Some of the biggest names in pop music today had surprising beginnings. An artist’s debut single is meant to introduce their sound and style to the world. Ultimately, an artist hopes that it will set the stage for a successful career.
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That was certainly true for Britney Spears, who struck gold with her first release. Beyoncé’s first step into the solo world was unexpected to say the least. Then there’s Taylor Swift, who certified herself as a country darling with her freshman release. Lady Gaga, meanwhile, got people dancing with her first-ever single.
Keep reading for a look back at four iconic artists’ debut singles.
Britney Spears—”… Baby One More Time” (1998)
Spears’ introduction to the world couldn’t have gone better. In Entertainment Weekly‘s oral history of the song, Barry Weiss, the then-president of Jive Records—recalled how Max Martin had penned the track for TLC, who ultimately passed on it. Instead, it wound up with Spears, who flew to Martin’s native Sweden to cut that track. It was released when Spears was just 16-years-old.
The Nigel Dick-directed video helped ensure that the already great track would be a smash. Dick told the outlet that it was Spears who came up with the idea to “be in a school with a bunch of cute boys and do some dancing.” Spears’ now-iconic school girl outfit was also her idea, Dick said.
After its October 1998 debut, “… Baby One More Time” spent 32 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, even claiming the No. 1 spot for two weeks in a row.
Weiss dubbed the song and video “a worldwide phenomenon” and said it lead to “worldwide domination” for Spears. The song earned Spears her first-ever GRAMMY nominations. She was up for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 42nd annual ceremony.
Beyoncé—”Work It Out” (2002)
By the time Beyoncé’s “Work It Out” served as the single of the Austin Powers in Goldmember soundtrack, the singer was already well known thanks to Destiny’s Child. “Work It Out,” however, marked Beyoncé’s first foray into solo artistry.
She teamed up with Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo to write and record the soul song. The trio took infused a funk style into the track, given the movie’s mid-’70s setting. The song didn’t make it onto the Billboard Hot 100 when it was released in June 2002.
Given that, plans to have the single serve as the first release off of Beyoncé’s forthcoming freshman solo album, Dangerously in Love, were scrapped, per Billboard. Instead, that went to “Crazy in Love,” which peaked at No. 1 on the chart following its 2003 release. “Crazy in Love” also nabbed Beyoncé her first solo GRAMMYs, as she won the Best R&B Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration awards.
Taylor Swift—”Tim McGraw” (2006)
When Swift was just a teenaged singer-songwriter, she debuted with an unforgettable single. “Tim McGraw,” which Swift co-wrote with future “All Too Well” scribe Liz Rose, was, like many of her songs, borne out her own experiences.
“I got the idea for it in math class. It was my freshman year and I’m sitting there and I just started singing this hook,” Swift said. “I applied the song to what I was going through at the time. I was dating this guy who was going off to college and I knew we were going to break up. I was thinking about all the things that I knew would remind me of him.”
The single peaked at No. 6 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and at No. 40 on the publication’s Hot 100, showing off Swift’s cross-genre appeal long before she transitioned from a country artist to a pop one.
The song’s namesake thought the track was “good,” but worried that being named on a young artist’s track would age him. He let those fears float away, though. Swift went on to open for McGraw on his tour. She, McGraw, and his wife, Faith Hill, even performed “Tim McGraw” together years later during her Reputation World Tour.
Swift’s self-titled debut album, on which “Tim McGraw” appeared, earned the singer her first-ever GRAMMY nomination. While she was up in the Best New Song category, Swift lost to Amy Winehouse. Swift ended up winning her first GRAMMYs two years later thanks to her sophomore release, Fearless.
Lady Gaga—”Just Dance” (2008)
Lady Gaga burst onto the scene with her debut single, “Just Dance,” in 2008. She co-wrote the electropop track with Akon and his producer, RedOne, in about 10 minutes.
As for the feel of the record, RedOne told Nile Rodgers that he wanted to create “a great pop global sound.”
“What I was thinking [was], I’m going to do a rock song with high hats and the ride cymbals, big, big drums, but instead of guitars, I’m just going to use synths,” he said. “That was the inspiration.”
It turned out to be a hit, eventually reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Gaga was nominated for the the Best Dance Recording GRAMMY for the track.
Ultimately, the song had such an impact on Gaga that she said it “saved my life.”
“I was in such a dark space in New York. I was so depressed, always in a bar,” Gaga told The Guardian in 2009. “I got on a plane to LA to do my music and was given one shot to write the song that would change my life and I did. I never went back.”
Photo by L. Busacca / Contributor / Getty Images
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