“What gave me the right to think I could be a singer?”
Hollywood is full of multi-hyphenate talents but sometimes celebrities learn the hard way that it’s best to just stay in their lane. For a few celebs, that meant a failed venture into the music industry. While they may have had the passion for performance, it unfortunately just didn’t work when they got behind the mic. Although they tried their best to crossover into a singing career, they found out that they should stick to their true talents.
Find out what happened to these celebrities’ music careers…
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1. Kim Kardashian
In 2011, Kim Kardashian made a foray into the music industry with the release of her song “Jam (Turn It Up).” Kim teamed up with The-Dream to create the track but later shared she had done it just for fun and used it as an opportunity to make a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. It marked her only music industry venture.
“It’s definitely a memory and it was a fun experience. We gave the proceeds to a cancer organization,” she shared on Watch What Happens Live. “But if there’s one thing in life that I wish I didn’t do … I don’t like it when people kind of dabble into things they shouldn’t be. And that I don’t think I should have. Like, what gave me the right to think I could be a singer? Like, I don’t have a good voice.”
2. Robert Downey Jr.
Robert Downey Jr. had always wanted to pursue music but ended up finding success as an actor before his singing career took off. While he did perform a cover song on an Ally McBeal Christmas special, it wasn’t until he was almost 40 that he had the chance to release original music. He dropped his debut album The Futurist in 2005, which received some lackluster reviews and only peaked at 121 on Billboard’s Top 200.
While he still enjoys singing, Robert says he wouldn’t ever put out another album.
“I don’t see why I’d want to do another album. The Futurist came out and made its money back, but I worked my ass off and I was not compensated in the fashion I was accustomed to,” he told The Guardian.
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3. Tyra Banks
Tyra Banks once had dreams of becoming a pop star but they didn’t quite come to fruition. She spent six years trying to make her dream a reality, working with major producers, including Pharrell, who took an invested interest in her career. Ultimately, Tyra says she didn’t have the vocal chops and would choke up in the studio. After releasing her single ”Shake Ya Body,” Tyra says she realized it wasn’t going to work.
“I kept pushing [for] six years. … That was my tenacity and tunnel vision and ‘don’t give up’ attitude. When you mix that with something that isn’t your calling, that’s when it can get a little dangerous. It should have been six months, not six years. But because I had such focus, I continued to go down a path that was not meant for me,” Tyra told EW.
She added, “If my voice was amazing, I would’ve been a huge pop star. But my voice was just decent, and that’s not good enough to transition from being a model.”
4. Kobe Bryant
Late basketball superstar Kobe Bryant once was an aspiring rapper. He was part of a group called CHEIZAW that was signed to Sony Records but once his NBA career took off, the label shifted focus to just Kobe. In 2000, he dropped his first single “K.O.B.E.” which featured Tyra Banks. The pair performed it at that year’s NBA All-Star Game.
He went on to record a 16-track album but it was never released. Although his music career didn’t work out, he did meet his wife Vanessa on the set of his first music video.
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5. Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow was over a decade into her acting career when she decided to give music a try. She explained that while working on her film Country Strong, she fell in love with country music. Gwyneth even performed the movie’s title track at the 2010 CMAs alongside Vince Gill. Then, after showing off her vocal chops on Glee, Gwyneth was offered a contract with Atlantic Records.
“I think there definitely will be singing in my future. I know that I won’t stop singing and playing guitar,” she told Yahoo! Music at the time. “It may just be to my kids in the house. I may make a record. I may do a musical. I’m not sure, but I’m just very grateful I’m in a place now where I’ve been given an opportunity to discover this whole new side to myself.”
Gwyneth never ended up releasing any further music.
6. Florence Pugh
Before Florence Pugh made it big as an actress, she thought she was going to be a singer. As a teenager, she posted videos on YouTube under the name Flossie Rose, sharing covers and original songs.
“I would have put money on me being a singer far more than being an actor. To me, being an actor was so far away. I knew I could do it, but I didn’t know how to get there. Whereas me with my guitar being recorded and going on YouTube … was far more accessible,” she told BBC.
At the time, Florence said she intended to one day share her debut album but so far, she’s only released songs that were a part of the soundtrack for her movie A Good Person.
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7. Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson has long been a fan of music and as a little girl, she dreamed of appearing on Broadway. She ended up finding success as an actress first and put her musical aspirations on the backburner. Then in 2008, she finally got the opportunity to show off her vocal chops. After recording a song for a benefit album, she was offered a record deal from Rhino.
“I had originally recorded a song, a version of ‘Summertime,’ for a benefit album. The album was distributed by Rhino, and the people at the label felt really pleased with the song, so they said, ‘Have you ever thought about recording a whole album?’” Scarlett told Interview mag. “I’ve just had so many friends who would kill for that opportunity that I almost couldn’t pass it up. I have always loved to sing.”
Scarlett went on to release her debut album, Anywhere I Lay My Head, featuring primarily Tom Waits covers. Then in 2009, she teamed up with Pete Yorn for her sophomore album Break Up. She later formed an all-female band called The Singles but after the release of their first single, “Candy,” they were sent a cease-and-desist by another band with the same name.
She has since released another EP with Pete called Apart but it hasn’t found mainstream success.
8. Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell grew up singing and performing, but as a teenager she was scouted by a modeling agency. She went on to become a supermodel, but in the early ’90s she decided to give music a try. After singing the hook and appearing in the music video for Vanilla Ice’s “Cool As Ice” in 1991, she went on to record an R&B album titled Babywoman.
Her single, “Love & Tears,” reached number 40 on the UK Singles Chart but the album was an overall flop. Naomi didn’t pursue music any further.
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9. Tom Hardy
When Tom Hardy was just a teenager, he had aspirations of becoming a rapper. Looking back, Tom says that when he was 15, he found a manager and actually signed a record deal. He recorded quite a few tracks but a majority of them were never released.
“I started out rapping when I was 14 or 15. Because I come from a nice middle-class neighborhood, it was a very hard sell. And I wasn’t very good!” he told BBC. “I used to be with the guy who managed Leela James and Lauren Hill, Pras, the Fugees and all that. I worked out with [producers] Warren Riker and Gordon Williams. I’ve recorded loads of stuff but it’s never been released.”
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