From a former angsty teen punker to a lip-syncing ex-reality TV star,
someone should have told these 2000s pop stars that their fans have moved on.
Some might say
that Willa Ford became a one-hit wonder after she released her song "I Wanna Be Bad" in 2001. The
single did moderately well and peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Pop Airplay chart. As a new artist
with a successful debut single under her belt, it seemed that Willa Ford had the potential to
go on to maintain fame for years. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case. The singer's second single,
"Did Ya' Understand That," didn't do nearly as well as "I Wanna Be Bad."
Ford explained how she felt the September 11 terrorist attacks
played a role in the song's failure, telling Billboard:
Things really came to a halt for the musician after her record label went through some major
changes, according to Billboard. Despite all of the challenges that suggested making a
comeback would be incredibly difficult, Ford returned to music to release the single "Rock
Tonight" in 2014. Although this song might not have revived the star's singing career,
she was able to find success as a celebrity interior designer and actor.
"The hot shorts have been hung up."
Fergie stood
out as the only female vocalist of rap group Black Eyed Peas, so it is perhaps no surprise
that she went on to embark on a solo career. She released her first album as a solo artist,
The Dutchess, in 2006. The well-rounded record brought fans infectious hits like
"Fergalicious" and "Glamorous," as well as more slow-tempo ballads like "Big Girls Don't Cry."
These songs performed well on the charts. "Glamorous" spent two weeks at No. 1 on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart, while "Big Girls Don't Cry" spent one week at No. 1. "London
Bridge" was among Fergie's most successful singles given this song spent three weeks
in the No. 1 spot on this same chart. With all of this success, you would think the "Clumsy" singer
would be able to keep up the momentum, but her second album didn't do so well.
Fergie released her sophomore album, Double Duchess, in 2017 — yes, a whole 11 years
after her first record. Double Duchess peaked at No. 19 and was named one of the
"Biggest Musical Flops Of 2017" by Forbes as a result. Perhaps Fergie's decision to
take over a decade-long hiatus contributed to the album's poor performance. Unfortunately,
it seems that she may not have realized that she
didn't possess the level of fame needed to guarantee success after such a long break.
Nelly Furtado seemed to
be on top of the world in the early days of her career — but even after her popularity faded,
she continued to release music. Furtado began her career in her home country of Canada,
and it wasn't long before she became a star in the United States and beyond. The singer's debut
album, Woah, Nelly!, contains her breakthrough single, "I'm Like a Bird," which was released
in 2000. This song peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Woah, Nelly! peaked
at No. 24 on the Billboard Top Albums chart. The musician's third album, Loose, arguably
secured her spot as a 2000s pop star. It brought fans hits like "Promiscuous" and "Say It Right."
Furtado released a Spanish album, Mi Plan, in 2009. It received praise from critics and
even won a Grammy, but it didn't exactly top the charts. After the singer's fifth album,
The Spirit Indestructible, didn't perform as well as her first few projects,
she continued to pursue music as an independent artist,
as she revealed to Billboard. Furtado said of her decision to go independent:
Actor and singer Jesse McCartney is arguably most
well-known for his hit single "Beautiful Soul," which was released in 2004. His debut album,
Beautiful Soul, debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart. His sophomore album,
Departure, performed even better. It debuted at No. 14 on the same chart. After McCartney's third
album debuted at No. 15, his fourth album, In Technicolor, ended his streak of moderate success.
It debuted at No. 35. The star has gone on to release music that hasn't garnered many sales,
but his loyal fanbase has made it possible for him to continue to tour over the years.
After releasing the album, New Stage, in 2021, McCartney announced a tour of the same name.
The former teen star spoke to Euphoria magazine about his lengthy career, and it seems that
he isn't discouraged by not being the biggest star on the planet. McCartney told the outlet:
Avril Lavigne seemingly took a break from
the music industry following the release of her self-titled album in 2013. The star, who is known
for her edgy image and chart-topping pop-rock hits, returned to music in 2019 with her album,
Head Above Water. This was, unfortunately, one of her lowest-selling projects. Her next album,
Love Sux, did moderately well compared to her previous success, but Lavigne's level of stardom
is nowhere near where it was at the start of her career. Still, Lavigne continues to tour and churn
out music with the edgy pop-rock-esque image and style that initially made her famous as a teen.
Lavigne spoke to the Guardian about her career journey,
and it turns out she knew who she wanted to be from the start, telling the outlet:
"I had to, like, fight for, like, being a songwriter. Fight to,
like, have the sound that I wanted."
Former teen
singer and actor JoJo was only 15 years old when her single "Too Little Too Late" earned the No
3. spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2006. She achieved similar success with her first hit,
"Leave (Get Out)," in 2004. It looked like JoJo was on track for a lengthy career at the time,
and it turns out that she has achieved exactly that — she's gone on tour and released new
music. However, the star hasn't been able to maintain the same level of fame she possessed
as a teen. JoJo revealed the reason for her career struggles during an interview with Rolling Stone.
She shared that she was involved in a legal battle with her record
label for nearly a decade. The musician wasn't able to release new music during
this period as a result. The singer went on to reveal that she also faced mental
health struggles throughout the legal battle, admitting to Rolling Stone:
JoJo also shared that she's doing better these days.
"Dip It Low" singer Christina
Milian was one of the many multi-talented stars of the 2000s. She starred in films
like Love Don't Cost a Thing and Man of the House and released a number of catchy hits.
The singer hit a bump in the road in her career after she was dropped from her record label,
Island Def Jam in 2006. Digital Spy alleged that Milian and her label
parted ways because she didn't want to record what would later become Rihanna's hit single,
"S.O.S (Rescue Me)." A representative for the star shared a statement with Digital Spy that read,
Two years later, Milian signed a deal with MySpace Records. The
singer spoke to Billboard about making an album with the new record label:
This partnership didn't last long, and Milian later signed to rapper Lil Wayne's Young Money
label in 2012. The musician has since seemed to put music on the back burner and has instead
moved forward with ventures like reality TV and acting. Milian might not be as famous
as she once was, but she seems determined to remain in the entertainment industry.
Jessica Simpson's edgier sister,
Ashlee Simpson, appeared to have what it took to maintain a long-standing music
career after she released her debut single, "Pieces Of Me," in 2004. The song debuted at
No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and its success may have led Ashlee to escape
her older sister's shadow. The musician's debut and sophomore albums both made it to No. 1 on
the Billboard Top Album sales chart. With a famous sister and such an impressive debut,
some might say that Ashlee had all of the tools needed to maintain fame — but she didn't.
A lip-sync scandal during a 2004 Saturday Night Live performance might be to blame. Simpson
walked off stage after the vocals of "Pieces Of Me" began playing instead of the intended song,
"Autobiography." Because the musician's voice began blaring through the speaker while she
clearly wasn't performing, viewers criticized her for lip-syncing. Simpson revealed why she didn't
sing live that night during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in 2018:
"I had a vocal problem. I had two nodes beating against each other, and I woke up,
and I had no voice. And then I should have said 'No, I will not go on, I will not do this.'"
Although many fans seemingly turned on Simpson after the scandal, she continues to release music
and document her life on reality TV. She doesn't appear to be bothered by her dwindling fanbase.