You Won't Believe Who Some of Your Favorite Artists First Opened For

Summer music festival season is upon us, and the lineups are filled with some incredible artists. While there are plenty of hot new acts hitting the scene this year, we can't help but wonder how some of our favorite singers made their musical debuts. Taylor Swift and Beyoncé may be superstars now, but even they had humble beginnings. Keep scrolling to see who some of your favorite artists first opened for back in the day.

01
Bruno Mars
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Bruno Mars

Back in 2010, the singer served as the opening act for Maroon 5's Hands All Over Tour.

02
Britney Spears
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Britney Spears

Before Britney was a pop icon in her own right, she opened for boy band *NSYNC before embarking on her first headlining tour . . . Baby One More Time in 1999.

03
Drake
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Drake

While it wasn't technically an opening gig, before he made it big, Drake coheadlined with Young Money during the America's Most Wanted Tour in 2009.

04
Demi Lovato
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Demi Lovato

As most dedicated fans know, Demi first started her singing career by touring with the Jonas Brothers during their Burnin' Up Tour in 2008. She also opened for Avril Lavigne in the same year during her The Best Damn World Tour.

05
Maroon 5
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Maroon 5

Maroon 5's first gig has a long history. The band's lead guitarist James Valentine actually went to Berklee College of Music with John Mayer in 1996, and when the singer heard the band's first album years later, he was so impressed he asked them to open for him his during his 2003 tour.

06
Lady Gaga
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Lady Gaga

Get ready to have your mind blown. Before she was Mother Monster, Gaga opened for the boy band New Kids on the Block and the girl group The Pussycat Dolls in 2008.

08
Miley Cyrus
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Miley Cyrus

Not only was Miley's first opening act for The Cheetah Girls, but she actually performed as her Disney Channel character Hannah Montana.

09
Rihanna
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Rihanna

Rihanna was yet another singer to open for The Pussycat Dolls. She was the group's opening act during their tour in Europe.

10
Ariana Grande
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Ariana Grande

The singer joined Justin Bieber for his Believe Tour back in 2013.

11
Jennifer Lopez
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Jennifer Lopez

Before Jennifer made it big with her singing career, she was a backup dancer for the New Kids on the Block in 1991. She also briefly worked as a backup dancer for Janet Jackson, but eventually backed out of her Janet World Tour in late 1993 to pursue a solo career.

12
Justin Timberlake
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Justin Timberlake

While he didn't actually open for Christina Aguilera, he did coheadline with her for her Stripped Tour in 2003.

13
Beyoncé
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Beyoncé

During her time with Destiny's Child, Beyoncé was the opening act for R&B groups such as SWV, Dru Hill, and Immature.

14
Taylor Swift
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Taylor Swift

Before she was a full-fledged pop star, Taylor performed as an opening act for several country artists, including Rascal Flatts on the final nine dates of their Me & My Gang Tour, Kenny Chesney's Flip-Flop Summer Tour, Brad Paisley's Bonfires & Amplifiers Tour, and Tim McGraw and Hill's joint Soul2Soul II Tour.