I couldn't think of a more articulate way to title this thread, but basically... Which artists did you think would make it but have surprised you by not getting much success? And why do you think they haven't made it? I'd be interested to see what people come up with.

 

Some that spring to mind for me are:

 

M.O - they have a great sound, and there's been a real gap in the market for an urban girl group lately so I really thought they'd have more success than just two Top 40 singles to their name. They released their debut single in 2014 and unless I'm mistaken they're still to release their debut album! I know one of the members doing time in prison didn't help but I was still expecting more success for them. Sadly I think their ship has sailed now.

 

Grace Carter - her first few singles had support from R1 and she finished 3rd in the Sound of 2019 poll. Her voice is beautiful and her songs are catchy and melodic, so it's a shame she hasn't had some sort of a hit yet, and also I'm perplexed as to why R1 have dropped their support for her for no apparent reason.

 

HRVY - again he's released some catchy little songs and he seems to have a LOT of followers so I'm not sure why he's struggling to get hits. According to his wiki page he's released 17 singles :o although only 3 of them have made the Top 75, his highest peak being #62. Maybe he's just not edgy enough?

 

Jack Garratt - I'm not a huge fan personally but for someone who's won the Sound of poll, he hasn't really done that well. I know his debut album went Top 3 but he's only had two Top 75 singles and there seems to be very little hype for his sophomore album this year.

 

Who else would you add to this list?

Sigrid seemed to be hyped up at her early beginnings, with her debut single not topping the Top 40, and whilst she has had just two small hits since that time, I don’t see her coming back with any chart success sadly. I thought she would have been bigger.

 

Tove Lo is another artist to struggle with chart success in recent years.

One other I just thought of were 2017 X Factor winners Rak-Su who I thought at the time would have a string of hits to their name...

The obvious relatively recent one for me would be Hurts. They appealed to many indie fans like me and also should have had sufficient appeal to pop fans to be very successful. They've done well in other parts of Europe but UK success has largely eluded them :(

Ava Max - I thought after Sweet But Psycho being #1, she would have no problem getting more top 10 hits but So Am I only reached #13 and only one more track of hers scrapped the top 100.

I thought Louisa Johnson would’ve been bigger than she was.

 

at the least I expected an actual album from her.

 

Amelia Lily was one I thought would really take off though especially as the show was still sort of relevant when she was on it. I expected her to have more mainstream success.

^ All great examples, though Ava Max seems to be the most obvious one, I genuinely thought she would be the next Lady Gaga.

 

I don't think we'll ever see another successful X Factor winner.

Ava Max is definitely the one that came straight into my head, I also expected more success from RAYE and Not3s who had hits at the start of the current wave of UK R&B singers but never fully rode that wave.

While we're talking about female vocalists frequently featured on dance tracks, I guess we could add Becky Hill and Ella Eyre to the list too.

Zara Larsson seems to be prematurely on her way out. Thought she'd have a big follow-up era. Can't seem to get another album out. I had high hopes for Ava Max too but Sweet But Psycho is the only one I've really liked.

Edited March 4, 20205 yr by HiyaLuv

Foster the People deserved more than 1 top 100 hit.

 

I never thought Jack Garratt would be big but he should be.

Bebe Rexha is another one who always struggles to get hits without features.

Edited March 4, 20205 yr by awardinary

Good x

While we're talking about female vocalists frequently featured on dance tracks, I guess we could add Becky Hill and Ella Eyre to the list too.

Honestly I think Becky Hill still has time to (and I reckon will) get bigger.

Jennifer Hudson

Yeah Becky Hills debut solo single as the lead artist is rapidly climbing the charts. And I echo the Ava Max shock, she looked like she was gonna be the next big pop girl, I think So Am I was the wrong follow up. She has the songs there - Torn, Salt and Freaking Me Out are all bops.

I remember about a decade ago I expected more from Natalia Kills, the only chart credit she had in the end was featuring on a #32 single by LMFAO.

 

I also thought around the same time Frankmusik would be huge, but in the end didn't amount to much. I even thought he might get another shot with his Far East Movement collaboration. :lol:

I thought Ciara would be bigger and that her legacy would be a lot more. A lot of people don't know she is even though they know a couple of her hits and it baffles me.

I thought Ciara would be bigger and that her legacy would be a lot more. A lot of people don't know she is even though they know a couple of her hits and it baffles me.

She had a storm named after her last month so that has to count for something! :P

Anne-Marie & Stefflon Don