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To perform as part of a successful band is the cherished dream of many musicians.
Wanting to be famous, to tour the world and get a lot of money is a completely normal desire, but what drives those who consciously give up everything for the sake of a solo career?
After all, no one guarantees that a musician will be interesting to someone outside the team, and practice shows that failure most often happens.
However, due to creative, personal or other differences, many performers go on a free voyage despite the huge risk.
Today we will talk about 10 stars who left for good reason.
10 Nicole Scherzinger
This American pop/R&B singer, who, by the way, has Ukrainian roots, joined the Pussycat Dolls in 2005 as the main vocalist, becoming one of six girls in the group.
Despite the fact that she was in the foreground in the group, already in 2006, Nicole began work on a solo album, attracting such performers as Timbaland and will.i.am.
The first single from the forthcoming album was not a success, but the singer did not give up. As a result, she managed to achieve success on all fronts: she is still associated with the Pussycat Dolls, but her solo work is also in demand.
9. Beyoncé
Before becoming a world famous solo singer, Beyoncé Knowles was a member of Destiny’s Child. As part of the trio, she was a recognizable personality already in the late 90s, but realizing that the female team would not last long, she began to actively record her own songs.
So, in fact, it happened: a split occurred in the group, and the singer released her first album Dangerously in Love. The record made a splash, becoming one of the main releases of the year and winning a record 5 Grammy awards.
Now few people know the names of Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, LaTavia Roberson and Letoya Luckett, but all these girls sang along with Beyoncé in Destiny’s Child.
8. Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney was a legend with The Beatles and has remained as great as the band since the breakup in 1970.
Actually, Paul’s departure from the group, coupled with the litigation that he initiated, became just one of the reasons for the collapse of the Beatles.
McCartney’s solo career is practically devoid of falls, but it has a lot of ups. Repeated entry into the Guinness Book of Records and to the top of the charts is a vivid proof of this. Another is the fact that his 1977 single “Mull of Kintyre” (Wings) sold over 2 million copies in the UK alone, becoming the first and still the only one to do so.
7. Justin Timberlake
Serious popularity came to Timberlake in 1997, when the boy band ‘N Sync, of which he was the frontman, released their first album. 11 million sales was a huge success, especially since the second and third turned out just as well (the third album, No Strings Attached, sold 15 million copies worldwide).
Despite this, in 2002 Justin decided to leave the project and perform solo, and the debut LP Justified was released in the same year. The result is 2 Grammys and millions of copies.
Even more successful was the second album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, featuring Timbaland. Hits “SexyBack”, “My Love” and “What Goes Around …” soared to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and sounded literally from every iron.
6. Gwen Stefani
The singer got into No Doubt in 1986 and was directly involved in the formation of the team. After vocalist John Spence committed suicide, Gwen took his place.
Success came to the group only with the third album Tragic Kingdom, which included their most famous song “Don’t Speak”.
Stephanie began working separately from No Doubt in 2000, but at first it was only separate singles, and her first solo album was released only in 2004.
Record Love. Angel. music. Baby., like all subsequent ones, is very different from what the singer performs as part of the group: a greater bias towards pop music, and thanks to her hair color and stage image, many critics compared her to early Madonna.
5. Sting
In 1977, together with Stuart Copeland and Andy Summers, he founded the group The Police, which gained fame after the first album Outlandos d’Amour.
In 1984, the team went on a world tour, after which Sting decided that he had reached his maximum as part of The Police and it was time to leave. He did it at the very peak of the group’s popularity, devoting himself entirely to writing material for the debut LP.
The record called The Dream of the Blue Turtles was a resounding success and went platinum, and then .. And then Sting became one of the most famous and diverse performers.
4. Fergie
Stacey Ann Ferguson released her debut solo album The Dutchess in 2006 as the vocalist of The Black Eyed Peas.
She perfectly combined solo work with teamwork, so the peak of her popularity coincided with the same period of the group.
She finally left The Black Eyed Peas only in 2018, when will.i.am confirmed the rumors for a long time.
3. Zane Malik
This guy came to try his luck on The X Factor in 2010, but he couldn’t get far. However, the defeat turned out to be a success: he, along with other novice performers, was united in the One Direction group.
The team released 4 successful albums in 4 years and was at its peak, but in 2015 the musician decided to leave it.
As it turned out later, he did not fail: the debut LP Mind of Mine hit the first line of the charts in the USA, Great Britain and several other countries.
2. Robbie Williams
Pop rockers Take That were one of the most popular bands of the 90s, dominating the national charts for 5 years, but gradually their popularity began to decline.
It was then that Robbie began to work for himself, without leaving the team.
He is now one of the most successful artists in the world with over 70 million records sold.
1. Mike Dixon
Everyone knows this story very well: being a member of the family group The Jackson 5, Michael Jackson became famous as a child, but climbed to the top already as a man.
From 1972 to 1982, he recorded 5 solo albums (still performing with The Jackson 5), and then there was the legendary Thriller, which became the best-selling album in the world. It was then that everyone was convinced that this dark-skinned guy with a strange skin disease is really the King of Pop.