17 Artists Who Almost Gave Up On Their Music Careers

So many lost stars whoever knows who quit too soon before their music had a chance to reach us. Fortunately these 17 artists never gave up. Thankfully for us and fans all around the world these musicians made it through. These singers and rappers stayed consistent and continued to grind, proving that it always pays to keep going forward. In fact, had it not been for their tenacity and grit, a lot of today’s best selling hits wouldn’t even exist. Isn’t that insane?!

17. Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson once told us that, “There have just been so many times where I’ve almost quit just because at the end of the day, I’m like ‘Is this worth it? Is this worth all the drama? I don’t need to be famous, I just love singing.” Fortunately for us her love of singing prevailed and she managed to get through recording process which she has many times over that she didn’t enjoy. Things may have changed in that department though because while working on her most recent album, Meaning of Life, the renowned singer mentioned that she actually felt happy for once.

16. Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran actually wanted to be an actor, believe it or not. We don’t really see it. And we’ve heard your music Ed, sorry you’re too good! Yet he revealed: “I wanted to be an actor at one point. I auditioned for a programme called Britannia High back in the day as an actor. At that point, I was like, if I get this, I’ll stop music and be an actor and if I don’t get this, I’ll stop acting and be a musician.” He also confessed that he wasn’t too serious about pursuing music at the time, but after he failed at the audition, he decided to shift gears and “start singing properly.”

In this case we’re happy that he decided to quit acting and go all in on his music career. We can’t help but think it helped his net worth, too. He’s gifted the world with so many awesome hits, and Ed technically did get what he wanted after all. Aside from becoming a well-known artist, he also got to cameo in projects like Game of Thrones and Bridget Jones’s Baby, which at least kinda strikes both boxes.

15. Sza

Sza struggled was know for struggling with a lot of self-doubt while working on her debut album. She delayed and delayed even threatening to quit music on Twitter on one occasion: “My anxiety had been telling me the whole time that it sucked.” And when her label scheduled a release date for the album, she said she “wanted to hurry up and fail.”

Fortunately she did continue and her music has been well accepted to, she got nominated for five Grammys!

14. HURTS

Well it’s all in the name. The duo explained how the band was formed in a time when they were both struggling and unhappy. They were unemployed at the time and working constantly on their music. Theo Hutchcraft said: “We just sat in an apartment in Manchester and worked and worked and worked, and hoped one day it would get better. We just kept going and we almost gave up a lot of times.”

Thankfully it paid off and they’re not feeling “hurt” any longer. Today, the synth-pop group has a huge following and a string of albums that have charted in several countries.

13. Cyndi Lauper

Way before she sang about girls just wanting to have fun, Cyndi was busy performing cover songs with different bands.

Cyndi Lauper used to perform cover songs with different bands. While she enjoyed singing she claims that she wasn’t happy with sticking to covers. What’s worse by 1977, she’d badly damaged her vocal chords. This caused her to have to take a year off from singing. Doctors even tried to convince her that she’d never get to sing again. Yet by never giving up, and with the help of a vocal coach, she found her voice again and went on to become a Grammy-winning legend.

12. Chloe Kohanski

Chloe Kohanski was thinking about leaving the music world behind, after never experiencing any success. She said, “I was literally going to give up on music. I wasn’t making any money and I wasn’t really successful and was playing to the same 20/30 people in a small bar every weekend.” But fortunately for her (and us), she landed a spot on The Voice and quickly became a fan-favorite, earning her the winning title by the end of season 13. She’s now signed with Republic Records and.released full albums/

11. Hillary Scott

Hillary Scott actually auditioned for American Idol at least twice. Both times not even making it past the preliminary rounds. She said: “I never got to see [the judges]. I literally performed for the production assistants and the interns, and I just didn’t make it.”

Hillary Scott was batted off many times over yet she always returned and after overcoming these obstacles she has gone on to form a successful country group and win multiple Grammys. Take that, American Idol.

10. Colbie Caillat

Another American Idol reject, Colbie Caillat. Also didn’t get to perform for the judges, saying: “I was in the auditions that you were outside with thousands of people. You sleep on the street.” And to add insult to injury, by the time she finally auditioned, she didn’t make the best first impression. She added: “I am shy. I am nervous, I don’t audition well. I didn’t look great and I didn’t get it.”

Fortunately after failing to get on the show she continued to pursue her music, and went on to have one of her biggest hit singles to date, with “Bubbly”.

9. Paul McCartney

Most people don’t know this but Paul McCartney almost quit The Beatles group, because of nerves. He said: “I remember nearly giving it all up when we were doing a concert in Wembley – which was a Poll-Winners concert – in the really early days of The Beatles. And I remember feeling physically sick with a knot in my stomach thinking, ‘I should give this up, this is just too painful, what am I doing?’ I got over it. And as you can see, I didn’t give it up!” We’re sure that Beatles fans everywhere are grateful for continuing his now incredible career.

8. Tim McGraw

When he appeared on Oprah’s Master Class, Tim McGraw didn’t feel too confident about his music, and to make matters worse, a producer who’d heard him sing wasn’t a fan either. Tim recalled: “He goes, ‘You know, you’re a nice guy… But I don’t think this is for you… Unless you want to find another part of this business you want to work in, you [maybe] should not be involved in being a singer.’ At first, I believed him… [I was] questioning myself and questioning whether I should do this anymore.”

Fortunately he realized that singing was his true passion. So with just $150 to his name, he sent out invitation letters to record labels and producers, then gathered all his musician friends to put on a show at a bar. From this activity Tim got noticed by a producer, and with their help was thrown to the forefront of country music artists.

7. Lana Del Rey

Before she rose to fame, Lana tried to break into the music industry using different aliases. But after several failed attempts, the singer started having doubts. She

Lana Del Rey tried everything she could to break into the music industry using different aliases. She began having serious doubts when all her attempts failed. Saying: “I definitely thought, ‘If it’s gonna be this hard, I’m not gonna be a singer and have nothing.’ That would have been fine, but it’s only in the last two years that I started getting tired. In my mind, I was always thinking about [quitting singing]. I stopped playing shows. I definitely didn’t want to be a singer anymore.”

And then once she did finally break through again she had fears, doubt and anxiety. Yet fast-forward and now she’s sold over 17 million albums worldwide. That’s why they say never give up!

6. Norah Jones

Norah Jones almost quit singing, too. She started feeling discouraged waiting for her big break. She said, “I’d gained weight – waiting tables, I was eating a lot of corn muffins and I didn’t know they were filled with butter. I felt fat; I felt gross. I called my mom crying and said I wanted to go back to Texas. But my mom said, ‘You know, you’ve only been there six months, at least give it a full year.’” Mom’s advice is (sometimes) always best, well it was for Norah anyways, she’s now a nine-time Grammy Award winner!

5. Shania Twain

After the tragic death of her mother and stepfather, Shania Twain’s career almost went into a spiral. But this lengthy hiatus didn’t stop Shania from getting right back in the game again once she was ready. After helping to raise and look after her family, she returned to music and earned herself the title “Queen of Country Pop.”

4. Nas

Nas considered quitting the rap game after his daughter was born. He said: “It’s crazy, because when she was young, she was a baby, I thought, Aw, man, I’m gonna quit this rap sh*t before she becomes old enough to even know what I’m doing. I never thought that I’d be still doing it while she’s a teen, growing up. And I’m still in the game. It’s weird as f*ck sometimes. But then, other times, it’s perfect. I’m glad it worked out this way.”

3. Eminem

Eminem also opened up about his first experiences trying to break into the rap game: “The first time I rapped in front of actual people that mattered, in a club, I got booed. And it was very traumatic for me. I just remember it being so traumatic, and I think I went home and I was like, man, I quit.”

In one of his songs “White America,” he saus: “No labels wanted to sign me, almost gave up, I was like ‘F*ck it,’ until I met Dre, the only one to look past and give me a chance…”

But thankfully, with the help of Dr. Dre, Marshall Mathers continued on with his music career. And the rest is of course history, he went on to become one of the most famous rappers in the world.

2. Bruno Mars

Bruno’s uncle, John Valentine, has shared that when his nephew was first getting started that his slow-moving career began to discourage him. Bruno Mars had left his family in Hawaii and moved to L.A. to pursue his music career. But then he got homesick and was almost set on quitting… until he got a phone call.

John said: “Four years later, he called me and he was about to give up [because] he misses the family, he misses that, the parties, the gatherings. He said, ‘Uncle, let’s make a band, I’m coming home!’ and I said ‘No, you should stay there [because] that’s where the labels are and I can feel it, it’s gonna happen!’ Two months later, everything picked up.” So if it wasn’t for his uncle, we probably would’ve never gotten hits like “Just the Way You Are,” “24K Magic,” and “Finesse.” These songs have made the world a better place.

1. Cardi B

Cardi B is one of the most popular female rappers in the world today, but it wasn’t always that way for her. She says: “I did a verse to somebody’s song, and other artists was in the song as well, and I was so excited because I felt like my verse was so poppin’. Then, the artist told me that I couldn’t be on the song anymore because one of the artists that was on the song felt like I was too small, and they were too big for me to be on the same song with them. That sh*t broke my heart so bad, it broke my heart to pieces… It almost tore me up so bad that I was like ‘I don’t wanna do this sh*t anymore.”

Well, whoever those artists were, they must feel pretty silly right about now. Cardi B stuck to her guns the former reality TV star finally broke through with rapping and has since skyrocketed to fame.

Summing-Up

On their long and hard journey to fame and success, many stars have come to quitting on their dreams for good. Any famous musician will tell you that the path to fame is almost never an easy one. Trying to break into such a competitive industry takes hard work, sacrifice, and the ability to bounce back from rejection. But even some of the biggest names in music have proved that trying to persevere in tough times can wear people thin, regardless of how passionate they might be.

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