- 5/24/2025
From viral sensations to misunderstood artists, these musicians have so much more to offer than their biggest hits suggest. Join us as we explore the overlooked catalogs of talented artists who got pigeonholed by their most famous tracks, from piano-driven pop to groundbreaking jazz fusion.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Welcome to Miz Mojo and today we're counting down our picks for the incredibly talented musicians
00:10whose artistry got eclipsed by that one song that hogged the spotlight,
00:15whether it branded them a one-hit wonder, tied them to a novelty hit or turned into a full-blown meme.
00:21My milkshake brings all our boys to the yard and their life gets better than yours.
00:27Number 10. Vanessa Carlton, A Thousand Miles.
00:31Back in 2002, you couldn't turn on the radio without hearing those urgent cascading piano riffs.
00:37It then got a second wind thanks to White Chicks in 2004,
00:41where Luttrell's over-the-top love for the song became an instant classic.
00:45If I could fall into the sky, do you think time would pass me by?
00:55Funny enough, Vanessa Carlton was never that into the track herself.
00:59If she'd had more creative control early on, it might have never even been released.
01:04As she matured in the industry, her music followed suit.
01:07Her third through fifth albums didn't make waves commercially, but critics loved them.
01:12It was pre-emptive, I don't know who I am.
01:16Are we all searching for something we don't understand?
01:20And in 2025, Billboard named her one of the best female artists of the century.
01:25Proof she's so much more than just one song.
01:28Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles.
01:33Number 9. Toto, Africa.
01:35If you remember this song dominating the airwaves in the early 80s,
01:38you might have felt a serious case of déjà vu in 2018.
01:42Thanks to a fan campaign, Weezer covered Toto's Africa,
01:46but not before cheekily trolling fans by dropping another Toto hit first.
01:50Naturally, memes exploded across the internet, and even Toto seemed to enjoy the joke.
02:03Toto is a genre-hopping powerhouse with multiple Grammys, numerous nominations,
02:13and a spot in the Musician's Hall of Fame since 2009.
02:18Africa may be the moment, but Toto's legacy goes way beyond the memes.
02:23Love isn't always on time.
02:26Love isn't always, love isn't always on time.
02:30Number 8. Aha, Take On Me.
02:34We know, we know, the second you hear their name,
02:37you're already trying to match pitch with Morten Harkett.
02:40And if you cracked any glasses doing so, please let us know.
02:44But with 11 albums, a stack of awards, and the title of Norway's biggest pop export,
02:59it's wild how underrated Aha's discography has become.
03:03They've always been grateful for what Take On Me did for their career,
03:06but instead of chasing a carbon copy, they chose to make music that resonated with them.
03:25Sure, that meant fading from the North American spotlight, but their European fanbase never left.
03:31Take On Me is iconic, but their catalogue is full of shape-shifting pop gems you've probably missed.
03:45Number 7. Bobby McFerrin. Don't worry, be happy.
03:49McFerrin's been dodging this song for decades,
03:52mostly because he didn't want it to be the song people remembered him for.
03:56Yeah, that ship kinda sailed.
03:58Here's a little song I wrote.
04:01You might want to sing it note for note.
04:04To be fair, we all need a little mood boost sometimes,
04:07and Don't Worry, Be Happy is ridiculously catchy.
04:10It scored him a Grammy and made history as Billboard's first acapella chart topper.
04:16Be happy.
04:19Don't worry, be happy.
04:23But McFerrin's never been one to coast on a single hit.
04:27He's spent his career pushing boundaries, experimenting with sound and genre,
04:32and wowing jazz lovers with a discography that goes way beyond whistling and good vibes.
04:37If you truly want to understand his far-reaching talents,
04:40it's time for a deep dive into his full discography.
04:44Number 6. Psy. Gangnam Style.
04:53Gangnam Style galloped onto the global stage in 2012 with its ridiculously catchy beat and Psy's now iconic horse-riding dance.
05:01Gangnam Style.
05:06The number, a cheeky satire of Seoul's high society flash, went full viral,
05:11smashing YouTube records and spawning parodies faster than you could say oppa.
05:16Sure, it felt like a novelty hit, but it cracked the door wide open for K-pop on the global stage.
05:22The thing is, Psy wasn't exactly some random viral fluke.
05:31Back home, he was already famous for his cheeky lyrics, bold performances,
05:35and the kind of dance moves that saw him dubbed the bizarre singer.
05:39While we were lesseuing the air, Psy was quietly stacking awards and proving he's no one-hit pony.
05:46Hey, sexy lady!
05:53Number 5. Rick Astley. Never Gonna Give You Up.
05:57Nope, you're not being Rickrolled. Promise.
06:00But for a whole generation, Never Gonna Give You Up is the only Rick Astley song they know.
06:09Thanks to that cheeky late 2000s gag, his blue-eyed soul catalogue from the late 80s and early 90s
06:15basically got buried under a pile of prank links.
06:18The song became a pop culture blip, not the prelude to a legit music career.
06:23Oh, what is going on?
06:26What is going on?
06:28Oh my gosh!
06:29Come on, show me your moves!
06:32I don't got the moves!
06:33Oh my gosh!
06:34This is a dream for me!
06:36That said, irony can work wonders.
06:38The joke actually reignited his fame.
06:40Astley leaned in with a grin, took the stage again and dropped new music
06:44that found an audience.
06:46Still, for many, he's more gotcha than Grammy-level pop rock,
06:50which is a shame because the man's still got pipes.
06:53Keep singing, whoa, keep singing.
06:55Clap to the beat till your hands are stinging.
06:58And you'll be safe some summer day.
07:01Number 4. Aqua. Barbie Girl.
07:03You can't hear the name Aqua without instantly picturing Barbie and Ken in all their plastic fantastic glory.
07:10Barbie Girl is a late 90s earworm that took over the world and never really let go.
07:23While the band scored multiple hits in Europe and their debut album, Aquarium, was a global success,
07:29Barbie Girl was so inescapable that it basically became their entire identity in North America.
07:34Come on Barbie, let's go party.
07:38Come on Barbie, let's go party.
07:42Although with those cheeky lyrics, not everyone was such a big fan.
07:46Still, tracks like Dr. Jones and Turn Back Time were solid follow-ups,
07:50but nothing matched the seismic splash of that one song.
07:54That's practically an injustice because Aqua's catalogue is so much more real than Life in Plastic and Barbie's Dream House.
08:00Number 3. Rebecca Black. Friday.
08:10We're not here to fight for Friday. How can we?
08:13It felt more like a one-off vanity project because, well, it kind of was.
08:17And yet, in the early days of viral fame, Rebecca Black became the internet's favorite.
08:29Punchline. The song was an easy target, the video didn't help, but come on, she was just a teenager.
08:36Like we're all proud of every decision we ever made at that age.
08:40Gotta make my mind up, which thing can I take?
08:46Still, the internet can be ruthless, and Black took the brunt of it.
08:50Did you know she stuck with music? Yes. In adulthood, she found her voice, and her newer tracks are actually cool, thoughtful,
08:57and miles away from that infamous front-seat-backseat debate.
09:09Number 2. Khalees. Milkshake.
09:11Khalees' Milkshake really did bring all the attention, and then some.
09:15It was a massive hit, landed her a Grammy nod, and eventually got the mean girl's seal of immortality.
09:28But it also kind of boxed her in. For a lot of people, that's where their knowledge of her begins and ends,
09:34which is wild considering how varied and experimental her career has been.
09:46Long before Milkshake, she was making noise with tracks like Caught Out There and Trick Me,
09:51and since then, she's dabbled in everything from electronic to neo-soul.
09:55There's a lot more to Khalees than that one trip to the yard, and damn right, it's better than she gets credit for.
10:08Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:12Tony Basil. Mickey. She's a triple threat talent, but the second you hear her name,
10:17that song instantly hijacks your brain and sets up camp for the day.
10:28Darude. Sandstorm. Quick. How many Darude tracks can you actually name?
10:33Aside from that one that stormed into internet fame.
10:36Fountains of Wayne. Stacey's mum.
10:45Band member Chris Collingwood knew they'd end up synonymous with Stacey's mum,
10:50and tried to pump the brakes before it took over.
10:53Spoiler alert, he failed.
10:55Can't you see? You're just not the girl for me.
10:58I know it might be wrong, but I'm in love with Stacey's mum.
11:03Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel,
11:06and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
11:09You have the option to be notified for occasional videos, or all of them.
11:13If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
11:19Number 1. Carly Rae Jepsen. Call Me Maybe.
11:22Remember when Call Me Maybe was everywhere.
11:32Catchy, polished, and boosted into the stratosphere by a Justin Bieber tweet.
11:37Carly Rae Jepsen became an instant star.
11:39But it also painted her into a corner.
11:41Her label tried to ride the wave with more from her album Kiss.
11:45While it did well, the public had already filed her away as a one-hit wonder.
11:49And honestly, that's a total disservice because once she left the bubblegum pop behind,
12:02and leaned into emotional, dance, synth-heavy pop with emotion,
12:06she created some of the most adored cult pop of recent years.
12:09But to most, she's still just the Call Me Maybe girl.
12:12And not even Tom Hanks could change that.
12:23Which artist do you wish would get more love?
12:25Let us know in the comments.
12:27Before you came into my life
12:29And it's just so bad
12:30And it's just so bad
12:31And it's just so bad
12:32And it's just so bad
12:33So call me maybe
12:35That was he only threehangs
12:37And it's just so bad
12:39And it's just so bad
12:40And that olur
12:42And.
12:43Pass with include
12:44That's fine
12:45You won't makeнAT
12:47Since the 거야
12:48rights
12:49And you can勾 Hof
12:50And offer
Recommended
12:27
|
Up next
21:16
10:23
11:51
19:33
11:34
12:53
23:05
12:09
12:11
20:32
10:25
26:12
12:50
11:27