It may be a stupid idea, but I noticed that those people who rise to fame or excellence in something have had troubled past or are having a troubled life behind the curtains. Some commit suicide.
Most pop stars have had awful experiences in life and had a very uneasy life. Maybe it made them push harder? And excel in success?
Also I noticed many are emotionally uneasy

I got this idea after one of my nice coworkers died from an overdose. He was such a popular guy, very social and talkative. Like one of those people who can make friends in a second. We knew he was doing drugs, but apparently he struggled and tried to seek help that he didn't find

Sometimes yea. They seek validation from others to compensate for a lack of attention early on in life possibly

And maybe they have more motivation that people with mundane lives don't have?

If they're doing hard drugs, yes. RIP to your coworker

Came to say this, talking from my own perspective.

Yes. Fame kills.

Oh my, time to recall The Fame Monster That's what Gaga was talking about
But also there are tons of things that have influenced popular people from childhood or time before fame (Marry the Night hehe), not just when they are already dealing with fame

Most of them. Or at least half of them.

My theory is that those fake, popular people eventually suffer some form of identity crisis or midlife crash when they lose the validation and social approval which creates their popularity in the first place. Think about it -- the most popular girl/guy at school thrives on superficial attention, facebook likes and other popular individuals to boost their status which is most achieved in a small, tight microcosms such as the high school setting (i.e. mean girls). Once popular people lose this validation when they inevitably enter the real world, they lose the ability to cope or find meaning as they relied so heavily on this superficial approval.

Those who are confident in themselves and don't need the approval of others usually make it further because they realise this early on and are used to being humble in their own skin. This is why the 'quiet guy/girl' always makes it in the real world, whilst the 'popular kid' ends up flopping miserably in real life/clinging on to lame activities such as clubbing incessently/drug-taking/other childish vices because their priorities are reversed.

This is what I've noticed from all the people from my year level in high school, anyway. Obviously this doesn't apply to EVERYONE. But it's a trend for sure.

Everyone suffers from all kind of problems tho.

I noticed this too.. And generally those who are smart will excel in real life. Those kids in high school who are superficial aren't very smart imo

I agree, azealia banks is not popular and she has a hell of a lot of problems

Not always, but in a lot of cases I guess you could say a person who has been through **** likes to push hard and excel. For example, Madonna.

Yes. All the popular kids who bullied me in high school are toubled and im the normal one

Obviously. They're trying to gain something with the obscene amount of attention.

!!

I was slept on in high school but my 20's will be LIT

Im glad i didnt peak in high school like others