18 Artists the Industry Tried to Push On Us and FAILED

18 Artists the Industry Tried to Push On Us and Failed

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at eighteen musicians and artists who were unsuccessfully pushed on us by the powers that be in the music industry.

Madison Beer

Although the jury is still out on just how far Madison Beer can climb before all is said and done, it’s pretty clear that she received more than a little help along the way. After getting a few pushes and co-signs from established artists, Beer just seemed to appear out of nowhere at the end of the 2010s. Despite the support of singers like Justin Bieber, she hasn’t consistently translated buzz into major chart dominance. Sure, she has the look and seemingly the connections necessary to succeed, but most critics agree that finding a unique artistic identity would truly elevate her to another level.

Kelly Osbourne

The perks of having an uber-famous and well-respected music legend as your father were not lost on Kelly Osbourne. There are very few people who would argue that she didn’t spring into the public eye thanks to nepotism. It’s an undeniable fact. First, it was the TV show “The Osbournes”, which led to her own solo career as a singer. Despite some chart success, she was never truly built to last as a musician. In 2005, following the release of her second album, she largely dipped out of music and focused on television appearances instead.

Kiiara

After emerging in 2015 with her breakout single “Gold”, Kiiara looked set to take the world by storm. Her aesthetic and overall style seemed tailor-made for the era in question, not to mention that she was aided by strategic placements and industry backing. The issues became clear when her first major hit needed a follow-up. The foundation was there, but expanding her sound out into something fully formed eventually became a problem. Aside from a 2017 collaboration with Linkin Park, Kiiara, forgive the pun, has never managed to strike ‘gold’ again. Ultimately, HER momentum slowed down entirely, and she remained associated more with one song than a sustained career arc.

Blueface

Any artist who enjoys a rapid rise to fame with a very trendy sound on the back of a bunch of co-signs is bound to come under suspicion at some point. Blueface is one such artist, a rapper who was an instant magnet for viral success and controversy in equal measure. His offbeat style of rapping made him stick out, and his meme-ability kept him at the forefront of our minds. However, the novelty of Blueface’s style never seemed like it was built to last. Eventually, he became more known for his personality and his latest scandal, more than the music itself. If there’s one thing history has shown, it’s that spectacle alone can only get you so far.

Ashley Tisdale

As another star who rose to prominence on the back of a major push from Disney, Ashley Tisdale seemed set for world domination. Following the success of her role in “High School Musical”, Tisdale launched a solo singing career, releasing her debut album in 2007. That LP, and its 2009 follow-up, seemed to prove that there was a market for her talents. However, the 2010s showed something quite different. Her critics argued that the industry leveraged her existing audience rather than cultivating a real artistic lane for Tisdale. Then, as the Disney machine moved on to overseeing the growth of its next batch of stars, her music career kinda lost its primary engine.

Ashlee Simpson

Looking back on it now, it does seem odd that Ashlee Simpson got such a hard time over lip-syncing when countless high profile singers have been guilty of it over the years. However, that famous SNL backing track mishap ended up killing her artistic credibility and momentum before it had truly had the chance to make her mark. It was clear that her reality TV presence and the image she was marketed under were meticulously crafted to gain her favour with a specific audience. Simpson was pushed as an edgy alternative to mainstream pop, but found it hard to be seen as authentic after that iconic TV blunder.

The Calling

It would seem like a band whose debut single topped the US Adult Top-40 for 23 weeks would be destined for a long and successful career, right? Well, for The Calling, they ended up having one of the most top-heavy careers of their era. Bursting onto the scene with a grungy alt-rock sound, The Calling struck gold with “Wherever You Will Go”, a song that became the second-longest-running chart-leader in Adult Top 40 history. Even with the industry pushing them onwards, they simply couldn’t find the material to follow it up. Subsequent releases fell further and further down the charts before eventually, their initial splash felt like a distant memory.

Brooke Hogan

Being the daughter of the legendary pro-wrestling figure Hulk Hogan certainly opened a few doors for his daughter, Brooke. In other words, her move into music and television would almost certainly never have happened if it weren’t for his influence. Sure, she did hit the Billboard top-40 with “About Us”, but time would prove her singing career to be a flash in the pan. By the time her sophomore effort came out, the hype had almost entirely died down, leading to a spot well outside the Top 100. She swiftly changed course, diverting her attention away from music, likely understanding that the push she originally received had brought her as far as she would ever go.

Jojo Siwa

In the late 2010s, Nickelodeon put a great deal of effort into making Jojo Siwa their next big star. Despite the push, she never quite reached mainstream stardom. Her initial persona was characterized by bright colors and a childlike enthusiasm, but she’s since rebranded to look more gothic. Her 2016 track “Boomerang” has over a billion views on YouTube, but on regular streaming services, she’s a long way from mainstream. After leaving Nickelodeon, she released the EP “Guilty Pleasure,” which received a fair share of negative criticism. Even though her music isn’t as lucrative as hoped, she’s still a prominent social media influencer.

Quavo

If you kept up with the charts during the 2010s, you may remember when it felt like Quavo was a feature on every single charting track. His career was kick-started as the frontman of Migos, a now disbanded rap group. Quavo managed to get featured on a plethora of top ten singles, from artists like Post Malone, Justin Bieber, and DJ Khaled. His first solo album made some noise. In 2023, his second album, “Rocket Power,” had moderate success, but it’s a long way from mainstream. So he can hardly be considered a failure, but he hasn’t become as big as the industry hoped.

Fifty Fifty

This K-pop girl group debuted in 2022 and quickly achieved global fame with their track “Cupid.” They wouldn’t maintain this momentum for long, however. In 2023, the group filed a lawsuit against their label, Attrakt. The court sided with Attrakt, and the case was dismissed in August 2023. Soon after, three of the four members were fired. They’ve since hired four more members, but the scandal has seriously tanked their reputation. Subsequent releases haven’t come close to reaching the fame of “Cupid” and they’re unlikely to recover. The fired members have started their own group, Ablume, which achieved moderate success with their debut track “Echo” but has also been somewhat tainted by the scandal.

Cody Simpson

Back when Bieberfever had spread wildly across the globe, Australia decided to respond with their own act, Cody Simpson. His early marketing presented him as a teen heartthrob, but he never overtook Bieber as hoped. He wasn’t a total failure; he earned a name for himself in his home country and had some success internationally. But as he grew and matured, he never succeeded at becoming an adult pop star, unlike Bieber. In 2022, he shifted careers and became a professional swimmer. Unfortunately, it also didn’t go too well, as he failed to qualify for the 2024 Olympics. As a result, he’s returning to music.

Jaden Smith

Two of Will Smith’s three children, Jaden and Willow, have tried following in their father’s footsteps and becoming mainstream musicians. Willow has arguably been fairly successful, releasing a variety of popular tracks and albums. Jaden, on the other hand, hasn’t reached the same level of mainstream fame. Even though he’s collaborated with huge names like Tyler, the Creator and Justin Bieber, he’s never become part of hip hop’s top dogs. Instead, Jaden is more known for his acting, fashion, and his hilarious tweets. The music has always felt secondary to the public, but he’s acquired a cult following despite this.

Sky Ferreira

Our next entry might be the most complex case on the list. In 2013, Ferreira released her debut album “Night Time, My Time,” which received many positive reviews. Afterwards, she disappeared from the scene for years. For over a decade, she’s teased a follow-up album, but as of this writing it’s still not released. Her label has been desperate for her to become a mainstream pop star, but they’ve never seen eye to eye. She considers herself a perfectionist and has accused her label of sabotage. A lot of the issues stem from her label giving her a lack of creative control. So, the industry has been pushing her to become a star, but she just wants to make the music that makes her happy.

Ice Spice

The presence of social media makes viral explosions happen a lot faster than ever before, making the idea of an ‘overnight success’ more realistic than ever before. Ice Spice certainly was the creator of her own initial spark, no-one can deny that. However, once that spark turned into a small flame, she was swiftly integrated into high-profile collaborations and an all-too-familiar circuit. It may be premature to rule her out entirely, but critics are quick to point out that the quality of the music itself hasn’t quite delivered on the hype.

Iggy Azalea

In 2014, Azalea was dominating the charts with her monster hit “Fancy” featuring Charli XCX. Now, Azalea is kind of niche, whereas Charli XCX is one of pop’s biggest names. Azalea's later tracks flopped hard, and her 2019 album was a commercial failure. A lot of it was her own doing, it turns out. For instance, in 2015, she was accused of tweeting racist and homophobic statements. She then started beef with her label, Britney Spears, Halsey, and even her mentor, T.I. After struggling for years to regain relevance, she retired from music completely in 2024.

Kim Petras

In 2021, Petras signed with a major label after years of releasing music independently. This allowed her to collaborate with artists like Nicki Minaj, Sam Smith, and the controversial Dr. Luke. Her track “Unholy” with Sam Smith won a Grammy Award, making her the first trans woman to win in a major pop category. Regardless of this, her solo career has never topped the charts. Her longtime fans felt alienated by her label-driven pop, but it wasn’t catchy enough to attract new fans. Still, Petras has achieved huge milestones for trans representation in pop music. She’s clearly talented, but she’s unlikely to achieve full-on pop stardom, as her label has hoped.

Milli Vanilli

If ever you needed proof of how one scandal can truly rock a pop group to its core, look no further than Milli Vanilli. The problem with this late 80s sensation wasn’t just that they were found to be lip-syncing on-stage, or even that they had virtually no part in the production of their own songs. The whole thing became a punchline because of the simple fact that Frank Farian designed the duo with the intention of deceiving the public, and the truth eventually came to light. Their total inability to recover highlighted how essential authenticity is to longevity, turning them into a cautionary tale about prioritising image over substance.

But who do you consider to be the biggest industry plant of them all? Let us know in the comments below.