If we look at some of the main pop girls in the industry today, we could divide them into two groups. The ones who had a huge breakthrough and rose almost to immediate superstardom and the ones who had their fair share of hits and were already known but they weren't actually considered superstars before becoming one.

Here's a list...

Gradual rise to fame:
Adele (arguable)
Beyoncé
Rihanna
Miley Cyrus
Taylor Swift
Nicki Minaj
P!nk

Immediate rise to fame:
Katy Perry (arguable)
Britney Spears
Lady Gaga
Ke$ha
Mariah Carey
Avril Lavigne
Christina Aguilera

Now the discussion: How does this affect one's career? Do you think the way an artist came into the biz has an effect on their career at all? Is it harder to follow up a huge breakthrough, is it harder to stay relevant? What are your thoughts on this?
Feel free to compare some of the girls to make your point clear

Also how do you think your fave came into the industry, like a cheetah or more like a turtle?

Discuss..

Most of the times if you start big, you peak fast and fall big. There are exceptions of course, like Mariah. On the other hand, if you start slow, you'll breakthrough gradually, peak gradually, won't fall hard and there will be a lot of opportunities too make your way back to the top again and have a loooooooong career.

The ones who have a gradual rise to fame will have more longevity, I believe. They manage to establish a real fanbase. The latter group will peak higher but after that peak it's usually over because oftentimes it's just a bandwagon. - Generally speaking of course.

Mariah being the exception obviously. Bigger peak than anyone on the list and also more longevity.