twitter, and 20.8 million likes on Facebook page and 2.4 million subscribers on her official YouTube account.