- Carrie Underwood went from being an "American Idol" to a country music mega-star.
- Jennifer Lopez has won over 11 Billboard Latin Music Awards over the course of her singing career.
- Céline Dion has the best-selling Las Vegas residency in history.
Melina Glusac, Max Kalnitz, and Tayler Adigun contributed to an earlier version of this story.
Céline Dion performed on Michel Jasmin's Canadian talk show in 1981, and was instantly beloved by the audience.
Her performance on the show was so impressive that Canadian music producer René Angélil, who would later become her husband, decided to finance and put together her debut album.
From that point, Dion catapulted into stardom, becoming a major sensation in Canada during the 1980s, before gaining super-star status in America in the 1990s.
Over the duration of her music career, Dion has sold over 220 million albums and won many awards, including five Grammys.
She also starred in two of the best-selling Las Vegas residencies of all time.
In 1999, Jennifer Lopez released her hit debut album, "On the 6." At that point, she was already a successful actor and dancer.
Lopez's very first album went multi-platinum. Two of the song on the album, "Let's Get Loud" and "Waiting for Tonight," each earned Grammy nominations in 2000.
But before her music career took off, Lopez had already been a dancer on "In Living Color" and secured a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in the 1997 biopic "Selena," playing famed Tejano star Selena Quintanilla.
Since Lopez has been on the music scene, she has sold over 24 million records and earned multiple music awards for her artistry, including MTV's prestigious Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award and 11 Billboard Latin Music awards.
We were introduced to Carrie Underwood in 2005 on "American Idol" when she was a contestant. She'd go on to win the whole thing.
Alongside being an "American Idol," Underwood has accomplished some impressive feats in the music industry.
Underwood has seven platinum albums under her belt, and has sold over 66 million records in total.
Underwood is also the only woman to win the entertainer of the year award at the Academy of Country Music Awards three times.
Before she was a certified diva, Mariah Carey was just trying to promote her new record.
It's hard to believe that Carey was once unknown, but in the early 1990s, her career was just getting started.
She made her national television debut on "The Arsenio Hall Show" in 1991, shortly after releasing her first single, "Vision of Love." Hall introduced her as a "very impressive young talent," and Carey's performance earned thunderous applause.
She's since won five Grammys from 34 nominations and broken multiple chart records.
Britney Spears was on "Star Search" in 1984 before becoming the Princess of Pop.
Britney Spears got her start young. She first appeared on Star Search in 1992, at age 11, singing a strong rendition of The Judds' "Love Can Build A Bridge." Her stage charisma was undeniable, but Spears lost the competition to Marty Thomas. She later joined "The Mickey Mouse Club," and, after scoring a smash with 1999's "Baby One More Time," quickly became known as the "Princess of Pop."
She's one of the best-selling music artists of all time. And after a six-year hiatus, Spears finally released a new song in August 2022 (the first since her conservatorship ended), a duet with none other than Sir Elton John (more on him later).
Like Spears, Christina Aguilera got her start on "Star Search."
Another pop diva, Aguilera got her start even younger. The fledgling musician appeared on "Star Search" at the age of 9 in 1989, singing Etta James' "Sunday Kind of Love."
Like Spears, Aguilera was eliminated early on, but she soon joined "The Mickey Mouse Club" and saw a meteoric rise to success after her song "Genie in a Bottle" was released in 1999.
A young Whitney Houston debuted on "The Merv Griffin Show" in 1983, and Griffin called her "simply breathtaking."
Houston was completely unknown until musical magnate Clive Davis discovered her in the early '80s. Davis set up her first performance on "The Merv Griffin Show" in 1983 — when Houston was just 19 years old — by saying, "She was [a] stunning beauty, stunning vocalist, and I brought her on national television. I introduced her to the next generation. If there would be a Lena Horne, a new Dionne Warwick, it would be Whitney."
Houston didn't release her debut album until two years later, but after that, her career sky-rocketed. She remained one of the world's most lauded singers until her death in 2012.
Drake jump-started The Weeknd's career after coming across his mixtape in 2011.
Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, anonymously released his first three songs on YouTube in February 2011. Two weeks later, Pitchfork graded one of the songs, "What You Need," as a "Best New Track." Later that month The Weeknd dropped a full mixtape, "House of Balloons," which piqued Canadian rapper Drake's interest so much, he shared it on Twitter.
Between the Drake publicity and numerous music websites naming the album one of the year's best, The Weeknd quickly gained popularity and made his identity public. He signed a record deal with Universal Republic and the rest is history.
Alanis Morissette was big-haired and upbeat on her 1990 "Star Search" appearance.
Five years before "You Oughta Know" swept the national airwaves in 1995, Canadian-American rocker Morissette was trying to get her name out there on "Star Search." She appeared on the popular talent competition in 1990, singing a surprisingly upbeat song and styling big hair and neon clothes — a stark contrast to the grungy image she would later assume.
"Jagged Little Pill" — the album that spawned several hits, including "You Oughta Know" — would go on to win 4 Grammy Awards and sell over 30 million copies.
Justin Bieber was discovered on YouTube.
Bieber's mom began uploading videos of her son singing to YouTube in 2008. Bieber was just 12 years old when producers discovered the videos, flew him out to Atlanta to audition, and quickly paired him up with a mentor, Usher.
Almost immediately, Bieber released "One Time" and became an international phenomenon, which he still remains to this day.
Demi Lovato started their career as a child actor on "Barney and Friends."
Lovato later moved over to the Disney Channel to star in "Camp Rock" in 2008 and then had her own show, "Sonny with a Chance," from 2009 to 2011.
She went on to release eight studio albums, joining the impressive list of Disney stars to make it big after their child acting careers.
Taylor Swift got her foot in the door writing and singing country songs before her pivot to pop.
It's no secret that Swift got her start singing country music. She moved from Pennsylvania to Nashville when she was just 14 to break into the music industry, soon becoming the youngest artist signed to the Sony/ATV Music publishing house.
She wrote many of her early hits, like "Picture to Burn" and "Our Song," and eventually crossed over from country to pop, establishing herself as one of the world's biggest pop stars.
Sir Elton John has been rocking his eye-catching costumes since 1970.
John released his first American album in 1970, and began to make television appearances at the time. That same year, he sang one of his now classics, "Your Song," on "The Andy Williams Show," a popular variety show at the time. He began to achieve success almost immediately and has since won five Grammys, two Oscars, a Tony, a Kennedy Center Honor and has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth.
In 2007, Lady Gaga was excited about the launch of a single that kick-started her career.
Two years after getting signed to but quickly dropped from Def Jam Records in 2005, Lady Gaga was working at Interscope Records writing hits for stars including Brittany Spears and New Kids on the Block. That year, Akon saw Gaga performing a burlesque show and offered to sign her to Kon Live, a subsidiary of Interscope.
She went on the release her first album "Fame" which included the hit single "Just Dance," which would go on to launch her career. Since then, she's worn meat dresses and other outrageous outfits, dyed her hair every color of the rainbow, won a slew of Grammys, and won an Oscar for her song, "Shallow," from "A Star Is Born."
Before Beyoncé achieved success with Destiny's Child, she was in another group called Girls Tyme.
Before Beyoncé went solo and achieved legendary status, she was part of Destiny's Child — but before that she was in another all-girl group, Girls Tyme. The crew appeared on the 1993 season of "Star Search," and Queen B actually samples the introduction to the performance in her song "***Flawless."
When rapper B.o.B. released "Nothin' On You" in 2010, everyone obsessed over Bruno Mars' feature.
Mars achieved moderate success in the studio early in his career, writing hits for artists like K'Naan, but he wasn't publicly known. This changed when B.o.B.'s "Nothin' On You," which featured Mars, became a hit in 2010. The same year, Mars released his first solo single, "Just The Way You Are."
Since then, the "Uptown Funk" singer has become a hit machine, taking home both record of the year and song of the year at the 2022 Grammys alongside Anderson .Paak as part of Silk Sonic.
Eminem was discovered by producer Dr. Dre in the late 1990s.
Eminem had a tough early life, which was portrayed in the semi-biographical film "8 Mile" in 2002.
His career first took off after releasing "The Slim Shady EP" in 1997, which was discovered by former N.W.A. member and producer Dr. Dre. He then released his first solo single, "My Name Is," in 1999 and would follow that with many more appearances, hit songs, and controversies.
Eminem released a new album, "Music to Be Murdered By," in 2020, and he even performed at the Oscars that year too — although some viewers were confused about that.
Drake used to be an actor on "Degrassi: The Next Generation."
The popular Canadian rapper Drake seems to produce hit after hit these days. But before music, Drake — real name Aubrey Graham — found minor success staring in the long-running teen soap opera "Degrassi: The Next Generation" as wheelchair-bound Jimmy Brooks.
Drake began making hip-hop mixtapes while he was still working on the show, eventually earning the attention of Lil Wayne. He was signed to Wayne's label in 2008, and the rest is chart-topping history.
Madonna got her start as a dancer and New York "scenester."
While studying dance on a full scholarship at the University of Michigan, Madonna earned a six-week scholarship to study at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City. That led to her performing with choreographer Pearl Lang in 1978, who then encouraged her to drop out of college and pursue dancing full time.
After short stints working various jobs including as a showgirl in Paris and drumming in Dan Gilroy's band Breakfast Club, she started her solo career with the single "Everybody," which reached No. 1 on the dance charts in 1982 and helped her sign a deal with Sire Records.
Her career lived beyond the '80s: Madonna scored hits in the '90s and 2000s, solidifying her title as the "Queen of Pop."
Harry Styles got his start with the rest of One Direction on "The X Factor."
Styles was just 16 years old when he auditioned for "The X Factor." Although his rendition of Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely" didn't win over all the judges, he was brought back with four other rejected solo contestants — Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik — to advance in the competition as a group, forming what became One Direction.
One Direction went on to make history with the release of "Up All Night," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and was the first debut album from a UK artist to debut at the No. 1 spot.
Since leaving One Direction in 2016, Styles has released three record-breaking albums ("Harry Styles," "Fine Line," and "Harry's House") and he has starred in movies including "Dunkirk," "Don't Worry Darling," and "My Policeman."
Lil Wayne got his start at Cash Money Records at the ripe age of 16.
Before he went solo, rapper Lil Wayne started in the group Hot Boys signed to Cash Money Records. The group included up-and-coming rappers B.G., Juvenile, and Turk, in addition to Wayne, and spawned the moderately successful albums "Get It How U Live!!" (1997) and "Guerilla Warfare" (1999).
Soon after, Wayne went solo and got even more successful, eventually founding Young Money Records, which later signed Drake and Nicki Minaj.
During her "19" era, Adele used to sport a beehive hairdo like Amy Winehouse.
Adele sky-rocketed to fame after the release of her 2008 album, "19," and its breakout single "Chasing Pavements" climbed the charts. At the time, Adele sported heavy eye makeup and a beehive hairdo, similar to Amy Winehouse, an artist Adele has claimed "changed her life."
"19" marked the beginning of an amazing career: 15 Grammys and three albums later, Adele is still churning out hits.
Like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake was a member of the "Mickey Mouse Club."
Timberlake was a young talent on "The Mickey Mouse Club" in the early 1990s. On the kid-friendly show, which was a breeding ground for future talent, Timberlake performed goofy skits and musical numbers — one of them with future *NSYNC member JC Chasez and Oscar-nominated actor Ryan Gosling.
By 1995, though, *NSYNC had fully formed, and Justin Timberlake was on his way to superstardom, where he remains to this day.
At age 15, Rihanna sang Mariah Carey's "Hero" and was signed to a label one year later.
Rihanna was signed to Def Jam records at just 16 years old, but before that, she was a young singer from Barbados trying to make a name for herself.
One of the earliest recordings of her is at a talent contest when the future pop star was just 15, singing Mariah Carey's "Hero." After sharpening up her skills, she released her first album, "Music of the Sun," in 2005 — and has since secured her place as one of pop's most popular acts with multiple Grammys and MTV Awards to her name.
Plus, she's a bona fide business success with her lingerie line Savage X Fenty and her cosmetics brand, Fenty Beauty.
Raised in a strict Christian household, Katy Perry started off as a gospel singer.
Pop royalty Perry started out as a Christian singer in the early 2000s. Her first album was a gospel record called "Katy Hudson," which is the singer's real name, and it was actually well-received by critics, but it was a commercial flop.
So, Perry quickly switched directions, taking her mother's maiden name and assuming a more "pop" identity. One decade and countless record-breaking songs later, it is safe to say the transition paid off.
Ever since starring in "Hannah Montana," Miley Cyrus has had a successful career.
Since starting her career as the star of Disney's "Hannah Montana" from 2006 to 2011, Cyrus has become a household name. The pop icon has churned out numerous hits from early material like "The Climb" to the raucous 2013 hit "We Can't Stop" to her newer rock-tinged music released in 2020.
Ariana Grande got her start on the Nickelodeon show "Victorious."
The world may never have been blessed with the music of Grande if Gloria Estefan hadn't discovered her during a cruise ship performance when she was 8 years old.
But before Grande was dropping certified bops like "thank u, next" and "7 rings," the pop superstar was a cast member on the Nickelodeon sitcom "Victorious." Grande played the bubbly character Cat Valentine from 2010 to 2013 and went on to star in a short-lived spinoff sitcom "Sam & Cat" from 2013 to 2014 with Jennette McCurdy of "iCarly."
Since releasing her debut album, "Yours Truly," in 2013, Grande has gone on to release five additional albums. She has been nominated for 12 Grammys and has won two: best pop vocal album for "Sweetener," and best pop duo/group performance for "Rain on Me."
Like many popular rappers today, Post Malone got his start on SoundCloud.
Post Malone — real name Austin Post — dropped out of community college and moved out to Los Angeles only a few years ago. He claims to have gotten into music through Guitar Hero 2, which he quickly mastered and which led him to pick up a real guitar. After releasing his single "White Iverson" to SoundCloud to much success, Malone is now one of the most popular acts in music.
Megan Thee Stallion rose to fame with the release of her second EP "Tina Snow," which featured her first entry on the US Billboard Hot 100, "Big Ole Freak."
She has since collaborated with Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, and many more.
The inventor of hot girl summer collaborated with fellow Houston native Beyoncé on the remix for her single "Savage." Megan was also featured on Cardi B's critically acclaimed single "WAP." These two songs earned Megan her first and second No. 1 spots on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Her successes have transcended the charts: In October 2021, Popeyes announced a partnership with the hip-hop star to promote a new hot sauce. The "Body" rapper also graduated with a bachelor of science degree in health administration from Texas Southern University in December 2021.
Jay-Z released his debut album, "Reasonable Doubt," in 1996 and has since become one of the most influential figures in the hip-hop industry.
The Brooklyn-born rapper has won over 20 Grammy Awards and has been nominated for 80.
In addition to helming an enviable career for over two decades, he played a pivotal role in launching the careers of fellow multi-hyphenates Rihanna and Kanye West.
He is one of the most decorated hip-hop artists ever. He has the most Grammy nominations in history and holds the record for most No. 1 albums by a solo artist.
Making history seems to be the mogul's favorite pastime; in 2019 he became hip-hop's first billionaire and in October 2021, Jay-Z became the first living solo rapper to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
One of hip-hop's biggest names, Kanye West, started as a producer in the late '90s and early 2000s for other artists, such as Jermaine Dupri and Jay-Z.
West produced four songs on Jay-Z's 2001 sophomore album, "The Blueprint," which has frequently been touted as a classic.
West's debut studio album, "The College Dropout," was released in 2004 and debuted at No. 2 on the US Billboard 200. Since then he has won over 20 Grammy Awards and created one of the most influential apparel brands in the world.
His footwear and clothing brand, Yeezy, is a powerhouse collaboration with athletic wear brand Adidas. The brand has been a favorite of streetwear enthusiasts since its launch in 2015.
Alicia Keys signed her first label deal at just 15.
Keys, a classically trained pianist, released her debut single, "Fallin," in 2002. The song won her three Grammy Awards and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
She teamed up with Jay-Z in 2009 for the culturally renowned single "Empire State of Mind," a love ballad to the city of New York.
Her book, "More Myself: A Journey," appeared at No. 3 on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover nonfiction. The book also won the 2021 Audie Award for best narration by author.
She released her eighth studio album, "Keys," in December 2021.
One of the biggest names in R&B history, Janet Jackson, got her start on TV.
The youngest member of one of the world's most famous families, Jackson captured hearts everywhere as Penny Gordon on CBS' "Good Times." She also starred opposite Tupac Shakur in the 1993 romantic drama, "Poetic Justice."
Jackson made history with her third studio album, "Control," which had five top-five hits, making her the first female artist to have five songs from one album on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She has won five Grammy Awards and has received nominations for 26.
Jackson also starred in award-winning films such as "The Nutty Professor," Tyler Perry's "Why Did I Get Married?" and "Why Did I Get Married Too?"
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