Top 10 One Hit Wonders Who Now Work Regular Jobs

MsMojo

From chart-toppers to everyday jobs, we're diving into the fascinating world of one-hit wonders who traded music fame for more traditional careers. Discover the surprising paths these artists took after their moment in the spotlight!

Transcript

00:00Welcome to MissMojo, and today we're looking at one-hit wonders who left music to pursue

00:09more typical careers.

00:1210.

00:14Tal Backman, She's So High was released in 1999, and became an instant hit.

00:28Tal Backman's debut album hit number one on the Adult Top 40 chart.

00:32The following year, it impressively won a BMI award.

00:42Since then, however, Backman has had little commercial success.

00:48In 2004, he released a second album, and had been playing in his father's band.

00:59Since then, however, Backman has had little commercial success.

01:00He's been in Turner Overdrive since 2023.

01:01Alongside this, he works as a writer for American Greatness and Stain Online.

01:05He primarily discusses rugby, politics, and religion.

01:08Backman also occasionally plays rugby himself, for the Canadian team the Castaway Wanderers

01:12FC, based in British Columbia.

01:189.

01:22The Thompson Twins

01:23Hailing from Sheffield, this group cemented themselves in music history with the single

01:27Hold Me Now.

01:35Despite their name's implications, they often had more than two members, sometimes as many

01:39as seven.

01:40Among them was Alana Curry, a journalist who achieved success writing and singing for the

01:44Thompson Twins.

01:48In 2004, she studied furniture production at London Metropolitan University.

01:57She began calling herself Miss Pocono, and launched a career as an artistic furniture

02:01upholsterer.

02:02Her first sale was a chair that she rebuilt after hurling it off a cliff.

02:05She also got £18,000 for selling furniture with swear words sewn in.

02:098.

02:14Willa Ford

02:15Ford's first and only album was called Willa Was Here, released in 2001.

02:26Its lead single, I Wanna Be Bad, peaked at number 22 on the US Hot 100.

02:30It was her only hit, and she stopped releasing music three years later.

02:38She then pursued a career in acting, but eventually settled on a career in interior design.

02:42Her company W Ford Interiors is quite successful, and still going strong in the 2020s.

02:47They're based in California, but work all across the country.

02:50Ford seems super happy with the career change.

02:58As she has worked for various celebrities, it's easy to see why.

03:047.

03:07Thomas Dolby

03:08She Blinded Me With Science was a quirky early 80s classic that reached number 5 on the Billboard

03:13Hot 100.

03:21Thomas Dolby's subsequent musical ventures were moderately popular, but his 90s business

03:25venture became his real success.

03:33In 1993, he founded Beatnik Inc., an audio technology company.

03:38They'd be responsible for Nokia's polyphonic ringtone playing technology, which bypassed

03:43the need for sound chips.

03:44Unfortunately, they went bust in 2011.

03:51Now Dolby is a Homewood Professor of the Arts at John Hopkins University, where he has been

03:56leading their Music for New Media degree program since 2018.

04:036.

04:07Gerardo

04:08The 12 hit the scene in December 1990, and had a brief stint of widespread popularity.

04:17Gerardo Mejia released quite a few albums after, with his final one dropping in 2007.

04:28He'd move on to become a music executive, working for various companies in his career.

04:32Currently, he works for United Masters as their senior Latin lead.

04:36Here, he was partly responsible for Floy Menor and Chris MJ's hit reggaeton track, Gata Only.

04:45Gerardo also became a Christian pastor in Kentucky, where he was given the nickname

04:50Pastor G.

04:51Later, he launched an Ecuadorian coffee brand, an idea he came up with after bonding with

04:55another Ecuadorian over their country's phenomenal coffee at the Qatar World Cup.

05:035.

05:06Chumbawamba

05:07Tup Thumping was released in 1997, and has since been an absolute classic, topping numerous

05:13charts worldwide.

05:18Alice Nutter joined the anarcho-punk band Chumbawamba in 1982, but left in 2006 to pursue

05:24a wildly different career.

05:31Based in Leeds, she's written multiple plays, shown at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, as

05:35well as a couple of plays for radio.

05:37She also dabbled in television.

05:38The most acclaimed series she worked on was the BBC anthology Accused, which she wrote

05:43one episode for.

05:44A fun fact is that Nutter took her name from an accused witch who was hanged in Lancaster

05:48in 1612.

05:49Growing up in the shadow of Pendle Hill, she felt an affinity for the real-life Alice

05:53Nutter.

05:544.

05:55Tiffany

05:56I Think We're Alone Now was originally written by Richie Cordell in the 60s, but the most

06:04famous version was Tiffany's, released in 1987.

06:14The track was immediately loved, reaching number one in a range of countries.

06:24But music changed, and her career declined in the 90s.

06:27She still performs and releases music despite this.

06:37On the side, she works a few regular jobs, like owning a cooking club called Let's Food

06:41with Tiffany.

06:42She also runs a boutique in Nashville.

06:44Tiffany is on Cameo 2, selling personalized videos to fans.

06:503.

06:52Len

06:53Still My Sunshine, by Canadian band Len, was 1999's summer anthem.

07:05Most members have since left the band, barring siblings Mark and Sharon Costanzo.

07:09They're not officially broken up, but haven't released anything since 2012.

07:21Mark became a music publishing executive, currently working on Inside Music Publishing.

07:29He signed quite a few multi-platinum acts, like singer Derek Wibley of Sum 41.

07:34Sharon, on the other hand, works as a relationship coach under the business name Respected & Connected.

07:39She even has a relationship advice podcast.

07:42It's a massive shift in career trajectory, especially given her master's degree in mechanical

07:47engineering.

07:482.

07:49Sir Mix-A-Lot

07:50More than 30 years after its release, Baby Got Back is still enjoyed by millions globally.

08:01It spent five weeks at number one in America, and even won a Grammy.

08:05He released his final album in 2003, and then stopped making his own tunes.

08:16Between 2017 and 2019, he worked as a radio host in his home state of Washington.

08:20Alongside this, he makes a pretty penny dipping his toes into retail.

08:24In 2018, he collaborated with the DIY Network to make a one-off show, Sir Mix-A-Lot's

08:32House Remix.

08:33The show showed him flipping a house, revealing to everyone his skills in real estate.

08:551.

08:56MC Hammer

08:57Propelled in stardom for his wildly infectious anthem, You Can't Touch This, MC Hammer,

09:01also known as Stanley Burrell, has made numerous business endeavors in his life.

09:11In 1991, he created Oaktown Stables, a semi-successful horse racing business.

09:22Hammer also became a preacher in the late 90s, he was big on the early internet too.

09:30One website of his was DanceJam.com, where he'd personally rate dance videos.

09:35It was based in Silicon Valley, and worth $4.5 million at its peak.

09:39In 2010, he opened a mixed martial artists management company.

09:44A year later, he tried making a search engine, which he thought could compete with Google.

09:53Are there any one-hit wonders that you've spotted working 9-5?

09:55Let us know in the comments.

10:00Do you agree with our picks?

10:06Check out this other recent clip from MsMojo, and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell

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