Groups that Ended with the Solo Career of the Lead Singer

Many times the lead singer of a band or the lead guitarist will breakaway and form their own group or leave to start a solo project. In a lot of cases, the band member will return late, especially if they intended to return all along and only wanted the fling of a solo project. However, there are times when the star or back-up does not return and a good or great band is left as less than itself and occasionally never heard from again.

Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson was groomed for our solo career outside of the Jackson 5 mega-group almost from the beginning of their Motown days. While he continued to record with the other Jackson brothers until after the release of his career defining album, Thriller, his solo success was the beginning of the end of the polished Jackson family sound.

N*Sync and Justin Timberlake

N*Sync and the Backstreet Boys were the boy bands other boy bands longed to be in the early 2000s and late 1990s. Both bands had front men that made the girl's scream and hit record after hit record. N*Sync also managed to rack up two of the fastest selling albums of all time during this time period with their releases No Strings Attached and Celebrity. The success of these two albums was based on the composite talent present in the group, but Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez were always considered the larger part of N*Sync's success and both debuted solo projects after Celebrity. JC Chasez's work was not hugely successful, but Timberlake scored two hit albums out of two releases and several major singles. An N*Sync reunion has been discussed in the past, but it will likely never occur. Justin Timberlake is a massive solo star with a burgeoning acting career - the only hope for a reunion would be when the pop of the early 2000s are the goldie oldies.

Beyonce and Destiny's Child

Technically, Beyonce, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams joined together in the studio again after their first round of solo albums were released. The album that resulted from these recordings, Destiny Fulfilled, was a big hit and included hits such as "Lose My Breath" and "Soldier", but it seemed more like a solo Beyonce album with two back-up singers in terms of released material than the previous Destiny Child releases. Destiny Fulfilled was the last full release from the girl power group that dominated the charts, and it seemed more like a token album recorded to fulfill a promise for one extra album than to fulfill anyone's Destiny. Since this album the chemistry of all three girls has altered on screen and likely in studio, so even if Beyonce's solo career faltered, the trio will not reach the heights they attained with Survivor should a new album ever be recorded. This possibility is minute at best.

All three of these solo artists left behind a group. While the Jacksons have regrouped to varying extents since Michael's departure, N*Sync and Destiny's Child have not and likely never will.

Sources:

Destiny's Child Web-Site.

VH1 - The Jackson Five

MTV - N*Sync