Hollywood is a tough industry, where you can only become a star with enough perseverance and a drop (a big drop, actually) of luck. But did you know that we have to thank some celebrities for discovering another of our favorite musicians? There’s a number of celebrities that have discovered some of the most influential artists we know today.

Not only that, but they also helped them become what they are today. Top celebrities like Usher, Justin Bieber, and Beyonce had an eye on some extremely talented people that later were to become the musicians we love today. Check out here which celebrities we should be thankful to when it comes to our favorite artists:

• Beyonce discovered R&B duo, Chloe and Halle – Beyonce’s team discovered the two girls after their YouTube cover of Beyonce’s song “Pretty Hurts”.
• Big Boi from OutKast had an eye on Janelle Monáe – They met at an open mic night, and after that Big Boi invited Janelle to collaborate with him on his album Got Purp? Vol. II.
• 5SOS was discovered by One Direction – Niall Horan was the one to discover the group on YouTube, and One Direction soon invited 5SOS to go on tour with them.
• We should thank Drake for believing in The Weeknd – Drake’s associate was the one to discover The Weeknd, and after a while, Drake wrote a tweet about The Weeknd’s song “Wicked Games”, which helped him gain attention.
• Dr. Dre discovered Eminem – When Dr. Dre first heard Eminem’s performance, he immediately asked for Eminem to come as soon as possible.
• Lady Gaga is famous thanks to Akon – Gaga was working at Interscope Records as a songwriter when Akon heard one of her reference vocals.
• And Akon is famous thanks to The Fugees – Akon recalls those times as if The Fugees were his family.
• Usher opened the door for Justin Bieber – Bieber was discovered on YouTube by Scooter Braun, and he soon became Usher’s “teen protégé”.
• Lil Jon helped Pitbull at the start of his career – Lil Jon liked one of Pitbull’s songs so much, that he invited the singer to feature on his upcoming album, which helped Pitbull gain more mainstream popularity.
• Ellen Degeneres discovered Charlie Puth – The comedian discovered the singer on YouTube and signed him to her label.
• M.I.A. and Diplo discovered each other – Alongside the two of them dating, Diplo actually produced one of M.I.A.’s famous songs “Paper Planes”.
• Fall Out Boy discovered Panic! at the Disco –  Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy discovered the band and signed them to his label.
• Lil Wayne saw the potential in Nicki Minaj – Nicki Minaj was discovered first by Dirty Money CEO Fendi, which recommended her to Lil Wayne. Lil Wayne later made a number of mixtapes with Nicky, which helped her become famous.
• Jamie Foxx helped Ed Sheeran launch his career – Sheeran was invited to Jamie’s radio show in L.A., and Foxx had such a deep appreciation for Sheeran’s music, that he invited him to crash on his couch. Of course, his official debut was during Taylor Swift’s Red Tour, where he sang as her opening act.
• Jay-Z discovered Rihanna – Evan Rogers discovered Rihanna while he was traveling in Barbados. At that time, she recorded “Pon de Replay”. The demo was sent to Jay-Z, who didn’t let her leave until she signed with his label, Def Jam Records.

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