Aspiring Musicians Who Come From Famous Parents

As they say, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

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But that doesn’t necessarily mean the apple will become a big ol’ tree, either.

Such is the conundrum of children born to famous folks. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes the offspring can even surpass their parents’ accolades and success. Sometimes they can’t or don’t even want to.

Here, we look at three famous musicians and their children who are working to make a name for themselves in the same art form, the same business as their parents. Will they surpass what the elder generation has done? We’ll see.

1. John Prine

The legendary songwriter has two biological children and one he adopted. Prine was married three times, his first marriage was to his high school sweetheart, Anne Caroline, in 1966. Later he married bassist Rachel Peer in 1984. And in 1988, he married Fiona Whelan. Prine and Whelan had two sons together, Jack and Tommy, and Prine also adopted her son Jody.

Today, all three children are aspiring musicians. Jack and Tommy were both born in 1995, 10 months apart. Tommy was inspired by his father but also by country star Jason Isbell, he says. And his mother Fiona says of her son, according to the Boston Globe, “Seeing Tommy on stage is, above all, a source of immense pride and joy for me. Naturally, there are melancholy moments because time is passing, and thoughts too, about how thrilled John would be and how helpful he would be to Tommy at this time.” 

Today, Tommy’s career is a bit more established. In 2022, he released his debut single and set off on a tour. American Songwriter recently caught up with him to ask about his new music. “It’s definitely been a strange feeling,” he said. “It’s kind of hard to describe. It’s one of those things that you don’t know what it feels like and how your response is going to be until it happens. I daydreamed about it a lot, but it’s very exciting once it happens.”

Like his brother, Jack is also playing and recording music, including covers of his father’s songs. While his career isn’t as established as Tommy’s, yet, it’s clear he’s got the music bug and fans of the Prine family tree may get to hear more from him soon. Similarly, Jody is not out there as much as Tommy. But he currently works in the industry for John’s record label, Oh Boy Records, and his Instagram account features his latest musical endeavors, which you can check out HERE.

2. Bjork

The acclaimed Icelandic artist has two children, son Sindri Eldon Þórsson and daughter Ísadóra Bjarkardóttir Barney. Her daughter is an actor, who has most recently performed in the popular television show, The Northman. The artist’s son Sindri, however, is a musician.

While she formed the band the Sugarcubes, Bjork was briefly married to guitarist Þór Eldon. The two had a son, Sindri, in 1986, the same day that the band formed. The two divorced before the end of the year, but they continue to work together. Since then, Sindri started a band called Sindri Eldon and the Ways. He’s released several music videos, including a video for the track “Honeydew,” which you can check out below.

While Sindri hasn’t made the impact on the industry that his mother has, he’s a talented artist. It can be difficult to live in the shadow of an accomplished parent, but he’s done just that admirably.

3. Julio Iglesias

Spanish songwriter and performer Julio Iglesias is one of the most commercially successful Spanish singers in the world. To date, he’s sold more than 100 million albums in 14 languages. He’s also fathered several talented musicians. In 1971, he married Filipina television host Isabel Preysle and the two have three children: socialite Chábeli and future singers Julio Jr. and Enrique. Sadly, in 1979, Julio and Isabel divorced, but their legacy lives on in their children.

Today, Enrique is known as an international success. He is also one of the best-selling Latin music artists, selling 70 million records worldwide. He’s also an actor and has 3 children with former tennis player and model Anna Kournikova.

Julio Iglesias Jr. is also in the business as an aspiring artist. He first got into show business as a model, but since, he’s released three LPs, Under My Eyes in 1999 and the most recent, Por la Mitad in 2008. More recently, he released a duet, “Careless Whisper,” with multi-platinum singer-songwriter Jewel from his upcoming album Under the Covers, due out on February 14.

Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images

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