

Sometimes it’s important to remember that every musician starts as an amateur. All of the mega music stars below may appear larger than life but many (not all) went through some awkward years, they took the same yearbook photos you have and at one point they weren’t the famous celebrities you see today. Here’s a look back at 40 music stars from various generations (and levels of talent) before they were famous. Enjoy!

1. Drake

2. Rihanna

3. Deadmau5

4. Katy Perry

5. Bruno Mars

6. The Beatles

7. Lady Gaga

8. Jay-Z

9. Fergie (Black Eyed Peas)

10. Skrillex

11. Christina Aguilera

12. Snoop Dogg

13. Jennifer Lopez

14. James Hetfield (Metallica)

15. Shakira

16. Kanye West

17. Nicki Minaj

18. Coldplay

19. Mariah Carey

20. Eminem

21. Madonna

22. Justin Timberlake

23. Taylor Swift

24. Kings of Leon

25. Avril Lavigne

26. P Diddy

27. Adele

28. Jack Black

29. Marilyn Manson

30. Jessica Simpson

31. Kurt Cobain

32. Prince

33. Beyonce

34. Bruce Springsteen

35. 50 Cent

36. Lil Wayne

37. Gwen Stefani

38. Thom Yorke (Radiohead)

39. Bon Jovi

40. John Mayer