r/decadeology • u/slow-saturn • Jun 15 '26

Discussion 💭🗯️ Musicians whose careers stalled after Covid

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Camila Cabello was huge 2017-2019, but her popularity really dwindled post Covid. What other musicians were popular in the 2010s but fizzled after 2020s? 

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u/urbanlife78 Jun 15 '26

Halsey is a fucked up one. She put together a new album, but the label decided it wasn't pop enough and won't release it but also won't release her from her contract, so nothing new can come out from her

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u/empire_of_the_moon Jun 15 '26

Except that fulfills a contractual requirement to deliver an album. So she is not in breech.

It’s an important distinction.

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u/urbanlife78 Jun 15 '26

I was just rewatching the interview, apparently she is barred from making any new music with her label because they don't like the experimental alternative music she wants to make

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u/MyNameIsJakeBerenson Jun 15 '26

That sucks you can just be put in creative jail after signing a deal and then just can’t do anything

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u/Hizam5 Jun 15 '26

I've heard some similar stories from actors/actresses who signed multi-picture deals with a studio, and couldn't get out of the contract till they fulfilled the allotted requirement, which included -- in their cases -- a couple of bad movies with scripts they knew were awful from the get go. And because of that, they missed out on opportunities to do other movies that were extremely successful.

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u/MyNameIsJakeBerenson Jun 15 '26

And it kills their reputation and star power to do the bad movies

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u/Hizam5 Jun 15 '26

100%. Many can bounce back if it's just a blip among a summer filled with blockbusters, but some cannot afford to get the bad reviews / low box office.

One of the instances I heard was Emily Blunt, who signed a deal with a studio. I think a few of her movies did well, but there was another one that she really didn't want to do (possibly Gulliver's Travels?). Marvel approached her about being in the Avengers (cant remember if it was as Black Widow or as Scarlet Witch in Age of Ultron), and she couldn't accept because of her deal with 20th Century. She said she's happy and it turned out fine, but she missed out on beyond potentially one of the richest actresses in hollywood

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u/geekydonut Jun 15 '26

Prince famoulsy had a contract like this with warner brothers and just threw a bunch of unreleased music on albums to get out of it and start going as TAFKAP. I think record labels try to avoid that kind of situation again.

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u/WatermelonDrips Jun 16 '26

side note - animorphs fuck yeah!!