Top 20 Band Member Solo Careers That Didn't Go As Planned

Jesy Nelson

Little Mix

This London girl group was formed on the reality series “The X Factor” in 2011. They rose to global fame soon after, with hit tracks like “Black Magic.” In 2020, member Jesy Nelson left to pursue a solo career, with her debut single “Boyz” being a collab between with Nicki Minaj. But attaching an A-lister to a track isn’t enough to make it sell. Reviews were largely negative, and by the time Nelson released her second single, “Bad Thing,” fans had moved on. A lot of them wished that it was her debut track; maybe then she would’ve gained more traction. A subsequent single was scrapped, and Nelson doesn’t seem to be that active anymore.

Scott Stapp

Creed

Following the peak of grunge, bands like Creed rose to prominence and created a new scene by the end of the ‘90s. They’ve sold more than 53 million records globally with Scott Stapp as their frontman. Since 2005, he’s released four solo albums, with the first going platinum. But the others didn’t come close. By 2014, Stapp was unhoused and bankrupt. He then decided to make a video asking fans for $480,000 to make another album and a book, blaming Obama for his financial woes. On the bright side, Stapp is sober now and has been experiencing fewer troubles. Despite this, his 2024 album still underperformed commercially.

Grace Slick

Jefferson Airplane

In the ‘60s, one of the biggest bands in the counterculture movement was Jefferson Airplane. Later down the line, they changed style and dominated the ‘80s as Starship. Grace Slick was the lead vocalist for both of these groups. But after their first rebrand to Jefferson Starship in 1974, Slick pursued a solo career, releasing four albums in a 10-year timeframe. She attempted to recreate the hit sounds of the ‘60s, but failed; and her sales dwindled. In the end, Slick gave up on releasing solo music and focused on Starship. This proved to be a lucrative decision, as they released three pretty successful albums by the end of the ‘80s.

Pat Monahan

Train

In San Francisco, 1993, Train was formed. A year later, they were joined by frontman and longest-serving member Pat Monahan. When the band took a two year hiatus starting in 2006, Monahan opted to use this time to create his debut solo album, “Last of Seven.” A lot of fans believed it sounded like generic mainstream pop music, without the quirkiness that made Train so adored. As such, Monahan listened to the reception and returned to Train in 2009. That year, they released “Hey, Soul Sister,” which went platinum 13 times. So it all worked out for the best.

Nick Lachey

98 Degrees

In the late ‘90s, boy bands were all the rage, with groups like 98 Degrees selling millions. Their lead singer was Nick Lachey, who tried to make it big as a solo artist after their 2002 breakup. He released four albums between 2003 and 2014. The second was certified gold, but beyond that, success was fairly limited. Now, Lachey is better known as a reality TV star. He’s hosted a variety of shows, like “Love Is Blind” for Netflix. Lachey also competed on “The Masked Singer” in 2021 and proved talented enough to win. So, he’s likely too busy with reality TV to bother maintaining his solo career.

Nate Ruess

Fun

If you were around during the early 2010s, Fun’s major hit “We Are Young” was unavoidable. The band brought to prominence multi-instrumentalist Jack Antonoff, who is now one of pop’s most celebrated names for producing for artists like Taylor Swift and Lorde. His bandmate Nate Ruess’s solo career proved to be way less celebrated. He was featured on a Pink track that became huge, and his 2015 debut solo album performed fairly well. But he couldn’t compare to Fun’s fame. Fun had broken up so he could pursue his own music, but he never released a follow-up.

Debbie Harry

Blondie

In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, Blondie was one of the most renowned bands in the new wave movement. At the end of their peak in 1981, lead singer Debbie Harry released her debut solo album “KooKoo.” She’d release two more after this in the ‘80s. They were far from failures, with all three getting gold certifications in different countries. Still, compared to Blondie, they were much less successful. Now, Harry’s solo music is highly niche and only remembered by hardcore Blondie fans. She released two more pop-rock albums – one in 1993 and another in 2007 – but they sold even fewer copies than her first three.

Bruce Dickinson

Iron Maiden

Since the ‘70s, Iron Maiden has been a household name across the globe. Even people with little to no interest in heavy metal can recognize them. They’ve had a variety of vocalists, but Bruce Dickinson stuck around the longest. In 1990, he released his first solo album, “Tattooed Millionaire,” which sold reasonably well. A year later, he left Iron Maiden, and then created four more albums before rejoining them in 1999. Each one seemed to perform worse than the last, despite critics having generally positive opinions of them. In 2024, he released “The Mandrake Project,” which surprisingly became the No. 1 album in multiple countries. Now, many metal fans praise how bold and experimental Dickinson’s solo work is, despite its initial lack of commercial success.

Mark Owen

Take That

Few music fans are unaware of Take That, which was one of the biggest boy bands in the early ‘90s. Now, Robbie Williams is arguably the most famous member, who even got a monkey-themed biopic in 2024. His bandmate Mark Owen has had a far less successful solo career, but it’s not for lack of trying. He was the first to release a solo record, which peaked at No. 33 in the UK charts. Subsequent albums fared worse, such as 2005’s “How the Mighty Fall,” which poetically only sold just over 3,000 copies in the UK. Thankfully, Take That reunited the same year. That wasn’t the end for his solo career, as his 2022 solo album “Land of Dreams” sold better than any of his others.

Joe Jonas

Jonas Brothers

Another boy band that dominated the world was the Jonas Brothers, whose fame carried them to stardom between 2005 and 2013. The group went on a short hiatus between 2010 and 2011, which allowed Joe Jonas to record his debut album “Fastlife.” It flopped pretty hard, getting decent initial sales, but plummeting after a mixed reception. The brothers finally disbanded in 2013, motivating Joe to form funk-pop group DNCE. Their music performed miles better than Joe’s solo work ever did. In 2025, he released a second solo album, “Music for People Who Believe in Love,” which had a far better reception than his debut.

LISA

Blackpink

Fresh off the set of “The White Lotus,” Blackpink member LISA has been making a name for herself outside the girl group’s domain. Blackpink rode the Korean Wave into global superstardom, becoming one of the most influential K-pop groups in recent years. But LISA’s 2025 solo project, Alter Ego, received rather mixed reviews. Though superfans rallied behind it, critics mostly pointed out a lack of cohesion and identity. The Guardian gave it 2 out of 5 stars, and Pitchfork scored it 5.2 out of 10—writing that it, “presents LISA as the most generic embodiment of a pop star.” Blackpink was the first K-pop group to headline Coachella in 2023, and LISA took the stage alone in 2025—receiving mixed reviews and complaints that her performance was unpolished. So while many are excited to see where each girl’s career could go, perhaps it’s the cohesion of the group that truly keeps LISA at her best.

Michelle Williams

Destiny’s Child

The debut solo album from Michelle Williams was something of a big fish in a small pond situation. This was because Williams chose to create something personal and went gospel with her sound. Critics and gospel fans actually appreciated the move, but it certainly wasn’t the sort of polished pop that defined Williams’ latter years with Destiny’s Child. Future solo efforts by Williams continued to do poorly on Billboard, but well within Christian and gospel markets. “Unexpected” was a return to form for Williams in 2008, and its follow-up, “Journey to Freedom” did even better for the singer. So the case here isn’t so much that Michelle Williams’ solo career tanked as much as it pivoted away from Beyoncé level stardom.

Nicole Scherzinger

Pussycat Dolls

The solo careers of the various Pussycat Dolls saw a lot of band formations and sound collaborations, but only Nicole Scherzinger seemed to emerge as a viable breakout star. There was a lot of back-and-forth with regards to the production of her debut album, however, essentially requiring a refresh with 2011’s “Killer Love.” That album underperformed on the U.S. Billboard charts, and received mixed reviews from critics. Scherzinger’s follow-up, did even worse, failing to capitalize upon the good will “Killer Love” had received from some international markets. The ex-Pussycat Doll instead pivoted to stage, movie soundtrack work, film and television.

AJ McLean

Backstreet Boys

It’s fairly telling that none of the Backstreet Boys have been able to make any sort of real headway with regard to their solo careers. Nick Carter tried, as did AJ McLean, but these boy band legends just seem to work better together than apart. McLean’s solo career in particular was a blink-and-you-missed-it affair, with “Have It All” being released in 2010, and not really being discussed much since. McLean, to his credit, seemed to be fairly proud of what he accomplished on the record, but 2010 was a long time ago. He’s released some individual songs but there’s been little to no talk of any sort of AJ McLean renaissance on the horizon at the time of this writing.

Joe Perry

Aerosmith

Musical success can often be a double edged sword. A band’s achievements can also often arrive with stressors and distractions that result in splintered lineups and embittered friendships. Joe Perry first left the Aerosmith camp back in 1979, feeling creatively stifled and seeing the hard rock writing on the wall with Van Halen’s debut album. The Joe Perry Project didn’t exactly achieve the success hoped by the Aerosmith axe man, however, and Perry rejoined Aerosmith within a five year span. Future solo albums would continue to occasionally emerge from Perry, including one in 2005 and another in 2009, but it seems as if fans only really want to hear him up on stage with Steven Tyler.

David Lee Roth

Van Halen

This generationally charismatic frontman certainly meant business when it came to forming his first solo band after departing Van Halen. David Lee Roth hired the best musicians he could find, and the resulting EP, “Crazy from the Heat” was certified platinum. Its follow-up, “Eat ‘Em and Smile,” achieved similar accolades, but the bloom was soon off Roth’s (Yankee) rose with subsequent efforts. “Skyscraper” and “A Little Ain’t Enough” had to fight against waning commercial interest in highly polished stadium rock, and Roth soon explored other creative outlets. He eventually reunited with Van Halen, and toured with them until Eddie’s death in 2020.

Mel B

Spice Girls

The case of Mel B’s solo career is one that’s sort of similar to the Backstreet Boys. Here, however, every member of The Spice Girls released solo records after the dissolution of the group. Some, like Geri Halliwell, did better than others, while the career of Mel B just didn’t seem to do as well as expected. Mel B’s debut LP, entitled “Hot,” struggled to find an audience, and its follow-up, 2005’s “L.A. State of Mind,” did even worse. Mel B’s solo career has essentially stopped here, with “L.A. State of Mind” reportedly selling less than 1500 copies overall.

Tommy Lee

Mötley Crüe

There’s a profound difference between seeking out other creative avenues and following the pervasive trends of the day. The Methods of Mayhem project from Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee was a clear attempt to capitalize on the nu-metal and rap/rock trends of the late nineties and early millennium. Lee continued down this road with this 2002 solo album, “Never a Dull Moment,” while “Tommyland: The Ride” from 2005 featured a bevy of post-grunge collaborators on deck. These included Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger and Joel Madden from the pop-punk group Good Charlotte. These solo efforts proved, beyond any doubt, that Tommy Lee should just stick to his day job behind the drum kit.

Davy Jones

The Monkees

The Monkees had to struggle mightily to step out from their creative shadow as “The Pre-Fab Four.” The members eventually railed against their put-together nature as a commercially successful pop group, filming the experimental psych movie “Head” as one way to seek legitimacy. The members of The Monkees all experimented with solo careers, as well, with Michael Nesmith possibly seeing the most critical acclaim. Davy Jones, meanwhile, capitalized upon his natural good looks and charisma with a revitalized solo career of his own. Jones had already released a self-titled LP in 1965, but he struggled during his post-Monkees work, thanks to a contract that didn’t allow control over his song or producer choices.

JC Chasez

NSYNC

It isn’t always a lack of trying or talent that derails one’s solo career. A lot of factors can come into play, from not being able to acquire the right songs that showcase a singer’s style, to other behind-the-scenes factors. JC Chasez has, particularly in recent years, been highlighted as the best natural singer from the boy group NSYNC. Modern era, retroactive fan support doesn’t exactly change the fact that Chasez’s solo career didn’t take off in the same way as his bandmate, Justin Timberlake’s. Chasez’s LP, “Schizophrenic,” has received cult status today among pop fans, but it was poorly promoted back in 2004 and today stands as a “what if” scenario of alt-reality NSYNC success.

Were there any particularly disastrous solo careers we failed to mention? Let us know in the comments below!