00:04Welcome to Miss Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most and least successful
00:09musicians who decided to go mainstream.
00:195. David Guetta Worked
00:22Over his decades-long career, David Guetta has become one of the best-known DJs on earth.
00:28He first released an album in 2002, but became truly mainstream with his 2009 release, One Love.
00:40He also produced I Got a Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas in the same year, which dominated charts globally.
00:47It's worked out for him, as he's still wildly famous over two decades later.
00:51The only thing we know how to do, said it's the only thing we know how to do, work hard,
00:58play hard.
00:59A large factor could be how EDM and house music just weren't as popular in the early 2000s,
01:05but Guetta has tons of passion for what he does, which is probably more important.
01:09I would have the luxury to be able to afford not to work if I wanted to, but right now
01:17I'm having so much fun.
01:18I have no reason to do that.
01:195. 30 Seconds to Mars
01:21Sucked
01:22Years before Jared Leto took up the mantle of Morbius, he was the frontman of the band 30 Seconds to
01:29Mars.
01:37They became pretty big during the 2000s, primarily in the alt-rock scene.
01:42The band became less celebrated as time went on, and things only got worse with their 2018 album, America.
01:49Do you believe that you can walk on water?
01:55It was electronic pop, a significant departure from their usual sound.
02:00It divided the fan base, getting the most conflicted reviews in the band's history.
02:05A documentary directed by Leto was also released as a companion to the album called A Day in the Life
02:10of America.
02:11Despite the mixed critical reception, America ended up at number two on America's Billboard 200.
02:17Uh, but it's nice to break... boundaries.
02:234. Metallica Worked
02:26As one of the big four of thrash metal, Metallica is easily one of the most influential metal groups in
02:32history.
02:36Excellent, end of night
02:39Unlike the other big three, they managed to go mainstream during the early 90s.
02:45In 1991, they dropped Metallica, better known as the Black Album.
02:49It featured some of metal's most famous tracks, like Enter Sandman and Nothing Else Matters.
03:02It was so immensely popular that it was in the American charts for over 550 weeks, making it the fourth
03:10longest album to do so.
03:12Unless you exclude compilations, then it's second only to Dark Side of the Moon.
03:23Unfortunately for Metallica, they couldn't maintain the momentum and had a career decline in the 2000s, especially when they began
03:31suing Napster.
03:324. Liz Phair
03:39Sucked
03:40During the 90s, this singer-songwriter was known all across the United States.
03:45Now, she's way more niche, with her decline beginning with her 2003 single, Why Can't I?
03:57All of her earlier work had been lo-fi indie rock, but this was a clear shift into pop, and
04:03not everyone was happy about it.
04:05Her following self-titled LP was so controversial, both the New York Times and Pitchfork called her a sellout.
04:11It won't surprise you to learn the shift was primarily pushed by her label, which only had dollar signs in
04:17its eyes.
04:17I'd grown up listening to radio, and I'd always wanted to hear myself on the airwaves, and I was ambitious.
04:25But on the other hand, I'd lost my anchor of the people who understood the kind of music I made.
04:32People have since warmed up to the album, with the Pitchfork reviewer even apologizing for their savage comments.
04:383. Aerosmith
04:40Worked
04:41This hard rock band was formed in 1970 and became icons by the end of the decade.
04:53During the early 80s, the group was in an especially challenging period.
04:58Their 1982 album was a major flop, despite costing $1.5 million.
05:03Their career experienced a resurgence in 1986, when their track Walk This Way was covered by Run DMC, with assistance
05:11from Aerosmith.
05:17It was one of the earliest examples of mixing the two genres, and people loved it.
05:22It's easily one of the bravest moves in music history, with Run DMC surprisingly refusing to do it at first.
05:29They must be so glad they did, since it's played regularly.
05:32We looked at everybody in that room and said, y'all can be happy as y'all want, but y
05:37'all better not put this record out as a single.
05:40Wow.
05:41Look at what it did now.
05:42Number 3. Bring Me The Horizon
05:45Sucked
05:45This English group is one of the biggest metalcore bands in the scene.
05:49Can you feel, can you feel more?
05:56Their sound is defined by the vocalist's intense screaming.
05:59But in 2019, they departed from this style completely.
06:03Their 2019 album, Ammo, was adored by many critics, but massively divided the fan base.
06:09It also earned them a bunch of new fans, many of whom had no interest in their earlier music.
06:15There's a bunch of people saying they hate it, but there's a bunch of people saying they absolutely love it,
06:18it's the best thing we've ever done, and that's what's important.
06:20It's not that everyone's going, yeah, this isn't as good as their other stuff.
06:23One of the album's most popular tracks was Medicine, which lead singer Ollie Sykes even threw shade towards in a
06:292024 performance.
06:31So while the album wasn't everyone's cup of tea, we have to give them credit for the experimentation.
06:36I think it's time to stop, you need a taste of your own medicine.
06:43Number 2. Gwen Stefani, Worked
06:46Stefani's career began as the vocalist for the new wave and ska group No Doubt in the 80s.
06:52Don't tell me cause it hurts, no, no, don't sing.
06:59Together, they released some pretty successful albums alongside a few that fell flat on their face.
07:04The group disbanded in 2004, then Stefani pursued a solo career, dropping her debut solo album Love Angel Music Baby
07:13in the same year.
07:14It sounded like an homage to 80s new wave, and people ate it up.
07:18Few times I've been around that track, so it's not just gonna happen like that, cause there ain't no hollabat
07:24girl.
07:24In the years since, she's maintained a solid career, and is now generally better known for her solo stuff than
07:31her time with No Doubt.
07:32From the garage to the penthouse girls, underdog to the top of the world.
07:37Number 2. Weezer, Sucked
07:48It's a common joke among Weezer fans that you aren't truly a Weezer fan if you don't hate every single
07:54thing they've ever released.
07:56Their self-titled debut album was everywhere in 1994.
08:00People were fed up with the grunge craze, meaning their lighthearted rock debut was a breath of fresh air.
08:06If you want to destroy my sweater
08:11Then they released Pinkerton, which massively influenced the emo genre, but its depressing nature meant most fans hated it at
08:20first.
08:21It's now a cult classic with a dedicated following.
08:24After its failure, they disbanded for a few years, then eventually returned to making upbeat pop rock.
08:31Real Weezer fans know that they haven't had a good album since Pinkerton in 96.
08:36Oh, wow, uh-oh, looks like we have a purist in the house.
08:39Many of these albums were slammed by their fans, like the infamous Ratitude.
08:44But there were a handful of anomalies, such as their White album.
08:48Number 1. Black Eyed Peas, Worked
08:59You'd be forgiven for thinking that this hip-hop group formed in the 2000s.
09:04In actuality, they began making music in 1992.
09:07They just didn't achieve mainstream success until the 2000s,
09:11firstly with the track Where Is The Love featuring Justin Timberlake.
09:15We only got one, one, one, one, that's all we got, one, one, one, one, there's something wrong with it.
09:21After a string of failures within a fairly underground scene,
09:25they added Fergie to the group and shifted to a more radio-friendly style.
09:29It worked wonders with the group becoming one of the defining acts of the 2000s.
09:41They're still going strong, too, but have got a bit more experimental with recent releases,
09:46which they had the freedom to do so after making so many massive tracks.
09:51Number 1. Green Day, Sucked
09:54This punk group have their origins in the California punk scene of the 80s and 90s.
09:59They were shunned from the scene in 1993 after signing to a major label,
10:03getting them banned from 924 Gilman Street, the most important venue in the scene.
10:08We couldn't play anymore because we signed to a major label,
10:14and there's this kind of a rule of no major label bans, everything's got to be indie, DIY.
10:21This worked wonders, though, as they became one of the decade's most definitive bands.
10:26In the 2000s, their releases became increasingly pop-influenced,
10:31making them more mainstream than ever.
10:38Their modern sound is wildly different from the unpolished earlier releases like Dookie.
10:44None of their album synths have matched their earlier successes,
10:47but they still sell millions of tour tickets.
10:50Some fans would say they feel more like a brand than a band these days.
10:54When it's all double-talk of conspiracy,
10:58the American dream is killing me.
11:01Do you agree with all our picks?
11:02Or were there some sellouts we didn't mention today?
11:05Let us know in the comments below.
