Do you ever think back to what was on the radio in the early 2000s? Are you nostalgic for music you haven't heard in years but you can't remember who made it? Maybe you used to hear it on the car radio growing up but never bothered to look it up. Well, hopefully, we can jog your memory with this list of early 2000s singers who you used to love but might have forgotten about. So, break out those shutter shades and silly bands, and let's get into it!
10. Willa Ford
Willa Ford was something of a one-hit wonder in 2001. Originally, she released music in the 90s under the name, "Mandah", but this alias was short-lived. Her stage name changed to Willa Ford to avoid confusion with another big-name celebrity, Mandy Moore. Ford's hit single, "I Wanna Be Bad" was released in 2001 to the approval of both fans and critics alike. The track even made the Billboard Top 100 in 2001, charting at no. 22 at its peak. Unfortunately, controversy involving Willa Ford's relationship with Backstreet Boy, Nick Carter, led to the quick demise of her music career. To this day, it's still unclear if we will ever see more music from Willa, but I think it would be an incredible comeback if she were to release a song in 2024.
9. Sean Kingston
We all remember Sean Kingston. In the mid-2000s, this guy was everywhere. He released several hits in the 2000s including the iconic, "Beautiful Girls" as well as "Take You There" and "Fire Burning". And who can forget his feature in Natasha Bedingfield's single, "Love Like This"? This guy was going places, so what happened? Well, the downfall of Kingston is a tragic one. In 2011, the young artist was involved in a near-fatal skiing accident, putting a wrench in his music career while he recovered. Unfortunately, with Hollywood being what it is, most of the star's promotion was dropped. But the story gets even sadder. In 2024, Kingston and his mother were arrested for fraud and theft. The duo now face up to 20 years in prison. Not exactly a happy ending. I guess all those beautiful girls got to him.
8. Daniel Powter
If you turned on a TV at all any time around 2006, you most likely heard Daniel Powter's hit song, "Bad Day". This track was featured in just about everything, including the 2007 Alvin and the Chipmunks film. Thankfully, nothing controversial happened to Powter. After the success of his first single, he went on to release an album, and after a brief tour, took a step back from show business due to becoming a father. (Aww!) The singer appears to be doing well with no scandals to speak of. He's just kind of doing his own thing. However, the wave of "Bad Day" never really went away. in 2023, Powter and EDM artist, Agent Zed, released an EDM version of the iconic single. Well, if it ain't broke don't fix it, right?
7. Leona Lewis
I like to consider Leona Lewis the Celine Dion of the mid 2000s. Her voice is just so impressive and strong. Of course, listeners knew this when she won The X Factor back in 2006. After that, she released her most popular single, "Bleeding Love" in 2007. The song is still iconic today, showcasing Lewis's insane vocal talent. In 2010, she was blessed with the honor of singing the main theme to James Cameron's "Avatar", "I See You". After that though, Lewis fell off the radar. It seems to be due to complications with her record company that we haven't seen much of this queen in the spotlight. However, Lewis is still making music. She released a single in 2023, titled "One Step Closer" for the Apple TV series, "Jane". This lady absolutely deserves more love in 2024. Can we bring her back to the mainstream? Please?
6. Akon
Remember Akon? I know you do. "Smack That" was a classic dance tune of the 2000s. It was all over the radio along with his other hits. "Right Now" and "I Wanna Love You" with Snoop Dogg. He was a big deal in the mid 2000s. What the heck happened to Akon? Well, unfortunately, similar to many of the artists on this list, he chose to take a hiatus, resulting in a drop in popularity. Akon is actually still releasing music in 2024 and worked on a song with DJ Paul, Krayzie Bone, and F.J. titled, "We Made It". Unfortunately, Akon has been caught up in some controversy as well with his attempts to build a tourist haven called "Akon City" in Senegal. Needless to say, plans for this mega city have fallen through, and Akon is once again off the map.
5. Far East Movement
I know you were in middle school singing "Like a G6" long before you knew what anything in this song meant. That or you were singing "Like a cheese stick" as so many thought those were the lyrics. Regardless, the song was a hit in 2010, so what happened to its creators, Far East Movement? Well, despite being off the radar, these guys were making music up to as recently as 2020. They are the true definition of a one-hit wonder because I'm pretty sure most of us didn't even know anything was made after their first album. Their downfall in the West is actually a really sad story, though. American record companies with racist ideologies tried to whitewash the artists, all of whom are Asian. Executives allegedly asked the young men to wear glasses to hide their eyes and even abbreviate their group name for Western audiences. Obviously, the group didn't take kindly to this and traveled to Asia to pursue their career there instead. We can't blame them. That's just messed up.
4. Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz was a rising star back in 2008, with his two hit singles, "Break Your Heart" and "Dynamite". His music has that classic late 2000s maximalism about it, similar to artists like Kesha and LMFAO (We'll get to them!). So, what happened to the iconic star? It appears Cruz wasn't really involved in any controversy, so what gives? Well, truthfully, he was releasing solo music all the way up to 2019. He even tried to create a resurgence in his music on TikTok, as so many modern artists are doing lately. Disappointingly, Cruz felt forced to delete his TikTok account due to quite literally being bullied off of the platform. Why are people so mean on the internet? Since then, he's been fairly off the grid, but undeserving of any hate. Go give Taio's discography a listen if you have the time.
3. LMFAO
Okay, finally we get to LMFAO. These guys live, eat, sleep, and breathe the pure essence of 2011. Yes, I know this isn't technically an early 2000s group, but they are absolutely worth mentioning. They did debut in 2009, but the group's single, "Party Rock Anthem" dominated charts in 2011, and it was quickly followed up by another hit single, "Sexy and I Know It" the same year. The band was just huge for a while. They also embodied the style of 2010 perfectly, with their shiny animal print outfits and chunky glasses. It's hard to forget these guys. Unfortunately, in 2012, after a disagreement, the group's main two members, Redfoo and Skyblu, chose to part ways. The rest is history and the group has no future plans to reunite.
2. The Script
The Script was an incredibly popular pop-rock band in the mid-2000s, similar to the likes of The Fray or Coldplay. They had a few major hits like "Breakeven", "The Man Who Can't Be Moved", and "Hall of Fame", but sort of fell by the wayside after 2011. However, The Script is still very much alive and well. It's a mystery as to why they aren't in the mainstream lately, but they should be. The band has continued to release music despite all adversity, including the tragic loss of founding member, Mark Sheehan, in 2023. Instead of stopping, The Script continues to make music in Mark's honor, and that's just really cool. The band even has a 2024 album, titled "Satellites". Seriously, if you haven't checked in with these guys in a while, give them a listen. They deserve it.
1. JoJo
Finally, if you were a kid in the 90s and early 2000s, you likely idolized JoJo (and no, not the Karma kind) as much as I did. Her career started young. At just 13, she became the youngest artist ever to chart on the Billboard Top 40 with her single, "Leave (Get Out)". She followed up with 2000s icons like "Baby It's You" and "Too Little Too Late", having reached widespread fame by 2007. Tragically, record label disputes delayed JoJo's upcoming music, leading to a lapse in her popularity in the late 2000s. Despite this, JoJo made a name for herself as an actress as well, featured in notable films like "Aquamarine" and "RV". She may have slipped to the back of our minds for a moment, but those of us who were there remember this absolute icon.
I hope you enjoyed this list of 10 artists from the 2000s that you probably forgot about! It has been a pleasure researching for this topic, as I also forgot about most of these artists. It's been pretty neat to see what they've been up to, wouldn't you agree? So, what do you think? Did we nail this list? Thanks so much for reading, and feel free to tell us your thoughts on our socials below!
Written By Shelbi Baker
*copyright not intended. Fair use act, section 107.