Mary Esther Wells was born in Detroit in 1943, and her childhood was anything but easy. She battled spinal meningitis as a toddler, survived tuberculosis as a teen, and endured long hospital stays that nearly silenced her before she ever sang a note. Music wasn’t just an interest—it was an escape hatch, a way out of pain and into possibility.

Rosanne Cash carries one of the proudest family traditions in American music.

Leaving the most successful girl group in pop history sounds like the kind of move legends make. In reality, Diana Ross’s exit from The Supremes was filled with second-guessing, stalled momentum, and moments where even Motown’s inner circle wondered if the leap had been mistimed. The woman who helped define the sound of the 1960s suddenly had to redefine herself—and that reinvention didn’t come easily.

Pop music loves a rocket-ship rise, but it’s far less generous about long landings. For every superstar who sticks the descent, there are dozens of women who briefly ruled radio, MTV, and TRL—only to be quietly pushed aside by trends, tabloids, or timing. These 21 forgotten—or unfairly sidelined—female pop stars didn’t just make hits. They helped define eras, moods, and sounds that modern pop is still borrowing from today.

Some careers burn slowly. Aaliyah’s didn’t. Hers moved fast, clean, and confidently—like she knew time was limited and refused to waste a second of it. By 22, she had reshaped R&B, crossed into film, influenced fashion, and positioned herself as the rare pop star who felt both mysterious and completely in control. Then, in August 2001, a short flight turned catastrophic. What followed wasn’t just mourning—it was the birth of a modern myth that refuses to fade.

Some bands spend years building a catalog filled with multiple great albums—while others drop one perfect record and then pretty much disappear. And the 1960s? It might be the greatest decade ever for these one-album wonders. How many do you remember?