30 Musicians Who Had Creative Projects Before Stardom

Some musicians seemingly appear out of thin air. For most, though, the rise to stardom is more of a marathon than a sprint. Your favorite artists likely spent years toiling away, lucky to get a local bar gig in the years before they would sell out venues across the world. For instance, Danger Mouse, one half of Gnarls Barkley and Broken Bells, began his career by making one of the most successful mashup albums of all time. Lil Wayne was a 14-year-old newcomer when he joined The Hot Boys, a seminal group in Lousiana’s rap history.

It’s hard to imagine acts like Father John Misty, Lizzo, and Kanye West ever not being famous, but they and the other 26 artists on this list took circuitous paths to stardom. Read on for stories of perseverance and plain dumb luck, each of which proves that every successful musician’s path is unique.

Lizzo accepts the entertainer of the year award at the NAACP 51st Image Awards at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on Saturday, February 22, 2020 in Pasadena, CA. (Earl Gibson III via AP)

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/REX/Shutterstock (9337169uu) Benny Blanco arrives at the 60th annual Grammy Awards at Madison Square Garden, in New York 60th Annual Grammy Awards - Arrivals, New York, USA - 28 Jan 2018

Radiohead, Phil Selway, Jonny Greenwood, Thom Yorke, Colin Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Luna theater, Brussels, Belgium, 05/12/1995. (Photo by Gie Knaeps/Getty Images)

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - SEPTEMBER 22: Alex Ebert of the band Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros performs during the 2019 Bourbon & Beyond Music Festival at Highland Ground on September 22, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images)