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Going solo isn’t always a guaranteed hit, even for some of the biggest band members. From pop icons to rock legends, many solo ventures fell short of expectations despite their prior success. Join us as we dig into the careers that didn’t quite take off after breaking away from the band spotlight. Which solo attempt surprised you the most? Drop your thoughts in the comments!
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00:00Listen, you know I've had my share of ups and downs.
00:07Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:09And today, we're counting down our picks for the top 30 members of successful bands
00:14who simply couldn't find their momentum as solo artists.
00:17I have good moments, but with those good moments come mistakes.
00:22Natalie Maines, The Chicks.
00:25The Dixie Chicks, now known as The Chicks, were a commercial hit early on.
00:29But things took a pretty huge downturn in the early 2000s.
00:33Just 15 words, but they were 15 words.
00:37Just so you know we're ashamed.
00:41The President of the United States is from Texas.
00:44Why did you say it?
00:48Out of frustration.
00:50Their stance on the Iraq War and George W. Bush damaged their reputation,
00:54with many country radio stations refusing to play their music.
00:58When singer Natalie Maines released her debut solo album, Mother, in 2013,
01:02it received solid critical acclaim, but only moderate sales relative to where The Chicks were at.
01:08By 2020, The Chicks were back on course, releasing the highly successful Gaslighter LP,
01:14leaving Maines' solo career as only a brief detour.
01:17Remember, you brought her to our show at the Hollywood Bowl.
01:22She said, I love you, I'm such a fan.
01:25Stephen Page, Bare Naked Ladies.
01:28I'm the kind of guy who laughs at a funeral.
01:30Can't understand what I mean, you soon will.
01:32I have a tendency to wear my mind on my sleeve.
01:34I have a history of losing my shirt.
01:36The inimitable alt-pop and comedy-tinged folk rock of The Bare Naked Ladies
01:41left them a huge cult following by the end of the 2000s.
01:44However, lead singer Stephen Page eventually broke off from the group in 2009.
01:49His solo work leaned into the more introspective and theatrical,
01:53appealing to a narrower audience.
02:01It wasn't a total failure in terms of quality,
02:04and his touring schedule remained busy from there onwards.
02:07However, outside of his core audience,
02:10his solo material simply hasn't managed to find the same spark that defined his old band.
02:15Outside of the occasional chart placement in Canada,
02:18it hasn't quite found its commercial footing abroad.
02:29Andre Simone, Prince
02:38Emerging from the shadow of Prince is no easy feat.
02:41Andre Simone played a key role in the early iteration of Prince's backing band.
02:45He appeared on several tours with the pop icon up until 1981,
02:49when he decided to go his own way.
02:51Tensions with The Purple One were cited as the issue,
02:54although they were later resolved.
02:56Life happens, people change, personalities change,
02:59and fame and money, you know, can change just about anybody.
03:03And unfortunately, that becomes the case,
03:06and I don't have any time or patience for that.
03:08Being perceived as a protege of such a huge superstar
03:11might seem like a surefire path to success.
03:14Unfortunately, Simone simply couldn't get his solo career off the ground.
03:18All in all, his sound and image was too similar to Prince.
03:22And eventually, he pivoted to songwriting and producing after hitting a commercial wall.
03:27You're producing everybody.
03:28You became...
03:29You're producing the girls.
03:30Are you?
03:30I'm thinking, yeah.
03:32And then I put this in parentheses.
03:33You became, you left the camp,
03:36and you became a super successful producer on your own.
03:41Ace Frehley, Kiss.
03:42Considering that the other classic era members of Kiss,
03:46Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and Peter Criss,
03:49also largely failed as solo artists,
03:52you may wonder why we're singling out Ace Frehley.
03:55Well, despite having the most critically acclaimed album of the four,
03:58when they all released a solo LP in 1978,
04:02it's the bigger picture that puts things into perspective.
04:10Whereas Gene and Paul remained the two constant members of Kiss,
04:15Frehley departed in 1982,
04:17looking to build off of that initial commercial splash.
04:20His band, Frehley's Comet, achieved moderate success,
04:24but his subsequent solo releases failed to find anything near the type of success that Kiss enjoyed.
04:30Time waits for no one.
04:32I've made up my mind.
04:34I'm gonna do it right this time.
04:37Joba, Brockhampton.
04:39Despite the large number of members that made up their group and their prolific output,
04:44it always felt like Brockhampton was giving a truly strong account of themselves.
04:48When they split in 2022,
04:50fans were eager to see which of their alumni would sink and which would swim.
04:54Although, to be fair, the jury is still out on a lot of them,
04:57it's pretty clear that Joba's first swing resulted in a miss.
05:07His album, Russell Boring, received some decent critical praise,
05:11but failed to truly deliver commercially.
05:13On top of that, his tour was eventually cancelled,
05:16reportedly due to low ticket sales.
05:18It was by no means a death sentence for his solo career,
05:21but recalibration was clearly needed.
05:23If it all you can, be strong.
05:29Walter Becker, Steely Dan.
05:32Following up a band as essential and influential as Steely Dan
05:35was always going to be a tough task.
05:38Walter Becker couldn't quite match the solo success
05:40that his bandmate Donald Fagan enjoyed,
05:43although he didn't necessarily seek it out either.
05:45Yeah, I guess I'm happy now we had this chat.
05:49Oh yeah, I'm really glad I saw you coming.
05:53His solo albums, Eleven Tracks of Whack and Circus Money,
05:56were by no means geared towards the mainstream.
05:59However, they never received anywhere near the amount of airplay
06:02or cultural attention that his work with Steely Dan did.
06:05Despite Fagan's acclaim as a solo artist,
06:07it was clear that these two worked best when they were at each other's side.
06:11Shine up the battle, apple, and shake them all down tonight
06:17Mixing the stream
06:18Ashley Parker Angel, O-Town
06:20When it comes to commercial success in music, timing is everything.
06:24Ashley Parker Angel's solo career after O-Town faltered
06:28because his debut, Soundtrack to Your Life,
06:30arrived after the early 2000s boy band market collapsed.
06:34Sure, he was gunning for a more mature sound,
06:36but the association with the reality TV boy band
06:39made his initial commercial splash feel temporary.
06:42It's not like I haven't tried
06:47Over and over
06:49The album actually opened pretty well on the charts,
06:52but it was his only attempt at a solo career.
06:54He later caused his fans major disappointment
06:57after refusing to commit to an O-Town reunion
06:59when the rest of the group had already signed on.
07:02There have been some absolutely vicious attacks
07:06publicly against my character as a person
07:09and with this one member of the band
07:13who has not taken it well
07:15and has decided to also be pretty nasty at times.
07:19Courtney Love, Hole
07:20Hole was one of the defining bands
07:29within alternative rock in the 1990s.
07:32At the forefront of the band was lead singer Courtney Love,
07:35who was in many ways the perfect rock and roll frontwoman.
07:38Her highly publicized marriage to Nirvana legend Kurt Cobain
07:41ensured her superstar status.
07:44But when she decided to go solo, the cracks began to show.
07:47By the end of the century, Love was becoming a constant presence in the tabloids
07:51for numerous scandals and public disputes.
07:54Her 2004 album, America's Sweetheart, received mixed reviews
07:58and was a commercial failure.
08:00It is her only solo LP to this day.
08:03Just your brilliance and your passion
08:06and your bitterness are how we live.
08:09Red Foo, LMFAO
08:12Ever since that song came out,
08:14every day they've been suffering.
08:17Monday, they suffer, Tuesday, suffer.
08:19Everybody, the whole world.
08:21There was a period in time where LMFAO was unavoidable.
08:24They represented a carefree style of fun-loving party music
08:27that was right at home in the early 2010s.
08:30Songs like Party Rock Anthem and Sexy and I Know It
08:33were major cultural moments
08:35and retained their dance floor filler status
08:37all the way through the decade.
08:39Listen, I ain't afraid to show it, show it, show it, show it.
08:43I'm sexy and I know it.
08:46When one half of the group, Red Foo,
08:48decided to go solo and release the album Party Rock Mansion in 2016,
08:52he made the mistake of not altering the formula too much.
08:55The end result was all too familiar
08:57and by that point, quite dated.
09:00Sure, New Thang was a hit,
09:01but any hopes of a sustained run of success
09:03were simply not on the cards
09:05after the LP failed to live up to sales expectations.
09:07Hey, bae, I know we're hardly met
09:10and I like that
09:11You're playing hard to get
09:12and you're the type that
09:13makes me want to do things
09:15Gary Barlow, Take That
09:17I am tempted by the waters
09:20The waters that can take me far away
09:23Take That icon, Gary Barlow,
09:25might have hit the ground running
09:27with his first solo album, Open Road,
09:29but his success was far from guaranteed.
09:31His sophomore effort, 12 months, 11 days,
09:34was the victim of poor promotion
09:36and a change in musical direction
09:38that left many fans disappointed.
09:47Barlow himself admitted
09:48that he took this failure to heart,
09:50quitting his singing career for several years
09:52in favor of working behind the scenes as a producer.
09:55Thankfully, he eventually found his confidence again,
09:58reuniting with Take That
09:59for a hugely successful comeback in 2005.
10:10Jessie Nelson, Little Mix
10:12This London girl group was formed
10:15on the reality series The X Factor in 2011.
10:18They rose to global fame soon after
10:20with hit tracks like Black Magic.
10:22I see you in life
10:24It's a spot that can't be broken
10:26It'll keep you up for life
10:28In 2020, member Jessie Nelson
10:31left to pursue a solo career,
10:34with her debut single, Boys,
10:35being a collab with Nicki Minaj.
10:38But attaching an A-lister to a track
10:40isn't enough to make it sell.
10:41I like a bad boy
10:42You can't stop me
10:44I love bad boys for life
10:46Reviews were largely negative,
10:48and by the time Nelson released
10:50her second single, Bad Thing,
10:52fans had moved on.
10:53A lot of them wished
10:54that it was her debut track.
10:56Maybe then she would have gained more traction.
10:58A subsequent single was scrapped,
11:00and Nelson doesn't seem to be that active anymore.
11:04I know what I deserve
11:06But you'll just say the words
11:09Scott Stapp
11:11Creed
11:11Following the peak of grunge,
11:13bands like Creed rose to prominence
11:15and created a new scene
11:17by the end of the 90s.
11:19They've sold more than 53 million records globally,
11:22with Scott Stapp as their frontman.
11:24Can you take me higher?
11:30Since 2005,
11:32he's released four solo albums,
11:34with the first going platinum,
11:36but the others didn't come close.
11:38Gotta turn this around
11:40and find the purpose for pain
11:43By 2014,
11:45Stapp was unhoused and bankrupt.
11:48He then decided to make a video
11:49asking fans for $480,000
11:52to make another album and a book,
11:55blaming Obama for his financial woes.
11:58On the bright side,
11:59Stapp is sober now
12:00and has been experiencing fewer troubles.
12:03Despite this,
12:04his 2024 album
12:05still underperformed commercially.
12:07They've seen me fall,
12:09seen me cross,
12:10seen me stare.
12:13Grace Slick,
12:14Jefferson Airplane.
12:16In the 60s,
12:17one of the biggest bands
12:18in the counterculture movement
12:19was Jefferson Airplane.
12:21Later down the line,
12:22they changed style
12:24and dominated the 80s
12:25as Starship.
12:26We built this city
12:28We built this city
12:31on broken roads
12:33Grace Slick was the lead vocalist
12:35for both of these groups,
12:36but after their first rebrand
12:38to Jefferson's Starship in 1974,
12:41Slick pursued a solo career,
12:44releasing four albums
12:45in a 10-year time frame.
12:47I believe in magic
12:49and I believe in dreams
12:54She attempted to recreate
12:56the hit sounds of the 60s
12:57but failed
12:58and her sales dwindled.
13:00In the end,
13:01Slick gave up on releasing
13:02solo music
13:03and focused on Starship.
13:05This proved to be
13:06a lucrative decision
13:08as they released
13:09three pretty successful albums
13:10by the end of the 80s.
13:17Pat Monaghan, Train.
13:19Today I decided
13:21to take the long way home
13:23In San Francisco, 1993,
13:27Train was formed.
13:28A year later,
13:29they were joined by frontman
13:30and longest-serving member
13:32Pat Monaghan.
13:33When the band took
13:34a two-year hiatus
13:35starting in 2006,
13:37Monaghan opted to use this time
13:39to create his debut solo album
13:41Last of Seven.
13:50A lot of fans believed
13:51it sounded like
13:52generic mainstream pop music
13:54without the quirkiness
13:55that made Train so adored.
13:57As such,
13:58Monaghan listened to the reception
14:00and returned to Train in 2009.
14:03That year,
14:04they released
14:04Hey Soul Sister,
14:05which went platinum 13 times.
14:08So it all worked out for the best.
14:10I don't want to miss
14:12a single thing
14:13you do tonight.
14:17Nick Lachey,
14:1898 Degrees.
14:20In the late 90s,
14:21boy bands were all the rage,
14:23with groups like
14:2498 Degrees
14:25selling millions.
14:26Their lead singer
14:27was Nick Lachey,
14:28who tried to make it big
14:29as a solo artist
14:30after their 2002 breakup.
14:33I don't want to waste
14:34another day
14:35Stuck in the shadow
14:37of my mistake
14:40He released four albums
14:42between 2003 and 2014.
14:44The second was certified gold,
14:47but beyond that,
14:48success was fairly limited.
14:50Now,
14:50Lachey is better known
14:51as a reality TV star.
14:53Still got it.
14:54Hell yeah,
14:54you're doing Nick Lachey.
14:55Yeah.
14:57The things we do
14:58for a chance at love.
14:59He's hosted a variety of shows
15:01like Love is Blind
15:01for Netflix.
15:03Lachey also competed
15:04on The Masked Singer
15:05in 2021
15:06and proved talented enough
15:08to win.
15:08So he's likely too busy
15:10with reality TV
15:11to bother maintaining
15:12his solo career.
15:13Damn Brooklyn, Phoenix,
15:15this was for you guys.
15:16I love you so much.
15:17Daddy's coming home
15:18with a little hardware.
15:20Nate Roos,
15:21Fun.
15:22Give me a second,
15:23I need to get my story straight.
15:26If you were around
15:26during the early 2010s,
15:28Fun's major hit
15:29We Are Young
15:30was unavoidable.
15:31The band brought to prominence
15:33multi-instrumentalist
15:34Jack Antonoff
15:35who was now one of
15:36pop's most celebrated names
15:38for producing for artists
15:39like Taylor Swift
15:40and Lorde.
15:41His bandmate
15:42Nate Roos' solo career
15:44proved to be
15:44way less celebrated.
15:46I don't understand
15:47where all of this
15:48is coming from.
15:50I thought
15:50that we were fine.
15:53He was featured
15:54on a pink track
15:54that became huge
15:55and his 2015
15:57debut solo album
15:58performed fairly well.
16:00But he couldn't compare
16:01to Fun's fame.
16:02Fun had broken up
16:03so he could pursue
16:04his own music.
16:05But he never released
16:06a follow-up.
16:08Some would say
16:09that I'm all alone
16:10but I am
16:13Debbie Harry
16:14Blondie
16:15In the late 70s
16:17and early 80s,
16:18Blondie was one of the
16:19most renowned bands
16:20in the new wave movement.
16:22At the end of their peak
16:23in 1981,
16:25lead singer Debbie Harry
16:26released her debut
16:27solo album
16:28Cuckoo.
16:29She'd released
16:29two more after this
16:30in the 80s.
16:36They were far from failures
16:38with all three
16:39getting gold certifications
16:40in different countries.
16:42Still,
16:42compared to Blondie,
16:43they were much less successful.
16:52Now,
16:53Harry's solo music
16:54is highly niche
16:55and only remembered
16:56by hardcore Blondie fans.
16:58She released
16:59two more pop rock albums,
17:01one in 1993
17:02and another in 2007.
17:04But they sold
17:05even fewer copies
17:06than her first three.
17:14Bruce Dickinson
17:15Iron Maiden
17:16Since the 70s,
17:18Iron Maiden
17:18has been a household name
17:19across the globe.
17:21Even people
17:21with little to no interest
17:22in heavy metal
17:23can recognize them.
17:25They've had a variety
17:26of vocalists,
17:27but Bruce Dickinson
17:28stuck around the longest.
17:29Can this still be real
17:31or just a crazy dream?
17:34In 1990,
17:36he released his first
17:37solo album,
17:38Tattooed Millionaire,
17:39which sold reasonably well.
17:41A year later,
17:42he left Iron Maiden
17:43and then created
17:44four more albums
17:46before rejoining them
17:47in 1999.
17:48Each one seemed
17:49to perform worse
17:50than the last,
17:51despite critics
17:52having generally
17:52positive opinions of them.
17:54I have no power
17:56over this.
17:59You know I'm afraid.
18:02In 2024,
18:04he released
18:05The Mandrake Project,
18:06which surprisingly
18:07became the number one album
18:09in multiple countries.
18:10Now,
18:11many metal fans
18:12praise how bold
18:12and experimental
18:13Dickinson's solo work is,
18:15despite its initial
18:16lack of commercial success.
18:18But I'll be here
18:19when you're long gone.
18:20I'll see you in that grave.
18:23Mark Owen,
18:24Take That.
18:25Few music fans
18:26are unaware of Take That,
18:28which was one of the biggest
18:29boy bands
18:29in the early 90s.
18:31Now,
18:31Robbie Williams
18:32is arguably
18:33the most famous member,
18:34who even got
18:35a monkey-themed
18:36biopic in 2024.
18:38His bandmate,
18:39Mark Owen,
18:39has had a far less
18:40successful solo career,
18:42but it's not for lack
18:43of trying.
18:44It was never meant
18:45to be this way.
18:47It was never meant
18:49to be this way.
18:51He was the first
18:52to release a solo record,
18:53which peaked at number 33
18:55in the UK charts.
18:56Subsequent albums
18:57fared worse,
18:59such as 2005's
19:00How the Mighty Fall,
19:01which poetically only sold
19:03just over 3,000 copies
19:05in the UK.
19:12Thankfully,
19:13Take That reunited
19:14the same year.
19:15That wasn't the end
19:16for his solo career,
19:17as his 2022 solo album,
19:20Land of Dreams,
19:21sold better than
19:22any of his others.
19:23What can I tell you?
19:25Got no excuses
19:26for the way that you feel.
19:29It's just so obvious.
19:31Joe Jonas,
19:33Jonas Brothers,
19:33another boy band
19:35that dominated the world
19:36was the Jonas Brothers,
19:38whose fame carried them
19:39to stardom
19:39between 2005 and 2013.
19:42The group went on
19:43a short hiatus
19:44between 2010 and 2011,
19:46which allowed Joe Jonas
19:48to record his debut album,
19:49Fast Life.
19:50We talk love
19:51and they say it sounds crazy.
19:53Love's even more wild
19:54when you're angry.
19:55Don't understand why
19:56we wanna change it.
19:57It flopped pretty hard,
19:59getting decent initial sales,
20:01but plummeting
20:02after a mixed reception,
20:03the brothers finally
20:04disbanded in 2013,
20:06motivating Joe
20:07to form funk pop group
20:09DNCE.
20:15Their music performed
20:16miles better
20:17than Joe's solo work
20:18ever did.
20:19In 2025,
20:20he released a second
20:21solo album,
20:23Music for People
20:23Who Believe in Love,
20:24which had a far better
20:25reception than his debut.
20:27Hello, hello, hello, hello,
20:30hello,
20:30wake up tomorrow,
20:31remember now.
20:33Lisa,
20:34Blackpink.
20:35Fresh off the set
20:36of The White Lotus,
20:37Blackpink member
20:38Lisa has been making
20:39a name for herself
20:40outside the girl group's domain.
20:42How you like that?
20:46You gonna like that?
20:48Blackpink rode the Korean wave
20:49into global superstardom,
20:51becoming one of the most
20:52influential K-pop groups
20:54in recent years.
20:55But Lisa's 2025 solo project,
20:58Alter Ego,
20:59received rather mixed reviews.
21:01Though superfans rallied behind it,
21:03critics mostly pointed out
21:04a lack of cohesion
21:05and identity.
21:07The Guardian gave it
21:082 out of 5 stars,
21:09and Pitchfork scored it
21:115.2 out of 10,
21:12writing that it,
21:13presents Lisa
21:14as the most generic
21:15embodiment of a pop star.
21:24Blackpink was the first
21:25K-pop group
21:26to headline Coachella
21:27in 2023,
21:29and Lisa took the stage
21:30alone in 2025,
21:32receiving mixed reviews
21:33and complaints
21:34that her performance
21:35was unpolished.
21:36So while many are excited
21:37to see where each girl's
21:39career could go,
21:40perhaps it's the cohesion
21:41of the group
21:42that truly keeps Lisa
21:43at her best.
21:50Michelle Williams,
21:52Destiny's Child.
21:53The debut solo album
21:54from Michelle Williams
21:56was something of a big fish
21:57in a small pond situation.
21:59I heard a word
22:02saying girl,
22:04you'll be fine.
22:06This was because Williams
22:07chose to create
22:08something personal
22:09and went gospel
22:10with her sound.
22:11Critics and gospel fans
22:13actually appreciated the move,
22:15but it certainly wasn't
22:16the sort of polished pop
22:17that defined Williams'
22:18latter years
22:19with Destiny's Child.
22:20Girl, I didn't know
22:21you could get down like that.
22:23Try to hide your angles,
22:24get down like that.
22:25Future solo efforts
22:26by Williams
22:27continue to do poorly
22:28on Billboard,
22:29but well within Christian
22:30and gospel markets.
22:32Unexpected was a return
22:33to form for Williams
22:34in 2008,
22:35and its follow-up,
22:36Journey to Freedom,
22:38did even better
22:38for the singer.
22:39So the case here
22:40isn't so much
22:41that Michelle Williams'
22:42solo career tanked
22:43as much as it pivoted away
22:44from Beyonce-level stardom.
22:55Nicole Scherzinger. The Pussycat Dolls. The solo careers of the various Pussycat Dolls saw a lot
23:01of band formations and sound collaborations, but only Nicole Scherzinger seemed to emerge
23:07as a viable breakout star. There was a lot of back and forth with regards to the production
23:18of her debut album, however, essentially requiring a refresh with 2011's Killer Love.
23:32That album underperformed on the U.S. Billboard charts and received mixed reviews from
23:37critics. Scherzinger's follow-up did even worse, failing to capitalize upon the goodwill
23:43Killer Love had received from some international markets. The ex-Pussycat Doll instead pivoted to
23:49stage, movie soundtrack, work, film, and television.
23:53Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! You crushed it! You crushed it! Oh my gosh! Damn! I don't know what
24:03happened!
24:03AJ McLean. Backstreet Boys. It's fairly telling that none of the Backstreet Boys have been able
24:09to make any sort of real headway with regard to their solo careers.
24:13Oh my god, we're back again. Brother, sisters, everybody's same.
24:20Nick Carter tried, as did AJ McLean. But these boy band legends just seem to work better together
24:26than apart. McLean's solo career in particular was a blink and you missed it affair. With Have It All being
24:32released in 2010 and not really being discussed much since.
24:36Cause I need you tonight, it's out at the moonlight.
24:39McLean, to his credit, seemed to be fairly proud of what he accomplished on the record.
24:43But 2010 was a long time ago. He's released some individual songs, but there's been little to no talk
24:49of any sort of AJ McLean renaissance on the horizon at the time of this writing.
25:02Joe Perry. Aerosmith. Musical success can often be a double-edged sword.
25:14A band's achievements can also often arrive with stressors and distractions that result in
25:20splintered lineups and embittered friendships. Joe Perry first left the Aerosmith camp back in 1979,
25:27feeling creatively stifled and seeing the hard rock writing on the wall with Van Halen's debut album.
25:40The Joe Perry project didn't exactly achieve the success hoped by the Aerosmith Axeman, however,
25:46and Perry rejoined Aerosmith within a five-year span. Future solo albums would continue to
25:52occasionally emerge from Perry, including one in 2005 and another in 2009. But it seems as if fans
25:59only really want to hear him up on stage with Steven Tyler.
26:09David Lee Roth. Van Halen. This generationally charismatic frontman certainly meant business
26:15when it came to forming his first solo band after departing Van Halen.
26:26David Lee Roth hired the best musicians he could find, and the resulting AP, Crazy From The Heat,
26:32was certified platinum. Its follow-up, Eat Em and Smile, achieved similar accolades,
26:38but the bloom was soon off Roth's Yankee Rose with subsequent efforts.
26:51Skyscraper and A Little Ain't Enough had to fight against waning commercial interest in highly
26:56polished stadium rock, and Roth soon explored other creative outlets. He eventually reunited
27:02with Van Halen and toured with them until Eddie's death in 2020.
27:12Mel B. The Spice Girls.
27:14The case of Mel B's solo career is one that's sort of similar to the Backstreet Boys.
27:24Here, however, every member of the Spice Girls released solo records after the dissolution of the
27:30group. Some, like Jerry Halliwell, did better than others, while the career of Mel B just didn't
27:35seem to do as well as expected. Mel B's debut LP, entitled Hot, struggled to find an audience,
27:47and its follow-up, 2005's LA State of Mind, did even worse. Mel B's solo career has essentially
27:55stopped here, with LA State of Mind reportedly selling less than 1,500 copies overall.
28:09Tommy Lee. Motley Crue. There's a profound difference between seeking out other creative
28:14avenues and following the pervasive trends of the day.
28:25The Methods of Mayhem project from Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee was a clear attempt to capitalize
28:31on the new metal and rap rock trends of the late 90s and early millennium.
28:36I made a decision a year ago to get on, you know, move on to something fresh and new,
28:43because I really needed it because I was getting, I don't know, it was just making me unhappy.
28:48Lee continued down this road with this 2002 solo album Never A Dull Moment,
28:53while Tommy Land The Ride from 2005 featured a bevy of post-grunge collaborators on deck.
29:00These included Nickelback's Chad Krueger and Joel Madden from the pop-punk group Good Charlotte.
29:06These solo efforts proved, beyond any doubt, that Tommy Lee should just stick to his day job behind the drum
29:12kit.
29:13They said it was painless to try and be painless.
29:18Davy Jones. The Monkees. The Monkees had to struggle mightily to step out of their
29:24creative shadow as the pre-fab four.
29:26Then I saw her face. Now I'm a believer.
29:31The members eventually railed against their put-together nature as a commercially successful
29:35pop group, filming the experimental psych movie Head as one way to seek legitimacy.
29:41The members of the Monkees all experimented with solo careers as well,
29:45with Michael Neesmith possibly seeing the most critical acclaim.
29:53Davy Jones, meanwhile, capitalized upon his natural good looks and charisma with a revitalized solo
30:00career of his own. Jones had already released a self-titled LP in 1965, but he struggled during his
30:06post-Monkees work, thanks to a contract that didn't allow control over his song or producer choices.
30:13I'm sorry about the mess that you're in because of that letter I wrote to you.
30:16Oh no, it's my fault.
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30:36It isn't always a lack of trying or talent that derails one's solo career.
30:43A lot of factors can come into play, from not being able to acquire the right songs that showcase
30:51a singer's style to other behind-the-scenes factors. J.C. Chazé has, particularly in recent years,
30:58been highlighted as the best natural singer from the boy group NSYNC.
31:08Modern era, retroactive fan support doesn't exactly change the fact that Chazé's solo career didn't
31:15take off in the same way as his bandmate, Justin Timberlake's. Chazé's LP, Schizophrenic, has received
31:22cult status today among pop fans, but it was poorly promoted back in 2004, and today stands as a
31:29what-if scenario of alt-reality NSYNC success.
31:38Just to mix things up, let us know in the comments below which musician you think actually managed to
31:43pull off the most impressive solo career of all, after initial success with their band.
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