Few ever achieve tangible success in the music industry and yet there are a number of performers who reached the top of the mountain with a band or group, and then went on to become even bigger stars once they were no longer tethered to their original members. Putting aside the general unfairness of it all especially for all of those struggling musicians out there most of these artists featured a certain something (besides talent) that allowed them to break away from their original partners and create something even better. It shouldnt come as a surprise that many of these musical giants proved second time around to be multi-faceted entertainers, performing in hit movies and other media in addition to recording multiple number one albums and chart-topping singles. Each of the individuals mentioned in this list sold millions of records, earned multiple industry awards and/or played a pivotal role in the evolution of the music industry as part of a significant band or group...and then they went and did it again with even more gusto.
10. Gwen Stefani
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kgjkth6BRRY As the lead singer of the American rock/ska band No Doubt, Gwen Stefanis vocal stylings and undeniable charisma propelled the group to white hot success in the 1990s. No Doubts third album, 1995s Tragic Kingdom featured multiple top 40 hits such as Dont Speak, and Im Just a Girl, and sold more than 16 million copies worldwide. Stefani continued to record and tour with No Doubt, releasing two other wildly popular albums in Return of Saturn and Rock Steady, before officially launching her solo career in 2004 with her debut album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. As a solo artist, Stefani became one of the most successful female artists of all-time; the third single off her debut album, Hollaback Girl, is notable for being the first U.S. digital download to sell more than one million copies. Beyond music, Stefani also launched very popular clothing and fragrance lines, as 2009 saw her return to her No Doubt roots and started touring with the group again, releasing the album Push and Shove in 2012.
Mark is a professional writer living in Brooklyn and is the founder of the Chasing Amazing Blog, which documents his quest to collect every issue of Amazing Spider-Man, and the Superior Spider-Talk podcast. He also pens the "Gimmick or Good?" column at Comics Should Be Good blog.
