Children Turned Pop Stars – Fame and the Price They Paid

Just like child actors, many say that children turned pop stars were forced to grow up in the industry, trading a typical childhood experience for worldwide fame and a predetermined career. For some of our favourite actors, the joy of childhood fame comes at the price of substance abuse, familial manipulation and toxic workplaces. Can we say the same for our favourite young, breakthrough artists? Was it a coincidence that Michael Jackson’s tragic demise stemmed from his early fame at only five years old, or do these stories more closely follow artists like Sabrina Carpenter, whose career, for the most part, is flourishing without a hitch? While one can only speculate, let’s examine the rise (and for a few, the fall) of some of the famous artists who found stardom at a young age.

Billie Eilish

Born into a family of actors, Billie Eilish grew up around the entertainment industry and was already learning ukulele as early as the age of six, later singing in a choir while developing a keen interest in the art of songwriting. In 2015, Eilish and her brother Finneas uploaded what would become Eilish’s debut into the music industry, “Ocean Eyes”. After her initial success, Eilish’s career blossomed exponentially, producing three albums, charting No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “bad guy”, writing for the Barbie movie soundtrack as well as earning herself a marvel-worthy collection of Grammys, Oscars and Golden Globe awards.
Yet, with Eilish’s early success came her early dialogue opening up about her struggles with mental and physical health. Eilish announced a Tourette Syndrome diagnosis, discussed her depression and opened up about her Body Dysmorphic Disorder. She describes in a 2019 Calvin Klein ad, “Nobody can be like, ‘she’s slim-thick,’ ‘she’s not slim-thick,’ ‘she’s got a flat ass,’ ‘she’s got a fat ass.’ No one can say any of that because they don’t know”. As a younger artist, she would refuse to show her body, wear baggier clothes and still had people comment on the body she tried so hard to conceal. At just 17, four years after she released “Ocean Eyes,” Eilish contemplated suicide. In multiple interviews and videos, she’s discussed her experience growing up in the music industry and battling impostor syndrome, especially as a self-proclaimed “internet kid”. 

What started as Eilish’s biggest struggle became one of her defining career motifs. Many of her songs are a creative outlet to share her struggles with depression, anxiety and body image issues. Notably, her Barbie feature “What Was I Made For?” sparked conversations from the lyrics about depression as well as the movie’s theme of feminism/girlhood. Eilish used her early rise to fame to spark conversations about these difficult topics, embracing her pain and pouring it into her music in ways that relate to her audience, especially for young girls like she once was.

Britney Spears

Britney Spears released her debut single “…Baby One More Time”, a Billboard No. 1 charting song at just 17 years old. This song solidified Spears’ sexual image within pop culture, recently joined the Billions Club on Spotify and houses the introduction to one of the most recognizable two-note piano licks. Spears has continued releasing new music and collecting awards while dealing with breakups, divorces and child custody battles. Although she didn’t officially break into the music industry until later in her teenage years, her childhood gave us a glimpse of what would soon appear on the front pages over the last few years.

Growing up, Spears’ parents failed to support her financially and struggled as healthy role models, filing for divorce and suffering from alcoholism. Though a coincidence, Spears similarly faced divorce problems of her own as well as suspected alcohol abuse and intense struggles with her mental health. These struggles, however, paled in comparison to her time fighting conservatorship after a notorious performance of her song “Gimme More”. 

While Spears was getting two psychiatric evaluations, her father filed for conservatorship orders. Allegedly, Spears’ father engaged in abusive conduct, and she believed the financial ownership he had over her was not in her own best interest. This launched Spears’ public reputation, garnering widespread support through the very popular hashtag “#FreeBritney”. Her conservatorship battle continued from 2008 until November of 2021, publicized through court statements and documentaries. This movement served as Spears’ attempt to regain control and autonomy from her father, especially after his absence from her life after the divorce.

Justin Bieber

After posting a video of him singing on YouTube, Justin Bieber was signed to a record label at just 14. Bieber’s young success was so indicative of his future potential that, upon discovery of his YouTube videos, Scooter Braun (who made recent fame as Taylor Swift’s former manager) flew Bieber out to Atlanta to meet Usher. Usher immediately signed 14-year-old Bieber to his record label. His first song to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 was “Where Are Ü Now”, yet his success arose from his even bigger hits “Baby”, “Despacito”, “Stay” and “Peaches”. 

Yet, what was once a childhood heartthrob became one of today’s most turbulent talents. From public scandals to treatments for Lyme Disease and depression, Bieber’s late teens and 20s provided an eye-opening experience. Bieber attempted to clean up his act, yet has become the topic of very recent public concern. Recently, he made an appearance with SZA during her Grand National Tour, but fans speculated his use of drugs, specifically fentanyl, after watching his performance. Bieber also had a recent controversy surrounding him and his wife, Hailey Bieber, as well as an alarming social media presence.

On May 14, 2025, TMZ released a Hulu documentary titled “What Happened to Justin Bieber?” According to TMZ, this documentary covers the allegations regarding Bieber’s recent drug abuse allegations, his marriage to Hailey Bieber collapsing, financial instability and ties to a controversial church. Fans have since urged Bieber to get help, especially after a series of cryptic Instagram posts regarding transactional relationships.

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson, forever remembered as the “King of Pop,” was one of the most successful solo artists of all time, as well as a key member of the highly successful Jackson 5. At just the age of five, Jackson was already thrust into the professional arena as a singer, representing the beginning of an illustrious career in the music industry. His popularity cemented itself into pop culture history with the release of his album Thriller, charting for a whopping 37 weeks as No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Yet, while his success transcended all that had been seen before, his path did not come without terrible allegations. In the 1980s, rumours arose about Jackson lightening his skin colour–this was later attributed to the vitiligo skin disorder, but many at the time claimed that he wanted to appear “white”. He then proceeded to undergo allegations of sexual abuse of minors, prescription drug abuse and financial debt. His death, an overdose on one of his prescription drugs, shocked the world and led to documentaries accounting the life of this once-in-a-lifetime pop star.

Jackson’s experience with the Jackson 5 was his first taste of a brutal industry, as well as his deepest experience with his strict father. His father would demand long hours of rehearsals after school, physically punish his kids using belts and emotionally manipulate the brothers. Jackson noted in his 1993 Grammy LEGEND Award acceptance speech, “My childhood was taken away from me. There was no Christmas, there were no birthdays, it was not a normal childhood, nor the normal pleasures of childhood. Those were exchanged for hard work, struggle and pain and eventually material and professional success. But at an awful price, I cannot recreate that part of my life. Nor would I change any part of my life.” 

While Jackson would not change anything, even he was able to acknowledge the terrible hardships that came without a “normal” childhood and the impact it had on him. With a lack of guidance and a toxic environment, Jackson’s early start within the music industry was more than likely a huge contributor to his ultimate downfall and death.

Coincidence? I hope so

Billie Eilish, the great woman she is, used her fame as a platform to talk transparently about mental health struggles, thereby growing a loyal fanbase who followed her career at its lowest points. Britney Spears struggled for years against her father, with her supporters rallying behind her. Justin Bieber was the definition of everyone’s favourite childhood pop star, yet his current headlines even today represent nothing of the sort. Michael Jackson’s popularity and talent transcended generations, shocking everyone to their core at the announcement of his overdose. 

Just like the internet tends to do, this highlights more extreme examples: child pop stars who started so young, only for fans to grow up with them and experience their spiralling downfalls. Many children turned pop stars have had careers that are blossoming beautifully, with older artists like Stevie Wonder and recently rising stars like Olivia Rodrigo. Not to say that these artists had careers that went on perfectly without any hitches, rather, they simply gained an earlier headstart into lifelong passions. They joined the industry at such a young age and were known more for their flourishing careers as opposed to larger, traumatic events.

Yet, whether these unfortunate outcomes were truly the cause of a young start to their career or not, common themes like manipulation and mental health struggles are undeniably present even just within the four artists discussed. Child actors and child pop stars alike are beginning to form a common trope associated with their young ages and adult struggles. Is all of this just some unfortunate coincidence? I hope so.