Complete the text with the present or the past simple form

Complete the text with the present or the past simple form of the verbs in brackets:

Bretney and Justin__(be)friends for a long time.They first___(meet)on a tv show when Bretney was eleven.When they were younger,they both___(sing) on a talent show.They___(not win),but since then they__(have)a lot of hits.Justin___(have) his first hit in 1998 and Bretneys first number one___(be) in 1999.They are good friends today and they___(appear) together recently on TV and at concerts