Hollywood’s biggest pop stars of the 2000s: Where are they now?
Certified pop royalty
Ever wonder what your favourite 2000s hitmakers are up to these days? From Akon and Avril Lavigne to Nelly Furtado, these artists dominated the charts and defined pop culture in the Y2K—but what are they up to now? Whether they’ve stepped away from the limelight or shifted gears, you’ll be pleasantly surprised or downright shocked at where these pop stars have ended up (spoiler alert: some of them have been arrested). So, let’s take a stroll down memory lane and catch up with some of Hollywood’s most iconic pop stars from the early 00s’.
Akon
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Remember blasting Smack That or belting out Lonely in the shower? Akon burst onto the music scene in 2004 with a string of irresistible tunes that topped the charts. Known for his smooth blend of R&B and hip-hop, he became the go-to guy for hit collaborations such as The Sweet Escape with Gwen Stefani and Sexy Chick with David Guetta. He’s currently on his SuperFan World Tour (and Kuala Lumpur is one of the stops!) but when he’s not on stage performing his iconic bangers, guess what else he’s doing? Building a futuristic city in his home country of Senegal called Akon City. Yes, you read that right.
The $6 billion project is said to comprise luxury shopping malls, skyscrapers, a 5-000 bed hospital, and an ocean resort amongst other things. The Wakanda-like city will also use his own cryptocurrency Akoin which launched in September 2021. In October 2022, Akon said that the first phase of Akon City began in 2023 and will be completed by 2028—although it has been reported that only the Welcome Centre has been built on the 55-hectare land. Here’s to hoping we’ll be seeing Akon City soon!
Avril Lavigne
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If you ever rocked a tie over a tank top, you can thank Avril Lavigne for that fashion statement. In 2002, Lavigne gave teens angsty pop-punk anthems like Complicated, Sk8er Boi and Girlfriend. However, after releasing her fifth album in 2013, the artist disappeared from the limelight and left fans wondering what happened to her. As per usual internet fashion, it didn’t take long for conspiracy theories to surface—including one that Lavigne had been replaced by a lookalike!
In reality, the rock singer revealed that she contracted Lyme disease from a tick bite in the spring of 2014. What ensued was a crippling battle with the illness that left the artist bedridden for two years. Lavigne made a return to music in 2019 with Head Above Water, five years after her last release. Since then, her resurgence in music has been a steady momentum and her latest album Love Sux proves she can still rock out on stage effortlessly. Most recently, she performed at Glastonbury 2024 and performed a Greatest Hits tour across North America and Europe. Welcome back, punk princess!
Christina Aguilera
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Christina Aguilera took over the charts with her 2002 album Stripped, showcasing her powerhouse vocals on hits like Beautiful and Dirrty. Known for taking her time between albums (her eighth studio album Liberation came out six years before her latest record Aguilera in 2022), fans often wonder what she’s been up to during those gaps.
In reality, Aguilera has kept busy, dazzling audiences with her second Las Vegas residency, Christina Aguilera at Voltaire, and producing a stage adaptation of her 2010 film Burlesque. She recently celebrated 25 years in the industry by hosting a special performance at Spotify Studios alongside artists such as Sabrina Carpenter and Machine Gun Kelly. Now that her Las Vegas residency is finished, here’s to hoping for more music from the pop royalty!
Nelly Furtado
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From the 2006 Timbaland-produced album, Nelly Furtado had us all dancing with club staples like Promiscuous, Maneater, and Say It Right—songs that still trend on TikTok today! After stepping away from the spotlight, she made a surprise comeback in 2022, performing her iconic songs with fellow Canadian Drake.
She has since reunited with Timbaland and Justin Timberlake for their new single Keep Going Up, reviving the magic of their 2007 hit Give It to Me. It looks like she’s back to becoming an active artist as she most recently released her seventh studio album, 7, on 20 September this year! Stream it below.
P. Diddy
P. Diddy, also known as Sean Combs, was a major figure in the music industry during the ’00s’. As a rapper and producer, he is responsible for discovering and launching the careers of popular artists such as The Notorious B.I.G., Usher, and Mary J. Blige under his label Bad Boy Records. However, his prolific 30-year career has recently come under fire as Combs has been entangled in controversy in the past few years for several accusations of abuse.
In 2023, he was faced with a lawsuit for sexual assault filed by his ex-girlfriend and Me & U singer Cassie. Multiple women have since come forward against Combs, leading to his most recent arrest on 16 September for sex trafficking, racketeering and prostitution transportation. As his case continues to unfold, the hip-hop mogul is currently detained and has been denied bail.
Rihanna
Few female artists dominated the early to mid-2000s quite like Rihanna did. When the Barbadian singer burst into the scene with Pon de Replay in 2005, it instantly became a hit and charted worldwide, reaching No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It only got better from there as the artist continued to put out banger after banger with SOS and Unfaithful the following year. And who can forget her iconic breakout single Umbrella, which sold over eight million copies and earned Rihanna her first Grammy Award. Her domination into the mid-2000s continued with albums such as Unapologetic, Loud, Rated R and Anti, cementing her position as a pop icon in the music industry.
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While her OST Lift Me Up for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever briefly quenched her fans’ thirst for another album, the Diamonds singer has been busy making her mark in other industries (and enjoying motherhood!). Her beauty line Fenty Beauty revolutionised the beauty industry with its broad inclusivity across various skin tones, making her one of the most successful entrepreneurs of this generation. She is also touted as a fashion icon, creating some of the most unforgettable looks on the red carpet. But not all hope is lost for R9. In an interview with British Vogue in 2023, she shared that she felt the pressure to release an album better than Anti but doesn’t intend to prolong the wait too long. “If I keep waiting until this feels right and perfect and better, maybe it’s going to keep taking forever and maybe it’ll never come out and no, I’m not down to that.” Let’s hope the album drought doesn’t last much longer!
Sean Kingston
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When Beautiful Girls hit the airwaves, Sean Kingston brought a fresh reggae-pop jam that had everyone singing along. His feel-good island sound continued with tracks like Fire Burning, making every party turn into a dancehall. Kingston didn’t skip a beat, teaming up with rising star Justin Bieber for Eenie Meenie in 2010. However, life hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the singer and rapper; he survived a serious jet ski accident in 2011 and faced legal troubles for wire fraud and theft earlier this year.
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