After leaving college and moving to New York City with just a little money, Madonna didn't become famous right away. She showed her early music recordings to the people in charge at Millennium Records, but they didn't like her work and said no.
Even though Ed Sheeran's songs were really good, the people in charge of the music company didn't look past his red hair and average body. But now, Sheeran is one of the most famous pop artists.
Lady Gaga has done big concerts, small shows with Tony Bennett, and the Super Bowl Halftime Show. But not everyone could see how famous she would become. L.A. Reid, the boss of Def Jam, signed Gaga when she was starting out
One of the best bands ever, The Beatles, didn't get the support of George Martin, the producer at Decca Records. He didn't like their performance and said no to signing them to his small label, just a few months before the band became really famous.
Even though we won't say who it was, Missy Elliot was told by a big music company at the start of her career that she was "too fat" to be a successful singer. But now, she has sold millions of records and become a really famous icon.
From the beginning, some people either loved or hated Kanye West's music. Many music companies said no to him before Roc-A-Fella signed him. The people in charge had a hard time seeing him as a singer on his own and thought he should just focus on making music for others.
Just a few months before they put out their first song, U2 was let go by RSO because the label s CEO wasn't too excited about the new Irish band. But now, many years later, U2 has done lots of big concerts, and it's clear that RSO missed out on a big opportunity.