Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and a host of other megastars started out as support acts and went onto become WAY more successful than their headliners – but do you know who they opened for?

Even if it feels like a distant past to some, the incredible excitement surrounding Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

From March 2023 to December 2024, Taylor Swift’s three-hour concert spanned 149 shows across five continents, consistently playing to sold-out stadiums.

Lady Gaga recently finished a hugely successful run of four sold-out shows at London’s O2 Arena as part of her Mayhem Ball Tour.

Last summer was a big success for several artists. Sabrina Carpenter and Noah Kahan both gave standout performances headlining at BST in Hyde Park, and Ed Sheeran released his eagerly awaited eighth album, ‘Play’.

Every successful artist begins their journey as a beginner. They all once dreamed of performing their own shows and reaching the top of the music charts.

It’s crucial for the music industry to nurture new artists, but sometimes the opening act ends up becoming more successful than the main performer.

Can you believe Rihanna once opened for Gwen Stefani? Or that Sabrina performed alongside The Vamps early in their careers?

Seriously, it blows my mind to think about it! So many of my absolute *favorite* artists, the ones selling out stadiums now, they all started somewhere, opening for bigger names. They were basically paying their dues on those smaller stages, and now look at them! It’s just…amazing to think about where they began.

Many bands and artists begin their careers as opening acts for established musicians. But which of those openers have ultimately become more famous and successful than the artists they originally supported?

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Taylor Swift

Long before Taylor Swift became a global superstar playing at Wembley Stadium, she got her start opening for the country band Rascal Flatts back in 2006.

The band, originally from Nashville, Tennessee, released six studio albums that all achieved platinum status or better. However, their success has been overshadowed by Taylor Swift.

Ticket Source data shows this pop star has achieved incredible success after starting as a support act. They’ve gone on to release nine more top 10 albums, 57 more top 10 singles, and have gained a massive following on Spotify – with listener numbers increasing by 688%.

She’s been nominated for awards far more often than anyone else, winning an impressive 14 Grammy Awards – including four Album of the Year wins, which is a record for any artist.

The singer unexpectedly released her twelfth album, ‘The Life Of A Showgirl,’ last week, following an announcement she made in August.

Taylor is enjoying a happy personal life, recently sharing news of her engagement to Travis Kelce on Instagram.

Lady Gaga

Mayham Ball recently finished a successful four-night run of sold-out shows in London, performing her biggest hits.

Interestingly, Lady Gaga’s very first opening act was for New Kids on the Block in 2008 – a fitting gig, as she was just starting out herself at the time.

This popular American boy band, originally from Massachusetts, achieved major success in the late 1980s and early 1990s, selling more than 80 million albums globally.

Lady Gaga’s dedicated fanbase, affectionately called ‘little monsters,’ has propelled her to incredible fame. She’s sold around 124 million records and is now considered one of the most important artists of all time, according to publications like Billboard and Rolling Stone.

After performing as a support act for the band, her online searches jumped by an incredible 2408%. Furthermore, the number of award nominations for both artists increased dramatically, with a difference of 4248%.

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve been keeping a close eye on what’s trending, and it’s clear that this artist is *everywhere* right now! Last year, her collaboration with Bruno Mars, ‘Die With A Smile,’ was the most shared song on Spotify – seriously impressive! And now, her new track, ‘The Dead Dance,’ is featured in the incredibly popular Netflix series, *Wednesday*. It’s a fantastic example of how music and pop culture are so intertwined, and she’s definitely at the forefront of it all.

In addition to her singing career, Lady Gaga has become a well-known actress, appearing in popular films like A Star Is Born, House of Gucci, and Joker: Folie à Deux.

Her hit song Shallow from A Star Is Born also won an Oscar for Best Original Song in 2019.

Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran is a remarkably successful artist, having earned Diamond certification from the RIAA for multiple songs – a feat only 39 artists have accomplished.

I remember when this artist was first starting out – it’s amazing to think he actually opened for Snow Patrol back in 2012, before everyone knew his songs! It feels like a lifetime ago, seeing him support such a huge band.

Snow Patrol, the band originally from Northern Ireland and Scotland, is famous for their song “Chasing Cars.” However, since touring with Ed Sheeran, he has achieved significantly more success, with eight additional top 10 singles and five more top 10 albums compared to the band themselves.

He has also achieved 416 more award nominations and 86 million more monthly Spotify listeners.

This month, he put out his eighth studio album, ‘Play,’ and will be touring arenas later this year.

You know, everyone remembers Snow Patrol giving Ed Sheeran a big boost early on, but it’s a two-way street! Ed actually returned the favour. He played matchmaker and introduced Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid to Courteney Cox, and they’ve been together ever since. It’s a sweet story about how artists support each other, both musically and personally!

Ed and his partner first met in 2013 at a party hosted by one of the stars of the TV show *Friends*. Ed brought his partner as his guest, and they’ve been a couple ever since.

Katy Perry

Before the success of California Girls, Katy Perry supported No Doubt on their 2009 tour.

The American rock band No Doubt, fronted by Gwen Stefani, became hugely popular with hits like “Don’t Speak” and “Just A Girl.”

Seeing them perform definitely helped Katy, who later became one of the most successful music artists ever.

She’s a hugely successful artist, having sold more than 151 million records worldwide. Some of her biggest songs include ‘I Kissed A Girl,’ ‘Hot n Cold,’ and ‘Firework’.

She has won five American Music Awards, 14 People’s Choice Awards and a Brit.

Following a break from public life after having her four-year-old daughter, Daisy, with her former partner Orlando Bloom, she’s now touring with The Lifetimes Tour.

The Weeknd

The Weeknd, famous for songs like “Blinding Lights” and “Save Your Tears,” started his career by opening for Florence + The Machine on her 2012 tour.

Florence scored a number one hit in 2012 with the song “Spectrum (Say My Name)”, a collaboration with Calvin Harris. She also made history as the first British woman to headline the Glastonbury Festival in the 2000s.

She played a key role in launching The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye) to stardom, and he has since won four Grammy Awards and twenty Billboard Music Awards.

He has sold over 75 million records putting him up there with the best-selling artists of all time.

The Weeknd’s album, After Hours, became the most-streamed R&B album ever, and his After Hours til Dawn Tour earned the title of highest-grossing R&B tour in history.

Billie Eilish

Billie became a mentee of Florence after opening for her on the High As Hope Tour from late 2018 to January 2019.

It didn’t take long for the young singer’s career to take off after her first album, ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’, was released.

Oh my gosh, when her album *finally* dropped, it went straight to number one in both the US and the UK! It was HUGE, seriously one of the best-selling albums of the entire year. And it totally deserved all the praise – it even got her named Apple Music’s Artist of the Year in 2019! I knew it would be amazing, but this was beyond anything I could have hoped for!

She also headlined Glastonbury in 2022.

The artist won the Apple Music award for a second time in 2026, recognized for her incredible achievements in 2024. These included winning an Academy Award and two Grammys for her work on the Barbie movie soundtrack.

Billie Eilish wrote the heartfelt song “What Was I Made For?” for Greta Gerwig’s acclaimed movie before the release of her third album, *Hit Me Hard and Soft*.

She teamed up with Charli XCX on the hit song “guess” from her Brat album, and is now performing around the world on tour.

In addition to her other achievements, the singer of “Ocean Eyes” has earned two Oscars, nine Grammy Awards, and two Golden Globes. Her Instagram following is also dramatically larger than Florence’s – it’s over 12,400% bigger!

Rihanna

Ri-Ri got her start by opening for Gwen Stefani in October 2005, learning from a successful female artist.

Gwen Stefani, known for her song “The Sweet Escape,” invited Rihanna to open for her on her first tour after leaving the band No Doubt.

Soon after Rihanna released A Girl Like Me which featured the singer’s first number one hit SOS.

Since then, the artist has released eight albums and received numerous awards, including nine Grammys, twelve Billboard Music Awards, and thirteen American Music Awards.

Rihanna released her last album, Anti, in 2016. Since then, she’s focused on her family, having welcomed three children with ASAP Rocky.

Okay, seriously, I almost lost it when she announced she was pregnant *during* the Super Bowl halftime show! It was the most amazing, iconic moment ever! Everyone was talking about it, it totally went viral, and honestly, it was the best thing to happen in 2023. I’ve rewatched the performance a million times, just to see her reveal she’s having another baby! I’m obsessed!

Rihanna and Gwen Stefani teamed up again, following Rihanna’s role as a mentor for the coaches on the show *The Voice* back in 2015.

Noah Kahan

Noah’s musical journey began on a Vermont tree farm, and in 2017, he got his start opening for the acclaimed singer-songwriter Ben Folds.

Ben Folds rose to prominence as the singer and pianist for the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five, which he led from 1993 to 2000 before starting a solo career.

Even though he found success in the US, Noah has become much more popular. His song “Stick Season” went viral on TikTok, launching him into the mainstream and leading to a major commercial breakthrough.

I was so thrilled when his self-titled album came out! It was amazing to see him nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammys in 2023, and even more incredible when he won a Billboard Music Award – he totally deserved it!

After completing two legs of The Stick Season Tour, he performed at Glastonbury and headlined a show in Hyde Park this year.

He reminisced about his early days, recalling how his mother used to drive him home after performances with only about 20 people in the audience, a stark contrast to the incredible crowd of 60,000 he was addressing now.

Sabrina Carpenter

She gained a whole new audience after supporting Taylor Swift on her Eras Tour in 2023 and 2024.

Before opening for Taylor Swift, you might be surprised to know I actually got my start touring with The Vamps back in 2017! It was an incredible experience and really helped me build my stage presence.

The popular British boyband, currently taking a break for individual projects, reached the top of the UK album charts in 2017 with ‘Night and Day’. They’re also the first band ever to perform as headliners at London’s O2 arena for five consecutive years.

Despite once releasing hit songs and even reaching the top of the US Billboard 200 chart with her album ‘Short N’ Sweet’, the four-member group hasn’t had similar success to Sabrina.

Taylor Swift won two Grammy Awards this year: Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance, both for her song ‘Espresso’.

She had a fantastic summer, headlining two nights at BST Hyde Park in London. Her latest album, *Man’s Best Friend*, was a huge success, reaching number one on the charts and featuring the hit single ‘Manchild’.

Chappell Roan

From her beginnings with Pink Pony Club to her current success with HOT TO GO!, Chappell has quickly become a sensation, known for her powerful singing and eye-catching style.

However prior to her mainstream success she joined Australian singer Vance Joy on his 2017 tour.

You might not know the name Vance Joy, but you’ve almost certainly heard his 2013 song ‘Riptide.’ It was a top ten hit in the UK, the US, and Australia.

Chappell’s popularity soared last year when her song “Good Luck, Babe!” became a top-five hit around the world.

Since releasing her 2023 album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, several of its songs have become popular. She also won Best New Artist at this year’s Grammy Awards.

She also headlined Reading and Leeds Festival and Primavera Sound during the summer.

2025-10-12 18:26