20 artists who got their big breaks from other artists

Sometimes, the internet can be a magical outlet. Ask Chloe x Halle. The sister duo’s aspirations started when they began uploading covers to YouTube. Their first song was Beyoncé’s “Best Thing I Never Had,” but their cover of “Pretty Hurts” caught Queen Bey’s attention. In 2015, they signed with Beyoncé’s management company, Parkwood Entertainment. 

Justin Bieber was just a kid uploading music covers to YouTube when he caught the attention of music executive Scooter Braun. Once Braun tracked Bieber down, he brought him to Atlanta to record some demo tapes. Braun had Bieber sing for Usher. The R&B singer was quite impressed, and the two soon signed him to a management deal with Raymond Braun Media Group. Usher then helped Bieber get an audition with L.A. Reid, who eventually signed him to a joint contract with The Island Def Jam Group and RBMG. 

After Janelle dropped out of school to move to Atlanta, they began recording demo albums. One song, in particular, caught the attention of Big Boi, one-half of the hip-hop duo Outkast. Impressed with her sound and stage presence, Big Boi featured Monae on the group’s 2006 album Idlewild. Big Boi then introduced Monae to Diddy, who signed them to his music label Bad Boy Records. 

When J. Cole was on the mixtape scene, he was determined to get his music heard by one of his idols, Jay-Z. One night, Cole waited for Jay for a few hours outside a music studio to hand him a CD, but Jay dismissed him. However, a year later, Jay got the chance to hear Cole’s song “Lights Please,” so he set up a meeting with him. Cole became the first artist signed to Jay’s record label, Roc Nation. 

In 2006, Lady Gaga was signed to Def Jam. But she soon learned how fickle the music business can be when they dropped her from her deal just a few months later. Akon soon stepped in and signed Gaga to his Interscope imprint, KonLive. She worked with Akon and producer RedOne on her debut single, “Just Dance,” which helped her catch the attention of audiences everywhere. 

While Drake was starring in the series Degrassi: The Next Generation, he was also pursuing a music career. He was already buzzing on the underground music scene when he released his mixtapes Comeback Season and his breakout project So Far Gone. During his mixtape days, Lil Wayne was impressed and soon signed Drake to his record label, Young Money Entertainment. 

In the late ‘90s, Eminem made the trek to Los Angeles for a battle rap competition. An Interscope Records intern grabbed a copy of his mixtape, The Slim Shady EP, and sent it to the company CEO, Jimmy Iovine. The music executive then sent it to Dr. Dre, who were both impressed with Eminem’s skills. Dre ended up signing Eminem to his label Aftermath Entertainment in conjunction with Interscope. 

Panic! At the Disco band members Ryan Ross and Brendon Urie took a chance on themselves when they sent a demo to Fall Out Boy band member Pete Wentz. After listening to a few songs, Wentz was impressed and immediately signed the band to his music imprint, Decaydance Records. 

In 2010, The Weeknd began uploading songs to YouTube, and at the time, he was anonymous. Nobody knew what he looked like. One of the tracks earned The Weeknd a post on Drake’s OVO blog. In March 2010, The Weeknd released his debut mixtape, House of Balloons, which gained a lot of traction on the indie circuit. Drake recruited The Weeknd to collaborate on his sophomore album, Take Care. This album placement with Drake helped raise The Weeknd’s profile tremendously, which helped him earn a music contract with Republic Records.  

Nicki Minaj caught the attention of Lil Wayne when she appeared in The Come Up DVD series. The two first collaborated in 2007 on Minaj’s Playtime Is Over mixtape. Wayne signed Minaj as the first female rapper on his record label Young Money Entertainment. Over the years, they’ve continued to collaborate on tracks, and Wayne often praises Minaj as one of the greatest female rappers. 

Travis Scott’s first solo project Owl Pharaoh caught the attention of Kanye West and T.I. In 2012, West signed him to a contract with G.O.O.D. Music, and a year later, he signed with T.I.’s Grand Hustle Records. 

In their early years, the rock band Limp Bizkit made a name for themselves in the underground music scene. The band’s frontman, Fred Durst, was able to grab the attention of Korn’s bassist, Reginald Arvizu, who heard their demo. Korn then added Limp Bizkit to a couple of tours, which helped the band gain more traction with audiences. After one of their opening performances with Korn, they signed a music contract with Flip Records. 

Many years before John Legend became an EGOT winner, in his early music days, he was playing piano on Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and singing hooks for Kanye West. Legend got his first deal signing to West’s G.O.O.D. Music record label, and in 2004, he released his debut album, Get Lifted. 

One Direction member Louis Tomlinson found 5 Seconds of Summer on a YouTube video and invited them as the opening act to their worldwide Take Me Home Tour. After completing the tour with One Direction, 5SOS played a national headline tour in Australia, which was a hot-selling ticket. Within that same year, 5SOS signed a contract with Capitol Records. 

At nine, Lil Wayne first met Birdman and became the rapper’s mentee. Birdman would add Wayne to several Cash Money tracks and eventually signed him to a deal. By the time Wayne was 14, he had become a Hot Boys member alongside Juvenile, B.G., and Turk. At the age of 17, he released his solo debut album, Tha Block Is Hot, which debuted at No. 3 on Billboard 200.

Big Sean showcased how much people should bet on themselves. In his early days, Sean heard Kanye West was appearing at a radio station, so he made his way to the station to freestyle for the rapper as he was leaving. West told Sean he could spit 16 bars, and Sean ended up freestyling for him for ten minutes. Two years after that moment, West signed Sean to his label G.O.O.D. Music. 

In the ‘70s, Van Halen performed across the club circuit. On one club night, Kiss member Gene Simmons saw them and was impressed by their talent. After catching his attention, Van Halen went to New York to record a demo produced by Simmons. It was several months later that Warner Bros. Records signed Van Halen to a deal. 

In the early 2000s, 50 Cent was already making waves in the underground music scene. In 2002, Eminem heard 50 Cent’s Guess Who’s Back? album, and he was so impressed that he invited the rapper to meet with him and Dr. Dre. 50 Cent signed a joint record deal with Shady/Aftermath and Interscope Records. 

In the early ‘70s, Luther Vandross was already working as a background vocalist for Roberta Flack. However, it was David Bowie who took Vandross on tour as a background singer, songwriter, and vocal arranger. While Vandross’ style was heard on Bowie’s album Young Americans, he continued to tour with Bowie. During one tour stop, Vandross was noticed by Diana Ross, who also invited him as a background vocalist for her. He also worked with artists like Chaka Khan, Donna Summer, and Barbara Streisand before his solo career took off. 

When Rihanna was a teenager, her demo was sent to the Def Jam record label. Jay-Z was the label’s president and CEO at the time, and after hearing Rihanna’s demo, he invited her to audition for the label. Jay and fellow music executive L.A. Reid were so impressed with her talent that they signed her to a contract on the spot.