Musicians Who Quit Music and Completely Changed Careers

Making it as a musician can mean adulation from millions, world tours and inconceivable wealth, making it a dream job for many aspiring stars.

However, when people actually attain that dream, some can decide stardom is not for them and leave music to embark on an entirely new career.

Below, Newsweek rounds up the musicians who ended up stepping away from the spotlight to pursue a surprisingly new line of employment.

MC Hammer

The early 1990s were sound tracked by MC Hammer's seminal "U Can't Touch This", while his Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em album remains one of the best-selling hip-hop LPs ever.

Then in 1997, Hammer changed career to begin a television ministry called M.C. Hammer and Friends on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, as well as appearing on program Praise the Lord, where he went public about his devotion to God as an ordained minister.

Cindy Birdsong

Starting her pop career in Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles, this American singer became world-famous as a member of The Supremes in 1967.

However, Birdsong had originally set her sights on becoming a nurse and finally fulfilled her ambition by working at UCLA Medical Center after leaving the group.

Vanilla Ice

In 1990, there was arguably no rap star more famous than Vanilla Ice, following the crossover success of the Queen-sampling "Ice Ice Baby".

But Ice, born Rob Van Winkle, began buying houses in his early twenties, and the celebrity now concentrates his career flipping houses on his long-running hit TV show The Vanilla Ice Project.

Terminator X

The man best known by his stage name Terminator X won admiration by hip hop aficionados for his work as a DJ with influential rap collective Public Enemy.

Norman Rogers decided to retire from the music scene in 2003 to run an ostrich stud farm in North Carolina.

Jim Martin

Known for his trademark long hair, bushy beard, and red-rimmed glasses, American guitarist Jim Martin is best known for his role in rock band Faith No More for a decade until late 1993.

The rock musical legend has in recent years regained fame for his endeavors as a championship pumpkin farmer.

Mark Wahlberg

Many people now forget Wahlberg first found fame as rapper Marky Mark, who achieved chart success with the Funky Bunch.

However, he left the music industry for Hollywood to pursue his dreams of becoming an actor, which worked out quite well for him.

Coolio

The American rapper achieved massive mainstream success in the mid-1990s with his hit albums It Takes a Thief and Gangsta's Paradise.

But Coolio has since turned his back on his hip hop career to become a celebrity chef, creating the web series Cookin' with Coolio and releasing an accompanying cookbook.

Clay Aiken

Clay Aiken became widely known around the U.S. for being the runner-up on the second season of 2003's American Idol.

Then in 2004, Aiken became a UNICEF ambassador, a position he held until 2013 in order to run for Congress—yet despite winning the Democratic primary, he lost to the Republican incumbent in the general election.

Kevin Jonas

Following exposure on the Disney Channel, The Jonas Brothers sold an impressive 20 million records in their time together at the start of the millennium.

When the brotherly trio parted ways in 2013, Kevin Jonas set up a real-estate development and construction company and the ex-rocker has since also become the co-CEO of a social media marketing company.

JB Gill

Following success on the U.K.-version of X Factor, JB Gill shot to fame as a member of one of the world's biggest boy bands, JLS.

Then, while still in the group, JB and his wife decided to buy a pig and turkey farm in the countryside, where he now spends his days.

Bill Berry

Highly influential indie rock outfit R.E.M. was co-founded by drummer Bill Berry and lead vocalist Michael Stipe in 1980 while both were University of Georgia students.

But a brain aneurysm that caused Berry to collapse on stage persuaded him to change tack. Berry left the music business in 1997 to become a hay farmer in Farmington, Georgia.

James Williamson

After his time playing guitar for 1960s punk pioneers The Stooges with Iggy Pop ended, James Williamson returned to college.

Williamson then started designing microchips and was eventually promoted to the position of vice president of cutting-edge tech company Sony.

Ronnie DeVoe

As a member of Boston-based R&B group New Edition, Ronnie DeVoe shot to the top of the charts with "Candy Girl" in 1983.

Then, shortly after hitting the pinnacle of fame, DeVoe abruptly opted for a change of pace and moved into real estate, and he is now the co-owner of DeVoe Broker Associates in Atlanta.

Terry Chimes

Terry Chimes was the original drummer for seminal English punk band The Clash but left immediately after recording their self-titled debut album.

Chimes has been a qualified chiropractor since 1994 and in 2008 he was nominated as an ambassador for Greater London's Scout Association.

Joey Fatone

Joey Fatone is best known as a member of 1990s U.S. boyband 'NSYNC, in which he sang baritone.

When the group split to make way for Justin Timberlake's solo career, Fatone switched jobs to become the host of Common Knowledge and Impractical Jokers: After Party.

Brian Cox

Brian Cox enjoyed a bizarre and brief brush with fame after joining English 1990s one-hit wonders D:Ream as a keyboardist.

Then after acquiring a PhD in high-energy particle physics from Manchester University, Cox has since become a popular TV science educator in the U.K.

Russell Senior

The English guitar player was in the 1990s catapulted into rock stardom as a member of indie band Pulp.

Senior then surprised his bandmates by deciding to pursue a new career as an antiques dealer at the height of the band's fame.

Correction 7/27/21, 5:33 a.m. ET: This article previously stated that Jeffrey Allen "Skunk" Baxter had quit the music business to work in defense consulting. Baxter did not quit the industry to pursue that secondary career and is very much still an active musician. Newsweek regrets the error.