Top 10 Artists That Changed Genres
Sometimes a musician has to change it up to stay fresh. Join http://www.WatchMojo.com as we count down our picks for the Top 10 Artists that Changed Genres. For this list, we're looking at musical artists that drastically changed their style throughout their career, switching from one distinct genre to another, often successfully.
Special thanks to our users mizzGrimm18, liam_schell and Ridinspinaz04 for submitting this idea on our Interactive Suggestion Tool at http://www.WatchMojo.comsuggest
Script written by Nathan Sharp
#10: Bob Marley
Top 20 Artists Who Switched Genres
Admit it, you had a phase in high school where all you did was smoke pot and listen to Bob Marley because you "understood life, man." While you may know his greatest hits album Legend front to back, Marley actually has a large discography, from his early ska and gospel days to his more well-known shift to reggae. He even dabbled in folk later in his career. It wasn't a huge shift, but we’re sure his talent would have led him to a successful career had he stuck with ska.
#9: Beastie Boys
Top 10 Beastie Boys Songs
Before becoming the screaming hip hop artists with party-inspired lyrics that everyone loves, the Beastie Boys were a screaming group of a different kind. The group were originally tough guys that played hardcore punk in underground clubs and bars before meeting producer Rick Rubin and experimenting in hip hop. Although the band would pick up their instruments occasionally throughout their career, it is their critically acclaimed hip hop albums that have solidified the NYC trio as legends. We're sure your parents still don't like them, though.
#8: Katy Perry
Katy Perry Biography (UPDATE)
Perry, the pop star who needs no introduction, wasn't always the badass, flirtatious woman we know today. In fact, before her pop career, Katy released a Christian album under her real name, Katy Hudson, which only sold about 200 copies. Katy was raised by an extremely Conservative and religious family, so yes, she was THAT student at school. While we’re sure Katy’s parents aren’t 100% on board with the singer’s recent lyrical themes, she probably makes more money in five minutes than she would have made in an entire lifetime singing Christian songs.
#7: Bee Gees
Top 10 Rock and Roll Albums That Changed Music Forever
Everyone knows the Bee Gees, most likely from "Saturday Night Fever" which made them megastars in the disco era of the 70s. However, before the Australia group became influential musicians in the disco world, the brothers had a sound that was often compared to The Beatles. Their beautiful harmonies were as prominent as ever, but don’t expect to be able to dance to hits like “I Started a Joke”. At least their music is stayin' alive due to their new direction.
#6: Taylor Swift
All of Taylor Swift's Collaboration Songs: RANKED
She began playing the guitar and singing about boys to singing about...well, still boys, but now all thanks to drum machines and synths! She's practically sneezing out #1 hits today, making a constant loop of Swift on the radio. Just compare her electronic-driven "Style" to her more twangy "Mean" and you can hear the enormous jump this young superstar has made in only a few short years. We would say its worked out in her favor.
#5: Kid Rock
Top 10 Rap Rock Songs
Everyone's favourite cowboy rock superstar, Kid Rock, deftly blends rap and rock with country into a unique blend. Before the rock aspect took over his music, Rock was entirely devoted to the rap scene, producing numerous albums and even battling Uncle Kracker's brother to a freestyle rap battle in Detroit. Detroit? Rap? Freestyle battles? This sounds familiar... Unlike Eminem though, Rock mostly ditched the rap, and began incorporating guitars into his music, frequently performing rap rock, and occasionally venturing into country territory.
#4: Gwen Stefani
Top 10 Best Gwen Stefani Songs
How do you know Gwen Stefani? Is it from her ultra-successful pop career in which she wears skimpy clothing and sings about Hollaback Girls? Or do you know her as the lead singer of the reggae, ska, rock, and basically everything else band No Doubt? While Gwen wrote many of the songs in the later years of the band, she transitioned into a solo artist in 2004 to mixed reception. While she has since found her footing in the pop genre, back in the 90s, Gwen was an icon of the ska genre and one hell of a frontwoman.
#3: Pantera
Haitian Singer Mikaben Dies On Stage | Zakk Wylde Learning Pantera Songs | The Standstills Interview
One of the most successful heavy metal bands in history, Pantera enjoyed a successful career, especially due to Dimebag Darrell's influential guitar playing and songwriting. However, their sound wasn't always so heavy, as they released four albums throughout the 80s as a glam rock band. Yes, that Pantera, was a glam rock band. After looking for a heavier sound, they replaced vocalist Terry Glaze with the famous Phil Anselmo, started playing their instruments with a little more gusto, as the rest is rock history.
#2: Alanis Morissette
Alanis is one of Canada's most beloved musical icons, selling over 60 million albums and being dubbed the "queen of alt-rock angst" by Rolling Stone. This same Alanis Morissette released two albums as a teenager in Canada performing very girly dance-pop. Isn't that adorable? She was basically a real life Robin Sparkles. After dropping the dancing, she picked up a guitar, released the enormously successful album Jagged Little Pill, and has most likely erased her pop career from memory.
Before we make the big leap to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Kenny Loggins
Sugar Ray
Darius Rucker
Jewel
Paul McCartney
Dr. Dre
#1: Skrillex
Top 10 Skrillex Songs
There’s no doubt that Skrillex has taken the world by storm in the last few years with his unique computerized sound, which brought dubstep into the mainstream. Before he shaved half his head and adopted the "Skrillex" moniker, he performed as Sonny Moore, the vocalist for a post-hardcore band called From First to Last. After leaving the band due to vocal issues, he embarked on a solo career, and is now headlining as one of the world's biggest EDM performers. How he made that leap, we have no idea.
Do you agree with our list? What musician do you think made the biggest transition? For more experimental top tens published every day, be sure to subscribe to Watchmojo.com.
