12 Household Names Who Had To Change Their Image to Hit It Big

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12 Household Names Who Had To Change Their Image to Hit It Big

The entertainment industry is a fickle beast. You can have all the talent in the world, but how are you going to package it? What genre are your talents best suited in? And if the image you originally chose isn’t getting the job done, are you willing to change your sound and/or revamp your entire look to make it big? These are the questions that were once posed to some well known artists — who would not be so well known if they weren’t willing to change. We wouldn’t call them “sellouts” or anything… We just wonder if they were (and are still) happy with the creative decision they made.

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 Some of these now-famous artists had their images manufactured and thrust upon them by some sleazy record executives who thought they knew best. Some loved an entirely different genre, and put all their talented eggs in that basket before realizing that it wasn’t going to be the vehicle to worldwide success. Either way, pause buttons were hit, and complete overhauls were made to help these 12 wannabe musicians become household names.

She left that kid’s show image behind.

CRACKED ARIANA GRANDE As Cat on Nickelodeon's Victorious, her sweet disposition made her the classic Nick star. She evolved into her own signature R&B/pop star look, sang about more mature themes, and is almost unrecognizable now.

Capital FM / People 

What’s the problem? Oh just your name and your entire look.

CRACKED LANA DEL REY Born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, she sang the same type of music, but wasn't becoming successful. A total repackaging of her name, hair, and clothes matched the sound, and she blew up as Lana Del Ray.

The Richest / Pitchfork 

Started from the Canadian TV industry, now we’re here!

CRACKED DRAKE From 2001 to 2009, Aubrey Graham played Jimmy on the Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation. Не quit to pursue rap, became Drake (his middle name), and his first album Thank Me Later debuted at #1 on Billboard in 2010.

Elite Daily / Biography  

Guys… Let her do her thing. You’ll see.

CRACKED SHANIA TWAIN She had no creative input on her 1993 self-titled country album. 1995's The Woman In Me crossed over into pop and her attitude and fashion in the videos became iconic. Her next 2 albums got more and more pop, and all 3 went diamond.

AP News / People 

Here’s what happens when you change a couple of key ingredients.

CRACKED FLEETWOOD MAC They recorded 8 pretty run-of-the-mill blues rock albums before they brought in Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham, and recorded Rumours in 1977. The album was a complete shift in sound, and has sold 45 million copies to date.

People 

All the nu-metal that got in the way has gone out the window.

CRACKED SUGAR RAY Their obscure 1995 album Lemonade And Brownies was funk-rap or nu-metal like Limp Bizkit. They completely switched to pop rock and released Floored in 1997, with hits Fly, Every Morning, and When It's Over.

All Music / Pianity 

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