Pop Music Prodigies Who Make Us Feel Like Old Failures


For most of us, being a teenager means slogging through high school, struggling with adolescence and desperately hoping for a hot date for the school dance. However, there are some teenagers out there who are instant musical legends. It didn’t take them years of doing crappy gigs to get to the top; the 20 pop music prodigies on our list wrote and recorded landmark albums before they were even old enough to legally drink.

It’s easy to forget about it now, but Stevie Wonder started out young. He was signed to Motown at the age of 11 and had his first solo hit at 13. Similarly, Michael Jackson landed his first number one at the age of 11 (when he was lead singer of the Jackson 5) and he was also snagging solo hits at 13.

Pop music is full of talented young stars, but the 20 on this list stand out because they accomplished things that even talented, hard-boiled adults can only dare to dream of doing. Basically, they make the rest of us feel like old failures.




Michael Jackson

How Young Was He When He Achieved Pop Music Prodigy Status:11


Most pop stars are still trying to chase down even half of the honors that Michael Jackson racked up before he turned 21. Jackson had his first number one hit as lead singer of the Jackson 5 at 11 and his first solo hit at 13, to say nothing of Thriller.






Stevie Wonder

How Young Was He When He Achieved Pop Music Prodigy Status:11



People might forget about it now, but Stevie Wonder started out young. Like, really young. He was signed to Motown at the age of 11 and had his first solo hit at 13






George Harrison, Paul McCartney and John Lennon

How Young Were They When They Achieved Pop Music Prodigy Status: 14, 15 & 16



Normally, we wouldn't count a couple of teens starting a band as an act of musical genius, but this is different. In 1957, 16-year-old John Lennon and 15-year-old Paul McCartney teamed up and started a skiffle band called The Quarrymen, which would later morph into The Beatles. A year later, a 14-year-old George Harrison joined them. (Note: This is a later photo of the trio taken a few years later when they were already calling themselves the Beatles, but it's still nice!)






Mariah Carey

How Young Was She When She Achieved Pop Music Prodigy Status: 20




Mariah Carey spent her late teens hustling demo tapes and singing back up on tracks until industry mogul Tommy Motola discovered her. She became not only an immediate pop star, but the epitome of a modern diva. She had the voice of an opera star and the mass appeal of a superstar. When she was 20, she started scooping up the first of many Grammys.





Adele

How Young Was She When She Achieved Pop Music Prodigy Status: 19




When she was 19 years old, Adele started work on many of the songs from her aptly-named solo debut, 19, including “Hometown Glory” and “Chasing Pavements.” The album was released the following year and Adele scooped up two Grammys for it.





Usher

How Young Was He When He Achieved Pop Music Prodigy Status: 15



Usher is an interesting case because it’s not necessarily that he broke through at 15 years old, but that he successfully navigated the music industry. The talented teen released his first album with L.A. Reid, but it was a massive disappointment. The teen’s solution? Remake himself with Jermaine Dupri as a hot crooner with a tight six-pack.




Whitney Houston

How Young Was She When She Achieved Pop Music Prodigy Status: 15



When she was only 15 years old, Whitney Houston sang back up for Chaka Khan on “I’m Every Woman.” She immediately got multiple offers for record contracts, but her mother refused to let Houston sing professionally as a solo artist before she finished high school. When she was 20 (when this photo was taken), she finally signed with Clive Davis. BUT SHE WAS A BACK UP SINGER ON “I’M EVERY WOMAN” WHEN SHE WAS 15.





Tupac

How Young Was He When He Achieved Pop Music Prodigy Status: 20

Quote:

Tupac Shakur started rapping on various tracks in his late teens, and when he was 20, he released his first album, 2Pacalypse Now. The work not only inspired future rappers, but it also sparked national debate after a Texas teen blamed his violent actions on the album's lyrics

.





Ice Cube
How Young Was He When He Achieved Pop Music Prodigy Status: 19



Ice Cube (along with MC Ren) wrote a bulk of the material on N.W.A.'s landmark Straight Outta Compton when he was only 19. The rapper had been working on rhymes and beats throughout his teens, most notably with N.W.A.'s "Panic Zone," but achieved total rap legend status after he penned "F**k Tha Police."






Nas

How Young Was He When He Achieved Pop Music Prodigy Status: 20



Nas released Illmatic when he was only 20. The album is not only regarded as one of the greatest rap albums ever, but there's been debate over whether or not Nas himself has ever been able to top it






Monica & Brandy

How Young Were They When They Achieved Pop Music Prodigy Status: 18 & 20



Monica and Brandy were the teenaged songbirds of R&B in the mid and late '90s. However, the two cemented their legacy as pop music prodigies, though, when they recorded "The Boy Is Mine." Monica (then 18) and Brandy (then 20) took home a Grammy for the duet, which we stand by as being the best all-female duet of all time.






Ed Sheeran
How Young Was He When He Achieved Pop Music Prodigy Status: 18



You could argue that Ed Sheeran deserves to get credit for releasing his first EP at 15, and that's impressive and all. However, he wrote "The A Team" when he was 18 years old, and that's the song that not only put him on the international stage, but has earned him song-writing legend status. Sheeran jokingly told VH1 recently that songwriting is like "colonics," but he was inspired to write the universally acclaimed song after performing a gig in a homeless shelter that catered to caring for drug addicts.






Fiona Apple
How Young Was She When She Achieved Pop Music Prodigy Status: 18



Fiona Apple wrote her debut album Tidal when she was only a teen. Specifically, Apple penned "Criminal" when she was only 18 years old. Like the rest of Apple's oeuvre, the powerful song combines complex melody with poetic lyrics that aren't just beyond most teens, but most humans.






Christina Aguilera
How Young Was She When She Achieved Pop Music Prodigy Status: 17




Now there were a ton of pop stars who broke through in the late '90s (Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson & Mandy Moore), but Christina Aguilera has always been considered on a completely different level as a performer. It all has to do with her insane vocal range. Because of her ability to sing the high E above middle C, Aguilera was enlisted by her former employer, Disney, at the age of 17 to sing the pop version of "Reflection" for the Mulan soundtrack. The song wasn't a massive hit, but it got a Golden Globe nomination and scored Aguilera a record contract with RCA (which you can see her promoting here).






Lorde
How Young Was She When She Achieved Pop Music Prodigy Status: 16



When she was only 16 years old, New Zealand pop prodigy Lorde wrote and recorded "Royals." The song broke all sorts of Billboard records, launched the precocious teen into superstardom and earned her the Grammy for Best Song.






Taylor Swift

How Young Was She When She Achieved Pop Music Prodigy Status: 16



Taylor Swift has gone on to be one of the most successful pop-country artists of all time, but her breakthrough came when she was only 16. That's when Swift wrote and released "Our Song," which garnered rave reviews from The New Yorker's Sasha Frere-Jones, who called her "a prodigy."






Aaliyah
How Young Was She When She Achieved Pop Music Prodigy Status:14



Aaliyah released the aptly named Age Ain't Nothing But A Number, an album that established her as one of the greatest R&B vocalists of all time when she was only 14. The album also dropped the high school student into a bit of controversy. She married the album's producer, R. Kelly, in secret, though the marriage was later annulled.







LeAnn Rimes
How Young Was She When She Achieved Pop Music Prodigy Status:14


She might be poised to be a VH1 reality star today, but LeAnn Rimes became Patsy Cline's successor at the age of 14 when she re-recorded "Blue." She won not one, but two Grammys for the record and is still the youngest Grammy winner of all time.







Justin Bieber
How Young Was He When He Achieved Pop Music Prodigy Status:13



Justin Bieber was discovered by Scooter Braun when he was 13 years old. At that point, the future pop star was busking on the streets of Ontario and singing at talent competitions. Braun flew Bieber to Atlanta, Georgia to record demos and within a week, Biebs was singing for fellow pop music prodigy, Usher






Jackie Evancho
How Young Was She When She Achieved Pop Music Prodigy Status:10



Even though she came in second place on America's Got Talent, Jackie Evancho become the youngest solo performer to record and release a platinum selling album. She's also the youngest person to headline their own concert at Carnegie Hall.


http://www.vh1.com/music/tuner/2014-...sic-prodigies/

the shade in Xtina part

they totally forgot someone

No Britney?
K.

@ Justin Bieber.

Where is Celine Dion and Avril Lavigne?

They forgot the legendary christian singer Katy Hudson

Christina, Aaliyah, Nas and Stevie

I actually have that Jackie Evancho album

Did they really forget about Britney?

Lorde
Taylor
Mariah
Christina

The big majority is irrelevant now, I think it doesn't matter the age you peak or get the status, is more about how long you last with that status

Adele wrote Hometown Glory when she was 16 but ok... even so

Don't think they "forgot."

Christina.

A Pop Music Prodigy and Legend.

Unfortunately the majority of them aren't relevant, besides the obvious legends.

They included Bieber and Lorde yet didn't include Britney or even Beyonce? Irrelevant list.

Taylor

Taylor wrote her first hit at age 14, but cute list.

Wow. Although the Beyonce snub is questionable.

No Britney or Beyonce?