Discover amazing facts about some of the world's most popular songs
Beyoncé is arguably now the most famous and most successful singer in the world. She has a net worth of approximately half a billion dollars and it seems like she's just getting better with age.
Justin Timberlake also made it big in 1997, when his boy band NSYNC started to take off. The band split in 2001 after four successful albums. Timberlake found solo success unlike any other member of the band.
Zayn Malik was the first member to leave the band in search of a solo career. He has since released a number of successful albums and collaborated with the likes of Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift.
Although Malik was the first to go, Harry Styles is the One Direction member who found the greatest success so far. He was able to define a more unique style of music and fashion, which have made him incredibly popular, and has even tried his hand at acting.
Gwen Stefani was the lead singer of the band No Doubt between 1995 and 2004. When she went solo her first album was certified gold and she was nominated for a Grammy.
It's hard to say that any band or solo musician is bigger than The Beatles, but Paul McCartney did a pretty fantastic job of establishing a successful career after the band broke up. He's still considered one of the greatest musical geniuses in recent generations.
Stevie Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac in 1975. Although she never officially left the band, they seemed to have an on-again, off-again relationship, and she started releasing music by herself in the '80s. She topped the Billboard charts on many occasions and is one of the great female vocalists of the 20th century.
The Black Eyed Peas were super successful in the early 2000s. Fergie left to pursue a solo career in 2006 and her album 'The Dutchess' was a hit.
The Supremes were a Motown female singing group in the 1960s, who are probably still the most famous vocal group in US history. That's a pretty impressive reputation for a band! However, it's hard to compare to an icon like Diana Ross.
Ricky Martin won a spot in the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo when he was only 12 years old. He left the band at age 17 to strike out on his own. Martin has since been named the "King of Latin Pop" and the "Latin Music King."
Björk is such an enigma that it's difficult to imagine her in a band! Against all odds, she did start out in an experimental Icelandic band called The Sugarcubes. Needless to say, the success Björk found as a solo artist far exceeded anything she had achieved with the band.
Rod Stewart was a member of the band Faces in the 1970s. They were pretty successful, but Stewart went to become one of the best-selling artists of all time. He has sold approximately 250 million records worldwide.
Lionel Richie's band The Commodores had some serious hits in the 1970s, like 'Three Times a Lady' and 'Brick House.' This success followed Richie as he started his solo career, and became one of the biggest ballad singers of the 1980s.
Michael Jackson started with his family band The Jackson 5 when he was just a child. His talent was a standout in the group and he went on to achieve meteoric commercial success in his solo career.
Ozzy Osbourne was the lead singer of legendary metal band Black Sabbath. When he broke off to pursue his personal music career he continued with the same level of success. Many think the song 'Crazy Train' is a Black Sabbath song, but it's actually from one of Obsourne's solo albums that went platinum five times.
The band The Police was hugely successful, giving us hits like 'Every Breath You Take,' but it's hard to ignore that Sting was the standout talent in the group. He found such immense success that he had the freedom to get weird in recent years and release a reggae album with Shaggy.
Phil Collins became the lead singer of the band Genesis in the 1970s. They were one of the biggest bands of the decade, but Collins' career flourished in the 1980s when he went solo. He even won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 2000.
Ice Cube was a member of the notorious rap group NWA. Not all of the members achieved the same recognition he did after the group dissolved. Ice Cube went on to be a successful solo rapper and actor.
It's hard to believe, but country music legend Kenny Rogers got his start in a psychedelic rock band. The First Edition were together from 1967 until the mid-'70s, when Rogers started to perform country music on his own. He has sold more than 100 million records.
Billy Idol began his music career in the British punk band Generation X. They broke up in 1979 and Idol went on to release chart toppers like 'Dancing with Myself' and 'White Wedding.' He was also one of the first stars to air music videos on the newly formed MTV.
Brian Wilson was the creative core of the Beach Boys. He is widely considered a musical genius, but stopped performing with the band due to struggles with mental illness. He began to create his own solo music and won two Grammys for his albums. He was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Lou Reed was highly influential in the band the Velvet Underground, and later in his own solo career. He has released 20 studio albums on his own, one of which was produced by David Bowie, and is considered one of the most important artists of the glam rock era.
Sources: (The Things) (Yard Baker)
See also: Artists who never had a #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
Going solo is a risky move for any artist. Taking the leap and going it alone is a scary step, as there's no one else to blame if it doesn't work out. There are plenty examples of musicians disappearing after leaving their core group. In the cases of these artists, however, it was the best thing they ever did! In fact, it's barely even remembered that some of these musical powerhouses started off in a band. Their talent was too bright to share a stage.
Jesy Nelson, previously a member of the British girl band Little Mix, has just released her first solo single 'Boyz' featuring Nicki Minaj. Nelson stepped down from her position in the band in 2020 after experiencing issues with her mental health and body image. Her new single features Diddy, Black Rob, and Mark Curry’s 2001 The Saga Continues… track “Bad Boy for Life."
Click through the gallery to see which other successful musicians reached the height of their fame after stepping out on their own.
Members of successful bands who went solo
Little Mix's Jesy Nelson releases new single featuring Nicki Minaj
CELEBRITY Music
Going solo is a risky move for any artist. Taking the leap and going it alone is a scary step, as there's no one else to blame if it doesn't work out. There are plenty examples of musicians disappearing after leaving their core group. In the cases of these artists, however, it was the best thing they ever did! In fact, it's barely even remembered that some of these musical powerhouses started off in a band. Their talent was too bright to share a stage.
Jesy Nelson, previously a member of the British girl band Little Mix, has just released her first solo single 'Boyz' featuring Nicki Minaj. Nelson stepped down from her position in the band in 2020 after experiencing issues with her mental health and body image. Her new single features Diddy, Black Rob, and Mark Curry’s 2001 The Saga Continues… track “Bad Boy for Life."
Click through the gallery to see which other successful musicians reached the height of their fame after stepping out on their own.