Everyone knows it’s hard to become a famous musician, but most people don’t think about what it really takes to become one. Each musician’s path to stardom is different. Some got famous from connections in the industry, some from posting videos on social media, and some had to work day jobs while they performed at night. Each one had to work hard to become famous musicians, especially the ones who had to work part-time and full-time jobs while they chased their dreams.
Many musicians worked in fast food restaurants and others had jobs in completely different careers. No matter what jobs they had in the past it shows how far they’ve come. Let’s take a look at the jobs famous musicians had before they made it.
10 Girl Talk
Girl Talk (AKA Gregg Gillis) is a famous DJ who was popular in the 2000s, but he’s making a comeback and going on tour next year. He had a completely different career before he made it though. He worked as a biomedical engineer during the day, so he could have an income before he could be a full time musician. According to Insider, “Astoundingly, Gillis held onto his day job well after his career as a DJ began to take off, routinely playing gigs on the weekend and then getting back in his native Pittsburgh just hours before he was due back in the office on Monday.”
9 Common
Common (AKA Lonnie Lynn) is a rapper, actor, and writer. A lot of people know him from his role in Just Wright where he played a famous NBA player. But the reason he was able to portray his role so well is because he was a basketball player when he was a kid. “At the tender age of 11, a very young Common landed a prize gig as a ball boy for his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls,” according to Insider. He even got to watch Michael Jordan play up close and Michael inspired him to get into hip-hop too.
8 Jack White
You might know Jack White from the famous rock band, White Stripes. “As a musician, he’s made his name reviving some classic American music, and as a teenager, he apprenticed at an upholstery shop, one day going on to own his own establishment, Third Man Upholstery. As the furniture business hummed, White’s music as half of The White Stripes also took off, and he was eventually forced to leave it behind for the life of a rock star,” according to Insider. After White Stripes gained a lot of success, he started his own record label, Third Man Records, which he named after his upholstery store.
7 Eddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder is another musician from a famous rock band. He’s the lead singer for Pearl Jam. Before he was a famous rock star, he worked as a security guard to afford the music equipment he needed. According to Insider, “The Pearl Jam frontman once finished a government-funded security guard training program and landed a regular job that he once said during a fundraising speech in Tampa, ‘allowed me to keep affording guitars and microphones.’"
6 J. Cole
J. Cole is known as one of the most influential rappers of all time. But he had to work hard to get where he is now. Ironically, he was working as a bill collector when he was still struggling to make it as a musician and struggling to pay his own bills. According to Insider, “The same man who now has a number one album and knows Jay Z on a first name basis once paid the bills by trying to get others to pay theirs.”
5 Ryan Lewis
Ryan Lewis is a record producer, DJ, rapper, and songwriter. His first career led to him working with Macklemore and both of them ended up making music history. “At first, Lewis started primarily working for Macklemore as a promotional photographer, and over time as the two bonded over photo shoots and became friends, as Macklemore began to pay more and more attention to Lewis’s work, not just behind the lens, but also behind the boards, they decided to fully join musical forces,” according to Insider. Ryan Lewis and Macklemore became one of the highest-selling new artists of all time after they started working together.
4 Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars is one of the most famous and popular singers of the last decade. His first career might be the reason why. Before he became a Grammy-winning artist, he made his money impersonating Elvis and that job helped him become an amazing singer. “He used to entertain tourists as part of his family’s musical revue, and those early years spent singing ‘Jailhouse Rock’ would go on to pay dividends,” according to Insider. Sometimes he still relives the old days and shows fans his Elvis voice.
3 Kanye West
Kanye West is another very famous rapper and he gained even more fame after he married Kim Kardashian. Before everyone knew his name, he worked in customer service at Gap. He raps about it in the song 'Spaceship,' where he says: "Let's go back, back to the Gap, Look at my check, wasn't no scratch…" The customers he helped in the store probably had no idea he would become a celebrity one day.
2 P!nk
P!nk is a Grammy and multiple award-winning singer who had many hit songs the past decade. Like many teenagers, P!nk’s first job was working at McDonald’s. She told Food & Wine, "It was important to my family that I make my own money. I was a drive-through girl at McDonald's. I had a Janet Jackson microphone—I had power." Maybe using that microphone in the McDonald’s drive-through helped her build the confidence to become a famous singer.
1 Gwen Stefani
P!nk isn’t the only famous singer who got her start in fast food. Gwen Stefani, who had several hit songs in the early 2000s, worked at Dairy Queen to have some kind of income while she was practicing her singing skills. “When she wasn’t at the DQ, Stefani was already honing her vocal chops, playing with local bands and just a few years later, leading No Doubt,” according to Insider. That just shows that anyone’s dreams can come true if they work hard enough.