2000s Pop Stars, Then and Now: Hilary Duff and More
Pop perfection! Hilary Duff, Rihanna, Jesse McCartney and more singers from the 2000s have come a long way since their pop star beginnings.
Duff skyrocketed to superstardom as the lead character on Disney Channel’s Lizzie McGuire in 2001. Two years later, she released her first album, Metamorphosis, filled with hits like “So Yesterday” and “Come Clean.”
She hasn’t released a new record since 2015, but her acting career has continued to soar. Rihanna on the other hand has remained a staple in the music industry since popping onto the scene in 2005. The Barbados native has since launched a beauty company and fashion brand, which she’s maintained in between touring for her music.
McCartney kicked off his pop star status as a member of Dream Street in 1999. Although the boy band didn’t last very long, the exposure jumpstarted the Summerland alum’s solo career. In 2003, he released an album with three songs, including “Beautiful Soul.”
The New York native hasn’t forgotten about his boy band roots though.
“Never say never!” the “Yours” singer told Us Weekly in May 2020 about a possible group reunion. “Dream Street was so important for me for the building blocks in my life about recording music, singing and dancing, collaborating and working well with others, so yeah. I’ll never say never, crazier things have happened!”
The music industry churned out a handful of acts after the turn of the new millennium — most of which have remained in the industry in some way.
From Nelly Furtado to Shakira, the 2000s artists who once dominated MTV have evolved over the past two decades. Pink and Taylor Swift have reinvented themselves more than once since their pop star beginnings.
Meanwhile, Ashlee Simpson and Lindsay Lohan starred on reality shows, among other ventures, after breaking onto the scene.
“There are way too many cringeworthy moments from my MTV reality show,” Simpson told Us in June 2018, recalling her time on 2004’s The Ashlee Simpson Show. “But hey, it’s all about putting yourself out there!” She later appeared on Ashlee + Evan with her husband Evan Ross in 2018.
Scroll down see how the singers have transformed since the early aughts.
Clarkson rose to fame after winning American Idol in 2002. A year later, she released her first record, Thankful, and has since dropped seven more albums. The latest was 2017’s Meaning of Life. The mother of two — she shares daughter River Rose and son Remington with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock — returned to her TV competition roots by becoming a coach on The Voice in 2018, after appearing as an advisor in 2012. In 2019, she became the host of her own daytime talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show. Shutterstock (2)
McCartney’s music career began as part of the boy band Dream Street in the late ‘90s. In 2003, he released his first solo EP, which included “Beautiful Soul.” He has released five solo records, the last being in 2014. Four years later, McCartney announced his new single, “Better With You” and followed it up with “Wasted.” The New York native has stayed busy with his acting career, which included a stint on Summerland, Army Wives, Young Justice and in 2020 he competed on The Masked Singer. In 2021, he married longtime girlfriend Katie Peterson. Shutterstock (2)
The New York native made her musical debut with “Foolish” in 2002. During the ‘2000s she teamed up with Ja Rule on multiple tracks. Her self-titled debut album earned her eight Billboard Music Awards and a Grammy Award in 2003. After releasing four albums, Ashanti turned her sights on the acting world appearing in Coach Carter and John Tucker Must Die. She returned to music in 2008 with The Declaration and dropped Braveheart in 2014. Acting-wise, she was last seen in 2019’s A Christmas Winter Song. Shutterstock (2)
The Colombian songstress made her American crossover in 2001, when she released Laundry Service, the album that featured Latin-tinged pop hits such as “Whenever, Wherever” and “Objection (Tango).” In 2005, she dropped Oral Fixation, Vol. 2, which featured her popular single “Hips Don’t Lie.” Since then, she has remained a force to be reckoned with in the music industry, and has even offered her expertise as a coach on The Voice. In February 2020, she headlined the Super Bowl with Jennifer Lopez. Shakira shares sons Milan and Sasha with ex Gerard Piqué. From left: RJ Capak/WireImage; Gabriel Olsen/Getty Images
The Canadian singer’s debut album, Whoa, Nelly! was released in 2000. The record became an international success with singles, “I’m Like a Bird” and “Turn Off the Light.” The songwriter has had a steady career, releasing five albums since her start. Her most recent album was 2017’s The Ride. In 2003, she became a mother, welcoming daughter Nevis with ex Jasper Gahunia. Shutterstock (2)
Pink cultivated a following in 2000 when she topped the charts with her debut album, Can’t Take Me Home. She set herself apart from other pop starlets, thanks to her short, rosy-hued hair and confrontational R&B-inspired anthems such as “There You Go” and “You Make Me Sick.” While she found initial success with her pop-urban sound, the singer adopted a pop-rock vibe on her 2002 LP, Missundaztood, which was a massive commercial success. Since then, the three-time Grammy winner has released six subsequent solo albums. She is married to retired motocross star Carey Hart, with whom she shares daughter Willow and son Jameson. From left: Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage; Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Milian made a name for herself in 2001 when she released “AM to PM,” the dance-driven first single from her eponymous debut album. In 2004, she dropped her sophomore LP, It’s About Time, which featured her sexy track “Dip It Low.” Despite her success, Island Def Jam dropped her from the label in 2005 shortly after the record company signed a then-teenage Rihanna. “It was a budget cut, I believe,” Milian told Rap-Up in 2008. “[Def Jam] probably got rid of projects like mine to spend the money on [Rihanna].” Since then, the Cuban beauty has appeared on Dancing With the Stars and starred on her own E! reality series, Christina Milian Turned Up, which premiered in 2014. She welcomed son Isaiah in January 2020 with boyfriend Matt Pokora and also shares daughter Violet with ex-husband Terius Youndell Nash, also known as The Dream. From left: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images; Keenan/Getty Images for Glamour
In 2002, Carlton released her iconic track “A Thousand Miles,” the catchy piano-driven hit from her sophomore album, Be Not Nobody. The song peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 100 and charted for a whopping 41 weeks. While her future musical endeavors were not met with the same success, she has steadily released new material in subsequent years. She dropped her latest album, Love Is an Art, in 2020 and toured with Stevie Nicks in 2022. The Pennsylvania native shares daughter Sidney with husband John McCauley. From left: Kevin Mazur/WireImage; Tibrina Hobson/WireImage
The late younger brother of the Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter drew the affection of tween girls everywhere when he released his first album, Aaron’s Party (Come Get It), in 2000. The LP’s titular first single reached No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains his only Top 40 hit. He dropped two more studio albums in the early aughts, and they achieved lukewarm commercial success. In the midst of his musical pursuits, the singer succumbed to money troubles and eventually filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2013. In 2019, the “I Want Candy” singer confirmed his bipolar disorder and schizophrenia diagnosis and sought treatment for substance abuse struggles. After allegedly threatening his to kill his brother Nick’s wife, Lauren Kitt, and their then-unborn child, the family filed a restraining order against Aaron in September of the same year. Nine months later Aaron proposed to his girlfriend, Melanie Martin, following a brief split in April. The pair welcomed son Prince in November 2021 before splitting again the following year. Aaron was found dead at his California home in November 2022. From left: Jeff Vespa/WireImage; Jerod Harris/Getty Images
The former child star parlayed her fame from playing the titular character on Disney’s Lizzie McGuire into a successful stint as a pop star. In 2003, the then 16-year-old released her first album, Metamorphosis, which included hits such as “So Yesterday” and “Come Clean,” the iconic theme song for MTV’s reality series Laguna Beach. Since then, she has put out three more studio albums. Most recently, she dropped 2015’s Breathe In, Breathe Out. In between albums, the mom of Luca (whom she shares with ex-husband Mike Comrie) took on various acting jobs. She starred as Kelsey Peters on TV Land’s Younger for six seasons before leading Hulu's How I Met Your Father, starting in 2021. The Texas native welcomed her second child, daughter Banks in 2018, with musician Matthew Koma, whom she married in 2019. They welcomed daughter Mae in 2020. From left: Gregg DeGuire/WireImage; Alessio Botticelli/GC Images
Rihanna first graced the world of pop music with in 2005 with her debut LP, Music of the Sun, and its Caribbean-inspired first single, “Pon de Replay.” Seven albums, a few scandals and a whole lot of skin-baring ensembles later, the Barbadian-born beauty has transformed herself from pop ingenue to a bona fide superstar. In 2016, the eight-time Grammy winner released her eighth album, Anti, which features “Work,” her record-breaking collaboration with Drake. A year prior, the musician launched Fenty Beauty and followed it up with 2018’s lingerie brand, Savage X Fenty. She welcomed her first child, a son, with ASAP Rocky in May 2022 and released her first single in six years, "Lift Me Up," the following November. From left: Brad Barket/Getty Images; JB Lacroix/WireImage
Swift made her musical debut as a country artist in 2006 with the release of her eponymous debut album, with which she found much success. By 2012, she had cemented herself as a superstar and began experimenting with different genres on her fourth album, Red, and favored a full-fledged pop sound with her record-shattering LP 1989. She dropped Reputation in 2017 and Lover in 2019 before surprise dropping Folklore and Evermore in 2020. She released Midnights in 2022. In between her new albums, Swift has been re-recording her early albums after Scooter Braun bought the rights to her originals. Swift has been in a long-term romance with British actor Joe Alwyn since 2016. In 2020, she released her Netflix documentary, Miss Americana, which gave fans an inside look at her life and career. From left: Michael Buckner/Getty Images; Mark Davis/Getty Images
Five years after her big sister, Jessica Simpson, found success as a pop star in 1999, Ashlee stepped out of her shadow with the 2004 release of her first album, Autobiography, which debuted at No. 1. She released two more albums: I Am Me in 2005 and Bittersweet World in 2008. Since then, she’s paused her music career to focus on family. She gave birth to son Bronx Mowgli in November 2008 with ex-husband Pete Wentz. In July 2015, she welcomed daughter Jagger Snow with husband Evan Ross, whom she wed in August 2014. The family starred on the E! reality show Ashlee + Evan in 2018 and two years later, in April 2020, the couple announced they are expecting their second child together. From left: Jeff Vespa/WireImage; Michael Tran/FilmMagic
Years after finding fame as a child actress, an 18-year-old LiLo took a stab at singing and released her 2004 debut album, Speak, which featured “Rumors,” a musical plea for the paparazzi to leave her alone. The LP shot straight to No. 4 on the Billboard 200. Her subsequent musical endeavors in 2005 and 2008 did not fare nearly as well. Since then, the singer-actress has sporadically taken acting jobs despite personal setbacks and run-ins with the law. Three years later, Lohan popped back up with her own MTV reality show called Lindsay Lohan’s Beach Club, which lasted one season. She returned to the small screen with the 2022 Netflix holiday romcom, Falling for Christmas. From left: Ray Mickshaw/WireImage; Pablo Cuadra/Getty Images
The Irish-born pop princess burst onto the scene in 2000 with the release of her hit “Gotta Tell You,” the first single from her debut album of the same name. The LP also featured “Baby Come on Over,” another chart-topping track. Since then, she has said goodbye to her music career in favor of acting. Most recently, she starred in the 2016 horror film Home. In March 2015, the singer turned actress gave birth to daughter Sage, whom she shares with her husband, Torray Scales. In 2019, she announced that she was working on new music. From left: Dave Hogan/Getty Images; Araya Diaz/WireImage
The daughter of WWE icon Hulk Hogan showed off her vocal chops every chance she could on her family’s VH1 reality show, Hogan Knows Best. The series documented the making of her first studio album, Undiscovered. “About Us,” Brooke’s collaboration with rapper Paul Wall, was released as the LP’s first single and peaked at No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2009, she dropped her second album, Redemption, but it bombed with both critics and fans. In June 2013, she announced her engagement to NFL star Phil Costa but called it off that following November. In 2018, Brooke returned to reality TV with MTV’s Champs vs. Stars. From left: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images; C Flanigan/WireImage
Branch got her first taste of fame in 2001 when she released her debut album, The Spirit Room. Her singles “Everywhere” and “All You Wanted” climbed the charts and paved the way for her to record the Grammy-winning tune “The Game of Love” in 2002 with rock legend Carlos Santana. In 2005, she started performing with her band, The Wreckers, but they split in 2007. Since then, she’s released one solo album, Hopeless Romantic, in 2017. The singer was married to Teddy Landau from 2004 to 2015. In 2019, she married Patrick Carney. From left: Evan Agostini/Getty Images; Allen Berezovsky/WireImage
In 2001, Ford dropped her debut album, Willa Was Here, which spawned “I Wanna Be Bad,” the greatest hit of her career. The suggestive single sold more than 250,000 copies and peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. Her following musical pursuits failed to achieve the same success, so she turned to acting. In 2007, she starred as the late Anna Nicole Smith in 2007’s straight-to-DVD biopic The Anna Nicole Smith Story. More recently, she starred in 2016’s indie thriller Hunt for Truth. She returned to music in 2015 with her Pistar record. In 2017, she released New Cycle. Ford shares son Elijah with husband Ryan Nece. From left: George de Sota/Getty Images; Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images
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