12 Household Names Who Had To Change Their Image to Hit It Big

The entertainment industry is a fickle beast. You can have all the talent in the world, but how are you going to package it? What genre are your talents best suited in? And if the image you originally chose isn’t getting the job done, are you willing to change your sound and/or revamp your entire look to make it big? These are the questions that were once posed to some well known artists — who would not be so well known if they weren’t willing to change. We wouldn’t call them “sellouts” or anything… We just wonder if they were (and are still) happy with the creative decision they made.

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 Some of these now-famous artists had their images manufactured and thrust upon them by some sleazy record executives who thought they knew best. Some loved an entirely different genre, and put all their talented eggs in that basket before realizing that it wasn’t going to be the vehicle to worldwide success. Either way, pause buttons were hit, and complete overhauls were made to help these 12 wannabe musicians become household names.