When you think of 10 celebrities mostly, you picture award‑winning actors, runway icons, and sports legends. Yet a surprising number of them have also taken a stab at the music business, often with results that are more amusing than admirable. Below we explore ten famous faces who ventured into song‑craft, delivering tracks that range from quirky novelty to outright cringe‑fest.
10 Celebrities Mostly: Musical Mishaps
10 Brie Larson—She Said
Before she became an Oscar‑winning actress, Brie Larson tried her hand at pop music. After a handful of child‑acting gigs, she launched a brief recording career, issuing the 2005 album Finally Out Of P. E.. The record is pure bubble‑gum teen pop, a fitting soundtrack for a sixteen‑year‑old navigating high school.
The single She Said emerged from that album, but it barely made a ripple on the charts. Larson later grew disillusioned with the industry, feeling that her own songs were dismissed in favor of label‑chosen material. She chose to walk away rather than be molded into a sound that wasn’t hers.
Reflecting on the experience, Larson admitted the whole episode taught her to trust her own creative instincts, a lesson that eventually helped shape her acclaimed acting career.
9 Macaulay Culkin—Pizza Gal
Child‑star Macaulay Culkin formed a novelty band called The Pizza Underground, a tongue‑in‑cheek tribute to the Velvet Underground. Their track Pizza Gal parodies the classic Femme Fatale, swapping romance for pepperoni‑laden punchlines.
Musically, the song mirrors the original’s moody vibe, but the lyrics are entirely about pizza, complete with cheesy metaphors and dough‑filled double entendres. Culkin described the project as one of those “good ideas you have when you’re drunk and wake up and forget about it… but we’re taking it to the end of the joke.”
Unsurprisingly, the result feels more like a drunken frat prank than a serious musical effort, leaving listeners both amused and bewildered.
8 Andy Murray—Autograph
Tennis champion Andy Murray teamed up with fellow pro Novak Djokovic and the Bryan Bros Band in 2009 to record Autograph. The song humorously details the fatigue Murray feels when endlessly signing fans’ signatures after matches.
Murray even attempts a rap verse, spouting lines like “during Wimbledon it really gets crazy, my hand cramps up and my mind gets hazy” and “I sign and sign, but the line doesn’t end. Wake me up tomorrow, let’s do it again.”
Critics agree the track is as lackluster as its title suggests, serving as a reminder that some athletes are best left to swing rackets, not microphones.
7 Naomi Campbell—Love and Tears
Supermodel Naomi Campbell ventured into music in 1994, releasing the album Baby Woman. The single Love and Tears was the lead track, showcasing a surprisingly competent R&B vibe.
While the song isn’t a disaster, it failed to catapult Campbell into a lasting music career. The album flopped commercially everywhere except Japan, and “Love and Tears” remained her sole charting effort.
Nonetheless, the track proved that even runway royalty can produce a decent melody, albeit without long‑term success.
6 Frankie Muniz—What Your Mother Taught You
After starring in Malcolm in the Middle, Frankie Muniz joined indie pop outfit Kingsfoil from 2012 to 2014. He contributed drums to their album A Beating Heart is a Bleeding Heart, and the single What Your Mother Taught You emerged as their most recognizable song.
Fans of Kingsfoil likened the sound to a milder version of Coldplay, with Muniz’s steady drumming providing a solid backbone. Before Kingsfoil, he also played with the band You Hang Up, illustrating his genuine passion for music.
Muniz departed in 2014 due to filming commitments for Hot Bath an’ a Stiff Drink 2, leaving behind a brief but earnest musical chapter.
5 Steven Seagal—My God
Action star Steven Seagal released his debut album Songs from the Crystal Cave in 2004, featuring the controversial track My God. Despite Seagal’s respectable guitar chops, the song flops spectacularly.
It blends dancehall beats with juvenile anti‑religious lyrics, such as “Why do you force your will with a gun, let’s start another holy war” and the chorus “My God is better than your God, My God is bigger than yours.” The result feels more like a joke than a genuine artistic statement.
Even the legendary Stevie Wonder contributed harmonica, but his virtuosity couldn’t rescue the track from its absurdity.
4 Clint Eastwood—Bar Room Buddies
Country legend Merle Haggard paired with actor‑director Clint Eastwood for the 1980 single Bar Room Buddies, featured in the film Bronco Billy. The duet topped Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, holding the number‑one spot for a week.
Haggard’s smooth baritone blends with Eastwood’s gravelly voice, delivering a playful tale of two drunken friends “chug‑a‑lug‑a‑lugging” their way through a bar. Though Eastwood’s vocals are rough, they add a charming novelty to the track.
The song lingered on the country charts for thirteen weeks, cementing its status as a light‑hearted, successful novelty.
3 Val Kilmer—Frontier Justice
Actor Val Kilmer, who once portrayed Jim Morrison in The Doors, released the album Val Kilmer: Sessions With Mick in 2007. The blues‑infused single Frontier Justice tells a gritty story of revenge against a lover’s lover.
Co‑written with friend Mick Rossi, the track showcases Kilmer’s surprisingly solid vocal delivery and polished production, proving his musical abilities extend beyond his acting résumé.
Initially shared on Kilmer’s MySpace music blog, the song later appeared on the full self‑released album, highlighting a low‑key but earnest foray into songwriting.
2 Ricky Gervais—More To Lose
Before becoming a comedy heavyweight, Ricky Gervais fronted the 1980s new‑wave duo Seona Dancing. Their single More to Lose epitomizes the era’s flamboyant style—big hair, bold makeup, and a dash of androgyny.
The song sounds like a low‑budget David Bowie homage, yet it never rises above the typical new‑wave clichés of its time. Its most notable claim to fame is a surge in popularity in the Philippines, where it received heavy radio rotation throughout the decade.
Seona Dancing released only two singles before disbanding in 1984, and while Gervais later found fame in comedy, his brief musical stint remains a quirky footnote.
1 Bruce Willis—Under The Boardwalk
Before starring as John McClane, Bruce Willis adopted the soul‑R&B alter ego Bruno Randolini, releasing the 1987 album The Return of Bruno. The record featured a faux documentary and a cover of the Drifters’ classic Under the Boardwalk.
Backed by the Temptations, Willis’s rendition struggled in the United States but astonishingly climbed to number two on the UK Singles Chart. Despite the high‑profile collaborators, the track feels undeniably cringe‑inducing.
Willis followed up with a second album, If It Don’t Kill You, It Just Makes You Stronger, in 1989, before fully committing to his iconic action‑hero career.