by Rising to Stardom: Comparing the Careers of Cardi B and Selena Gomez
In today’s entertainment industry, there are many paths an artist can take to achieve fame and success. While some break out through traditional avenues like television or film, social media has opened up new opportunities for artists to build a fanbase. Cardi B and Selena Gomez are two high-profile celebrities who have reached tremendous heights in their careers, yet their journeys to stardom could not have been more different. This article will provide an in-depth look at the contrasting trajectories that Cardi B and Selena Gomez have navigated to become two of the biggest stars in music and popular culture.
Selena Gomez: A Disney Star Turned Pop Icon
Selena Gomez’s road to fame began at a very young age through the Disney Channel, one of the more traditional paths for child stars. Born in Grand Prairie, Texas in 1992, Gomez showed an early interest in acting and landed her first role on Barney & Friends at age seven. This led to further roles in children’s television shows before she landed her breakout role on the hugely popular Disney series Wizards of Waverly Place in 2007. The sitcom, which followed the adventures of a family of wizards, ran for four seasons and made Gomez a household name among tween audiences.
During this time, Gomez began to dabble in music as her character on Wizards also pursued a singing career. She recorded songs for the show’s soundtrack and this planted the seeds for Gomez to eventually transition into a full-fledged pop star. In 2008, she released her self-titled debut studio album under the Hollywood Records label, which saw moderate success. However, it wasn’t until Gomez’s second album When the Sun Goes Down in 2011 that she truly broke through, with the lead single “Who Says” becoming her first top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The release of When the Sun Goes Down marked a pivotal moment in Gomez’s career as she moved beyond her child star roots. While still maintaining her clean-cut Disney image, the album showed a maturing perspective through more grown-up themes. It proved Gomez had the talent and star power to sustain success outside of the children’s entertainment realm. Her third studio album Stars Dance followed in 2013 to further critical and commercial acclaim, cementing Gomez as a true pop force.
During this time, Gomez also began to take on more mature acting roles in films like Spring Breakers, gaining credibility as a versatile entertainer. However, she was still very much associated with her Disney past. It was not until 2015 when Gomez signed with Interscope Records that she fully separated herself from the Disney label and image. Her first single under the new partnership, “Good for You” featuring A$AP Rocky, marked an even more explicit shift to a darker, sexier aesthetic and sound.
The lead single off her fourth studio album Revival, “Good for You” was a massive commercial success, becoming Gomez’s highest-charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 at the time. Revival as a whole received widespread acclaim for showcasing Gomez’s evolution as an artist willing to take creative risks. She had officially broken out of the Disney mold and established herself as a serious pop contender, no longer defined by her past. Gomez continued to release hit singles and sell out arena tours over the next few years, cementing her status as one of the biggest pop stars in the world.
Offstage, Gomez’s personal life has also been subject to immense public scrutiny. She has openly discussed her struggles with lupus and mental health issues. High-profile relationships with fellow celebrities like Justin Bieber also kept her in the tabloids. However, Gomez has navigated fame and its pressures with grace, using her platform to advocate for causes like immigration reform and mental health awareness. Now at 29, she remains a beloved role model and inspiration to her hundreds of millions of social media followers worldwide.
Cardi B: From Social Media Star to Rap Queen
While Selena Gomez took a more conventional path through the Disney Channel into pop music, Cardi B’s journey to stardom was unconventional and grassroots. Born Belcalis Almanzar in 1992 in the Bronx, New York, Cardi B grew up in a low-income neighborhood. She worked various service jobs like a cashier and stripper in her late teens and early 20s to make ends meet. Unlike Gomez, Cardi B had no connections in the entertainment industry and no blueprint for success. However, she utilized social media platforms, particularly Vine, to share her outgoing personality and hilarious hot takes on everyday life that started gaining her a devoted online following.
This online buzz led Cardi B to transition to Instagram after Vine shut down, where she continued cultivating her brand. She amassed millions of followers through sharing snippets of her colorful everyday life and unfiltered opinions. Her charisma and authenticity resonated hugely with audiences. Around this time, Cardi B also began venturing into music more seriously with a few independent mixtapes and singles. However, her breakout moment came in 2017 with the release of her first major label single “Bodak Yellow.”
The song was an instant smash hit, topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart and cementing Cardi B as the first female rapper to achieve this feat with a solo track since Lauryn Hill in 1998. “Bodak Yellow” showed off Cardi B’s signature flow, catchy hooks, and her ability to craft anthemic lyrics about her rise to fame and wealth that connected with fans. Her debut studio album Invasion of Privacy, released in 2018, was also a massive commercial success. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making Cardi B the first solo female artist to top the chart with a debut album since Lauryn Hill.
Standout hits like “I Like It” with J Balvin and Bad Bunny further grew her popularity worldwide. Cardi B’s brash, unconventional style helped introduce a new wave of female rap to the mainstream. She has become known for her unapologetic lyricism addressing topics like sex, relationships, and female empowerment. Her personality is just as big as her music, with Cardi B never shy about speaking her mind on social issues, politics, and more. This authenticity has allowed her to form a deeply loyal fanbase while also receiving backlash from more conservative critics.
In the years since her breakout, Cardi B has collaborated with major artists across genres like Maroon 5 and Bruno Mars. She remains a dominant force in hip hop as both a chart-topping artist and culture setter. Now with five number one hits, Cardi B has shattered long-held barriers for women in rap. She has proven that raw talent and charisma can propel artists to the top, even without industry connections or a polished image. While her personal life is also under constant tabloid scrutiny, Cardi B continues owning her narrative on her own terms.
Similarities and Differences in Their Journeys
While Selena Gomez and Cardi B’s paths to stardom diverged in many ways, there are some notable similarities. Firstly, both leveraged social media platforms as a springboard before achieving mainstream success. For Gomez, platforms like YouTube and Instagram helped her cultivate a massive global fanbase as she transitioned beyond Disney. For Cardi B, social channels were her primary vehicle for years as an unknown before breaking into the industry. Social media has proven a democratizing force, allowing artists to build audiences organically.
Additionally, both Gomez and Cardi B have had to navigate the immense pressures that come with fame and celebrity. Their personal lives and relationships have been dissected under public scrutiny. Both have also shown resilience in overcoming health issues and using their platforms to advocate for causes important to them.
However, the key differences in their trajectories are just as illuminating. Gomez rose to fame at a young age within the controlled environment of Disney Channel programming, gaining exposure but also creative limitations. She took a more gradual path towards independence. By contrast, Cardi B had no industry ties, rising from obscurity through her bold online persona before breaking barriers in the male-dominated rap world.
Musically, Gomez’s roots and early success were in pop music, while Cardi B is a pioneering figure in the hip hop landscape. The time periods of their breakthroughs also diverged greatly – Gomez in the late 2000s versus Cardi B’s more recent 2017 introduction to the mainstream.
Overall, while both Cardi B and Selena Gomez now stand as two of the most influential entertainers in the world, their contrasting journeys show that there is no single blueprint for success. Artists can break major barriers regardless of their background or entry point into the industry, whether through traditional avenues or by carving their own path with raw charisma and talent. Both have proven adaptable creatives for the digital age by continually evolving their craft and using social platforms to speak directly to massive global fanbases.
