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While many have dreams of making it big as a musician, not all have a career onstage.
These musicians once aspired to performance careers but instead wrote hits for other artists.
Several have won awards for their prolific songwriting but still aren't household names.
Though many songwriters have dreams of making it big with a performance career, not everyone with the aspiration makes a living dazzling fans from the stage.
Some continue on in the music business, creating top hits for other artists and finding an alternate path to breaking into the Top 40 charts.
While they may not be household names on their own, the writers below were behind hits for Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, The Beach Boys, and more.
Before he came to be worth millions writing '90s and early-2000s hit singles like Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time," the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way," and 'N Sync's "It's Gonna Be Me," the Swedish producer and songwriter Max Martin was the singer and front man for a glam-style metal band called It's Alive. Martin has since written or cowritten 25 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 songs.
Bonnie McKee wrote her album "Trouble" when she was a teenager and performed publicly at events like The Citadel Outlets' 12th Annual Tree Lighting Concert in Commerce, California. Years later, she has 51 credits writing hits with other artists, like Katy Perry's No. 1 hits "California Gurls," "Teenage Dream," and "Roar" and songs for Britney Spears, Kesha, and Kelly Clarkson.
McKee, left, in 2004 singing at a Borders bookstore. In 2020, right, she attended the Grammys as a hit songwriter for artists like Katy Perry and Kesha.
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Holly Knight was in several bands in the 1980s, including Spider and Device, but her songwriting for artists like Pat Benatar, Tina Turner, and Aerosmith made her famous. In 2013 she was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame for her writing on hits like Benatar's "Love is a Battlefield" and "Obsession" by Animotion.
Knight in 1988, left, in promotional photos for her self-titled debut album "Knight." In 2013, right, she was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
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Quentin Miller, part of the duo act Wdng Crshrs, is known among the hip-hop community more for verses he writes for other artists than for his own. Miller has collaborated with and written for artists like Gucci Mane, Meek Mill, and Drake — and he's rumored to have written lyrics for Nas. His credits include tracks on Drake's "If You're Reading This It's Too Late" 2015 album, and he's a composer and featured artist on this year's "So Icy Gang: The ReUp" release by Gucci Mane.
Miller, left, has collaborated with and written for artists like Gucci Mane.
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Before he was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders, Charles Manson aspired to be a songwriter. His song "Cease To Exist" was edited slightly and recorded as "Never Learn Not to Love" by The Beach Boys — and wound up on their album "20/20."
Manson during his arrest in 1969 and in his mug shot from 1996.
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Before she earned the nickname "The Song Factory" for turning out chart-toppers for Katy Perry, Rihanna, and Beyoncé, Ester Dean spent her childhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma, singing for anyone she could. Her hits include Selena Gomez's "Come and Get It," Usher's "Lil Freak," and Beyoncé's "Countdown."
Dean, pictured left in 2009, started out singing in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for anyone who would listen. Now, in 2022, right, she has top hits for artists including Rihanna, Katy Perry, and Beyoncé.
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As a teenager, Sean Garrett performed in talent shows that led to his big break: a recording contract with the label BMG Ariola at age 17. For years he pursued his solo career, releasing the album "Turbo 919," but he gained fame writing for other artists. Garrett notably composed Usher's "Yeah!"; Nicki Minaj's first single, "Massive Attack"; The Pussycat Dolls' hit single "Buttons"; and Beyoncé's "Upgrade U," "Check on It," and more.
Garrett writes and produces for artists like Beyoncé after spending his childhood performing in talent shows.
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Correction: January 2, 2023 — An earlier version of this story misidentified Max Martin as Max Miller and misspelled Pat Benatar's name.
