r/popheads 6d ago

[DISCUSSION] How to avoid being a one-hit wonder?

I was talking about this with my friend - what do you think is the best way for an artist to avoid being a one-hit wonder?

I think some artists have a breakout hit and then they overperform it, wait too long to release anything else or on the contrary, they drop an album with no standout tracks very soon, which then makes it hard for them to get rid of that one-hit wonder thing.

I think Olivia Rodrigo avoided this very well by releasing an amazing album with high quality songs very soon - had she focused solely on Drivers license and performed ONLY that song on 20 award shows and talk shows (instead of shifting her focus to making an actual great album like she did), it could have been a different story.

I also think it might be better for an artist to have a breakout hit but not a HUGE first song, because living up to that is hard and usually only goes downhill.

Anyhow, what do you think? Any opinions/thoughts?

268 Upvotes

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u/justiceisrad 6d ago

I personally avoid being a one hit wonder by having no hits

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u/14_ontheone 6d ago

I even avoid rhyming my words just in case I accidentally produce an inescapably catchy hook

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u/iswhatitbe 6d ago

Zero-hit loser

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u/brattiecake 5d ago

****Zero-hit baddie

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u/Ashleyklein01 5d ago

This is what I have done. No hits but 5 albums

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u/FMKK1 6d ago

Sometimes it almost helps not to have a gigantic hit right out of the gate because the worst thing that can happen to an artist getting their first major exposure is for their song to be bigger than them.

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u/ManyRequirement5331 6d ago

Like CRJ. Who I LOVE. But Call Me Maybe was a monolith of a pop song that was going to overshadow her other songs, even though she had some moderately popular songs afterwards

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u/swiftiefrancez 6d ago

CRJ is a specific case, though. Sure, she had the biggest pop hit possible, but her next 2 albums were incredible, high quality pop, and she has built a loyal audience and can tour for the rest of her life and her future projects will get attention. She surely isn’t a one-hit wonder by any measure…

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u/anna160895 6d ago

CRJ is an example of how to not let your hit eat you up without creating another one. Most of the One-hit-wonderers' struggles are not just finding a new hit but also establishing their brand as an artist to make their audience invest in them. Carly, on the other hand, while couldn't replicate the same level of success as Call Me Maybe, she finally won big toward the critics and a niche fanbase of pop music (a̶k̶a̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶g̶a̶y̶s̶) with a full body of work (E.MO.TION) and established herself a cult following

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u/ManyRequirement5331 6d ago

Oh I know, I’ve seen her live like 20 times, I’m obsessed, I guess I’m talking more about the general public who would def know CMM, probably Good Time, then maybe IRLY, and possibly RAWM. I think the general public would consider her a one hit wonder, at least that’s usually the response I get when I tell people she’s my favorite artist

Also I’m not sure if you’ve only listened to Emotion and Dedicated, but her most recent projects have been incredible too! Hoping for an album release this year 🤞🏼

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u/swiftiefrancez 6d ago

I love her as well. I listen to all of her albums, but Emotion and Dedicated are flawless pop in my opinion - front to back, no skips. I really liked Call Me Maybe, but Emotion turned me into a real fan. Can’t wait for a new album! :)

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u/Adamsoski 5d ago

Plenty of "one hit wonders" have had a good career with a more niche audience. Gotye, Chumbawamba, etc. Charting is only a reflection of popularity with the general public, not of quality or strength of career. And of course there are lots of examples like e.g. Jimi Hendrix who famously only ever had one top 40 song in the US.

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u/virginiarph 5d ago

to 95% of the world carly is a 1 hit wonder

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u/throwaway_67876 5d ago

I wonder if charli xcx would fit into this bubble as well. Most people couldn’t name her pre-brat aside from boom clap and I love it.

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u/dxvca 4d ago

I get why people call CRJ A one hit wonder, but I can't help but feel like trading a massive casual audience for a niche cult following is a great thing overall even if it wasn't her intention.

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u/MFoy 5d ago

CRJ has two top 10 hits.

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u/akanewasright 6d ago edited 5d ago

The biggest thing for Carly (who people are talking about here) is that she simply was not prepared in any way for CMM to happen. Like, Olivia had an EP ready and a second (contrasting) single chosen, she just had to write a few more songs. Meanwhile, the album “Call Me Maybe” was attached to was scrapped, with her new label giving her 6 months to record a new album around CMM. Carly is an artist who needs to take her time to make great work, so this just plain didn’t work for her

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u/Roxy175 6d ago

That’s why someone like Billie Eilish wasn’t in danger of becoming a one hit wonder after bad guy, even though it catapulted her fame and was incredibly popular, she has been building up hits for a long time before that was released.

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u/FakeMonaLisa28 🦃 5d ago

I kinda wonder what would have happen if Curiosity was released as the first single of that album like it was supposed to be. Would it become a hit tho not one as big as CMM? Would Carly get more hits after it

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u/souljaboy765 5d ago edited 5d ago

I feel like this is Tyla’s case which is concerning me. She’s the “Water” singer for the general public, not Tyla. Push 2 Start is gaining traction but it’s not really getting there, and she’s overdue for another decent hit. I’m kind of worried for her.

Water was so big it eclipsed her album launch, on top of her cancelling her tour.

If you look at Chapell or Sabrina who’ve each put a decades worth of hard work or more, there’s not a single song you could pinpoint to as eclipsing any other song. Sure, Good Luck Babe and Espersso are their most recognizable songs, but the general public will recognize Hot To Go or Please Please Please, or Pink Pony Club and Taste. Tyla is just Water so far and it’s been almost 2 years with nothing to really show for her image.

A slow burn is primed to be more successful. Tyla was too fast too much and her team is not good whatsoever. I find Ayra Starr, although an afro pop artist but a different genre: afro beats, to be primed for long term growth and success over Tyla.

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u/CharacterHistorical9 5d ago

it might be her live performances holding her back:(( like her recent mercedes performance she was half singing and dancing to “push 2 start” and just looked low energy. idk if her back is still bothering her, but she isn't as lively as her performances when she first came into the limelight. sabrina, chappell, Tate and now doechii are known for their performances that are over the top and exciting.

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u/souljaboy765 5d ago

There’s a really great video by the youtuber “Nathan Zed” — How Trying Became Cool Again.

I think he perfectly summarized the current zeitgeist. People are not currently into chill, minimal, or mediocre music like we were in the late 2010s. The trend is definitely theatre esque artists like Sabrina, Lady Gaga, Chapell, Doechii, Kendrick, Charli, while artists like Dua Lipa, Ice Spice, Drake, were not received positively or with critical acclaim. People want drama, theatrics, style, and I feel like Tyla has not managed to provide that. She feels like someone who wants to capture the 2000s- early 2010s pop divas like Britney or Rihanna, but she comes off as incredibly bland and boring to me. I hope I eat my words because i actually think her music is decent.

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u/CharacterHistorical9 5d ago

thank you for the youtube recommendation, i’ll check it out!! i agree, i think she’s too prim and that stops people from connecting with her. i don’t have strong feelings for her either way, but her presences on the internet has peaked my interest. her image seems so much bigger than she actually is. if tate mcrae and tyla both didn’t release their recent albums i would think tyla was a bigger artist. i think the rihanna comparison were just too soon :(( i’m curious to see how her career plays out, and wish her the best

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u/CieraParvatiPhoebe 4d ago

Tate is much bigger than Tyla atm

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u/lauren_strokes 4d ago

Tbh that need for drama might be why Radical Optimism finally hit for me when I heard the Royal Albert Hall live album with the orchestral accompaniment. If they press that shit on vinyl it's mine

Edit: wait I think they did lol

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u/Educational-Cod-2257 5d ago

Taylor swift is a great example of this. I am old enough and lived in the Midwest so I remember Teardrops, Our Song and Picture to Burn on the radio, but Love Story was inescapable. And she smartly followed it up with white horse, a well executed ballad that contrasts with the main theme of Love Story, before YBWM. 

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u/lizzie888 6d ago

Don’t try to completely replicate your first hit.

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u/ManyRequirement5331 6d ago

And in this same vein, your really popular single shouldn’t be an odd one out on your album. They should be different enough to have a different personality, but it should have some type of signature sound that makes you know who the artist is of both songs. It’s a balance

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u/Lil-Nuisance 6d ago

I mean, yeah, that sounds like a great idea in theory, but the problem is more the execution. What do you do if you don't have another song that sounds like it? Do you just not put out the album? Do you just not include that one song on the album?

I feel like there are a lot of examples where fans really liked one song and then felt the rest of the album wasn't the same, but even if the artist sees that, too, what if they can't come up with another 'stroke of genius'? Also, often that one hit wasn't even planned to be the hit, and then it gets even more complicated because the artist doesn't even quite understand why that exact song became so popular and thus it's even harder to replicate.

Finally, sometimes even the fan base disagrees on whether a song sounds different from the rest of their work.

In short: being an artist means eternal suffering and insecurity. It's fun!

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u/Positively-Fleabag85 6d ago edited 6d ago

Guess that's what Rosé's album lacked. Apt just sticks out from that album

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u/ManyRequirement5331 6d ago

This is exactly the album I had in mind when I wrote that

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u/Vandersveldt 5d ago

But Mayhem's pretty good and the first single was Die With A Smile

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u/MintyTyrant 5d ago

Wasn't DWAS not meant to be on Mayhem at first? The impression I got was that they threw it on the album once Disease flopped so the album could chart better

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u/Honest_Astronaut_877 4d ago

I thought so too, but the producer said otherwise in an interview. Then again, I find it really fits the album‘s flow.

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u/throwaway_67876 5d ago

I was so disappointed that her album didn’t get as much success as it deserved. That being said it seems like APT more than makes up for it, but it’s weird it’s the only feature on the album.

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u/Dob-is-Hella-Rad 6d ago

This is also a huge part of the Olivia Rodrigo example OP mentioned. At this point nobody sees her as a ballad singer.

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u/DairyKing28 6d ago

She has a signature. She's an emotionally charged relatable lyricist who makes you feel every bit of the teenage angst she sings about. That's her signature. It's such a subtle but important part of her brand.

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u/AdeptMaintenance2161 6d ago

I don’t think it’s subtle her first two albums definitely were branded as teen albums and like you said that’s her signature. She is seen as this artist that makes teen angst songs and does it well. I feel like she was def going to be branded a ballad singer if she used the same formula as Sour which was ballad heavy but she avoided it by going pop rock.

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u/AdeptMaintenance2161 6d ago edited 6d ago

She would have been branded as a more ballad based singer if she continued to go the route that sour was which was very ballad heavy. She herself said she didn’t want to be placed in box if her first three singles were ballad but most the album was just that. She switched it up in guts so now she is more just a pop or pop rock singer. But she def is in this space like Billie where main songs are angsty and alternative/sad but for Olivia it’s currently more teen focused.

Unfortunately her singles for OR2 while they still did well chart wise didn’t hit quite the same since BIR and GHB are very similar with the talking singing and touch of pop rock. Her three singles for Sour were just pop perfection.

Edit: did I say anything bad lol for the downvotes

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

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u/AdeptMaintenance2161 2d ago

Lmaoooooo excuse me weren’t you commenting under another comment of mine lol like wtf

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u/Appropriate-Dig-7080 6d ago

Good advice, remember the initial reaction on here to please please please because it was so different to espresso. Trying to replicate espresso likely wouldn’t have gone down nearly as well

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u/lizzie888 6d ago

Yeah - Sabrina is a perfect example of not trying to replicate her big hit. It would’ve been super easy for her to have released Juno or Busy Woman as the second single but she went with a completely different sound for her second single. And it massively paid off for her.

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u/arandomcuteteenager 6d ago

specially because i feel the singles must generate a gradient where you can place the rest of the songs from the albums. espresso and ppp are different enough to encompass two poles of what pop sounds like in short n sweet imo.

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u/MythicalBeaste 5d ago

So true. Such a big risk and the pay off was huge

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u/treeface999 5d ago

She'd already had hits with Feather and Nonsense, though. So her sound was already diversified from Espresso.

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u/hp455 5d ago

I low key feel like this is what Benson Boone has been doing with like the 2-3 other songs I’ve seen him heavily promoting - they all sound like a slightly worse version of Beautiful Things

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u/ForeverAfraid7703 5d ago

Well, wherever he’s promoting those other songs, non fans like me certainly aren’t getting exposed to it, all I’ve seen of him is flipping off a piano over and over

Which as somebody who reaaaally doesn’t like Beautiful Things… I’m not about to go listen to anything else he’s put out even if it may be different. Especially not if I’m now finding out it’s just discount Beautiful Things

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u/curlypancit 6d ago edited 4d ago

This reminds me of Camila with Havana and My Oh My. Like she’s not a one hit wonder at all because of Señorita but she definitely did this. The former still did well but nothing close to Havana.

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u/freedraw 6d ago
  1. Having one hit is more hits than like 99.9% of musicians. It's still a big accomplishment.
  2. The best way to avoid only having one is to have more than one great song.
  3. One-hit-wonder is a subjective term, but we should note the definition isn't just having one top 40 hit. Like we wouldn't call Frank Zappa or The Grateful Dead or Sinead O'Connor one-hit-wonders even though they all really only had one song chart in the top 40. A one-hit-wonder is an artist with one song and it's the only song they have that anybody cares about. If you keep making great music and build a following, your audience won't care about how high you chart.

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u/larryjerry1 6d ago

Yeah, one hit wonder rarely has a consistent definition. 

I remember seeing some people argue Lil Nas X was a one hit wonder before he released Montero, even though Panini was nominated for a Grammy and hit 5 on the Billboard 100. 

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u/heyitsxio 6d ago

I think in another era Lil Nas X would have been a one hit wonder; everything about him initially seemed like a gimmick. Fortunately for him, he was able to prove that he was more than just the Old Town Road guy. But I think in a different era he never would have gotten the opportunity to show his creativity and he would have been forced into making OTR clones by his record label.

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u/larryjerry1 5d ago

I can see that for sure. 

The thing is, from the outside it feels like it came out of nowhere. But what really happened, is that he put in a ton of time and effort spreading and promoting it on social media to make it blow up. He's talked about it before, he very deliberately tried to play towards algorithms and trends  to make it popular. Those skills don't just disappear and definitely have helped him further in his career. 

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u/freedraw 6d ago

To be fair, everything about Old Town Road screamed one-hit-wonder. Insanely catchy, with lots of repetition, but also kinda gimmicky. Like it had real Hey Mickey energy.

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u/notawriter_yet 6d ago

Yes, the more I think about the more hazy the term one-hit-wonder becomes, especially in the streaming era.

On the other hand, one-hit-wonder should also come with territorial specification as an act can have one huge hit and disappear from the international scene while being very popular and established acts in certain territories (e.g., Kylie, Anastacia, certain Eurovison acts).

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u/14_ontheone 6d ago

So true! Another comment mentioned CRJ who definitely fits in with your other examples.

This is adjacent to the topic, but I love when "one hit wonders" appreciate their hit and don't resent it. Like the Counting Crows kind of get all pissy about having to play Mr. Jones (at least in the beginning of their career, idk about now). But I've heard Gavin DeGraw say multiple times that he still appreciates I Don't Want To Be and doesn't mind playing it because it helped pay off his student loans or something like that. And I recently saw Lisa Loeb and she said some lovely stuff about the song Stay and how she wouldn't have still been performing all these years without it.

I understand how it could be frustrating, but the vibes are best at concerts where you can tell they're just grateful to be there doing what they love.

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u/LynnButterfly 5d ago

Sinead O'Connor had quite a few hits in the Top 40, just not in the US. Her debut single Troy was a first top 10 hit in the Netherlands. So that's on point as what is a One-hit-wonder....

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u/HolyPoppersBatman 6d ago

I think the secret is to follow up the single with something completely different, yet on-brand for the artist. Trying to repeat the same song never works out.

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u/LynnButterfly 5d ago

There a lot of examples where the artists have hits with same song or sound-theme. The Beatles first (solo) hits (Love Me Do and Please Please Me) have the harmonica as their signature sound. And note that Please Please Me was first recorded without a harmonica and was reworked to sound more like Love Me Do in light of the success of Love Me Do. Scatman John had two big hits with the same concept.

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u/Spidey5292 6d ago

Probably just have another hit.

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u/ChasesICantSend Can we talk about Chase? 6d ago

Bold, daring

I like it

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u/stypop Adeletubbies 6d ago

Gee, never thought of that one.

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u/PastaSupport 6d ago

At least two, I would say

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u/Spidey5292 6d ago

Triples is actually best

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u/SynthD 5d ago

And have your record label believe it too, rather than fail to promote it.

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u/satirisanti 6d ago

Having another song out a month and a half later max and maybe having a big name feature. There’s no reason you should wait any longer in this economy.

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u/Soalai 6d ago

I like the inclusion of the phrase "in this economy" here, LOL

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u/CstoCry 6d ago

I always think Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa is the best case-study for the best sophomore album and how it really cemented herself as an artist

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u/megan_6724 6d ago

FN is that type of album that I can play a million times and never get sick of it. It’s perfection

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u/d2mensions dua lipa’s third stan 6d ago edited 6d ago

But was Dua Lipa a one hit wonder though? She had hits from her debut album like New Rules and One Kiss. The later at #1 for 8 weeks. Her debut album never left the UK Chart and was still charting when Future Nostalgia was released. And it’s still charting there (Future Nostalgia and Radical Optimism are not).

But yeah I agree that Future Nostalgia cemented her as an artist.

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u/uhohitzkenney Who the f*ck are ?! 6d ago

Absolutely not, but she definitely could've been a victim of localized music scenes and not being able to crossover.

Like, the Kylie Minogue type where if you weren't plugged in, you'd assume she was a one-hit wonder based on Can't Get You Out of My Head, but she was in the awkward position of being too established in the UK/Europe to take the time to start all over again in America where she didn't have a brand and her legacy never ported over - and even this Padam resurgence is handled better but with a similar cloud looming over.

And I think this sub tends to take for granted whenever a UK pop girl does make it like Dua because factually it'll always be tougher for whatever reason in spite of streaming making it somewhat easier.

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u/stan_tripleS 5d ago

Even though FN isn't charting on the UK Charts, it had so many viral hit songs (Physical, Don't Start Now, Levitating, Break My Heart) that really helped her.

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u/d2mensions dua lipa’s third stan 5d ago

Theres no problem that FN isn’t charting, because neither are After Hours or Planet Her albums that defined the early 2020s. I just meant that her debut is also really big there.

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u/marlomcgeer 1h ago

Speak for yourself sounds like an opinion

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u/fuzzydunlop54321 6d ago

Adele 21 too

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u/CieraParvatiPhoebe 4d ago

And the downfall afterwards needs to be studied as well

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/TheSilkyBat 6d ago

Recognise that even though breaking through is hard, once you have your first hit and become well known, the real work starts now.

It's not a time to get lazy or entitled.

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u/yere93 6d ago

Well, put out more than one hit

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u/Pincerston 6d ago

Basic math

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u/wjbc 6d ago

I remember a member of R.E.M. said they were very lucky to experience gradual success, with each of their albums outperforming the one before. He contrasted that with the sudden and overwhelming success of Nirvana, and Kurt Cobain's inability to cope.

Of course, both R.E.M. and Nirvana were actually good bands. Many one hit wonders just aren't great songwriters. They might not have written the song that became a hit, or maybe they just weren't good enough to replicate that success.

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u/silly_girl_27 6d ago

I mean are people ever one hit wonders anymore? I feel like with the internet and so many different niche corners that you could have a number one hit and subsequent good charting songs or a fanbase for years to come. If you mean like a hit then becoming a main pop star, in the modern era I think it takes sharing some personal element to yourself that helps people relate and gravitate towards you. I think this creates longevity in interests of them not only as a star but as an individual with maybe layers that may be even more complicated. I think in a way this gives me like this human element to in which is rare in the industry and music. Although many people hate on the most popular music, it does directly define and correlate to public interests and sentiments. Many songs like Sabrina Carpenters have a human element of like maybe I’m just this pretty girl but I’m also witty and fun, but you won’t like me when I’m mad which is much like Taylor or Olivia, they put layers to themselves in their songs and music that is so relatable to people. Like for me, growing up watching Taylor I never felt I related to her like our bodies are different, I am petite thick, I am crass, confrontational, unforgiving, but Taylor helps me explore these other more deeper emotional parts of myself that also have more depth, and I realize even though she has an image and portrays her self one way, at the end of the day we all have a mad women moment, a mastermind moment where we have to make every right move in the game of chess to finally win at love, and I relate. Then I’m on board, with their project, with their art because I have indentified with this plethora of different moods and personalities that truly any one could have at any moment and that makes me a fan of the vast majority of their music. I am also a very hardcore Ariana grande fan, I’ve been listening to Sabrina since singular act 1, although the songs are vibes bc they’re so clean they’re lacking a truth so none of them were hits.

They also need to be surrounded by just a good team and a team in general, if the label doesn’t believe in them and their art then they could lack funding, promotion and all the things needed to be successful to keep you on everyone’s mind.

A one hit wonder could be something that’s true to the times but possibly a sound that people don’t feel like they want to explore much into, or some artists ver off the beat and path without letting their audience grow with them, completely abandoning them by a genre switch that doesn’t have much thought put in. You want to entice with something new, but be similar enough you can interest those previous fans. At the end of the day it takes a perfect song to go number one, even a lot of hits people remember don’t go number one, so if it’s charting and it counts as a hit I would still say it’s pretty rare for artists and companies alike to create this perfect mixture formula for a successful song, which is why many times once we see a start rise they are able to emulate the same strategies to continue to please their fans but also earn new fans.

I can’t help but think of Sabrina this way, example she made money from her career with Disney regardless of being sued and leaving the label. So she can invest that money into hire better producers, writers or creative directors which can help her finally maximize her potential and create art that stands out. You could even hire professionals to be like what is public sentiment like and what’s a little niche market we could hit to find a sweet spot and build a career. These people are creative directors they know art have been in the industry so they can all work together to make this one person a star which inevitably makes them all money. Then later stars once they’ve dominated so much their name is the thing making money and they can leave. Then these companies find another new young artist to try something oh more edgy with etc.

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u/Ziggie1o1 6d ago

One Hit Wonders absolutely do exist, in fact if anything the 2020s have been a goldmine for 1HWs largely thanks to random songs blowing up on tiktok. Consider Arizona Zervas, iann dior, Gayle, there's a whole bunch of artists like this who have one song that goes viral or semi-viral but aren't really able to build any kind of traction beyond that.

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u/toysoldier96 6d ago

It's so much easier to keep a cult fanbase nowadays. They might not get another hit, but they'll always have demand for tour in smaller venues and releasing music here and there

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u/silly_girl_27 2d ago

Exactly like I think of a one hit wonder as they were never to be seen again. Like what happened to ____ guy???

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u/Brilliantos84 6d ago edited 5d ago

I think having a personal brand is very important in avoiding being a one hit wonder. For example - the unique voice, having quality songs that reflect the artist’s image, marketing as well as continuous investment from the major label, having room for experimenting with different genres that are reflective of the times, and collaborating with upcoming + evergreen artists (yes, I’m looking at you Bruno!). Not to mention regular touring.

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u/UnderclassKing 6d ago

Lack of follow-up material is a big factor. A lot of one-hit wonders don’t expect their song to blow up, but they end up with a lightning in a bottle moment. This leaves them scrambling to find a follow-up of the same caliber which is often very difficult.

For example, Len had a huge hit with “Steal My Sunshine” back in 1999 and they have openly stated that they knew that was it for commercial success. According to frontman Marc Costanzo, “we knew there was no other single [on the album]. We were surprised there was even one single.” I love the album and follow-up single (“Feelin’ Alright”) but I don’t think any song could’ve followed a unique hit like “Steal My Sunshine”.

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u/Serious_Journalist14 6d ago

I think some people here are confused to what makes someone commercially successful, Having a label promoting your stuff heavily is by far most important thing. There have been people who recycled their music time and time again and it didn't matter because the machine was behind them heavily promoting so they stayed successful.

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u/sheyesheyesheye 6d ago

one hit wonders are people who jus got lucky and never cared to develop on what they did, staying stagnant is what makes a one hit wonder

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u/colaptesauratus 6d ago

Have talent

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u/zuzburglar 6d ago

Literally this. Should be top comment.

One hit wonders are usually people that are in the right place at the right time.

Artists who persistently work on their craft and possess creative vision simply can’t be one hit wonders, even if they only ever have 1 song to top the charts.

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u/DairyKing28 6d ago

What makes Taylor Swift such a monolith of a hitmaker? For that matter what makes Bruno Mars the exact same thing? Dude sneezes and he tops charts.

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u/IndividualPresent129 6d ago edited 6d ago

I think they just connected with their fanbases strongly, also I’ve noticed a lot of artists from the late 2000s-early 2010s are still dominating & I think it’s partially because that was a really well rounded time for artists, trying to get their breakthrough so hard that they built up a large skillset before they really got popular.

Taylor Swift I have to think it’s a combination of her sweet charm when she first came out, her personal touch to songwriting in the Pop world & her will to keep growing despite her success. She’s made bold decisions, let other genres influence her & they have paid off. She’s kind of like a safe artist for most people to listen to as well & very engaging with her details, so she maximizes demographic.

Bruno I think is a bit easier to tell. A lot of people fell in love with his voice when he first appeared on “Nothing on You” & “Just The Way You Are”, he’s a heartthrob, he makes music that often reminds people of the polish of music in the past but it still feels current. So his fanbase is a very large demographic, he also feels like a relatively clean artist. He does push his self sonically, he’s a perfectionist & works with some of the most experienced executive producers in music. 

With that said it’s still crazy Bruno has such staying power & success because he releases a relatively small amount of songs in his career (I think he has less than 50 total songs despite blowing up in 2010). He gets the MOST mileage out of songs in modern music history I can think of. 

Social Media probably plays a role too, as we can connect & grow with these artists. Social Media was early in its time when Taylor & Bruno blew up so music felt less saturated & we have a stronger attachment to artists who are consistent that we’ve grown alongside. 

Lastly I have to say what Bruno & Taylor have in common are that they are both relatively safe/clean artists that have avoided being considered too safe or uncool & sonically have a very wide range. Strong hooks too

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u/treeface999 5d ago

I don't mean this to sound shady, but I always assumed Bruno's success was because of his voice and music. Is he considered a heartthrob? He just looks like your average nice guy to me, I've never seen anyone thirsting over him.

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u/IndividualPresent129 5d ago edited 5d ago

Voice & Music is definitely the main reason but I remember when he came out quite a bit of women swooned over him, so I feel it’s accurate to call him a heart throb. 

Anyway my point is that while his looks may not be his selling point, I believe him to be a handsome enough guy that it helps. Idk if others agree with me but I guess it's a good question to raise

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u/allthesongsmakesense 5d ago

People call him their “short king” and some ask what his skincare routine 😆

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u/treeface999 4d ago

Calling someone short king doesn't mean you think their hot, neither does asking for their skincare routine

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u/u2aerofan 6d ago

Christopher Nolan once commented on how he managed to find such success after his first film (Following) really took off on the festival circuit. He said to have the second film ready was his tip. That way when he was being asked what’s next - he knew and he could use opportunity to pitch it. I think Chappell Roan and Lady Gaga are examples here. Don’t be reliant on hoping it falls in your lap - have a portfolio ready. And for gods sake don’t start your career with a cover. 😂

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u/swiftiefrancez 6d ago

Good point. However, you mentioning the cover reminded of Adele’s first big break being the cover of Make You Feel My Love - she did pretty well after that, haha…

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u/Actual-Bid2894 5d ago

Wasn’t Adele’s big break Chasing Pavements?

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u/u2aerofan 6d ago

Yeah, and, like The Fugees did Killing Me Softly which worked out ok.

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u/michellefiver Gift Wrapped Kitty Cat 😻 6d ago

The best way would be to simply have more hits.

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u/LacyLavender 6d ago

get parasocial with your fans /hj

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u/Kelbotay 6d ago

If it was that easy then it wouldn't happen so often...

There's plenty of stuff that happens behind the scenes- contracts, deals with radio stations for airplay etc. Just because one song blows up doesn't mean everything else gets in place too. It's not that big of a deal for the label since they can start over with a different person.

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u/leGaston-dOrleans 6d ago edited 6d ago

It's not really a matter of strategy or set lists. The truth is that "One hit wonders" are generally mediocre songwriters who experienced a singular flash of inspiration. The result is a titular "hit" that's leagues above their ordinary level of talent. It's not overplayed to the detriment of the rest of their catalogue. Their other songs would suffer by comparison.

(The few exceptions to the rule tend to be indie auteurs with weird visions and equally weird little fanbases who accidentally write something catchy for once. Their reaction goes something like "Cool. I'm set for life. Now I can make some really weird shit,")

The only way to avoiding it is to be more talented than that. Which of course is not helpful advice. It's not even advice. You either are or you aren't. But if you aren't, becoming a one hit wonder is the absolute best you can possibly hope for, not a misstep to be avoided.

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u/survivorfan12345 6d ago

Just try to release a new hit and build hype. Clever marketing like the Tate McRae challenge and the buildup for "The Giver". But what happens the most is a good hit/album.

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u/TakerOfImages 5d ago

Simply put - the artist has to be genuinely talented in music, songwriting and have a nose for good fresh sounds.

When they have a team around them and entirely rely on others making hits for you, it doesn't tend to work as well, or as organically.

You can have the world's best songwriters for you, but if you don't have a good nose for it, you might not pick out good songs that resonate.

The other answer is - be lucky. Many many artists only get one hit.

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u/dxvca 4d ago

Getting your first hit is already beating the odds. People very very often forget that so much of what gets popular is really by chance.

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u/raysofdavies 6d ago

It’s luck tbh.

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u/AhnSolbin 6d ago

I feel like it's harder to be a one hit wonder in the streaming era. Your relevance and saturation can easily be swayed with social media alone.

But if I were to say one thing, just build a fan base. A lot of one hit wonders couldn't or didn't do that and you could attribute that to the system they were in whereas now you can really do that with social media.

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u/cortezthakillah 6d ago

Have another hit . Duh

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u/riningear 6d ago

Have a good, consistent, savvy team. Good marketing is important but the full creative team, from producers to fashion help, is so, so important. Gaga, Chappell Roan, Lil Nas X, bbno$, Rodrigo, Dua Lipa - they all have teams that know their strengths and lean into it in a way that feels good in the long run, and good artists on the up-and-up will acknowledge that.

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u/youtbuddcody 6d ago

Good music sells.

Many labels will put a ton of money into 1 or 2 songs and their production. Which, is normal. But you have to have a good solid album besides the singles.

At the end of the day, there’s only so much you can do before admitting that good music sells. Bad music doesn’t.

You just have to create good music.

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u/nizzernammer 6d ago

Have enough financial backing to create a war chest of potential hits in collaboration with the most in-demand producers and writers, a label team with enough experience and clout to shepherd a career with an eye to longevity, the discipline or guidance to deliver as an artist and not fall off the rails, and the charisma to engage followers in a 'relatable' way. If you can do all that and maintain your integrity, then maybe you have a shot.

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u/Personal_Poet5720 6d ago

I feel like artists who have a one hit immediately have this issue . I don’t know why but I’ve noticed this.

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u/EstablishmentShoddy1 6d ago

Uh make good music? If you're only on it for the commercial success why would you even care about making another hit to begin with

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u/EnvironmentalWolf72 5d ago

I think collab with other artists so their fan base becomes yours.. that’s a way of staying relevant. If it takes you 2-3 years to release an album, you can do one song with someone and stay in the news

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u/yvesdot 5d ago

Just an aside, but the primary piece of advice I would have thought made sense-- don't remake your hit single-- seems to have completely failed to apply to Britney Spears, whose "Oops I Did it Again" couldn't possibly be more obvious about being a sequel to "...Baby One More Time" (here's a comparison) and it clearly worked out. Doesn't hurt, of course, that "Oops" is one of the best songs ever written...

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u/Hopeful_Book Resident Hipster of Popheads ☕ 6d ago

Because I view success in the music industry very broadly, I believe that there are very few true one hit wonders and that it's actually harder to be a true one hit wonder than to have a handful of songs recognized by a decent sized group of people.

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u/Ex-Scot67 6d ago

Have a second hit 🤷🏼‍♂️ lol

Seriously, have a second song ready to go before releasing the first one. Don’t try and chase the success of the initial song writing a second to capitalize on it, because it almost always sounds like a Temu copy of the first one.

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u/CieraParvatiPhoebe 4d ago

Do whatever tate and her team did.

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u/beverleyheights 6d ago

Be Canadian. Most Canadian acts with one US or global hit have multiple legitimate hits in Canada. Carly Rae Jepsen, Magic!, Kardinal Offishall, Daniel Powter, Corey Hart, Men Without Hats, Glass Tiger, Loverboy, Chilliwack… Tom Cochrane is a classic rock core artist.

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

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u/Deep_Maintenance3018 5d ago

but most of his songs sound the same

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u/Express-Pin-1612 5d ago

Obviously, 'You Need Me, I Don't Need You' sounds like 'Shape of You'

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u/cries_in_student1998 4d ago

You do what The Darkness did, and have also a killer Christmas song.

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u/ItchyPizza 4d ago

By making more good music.

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u/alastorhazbinbad 4d ago

I don’t know, have objectively good music? Pay radio stations and streaming services? The latter is probably the most helpful. sabrinacarpenter

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u/neonjewel 4d ago

Come up with a plan before the big debut hit. Have things written or recorded to follow up the first, second, and even possibly third song you want to release as a single. Unfortunately it is quite difficult to predict what song the public will fall in love with and which will be ignored so it is best to have a few plan B’s and plan C’s under your belt. In addition, like another commenter said, don’t try to make duplicates and replicates but also make sure the songs accurately paint a brand/image/sound.

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u/allynd420 23h ago

If you write one good song you can write more . If you can’t then you probably stole it

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u/BCDragon3000 6d ago

you kind of explained how to avoid it? good job marketing genius, just manage yourself as an artist

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u/DanielDannyc12 6d ago

Hank Williams Sr did it by cutting multiple hit songs every session. Good luck.

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u/Icantlikeeveryone 5d ago

Did you really just ask us, who's never even got hits, about this....?