Musicians Who Got It Right the Very First Time

From garages to subways to small gigs in pubs, the path of a struggling musician is gruesome. For some, it might take years for their music to crack the charts. But for others, it’s as if all the stars aligned, and somehow, on the first try, the world decided to grant them that holy recognition they desperately longed for.

Missy Elliot in an all-denim outfit / Britney Spears posing during a portrait session / The Beatles with toy instruments posing for a portrait / Destiny's Child posing together at an event

Photo by The Gap, Getty Images / L Busacca, WireImage, Getty Images / Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images / Patrick Riviere, Getty Images

This isn’t to say that you can simply back and relax if your debut single was successful. Unless you want to become a one-hit-wonder (shudder…).

In this article, we look at the lucky artists whose debut single turned them from anonymous, struggling artists to number one. We’ve rounded up the best of the best; let’s get into it.