When a band member steps out on their own, it can be a bold move — sometimes risky, sometimes brilliant. While some solo careers fade into the background, others explode with success, leaving their former bandmates in the dust.
The team at Prime Casino have examined the artists who made the leap and improved their careers. From chart-toppers to cultural icons, these solo acts show that sometimes going it alone is the best decision they ever made.
Eminem Has Been The Most Successful Solo Artist Since Leaving D12
Breaking free from the band might feel like a gamble, but for some artists, it’s the jackpot of their careers. Which singers did the best after leaving their previous groups?
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Eminem
71.9 million more Spotify listeners
52 more top 10 hits
15 more Grammys
Eminem takes the top spot with almost 72 million more Spotify listeners than his former group, D12. The group were active, on and off, for over 20 years after forming in 1996. It was only in 2018, and through his song Stepping Stone, that Eminem officially announced the group had disbanded.
While D12 enjoyed some success, Eminem’s solo career eclipsed his time with D12 by a wide margin. He had 57 more top 10 hits in the UK and US, along with15 Grammy Awards. D12 did not win any Grammy awards.
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Beyoncé
37.4 million more Spotify listeners
28 more top 10 hits
27 more Grammys
Beyoncé is right on Eminem’s heels, securing the second spot with over 37 million more listeners than Destiny's Child. As a solo artist, she exploded with hits like Crazy In Love and Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), alongside a collection of critically acclaimed albums like Lemonade and Dangerously In Love.
With over double the number of top 10 hits than she saw with her previous group and 27 more Grammys, Beyoncé's dominance as a solo act is undeniable.
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Michael Jackson
25.5 million more Spotify listeners
55 more top 10 hits
12 more Grammys
Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, rounds out the top three. While the Jackson 5 (the Jacksons) brought him global attention, his solo career propelled him to icon status. With classics like Billie Jean, Thriller, and Beat It, Michael earned 74 top 10 hits across the US and UK and collected 12 Grammys.
His impact on music, fashion, and culture remains unparalleled, making his solo success far outshine his time with the Jackson 5.
Honourable Mentions
Other notable mentions include Dr. Dre, whose transition from a group member of N.W.A to a solo career brought not only hip-hop anthems but also game-changing production work with the likes of Snoop Dogg and Eminem.
And Tina Turner, whose move from Ike and Tina Turner to a solo powerhouse led to massive hits like What's Love Got to Do With It and a career that earned her seven Grammy Awards.
Paul Mccartney Is One Of The Most Successful Solo Artists, After Leaving The Beatles
We're not just interested in which artists have done the best compared to their previous bands; we’ve also examined former group members and their overall performance to crown the most successful solo artists.
Eminem and Beyoncé are obvious entries at the top of the table, but some more surprising artists are within the top 10.
Paul McCartney, ranking third, has enjoyed an extraordinary solo career following his time with The Beatles. While The Beatles’ legacy is almost unmatched, McCartney carved out his own space in music history with 39 top 10 UK and US hits, including classics like Band on the Run and Live and Let Die.
McCartney has been working hard, with 26 solo studio albums and 21 tours under his belt, but he has been rewarded for this. He has a massive Spotify following of over 29 million monthly listeners and five Grammy wins as a solo artist.
Harry Styles is a recent addition to the solo success club, coming in eighth. After leaving One Direction, he quickly became a standout solo artist, with 14 combined UK and US top 10 hits and three Grammy wins. His hits like As It Was and Watermelon Sugar have dominated the charts and resulted in almost 48 million Spotify monthly listeners and three sold-out tours.
Ozzy Osbourne rounds out the top 10, proving that the Prince of Darkness has become an unforgettable part of the music industry. After leaving Black Sabbath, Osbourne launched a solo career that introduced hits such as Crazy Train and Mr. Crowley. His 13 solo studio albums and 21 tours show just how popular his music is, which is further evident in his nine million monthly Spotify listeners.
Michael Jackson Had Almost Four Times The Number Of Top 10 Hits After Leaving The Jackson 5
Michael Jackson sits at the top of the rankings, with 74 solo top 10 hits — a massive leap from the 19 he achieved with The Jackson 5. That’s a difference of 55 hits, three more than the difference between D12 and Eminem and 27 more than between Beyoncé and Destiny’s Child.
Justin Timberlake’s post-*NSYNC career resulted in 27 more top 10 hits, including the iconic Can't Stop the Feeling! And SexyBack. George Michael also stands out, more than doubling his success after Wham! by adding 21 solo top 10 hits to his name. Meanwhile, Tina Turner’s solo transformation earned her 17 top 10 hits — 14 more than her earlier work with Ike.
Beyonce’s Number Of Grammy Awards Increased From 2 To 29 Since Leaving Destiny’s Child
Regarding Grammy gold, some artists have left their bands far behind. Beyoncé, for example, is practically a walking Grammy machine. With 29 individual Grammy wins — 27 more than Destiny’s Child earned together.
Eminem has racked up 15 Grammy Awards after starting with D12, who didn’t earn one. Then we’ve got Eric Clapton, who walked away from The Yardbirds and became a solo legend with 14 Grammys.
While Led Zeppelin is legendary to many people, Robert Plant has done better than the band in terms of awards. His eight individual award wins far outweigh the one he won in the band.
Methodology
- A list of solo artists was compiled from various articles from sources such as Yardbarker and Ranker.
- We used Google Keyword Planner to find the number of Google searches for each artist between December 2023 and November 2024, we then used the 100 most searched for further study.
- We used the official Instagram account to find the number of followers for each artist.
- We used the official X account to find the number of followers for each artist.
- Spotify was used to find the average monthly listens for each artist.
- Official charts were used to find each artist's number of UK top 10 hits, and Billboard was used to find the number of top 10 hits in the Billboard Hot 100 charts. We combined both totals to get each artist's total number of top 10 hits in the UK and US.
- The Grammy official site was used to find the number of Grammy Awards each artist has won in their solo career.
- Various sources were used to find the number of albums released by each artist.
- The number of solo tours was sourced from Setlist.
- We then compiled each factor and created a score out of 10 by using a weighted index calculation.
- For the band vs. solo artist comparison section, we calculated the difference in the number of monthly Spotify listeners, UK and US hits, and Grammy Awards.
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